"Deidara, I've looked into you. You're the disciple of the Tsuchikage, Ōnoki. Do you really think your sensei would let you get away with something so reckless?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes locked tightly onto Deidara. His expression was grave as he took a slow, deep breath, trying to use Ōnoki as a way to persuade Deidara to rein in his reckless behavior.
After a brief pause, he continued, "If you dare attack Konoha, then Konoha will inevitably go to war with the Land of Earth!"
"Heh. And what does a war with the Land of Earth have to do with me?" Deidara laughed lightly at first, a sound full of disdain and nonchalance, as if Sarutobi's words were nothing more than a joke.
Then, his tone shifted abruptly, cold and resolute:
"Ever since they drove me out of the Land of Earth, I have nothing to do with them. As for Konoha going to war with the Land of Earth, that's your problem, not mine!"
Deidara spoke casually, as if discussing a trivial matter completely unrelated to himself. His eyes revealed a kind of indifference toward both the past and the future.
This left Hiruzen Sarutobi in a difficult position.
"You…" Hiruzen felt an overwhelming frustration in his heart. In all his years as Hokage, he had never encountered someone so utterly unyielding.
Before him, Deidara was like a solid rock. Hiruzen realized there was no way to threaten or coerce him.
It was clear that Deidara wasn't bluffing; he truly didn't care about the Land of Earth.
If he tried to threaten him further, those clay birds could very well explode over Konoha, leaving the village and its families in devastation.
Thinking of this, Hiruzen hesitated. He no longer dared to speak in a hard, coercive tone to Deidara.
"Hmph. If you don't care about the Land of Earth, what about the Uchiha Clan?" Danzo Shimura stepped forward, his gaze fixed on Deidara. His single eye flickered with curiosity and scrutiny.
His eyes scanned the three of them—the strange mouth in Deidara's palm, the towering Jugo, and Kimimaro, pale-faced but possessing the Byakugan.
To Danzo, these three were top-tier test subjects. Capturing them for experiments could lead to future breakthroughs, and perhaps even create more powerful individuals.
"Heh… then you can try!" Deidara's eyes narrowed instantly, a dangerous aura emanating from him like a furious beast ready to strike with his explosive art.
"The Uchiha Clan has a close connection with my Atsukara. If you dare touch them, you'll get a firsthand taste of my art!"
Deidara sneered. As he spoke, his palm began to spew countless tiny white spiders. They crawled rapidly across the ground, spreading and covering the surrounding area in no time.
The others, seeing this, quickly stepped back with caution. No one dared to challenge these mysterious little white spiders.
They knew very well Deidara's abilities. Though the spiders seemed small, they could hide immense danger. If they exploded, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Of course… the Uchiha clan has close ties with the Atsukara!" Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo both raised their eyebrows at the same time. They exchanged a glance, each seeing the weight of concern and worry in the other's eyes.
They realized that the Uchiha's rebellious intent had likely existed for a long time. They needed to plan ahead, or Konoha would face a grave crisis.
As Hiruzen pondered strategies with a serious expression, Asuma Sarutobi looked at the countless spiders crawling toward him. A ruthless resolve surged in his heart.
Without hesitation or notifying anyone, he stepped forward. In an instant, a sharp wind blade formed in his palm, radiating a chilling aura.
He didn't hesitate and slashed at the few spiders in front of him. By the time Hiruzen realized and tried to stop him, it was already too late.
"Pfft, pfft, pfft~"
A few light sounds rang out as the wind blade easily cut the spiders in half.
However, just as everyone thought the danger had passed, disaster struck.
The severed spiders suddenly exploded, sending a powerful shockwave outward in all directions.
The ground trembled, cracks appeared on the earth, and the surrounding trees were uprooted by the force of the blast.
Amidst the billowing smoke of the explosion, Asuma Sarutobi was thrown into the air like a kite with a broken string, completely defenseless.
Fortunately, Hiruzen reacted quickly, performing a jutsu that allowed him to rush through the air and firmly catch his dirt-covered, disheveled son.
At this moment, Asuma looked utterly miserable. His clothes were torn to shreds, exposing multiple wounds from the blast, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He appeared extremely weak.
The shock of the explosion left his eyes momentarily blank, his mind in chaos, as if he hadn't yet recovered from the blast.
After a long moment, he slowly regained consciousness from the dizziness caused by the explosion.
Looking at his father who had caught him, he weakly said, "Dad… what happened to me? Right… the spiders… they exploded just now."
"You were too careless just now. That's why you ended up injured."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at his bewildered son, Asuma, and sighed helplessly, his heart filled with worry and pity.
He knew very well that Asuma had suffered a heavy setback this time, but all he could do was treat it as a harsh lesson.
"Very well. Take this as a warning. From now on, you must not act so recklessly," Hiruzen said earnestly.
"Damn it… this is all Deidara's fault!"
Hearing his father's words only fueled Asuma's anger. He gritted his teeth, voice laced with fury and unwillingness.
Because of Deidara, he had been humiliated, wounded, and disgraced in front of everyone.
The more he thought about it, the more furious he became, itching to charge forward and take revenge.
Asuma struggled to stand, his eyes fixed on Deidara across the field.
At that moment, the smoke from the explosions began to fade, slowly revealing the scene outside. But before anyone could relax, a chilling sound echoed—da-da-da-da…
Countless small spiders scurried forward in tight formation, like an army of marching ants closing in on them.
Seeing this, Kakashi immediately pulled Sakura back, retreating at full speed. He understood just how dangerous those spiders were and dared not waste a single second.
Sasuke and Naruto also sensed the danger. Their eyes met briefly before both stepped back without hesitation, wary of the swarming spiders.
The explosive power was terrifying. Just a few spiders had already caused devastating destruction. If they were surrounded by an entire swarm, the outcome would be unimaginable.
****
Support me on my patreon and read upto 15 early chapters.
https://www.patreon.com/AniScout