---Third POV---
A few minutes earlier.
On the stone-paved streets of Iwa, a girl with short black hair and a chubby boy who looked like he came straight from the Akimichi clan were running frantically through the village.
"Huff... huff..."
Akatsuchi gasped for air. He'd sprinted all the way from the Ninja Academy and was completely spent, doubling over with both hands on his knees as he shouted at the girl ahead of him, "Kurotsuchi! You have to... you absolutely have to stop Deidara!"
Kurotsuchi didn't waste breath on a reply, she just ran faster. In her field of vision, the figure of a blonde boy with a high ponytail was getting larger and larger. She could see him bounding across rooftops.
Deidara glanced back, noticing Kurotsuchi was still chasing after him.
"Do you really want to see my art up close that badly? If you get blown up, I'm not gonna apologize, yeah."
"This time I'll definitely stop you."
Kurotsuchi's brow furrowed. She'd secretly overheard her father and grandfather's conversation not long ago, if Deidara kept causing chaos in the village, he'd be sent away to live outside Iwa's borders.
And besides, why the hell did "art" have to mean explosions anyway? She really couldn't wrap her head around it.
Deidara leaped from rooftop to rooftop, slipping the mouths on his palms into his ninja pouch to let them chew clay. The sight never failed to creep out anyone who saw it for the first time, hands with working mouths.
"Haha, you can't stop my art! Try this on for size!"
He flicked his right hand and tossed out seven or eight small explosive spiders that skittered across the ground.
Boom, boom, boom...
Clouds of smoke billowed up, but it was clear these clay spiders weren't packing much punch, their effect was mostly for show and to slow down pursuit.
Kurotsuchi ignored the mini explosions completely and charged straight through the smoke. Her eyes watered from the acrid smell, but she didn't slow down.
"Damn, you didn't fall for it. You're getting too good at this. But you're still way too early to stop me, yeah."
Deidara's Explosion Release was indeed powerful, but he was still young, his body hadn't fully developed, and his chakra reserves were limited compared to adult shinobi.
He needed to save energy for the "main event" coming up, so these quickly-made clay bombs couldn't pack much of a punch. Quality over quantity would have to wait until he was older.
His right hand brushed over the inner pocket of his clothes. Inside was the art piece he'd carefully crafted over several months, working on it in secret whenever he could steal away from training and lessons. He was going to unleash it right in the heart of Iwa, where everyone could see.
As he drew closer to the Tsuchikage Building, the corner of his mouth curled upward.
"Get ready to be blown away by my art, Kurotsuchi. This is gonna be my masterpiece!"
With those words, he pulled out a smooth clay orb from his inner pocket and hurled it toward the plaza at the base of the Tsuchikage Building.
The people in the plaza quickly noticed Deidara shouting and gesturing wildly nearby. The memories of previous explosions came flooding back instantly, and the villagers who had been strolling peacefully through the plaza scattered, shouting warnings to each other as they fled.
"Run! That little explosion maniac is back again!"
"Damn it! This time I'm not running. Let's see if he actually tries to kill me!"
"Good luck with that... I'll just be leaving first!"
"Someone get the cleanup crew ready!"
---
Kurotsuchi locked her eyes on the clay bomb Deidara had thrown. She quickly flicked both hands and sent a handful of kunai whizzing through the air, trying to intercept it before it could reach its target.
At the very least, she couldn't let it explode right under the Tsuchikage Building. Otherwise, her grandfather would definitely punish Deidara severely, maybe even send him away for good this time.
Just before the kunai could strike their target, the smooth clay ball suddenly unfolded, transforming into a clay doll. The doll twisted its body mid-air, dodged the incoming kunai, then landed safely on the plaza stones before sprinting toward the Tsuchikage Building on its stubby legs.
"That damn brat again! His target is the Tsuchikage Building this time?!"
One of the Iwa ninja guarding the tower entrance cursed furiously. This was getting ridiculous, how many times could one kid cause chaos before someone did something about it?
He began weaving hand seals rapidly.
Seeing the ninja's countermeasures, Deidara reluctantly abandoned his original plan to blow up the Tsuchikage Building. No point in wasting his best work if it was just going to get buried in rock.
"Fine then! I'll just show you my latest masterpiece right here in the plaza! This is art in its purest form!"
He raised his hand dramatically, like a conductor about to direct an orchestra.
"Katsu!"
At his command, the clay doll's body began to swell violently, expanding.
The next instant, BOOM!
An explosion erupted in the plaza's center, far louder and more destructive than any of his previous pranks.
