Assassination... it wasn't the kind of job Deidara usually took. He was more for heists, terror attacks--kidnappings, at times--the sort of job that benefited from diversion tactics and a more widespread, showy brand of violence. That was just his jam. This target wasn't even a high profile name that would cause a massive stir by suddenly blowing up into hundreds of slimy pieces.
But... a beggar couldn't be a chooser, and he was running pretty low on ryō.
According to the brief, this was a simple hit against a nameless serial murderer who'd targeted several trade routes in the country so far. and showed no sign of stopping. Gauging by the easily-found traces of blood in the surrounding woods every time, they were also a reckless son of a bitch who showed no sign of giving a damn who found their victims--honestly, sounded like his kinda guy.
Small sculptures crept in a wide perimeter around Deidara as he followed one such grisly trail that led him deeper into a thicket of evergreens. It was almost difficult to tell if the sharp tang in the air was from rainfall that had fermented over the course of a hot summer’s night, or the fact his path grew more flamboyantly decorated as he delved stealthily deeper.
A stir in his chakra told him he was fast approaching his target, but that wasn't all that caused his heart to pick up in pace. There was breathing. Deidara smiled to himself, excited for the chance of a real fight. This was it. Time to see what scene would unfold.
The corpse was... fresh. You didn’t need to be a medic to see that, though the final rasp came soon enough. That meant that the killer was nearby, but Deidara wasn’t concerned with that; his hand was poised and the scattered explosives would warn him of anyone who tried to ambush him now. What really caught his eye was the sigil scraped messily into the moist soil in the clearing--though the area was spotted with thick splatters of crimson, the shape and meaning were instantly known to him.
Immediate assumptions, though improbable, made the bomber hesitate rather than detonate as a quietly whispered ‘shit’ slipped through his teeth.