123. Art is Patrick Star.

Sasori’s first impression was that he was ugly—hideously, transcendently ugly.

He did not walk upright; instead, he crawled along the ground like a scorpion, his abdomen scraping against the earth as he crept forward. Combined with that bizarre, grotesque face and a hairstyle of jet-black, gravity-defying dreadlocks, he was, by any measure, a man whose ugliness was as remarkable as it was profound.

Yet, this ugly figure was not Sasori’s true form, but rather a human puppet he controlled.

The abilities of the characters in the world of Naruto were as diverse as they were strange, rivaling even those of mutants in their sheer variety. The name of the puppet Sasori was currently piloting was Hiruko. Outfitted with an array of hidden weapons, needles, and toxins, it perfectly embodied the meaning of the name "Sasori"—this thing was, quite literally, a human-sized scorpion.

Seeing Deidara doubled over like a shrimp, one of his arms torn away, a flicker of inexplicable satisfaction crossed Sasori’s mind. Though they were partners, the two of them argued constantly. However, as partners, they were a single unit; they stood or fell together. Thus, seeing Deidara wounded, Sasori knew he had to intervene.

The moment Sasori resolved to attack Su Ye to assist Deidara, Su Ye, hovering in the air, felt a slight twitch of his brow.

"As expected, it’s best when the pair is together, isn't it?"

With a light mutter, Su Ye grabbed Deidara by the collar. With a sharp twist of his waist and a forceful swing in mid-air, he hurled Deidara’s body away like a cannonball, straight toward the hidden Sasori, whose consciousness resided within the puppet Hiruko.

Hiruko’s eyes widened in shock. He had never imagined that, despite his deep concealment, he would be exposed so instantly. Watching Deidara hurtle toward him, Hiruko deployed his Sand Clone technique to catch his partner, while his main body prepared to launch an assault on Su Ye. His entire frame was covered in poisonous needles; a single graze would be enough to turn Su Ye into a lamb for the slaughter.

In the sky, having flung Deidara away, Su Ye did not pause. He used one of his small white bird clones as a springboard, launching himself like a projectile toward Hiruko’s hiding spot.

"Come then. I’ll give you a memory you’ll never forget!" Hiruko’s eyes narrowed.

Just then, Su Ye extended his hand forward. A mass of white matter flew out, transforming into a large net in mid-air that descended directly toward Hiruko. Simultaneously, Su Ye’s trajectory shifted; he did not aim for Hiruko directly, but landed a few meters in front of him, as if deliberately avoiding physical contact.

"Useless. Those petty tricks are of no use to me!"

Hiruko swiped at the descending web with his spikes while activating the mechanisms on his body, preparing to unleash a full-scale barrage upon Su Ye.

But as soon as Su Ye touched the ground, he slammed his fist into the earth.

Energy Fountain!

Instantly, several geysers of flame energy erupted from the ground, slamming into Hiruko’s abdomen and blasting him high into the sky. Under the force of the massive explosion of fire, Hiruko did not even have the chance to struggle before his body was shattered into pieces.

By then, Hiruko’s hidden weapons had not even had the chance to fire.

"You! How could you!"

Not far away, Deidara lay on the ground, his eyes wide with disbelief. He never imagined that the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails could be this strong—strong enough that both he and Sasori were no match for him. More importantly, up to this point, the man hadn't used a single ninjutsu other than the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.

Why was this guy so powerful? And what was that technique that made fire erupt from the ground?

But those things no longer mattered. The stronger Su Ye was, the more worthy he was of Deidara’s full power.

"That indifferent look in your eyes... it's infuriating!"

Deidara lay weakly on the ground, yet a crazed, excited smile spread across his face, as if he were experiencing a final surge of life. "It makes me so angry. That look—seeing my art without showing even a hint of surprise—it’s just like that bastard's. It’s unforgivable!"

"But it doesn't matter. I will make you see it—my ultimate art!"

Deidara began to laugh maniacally, his expression so ecstatic it looked as if he had just won a lottery for hundreds of millions. Seeing this, Su Ye frowned involuntarily. With a flash, he turned and dashed toward where Hinata was positioned.

He already understood what this lunatic was planning.

He was about to unleash his final masterpiece.

He could rush forward and perhaps prevent Deidara’s self-destruction, but Su Ye did not want to stop him from releasing the final brilliance of his life. Every passion deserved respect.

"It’s useless! Despair! Fear! Tremble! Marvel! Weep! This is my art!"

While Deidara laughed, Su Ye scooped up Hinata with one arm and grabbed Neji by the collar with the other. At the same time, the voices of Harry and Tony Stark crackled through his earpiece.

"Xiao Ye, what’s the situation? We’re almost there!"

"Uncle Su, the Avengers are here to support. What on earth is happening?"

Su Ye had already vaulted onto his glider, shooting straight up into the sky. As he soared, he shouted into the earpiece, "Run! Get out of here, now!"

Hearing this, Harry didn't hesitate for a second. He turned and fled with the Great Wall Guardians.

However, Iron Man remained nonchalant. "It’s fine, Uncle Su. We’ve defeated aliens before—what could there possibly be that we can't handle together?"

As he spoke, Iron Man continued to fly forward. Clearly, the divergence from the movie's plot had resulted in a different state of mind for Tony Stark. The current Tony Stark was no longer plagued by the nightmares of the massive spacecraft beyond the space portal.

Originally, fighting aliens was the military’s job. Even if he were made of iron, how many nails could he drive in alone? The plot in *Iron Man 3* where he couldn't sleep due to the alien invasion was, to put it bluntly, just unnecessary worrying. If he couldn't even withstand an attack from an armed helicopter, then claiming to protect world peace single-handedly wasn't just arrogance—it was insanity.

The true master of war was the state apparatus.

In this world, due to the military’s intervention, Iron Man had realized the limited importance of the role he could play in war, and he no longer saw himself as Earth’s sole answer. As a result, his mood was much lighter, though he remained the same arrogant, self-proclaimed genius.

Thus, when faced with Su Ye’s warning, while Harry turned and ran, Tony Stark didn't take it to heart and foolishly continued to fly forward.

Just then, Deidara uttered his final line.

"My art... is an explosion!"

In an instant, a massive, star-shaped blast appeared on the ground.

On Iron Man’s end, Jarvis had barely detected the high-energy reading before the massive wave of energy caught his armor, blasting him away like a shooting star in the sky.