A massive fireball burst forth, the shockwave rippling out. The ground split open, chunks of stone and clouds of dust blasted skyward. Windows in nearby buildings rattled in their frames, and several people who hadn't made it far enough were knocked off their feet by the pressure wave.
The crater left behind was deep enough to hide a person, surrounded by scattered debris and rubble. The smell of explosives choked the air, making everyone's eyes water.
At last, his art was complete. This was what Deidara lived for.
Kurotsuchi crossed her arms to shield herself as the shockwave slammed into her, the force pushing her back several steps. Her ears were ringing, and she could taste dust and smoke.
Fortunately, Akatsuchi arrived just in time, bracing her from behind with his solid frame to help steady her stance.
"Looks like he succeeded in blowing up another spot," he said, scratching his head with an awkward grin. "At least nobody got hurt this time either."
Kurotsuchi stared speechlessly at Deidara in the distance. Again, she really couldn't fathom how these terror-attack-like stunts could possibly be considered art. It was just destruction for destruction's sake.
The only reason Deidara hadn't been thrown into prison already was that he always gave people enough time to escape before setting off his explosions. Despite all the property damage and chaos, no one had ever actually been seriously harmed.
Right now, she could only hope her grandfather wouldn't lose his temper too badly. But judging by the size of that crater, this might be the last straw.
---
Inside the Tsuchikage Building, the windows of the conference room exploded inward.
Crack! Crash!
Several panes of glass shattered from the sudden blast, sharp shards scattering across the floor. The contract scrolls on the table fluttered in the sudden wind.
"What the hell was that?"
Obito snapped his head up, instinctively dropping into a combat stance before realizing there was no immediate threat. He strode quickly to the window frame, careful to avoid the broken glass, and looked outside.
Thick smoke billowed from the plaza below, the aftershocks of the explosion still making the building vibrate slightly. At the plaza's center, a crater had formed.
"Deidara again! That damn brat, causing trouble today of all days. This time I'll really teach him a lesson he'll never forget!"
Ōnoki's face turned dark as a thundercloud. He didn't even bother with the stairs, he activated his Light-Weight Rock Technique and flew directly out through the broken window opening.
Kitsuchi quickly gathered up the contract scrolls that both sides had just signed, making sure none of the glass had damaged them, then turned toward Ryouma.
"Please forgive us for this disturbance. That's one of Iwa's... problem children. He keeps shouting things like 'Art is an explosion!' and goes around setting off bombs all over the village."
"There's really someone like that?" Obito asked, baffled by it. "Why not just lock him up? Or have his parents discipline him properly?"
Hearing this innocent question, Kitsuchi's expression grew troubled.
Normally, a child like this would just need proper discipline. And at first, Deidara's guardians had indeed tried that approach with all the usual methods.
The result? Not just zero effect, completely counterproductive. The punishments seemed to inspire him to create even more explosive "art pieces."
As for harsher punishments, those didn't really apply either. After all, he was considered the most promising genius of Iwa's new generation, practically being groomed as a future Tsuchikage. You couldn't exactly execute your next village leader for having artistic differences.
"This is Iwa's internal matter."
Ryouma stood up, stopping Obito's interrogation before it could get awkward. He remembered that Deidara was actually an orphan, his parents had died during one of the previous wars. If Kitsuchi happened to mention something like "Deidara's parents died fighting Konoha," that would make the atmosphere unbearably tense.
Thinking along those lines, he was about to slip a note to Kura using Flying Thunder God, telling him to get ready to move on to their next destination.
But from the corner of his eye, he noticed Kitsuchi pressing his lips together, looking like he wanted to say something.
Kitsuchi wasn't the kind of person with an overpowering personality. At this moment, facing Ryouma, he was feeling nervous about speaking up.
But for the sake of a future where he wouldn't be forced to become Tsuchikage himself, he gathered his courage and spoke, "To be honest, Deidara is the most gifted of the younger generation in Iwa. He's already mastered the Explosion Release to a remarkable degree."
"Oh, that's really impressive," Ryouma replied politely, though he didn't quite understand why Kitsuchi was suddenly bringing this up. Was this leading to some kind of request?
Kitsuchi continued, "But his head is always filled with that strange obsession with 'explosive art.' If possible, I would like to ask you to guide him, maybe help him see a different path."
Obito, who had just picked up the briefcase from the table, turned his head in surprise.
"He doesn't even listen to the Tsuchikage. Why would he listen to Ryouma?"
"Oh, but he would!"
Seeing that things might actually work out, Kitsuchi's eyes lit up.
"Ryouma, you may not know this, but you're actually Deidara's idol. Anything you say, he would definitely listen to every word."
