"BOOM!"
The entire stone forest trembled as Deidara and his giant white bird were blown backward, dust and debris billowing in their wake.
"Damn it, what kind of jutsu is this?" Deidara propped himself against the rocky outcrop, blood seeping from between his clenched teeth. He wiped the crimson stream from his chin with the back of his hand.
A gentle breeze swept through the area, dispersing the dust cloud that had settled between the stone pillars. Deidara stared ahead as the orange-haired man—clad in a black robe embroidered with red cloud patterns matching Konan's—slowly lowered his arm. His expression remained as impassive as before.
"What's your purpose in bringing me here?" Deidara asked, his defiant attitude finally giving way to wary curiosity.
"Oh?"
Konan and Pain exchanged glances, somewhat surprised. This Deidara was evidently not merely a simple-minded explosives enthusiast as they had been led to believe. It made sense why the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki valued him so highly—even going so far as to suppress knowledge of Deidara's participation in a coup in another country, instead simply confining him to a stone forest several kilometers from Iwagakure.
Pain fixed his ringed eyes on Deidara. "We're impressed by your abilities," he stated calmly. "We'd like to invite you to join our organization."
"Akatsuki."
"Akatsuki?" Deidara's eyebrows rose. He waved his hand dismissively and chuckled. "What does that have to do with me? Don't disturb me from creating and appreciating my art."
He showed no interest whatsoever in their offer.
"Art?" Konan raised an eyebrow.
Seeing her surprised expression, Deidara's pride swelled. He reached into his ninja tool pouch and produced another white clay creature.
"This is my art," he declared. "Look at its simple lines and the deliberate pursuit of unadorned form!"
His eyes blazed with passion, like a master artist revealing his magnum opus to an audience.
"However, if it remains just an empty shell, it cannot be called true art." He continued with growing fervor. "So it must explode—and through that explosion, its existence is sublimated, transformed into something truly perfect. An aesthetic that is both fleeting and eternal."
"Art is an EXPLOSION! Hmm!"
"What a simple-minded individual," Konan thought privately. In Deidara's worldview, creating explosions was merely a means to share his artistic vision with others. This explained why he had been recruited by rebel shinobi to assist in their coup attempt. Deidara didn't view his actions as crimes or terrorist attacks, but rather as exhibitions of his art for an unappreciative world.
Pain's expression remained unchanged. "I won't waste words. I'm inviting you to join our organization."
"What kind of attitude is that? Are you disrespecting my art?" Deidara snapped, anger flashing in his eyes. "I have zero interest in joining Akatsuki or whatever you call yourselves. I only want to continue creating and appreciating explosive art, hmm!"
"You've been unanimously marked for elimination by Iwagakure's leadership," Konan interjected. "If not for the Third Tsuchikage's protection, you would have been executed long ago."
"But even the Tsuchikage can't shield you forever," she added.
"So what?" Deidara remained unmoved, preparing to turn and depart.
"What I just said wasn't a request for your opinion," Pain stated coldly. "This is God's decree. You have no choice but to join our organization."
"God? You actually call yourself a god?" Deidara sneered, turning his gaze toward Pain.
Their eyes met, and suddenly, gazing into those strange ringed purple eyes, Deidara felt an overwhelming pressure—a crushing sense that absolute obedience was the only option. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, trickling down his face unbidden.
"You should understand that you stand no chance against me as you are now," Pain continued. "Obeying my command is your only viable choice."
Pain stood calmly while Deidara attempted to assume a fighting stance.
"Why can't I..." Deidara found his body trembling uncontrollably despite his best efforts to steady himself.
The man before him seemed like a force of nature, making Deidara feel insignificant as an ant. His very presence commanded submission, impossible to resist.
After a tense moment, Deidara's face darkened, and he whispered reluctantly, "Fine."
Even Deidara himself didn't fully understand why he had conceded so easily.
"Welcome to the organization," Pain responded dispassionately.
Deidara lowered his gaze, then locked eyes with the man before him once more. "One day, I will defeat you with my art!"
"If you can manage that feat," Pain replied softly before exchanging a glance with Konan.
She reached into her robe and tossed something toward Deidara. He caught it reflexively—a ring with the character for "Blue" (青) engraved in its center.
"Every official member of our organization carries a ring," Konan explained. "Your code name is Blue Dragon."
As she spoke, a hunched figure emerged from the stone forest behind her. The newcomer had an unsettling appearance, with gloomy eyes peering out from within a misshapen form. He too wore an Akatsuki robe.
"From this point forward, you two will operate as a team," Pain instructed. "When I'm not present, defer to his judgment should the need arise."
The hunched figure finally stepped forward, standing before Deidara.
"You expect me to take orders from this ugly freak?" Deidara asked, his tone dripping with disdain.
"Sasori, I leave this one in your care for now," Pain said, ignoring Deidara's insolence.
"Understood," came the muffled reply from within the puppet body.
"POOF!"
Without another word, Pain transformed into a wisp of smoke and vanished.
Konan's body likewise dissolved into a flurry of white origami sheets that scattered on the breeze.
After their departure, Deidara looked down at Hiruko before him and said with a mocking smile, "Now that they're gone, you'd better watch yourself. I could bury you under my art at any moment."
"I have no interest in making you into a puppet," Sasori responded indifferently. The massive scorpion-like tail of his Hiruko puppet slowly raised, its poisoned tip glinting menacingly in the light.
It would clearly take some time for these two to adjust to one another.
Meanwhile, not long after these events, in Iwagakure, a figure hurried into the Tsuchikage's office within the administrative building.
The man quickly knelt before Tsuchikage Ōnoki and reported urgently, "Lord Tsuchikage, all the shinobi you dispatched to monitor Deidara have been killed. Deidara himself is nowhere to be found."
"What?!" Ōnoki's expression changed instantly.
The Stone shinobi he had sent all carried emergency flares, yet none had managed to signal the village before their demise.
"Hmph!" Ōnoki grunted in concern. Could Deidara have been responsible for all this?
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