The Akatsuki members move in pairs ... which encompasses the original manga, the anime adaptation, and the databooks.

It's common for anime series to feature antagonistic groups that are one step ahead, and initially far superior to the protagonists, though this was exacerbated in the case of both the Akatsuki ...

Naruto might be a fun Shonen anime but Masashi Kishimoto had to remind us that villains are villains and Deidara's behavior was the best example of this.