Chapter 37: New Technique, Jūrokuya's Welcome Gift

Chapter 37: New Technique, Jūrokuya's Welcome Gift

"Hey, Sasori, we've been searching for three days and still haven't found the mining village. Is your intel even reliable?"

The art duo had no idea they were being watched.

After circling the skies fruitlessly, Deidara descended to voice his frustration.

"The intel came from Zetsu, so it should be accurate", Sasori of the Red Sand replied, his voice gravelly. "A new Kurotsuchi clan has recently emerged in the Land of Rivers, trafficking various minerals on the Black Market. That family must possess massive reserves. If we find them, we won't need to rely on Kakuzu anymore—we'll finally have financial freedom without constantly taking missions."

"Fine, I'll stick around for a few more days", Deidara sighed.

With that, he launched Sasori into the skies to search another area.

As they flew, a small shadow suddenly loomed over them, shielding them from the sun's glare. Looking up, they saw a figure radiating blinding golden light from behind, obscuring their features.

"Flight-based ninjutsu?!" Deidara exclaimed. "Could the old man have sent someone to drag me back?"

The most famous flight techniques originated from Iwagakure's Earth Release.

Sasori's eyes narrowed. "He's not an Iwa ninja. Deidara, descend now!"

He opened his mouth into a square shape, firing a dense barrage of poison needles skyward like a storm of metal.

Before Deidara could react, the needles surged upward—only to collide with an invisible barrier and rebound violently.

The rain of steel rained downward.

Deidara yanked the white bird lower while flicking his sleeve to release several small paper birds. "Katsu!" he intoned, sealing with one hand.

Boom—

Overlapping explosions erupted, dazzling flames blooming like fireworks across the sky.

The daylight dulled the spectacle, though gusting winds soon dispersed the smoke. Emerging from the shadow's range, they finally saw their attacker: a man around six-foot-two in a black full-body robe, wearing a pure white mask matching his hair color that concealed all features. His presence radiated mystery.

Jūrokuya, cloaked in Transformation Jutsu, muttered, "Let's start with a welcome gift."

He raised his right palm skyward, condensing a flicker of chakra flame before dissipating it.

"Never mind. That technique isn't perfected yet—it'd be too underwhelming as a greeting."

"Time for something new! With my current chakra reserves, I should manage this..."

Jūrokuya formed a hand seal, blue chakra flaring around him. The air vibrated upward, whipping his white hair wildly. Maintaining the seal for over a minute without faltering, he finally spoke.

On a nearby slope, Deidara asked, "What's he doing?"

"Probably preparing a technique. Watch yourself—anyone capable of flight won't be an easy opponent." Sasori retrieved a scroll, readying his puppet army.

But both paused when Jūrokuya waved casually from above, calling out, "If you survive, perhaps we'll be friends!"

He vanished.

The midday sun burned overhead when something strange occurred—the blazing orb seemed to descend, drawing closer to them.

"What the—?!"

Far away, Kurenai Yuhi's squad and the caravan halted, staring at the sky. Some civilians cowered in fear.

"A meteor?!" someone shouted.

"No—Meteor!!"

A colossal fireball screamed downward, ablaze from atmospheric friction.

Kurenai murmured, "Coincidence? It must be!"

No known technique could summon meteors. Yet behind her, Hinata watched the spectacle with starry-eyed awe.

"Deidara, run!" Sasori roared.

"Beautiful...!" Deidara stood transfixed, eyes gleaming with artful admiration.

"Baka!" Sasori hissed. A mechanical tail lashed out, binding Deidara as he leapt downward. Unsealing a scroll, he summoned his ace: the Third Kazekage's human puppet, its body a fusion of human flesh and steel.

Chakra threads connected to the puppet, which unleashed a torrent of black iron sand from its sleeves. The sand assembled into a massive triangular prism midair.

Landing atop the prism, Sasori manipulated the Kazekage's magnetic release to launch them toward a distant mountain, reeling the puppet behind them to dodge behind the ridgeline.

Too slow.

The meteor's speed outpaced them. Sasori improvised, angling the prism downward to blast an artificial cavern into the mountainside.

Inside the refuge, he layered iron sand into thick walls and encased himself, Deidara, and the puppet in a protective black sphere.

The moment the sphere sealed—

Kaboooom!!

The meteor's impact shook the entire mountain range. The concussive blast, amplified by valley echoes, ruptured eardrums and ignited flash fires that ravaged flora and fauna alike. The impact point vaporized mountainsides, sending shockwaves shattering cliffs miles outward.

Twenty kilometers away, Kurenai's squad felt the tremors beneath their perch, watching the mushroom cloud rise.

Even through intervening ridges, the ground quaked beneath their feet.

Such was the sheer power of the flaming behemoth.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end