"Me? His idol?" Ryouma pointed to himself. This was news to him.
Kitsuchi nodded vigorously. "Exactly! He talks about you every single day. Even the reason he started blowing up parts of the village was to imitate your legendary destruction of Kiri."
"Uh... is that so..."
Honestly, Ryouma had never thought of destroying someone's homeland as much of a feat to be proud of. At the time, it had simply been the tactical choice that most benefited Konoha in their war effort.
Obito, standing nearby, seemed oddly excited by something Kitsuchi had said.
"Imitating an idol, huh? That's actually kind of touching."
When he was younger, he had often secretly mimicked Ryouma's mannerisms when no one was around.
It seemed this problem child probably felt the same way.
"Ryouma, let's go meet this kid!" Obito suggested enthusiastically. "I want to see what your first fanboy is like."
With both men's expectant gazes fixed on him, Ryouma exhaled softly.
"Fine. I'll have a word with him. But if this backfires and makes him worse, don't blame me."
Considering that Iwa had just signed such a lucrative contract, and that it wasn't really a big deal to talk to one kid, he agreed to the request. Besides, he was somewhat curious about Deidara himself.
---
Down at the plaza in front of the Tsuchikage Building, Deidara was completely exhausted. Now that his "art" had reached its spectacular conclusion, the moment he relaxed, his legs gave way and he collapsed onto the ground.
Ōnoki descended from the building. Before he even landed in front of Deidara, his furious voice rang out across the plaza:
"Were you actually trying to blow up the Tsuchikage Building this time?!"
"Don't get so worked up, old man," Deidara replied with a carefree grin. "My original target was the building, but your guard stopped me, didn't he? So I just had my art party here instead."
Seeing Deidara's complete lack of remorse, if anything, he looked proud of himself, Ōnoki felt like his blood pressure was about to blow the top of his head off.
"Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! Do you have any idea how much damage you've caused?"
Kurotsuchi, seeing that her grandfather was furious this time, quickly rushed over to play mediator.
"He was just testing out a newly developed technique, that's all. He definitely won't do it again, right Deidara-nii?"
She shot a meaningful look at the blonde boy.
Akatsuchi chimed in, trying to help: "That's right! Next time, Kurotsuchi and I will make sure to keep a closer eye on him."
"Kurotsuchi! Akatsuchi! You two stay out of this! This time, I must give him a lesson he'll never forget."
"Tch. You make it sound so scary," Deidara said with a dismissive whistle. "It's just confinement, right? Bring it on."
That pitch-black, soundless confinement cell would terrify most kids into obedience. But he wasn't most kids.
As a young man with vision and a strong belief in his path, he wasn't about to let a little punishment derail his pursuit of art. If anything, the isolation might give him time to plan even grander pieces.
Meanwhile, Kitsuchi led Ryouma and Obito down the stairs and outside. The moment Kurotsuchi spotted them approaching, she shouted, "Over here, hurry!"
This was usually when her father stepped in to calm her grandfather's fury. But this time, since Deidara had really gone overboard, she figured he'd probably be locked up for a very long time.
Kitsuchi exchanged a glance with Ōnoki, then pointed toward the blonde boy. "That one sitting on the ground is Deidara."
Hearing this introduction, Obito moved closer, about to say something, but before he could speak, Deidara suddenly leaped to his feet. He pulled a torn, worn picture from his pocket, and began comparing it to Ryouma's face.
The next second, he let out a roar that was louder than when he'd just detonated his clay masterpiece.
"OHHHHHH! You are the Evil Bomber!"
"I am not," Ryouma denied immediately.
He could guess right away where this ridiculous title had come from, it had to be another one of those over-the-top nicknames that Kiri had spread around to make him sound more terrifying than he actually was.
Unfortunately, his appearance was far too distinctive to hide: the striking white hair, the piercing blue eyes, plus a chubby raccoon-like ninja beast perched on his shoulder.
"This isn't a dream, is it? You're really here!"
Deidara was trembling with excitement as he frantically patted down his clothes, desperately searching for paper and pen to get an autograph. At the same time, he couldn't help venting his frustration at Ōnoki, "You're so unfair! He actually came to the village, and you didn't even tell me? If I'd known earlier, I would've blown up the Tsuchikage Building right in front of him, no matter what it cost me!"
Suddenly, he seemed to remember something, hurriedly asked, "Did you see my art just now? Could you give it a score? Was it worthy of your legendary techniques?"
Ryouma's mouth twitched slightly. Why did this kid remind him so much of Hidan and his religious fanaticism?