The Strongest Artist in Naruto

"We're being worked to the bone, huh? Right, Sasori?" Deidara grumbled nonchalantly as they traveled toward the Land of Birds.

Did Nagato think Akatsuki was the same as before? Running missions without even a salary, all for scraping funds to support the organization. Thank goodness for the Rinnegan's intimidation factor—otherwise, who'd even bother?

Sure, Konan was practically family, so the paycheck discussion didn't apply to her. Uchiha Itachi was here as a spy, so he didn't care about salaries. Hidan? All about Jashin, no interest in money. As for Zetsu and Kisame, they weren't exactly in Nagato's camp either, so no salaries there.

Damn! When you thought about it, only he, Sasori, and Kakuzu were the honest workers in Akatsuki. Just the three of them, endlessly exploited! Especially Kakuzu—if he ever found out about the six billion explosive tags thing, he might just cancel his Edo Tensei out of sheer rage.

"So, who are we dealing with this time? Got anything from your intel network, Sasori?"

"The Nokizaru Group," Scorpion replied tersely.

The Nokizaru Group? Deidara immediately went on high alert. Their members might not be the strongest, but their abilities were bizarre and dangerous. Especially that one who manipulated bugs—he even managed to trap the Fourth Raikage. If Tsunade hadn't been around, the Raikage's position might've had to change hands.

"What's the plan? Should I go in and show them some real art?"

"Idiot!" Scorpion shot back. "We need to interrogate them to find out who hired them. If you blow them to bits, where's the intel going to come from?"

"Fine, but be careful. Their abilities are pretty tricky," Deidara warned.

"I know. Ninja hunters, as they're called," Sasori said calmly. From a certain perspective, he wasn't too worried. Being essentially immortal with a puppet body meant most conventional threats didn't faze him.

"You, on the other hand, Deidara, don't let your guard down."

"Don't worry! My art is the ultimate weapon! Yeah!"

"Shut it, Deidara! That's not art. True art is eternal!"

Beyond their secret bases, Akatsuki also had some external hideouts meant for gathering resources, offering services to core members, and collecting intelligence. However, Nagato's lack of management skills had turned these operations into a mess. For what was supposed to be the most powerful organization in the ninja world, their outer structure was pathetic—worse than some third-rate gangs.

By contrast, look at Orochimaru. Busy with research, raising kids, and still managing to build Otogakure and a network of bases across the world. Total domination. Nagato was utterly crushed by comparison.

Anyway, back to the point.

Deidara and Sasori arrived at a former Akatsuki outpost in the Land of Birds, nestled in a small town. The place was in ruins and had already been taken over by a local gang.

"Please! I don't know anything! I swear!"

After cleaning out the last gang member using Hiruko, Sasori confirmed there was no valuable intel to be found.

"As expected of one of the most active underground groups, they're incredibly cautious. Not a single clue left behind," Sasori remarked after a thorough search.

Knowing it was the Nokizaru Group wasn't hard—such a large-scale battle would naturally leave traces. But tracking them down was another matter entirely. They were pros, with hidden bases and carefully erased trails.

"Let's call Zetsu. That guy's the best at this," Deidara suggested. In terms of intelligence gathering, Zetsu was second to none in the shinobi world.

The next day, while resting at an inn, a pitcher plant-like figure emerged from the floor.

"Found them?" Sasori asked.

"Yeah, still in the Land of Birds. Follow me," Black Zetsu replied.

The Land of Birds was small, so crossing it didn't take long. Soon, they stood outside a valley.

"Wow, they've got taste. Plenty of monkeys here—maybe they're monkeys themselves?" White Zetsu joked, noting the Nokizaru Group's monkey-like tails and outfits.

"What's the plan, Sasori?" Deidara turned to him.

"I'll go first. Stay back," Sasori ordered curtly. Anyone unfamiliar with him might've been offended by his tone, but Deidara didn't bat an eye.

"Sasori's really looking down on you," White Zetsu teased.

"Shut up!" Black Zetsu barked.

"I'll show you what real art looks like! Yeah!" Deidara retorted, preparing his clay creations.

Deidara hovered on his clay bird, keeping low to stay hidden. Meanwhile, he deployed small clay centipedes underground and spiders in the grass. Shinobi were fragile creatures, and a single misstep could mean death.

Sasori, piloting Hiruko, advanced toward the valley's center. Suddenly, a shadowy figure emerged from Hiruko's own shadow—a man in yellowish attire, kunai in hand, aiming for Hiruko's neck.

"Your life is mine," the figure declared, confident he'd already envisioned his enemy clutching a bleeding throat.

Clang!

"What?!" The kunai struck Hiruko's neck, but instead of cutting flesh, it hit something hard. Hiruko's puppet body, though vulnerable in places, was tough enough to resist the attack. Poisoned senbon shot out in retaliation, nearly hitting the assailant.

"A puppet?" the person muttered, retreating to the shadow of a distant tree with a more serious expression.

"No point wasting time here," he said, vanishing again, presumably to warn his Group.

Realizing stealth was no longer an option, Sasori picked up the pace, heading straight for the valley's center.

At the heart of the valley, the Nokizaru Group leader—a man known for controlling explosive insects—asked, "Are you sure it's just two enemies?"

"Positive. One's a puppeteer, and the other can fly. Clay-man's being tailed by Earth-man. If that guy slips up even a bit, Earth-man will finish him," the shadow-user replied.

The so-called Earth-man had the ability to move through stone and soil, even turning invisible when in contact with them—a deadly assassin type.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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