Inside the Akatsuki base, Aburame Shigeo set down the test tube he was holding and adjusted his sunglasses. He turned his attention to the blonde-haired boy standing before him.
"So, you're saying... you want to compete with me to see whose creation is more impressive?"
The blonde boy standing before him was none other than Deidara, who had joined the Akatsuki alongside Sasori and his group. Deidara's face was lit with excitement and eagerness.
"Brother Sasori said your creations are amazing, so I want to challenge you and see whose work is the true art. Yeah!" Deidara exclaimed, then quickly added, "And the creations must explode because explosions elevate art to its highest form. True art is an explosion! Yeah!"
"Art?" Aburame Shigeo raised an eyebrow and shook his head.
"I don't know much about art. Art is supposed to be beautiful and splendid, something that brings joy to people. I can't do any of that, and besides, I'm busy. Let's skip the competition."
"Uh..." Deidara was stunned and turned to Sasori, who stood nearby.
"Brother Sasori, is there something wrong with this guy? He doesn't even understand art. Are you sure he's the one you were talking about?"
"Idiot!" Sasori didn't even glance at him as he turned to leave. At the doorway, he paused and said, "A true artist doesn't constantly talk about art. His bugs explode far more impressively than you can imagine. You're nowhere near his level, kid!"
"Uh..." Deidara froze again, then snapped out of it and pointed at Shigeo. "So you were just being modest! You're such a hypocrite!"
Aburame Shigeo: "..."
Is this guy an idiot? Shigeo looked at Deidara's expression of "I see through you now" and twitched slightly. He quickly called out to Sasori, who was about to leave.
"Hey, Sasori, this guy is your partner, right? Take him with you. I'm really busy and don't have time to babysit him!"
"Then kill him."
With that, Sasori left, leaving a flustered Shigeo and Deidara staring at each other.
"This idiot is such a pain. How do I make him leave?"
"This guy is so fake. How do I make him fight me?"
Both thought the same thing as they stared each other down.
After several seconds of awkward silence, Shigeo finally broke.
"Deidara, you like explosive creations, right? Give me some of your explosive clay."
"My explosive clay?" Deidara looked at Shigeo, puzzled. "What do you need it for?"
"Stop wasting time and hand it over!"
"Oh!" Deidara, noticing Shigeo's impatience, grabbed a handful of clay from his pouch. The mouth on his palm devoured the clay, chewed for a moment, and spat out a small ball of white clay.
"This is explosive clay!" Deidara said, handing it to Shigeo.
"Take it, but I should tell you—no one but me can make it explode. Yeah!"
"We'll see about that," Shigeo replied. He took a few blood bugs and combined them with the clay, silently chanting, **"Synthesize!"**
As soon as he activated the technique, his chakra depleted slightly but quickly recovered. The clay and bugs vanished, replaced by a few red-and-white parasites.
Shigeo discovered that he could control these bugs and even make them explode. However, he also sensed traces of Deidara's chakra within them.
Deidara, sensing something strange, stretched out his hand toward the bugs.
"Come here!"
The red-and-white parasites flew from Shigeo's palm into Deidara's hand.
"I can control them just like my creations. Fascinating! Next, I'll—"
**SMACK!**
Before Deidara could act, Shigeo smacked the back of his head.
"Do what, you idiot? Do you even know how powerful this thing is? If you want to die, do it far away from me!"
"..." Deidara froze. He had been planning to test the bugs but now realized they might be more dangerous than they seemed. Remembering Sasori's words, he grew serious.
"Could Brother Sasori be right? Can such tiny bugs really destroy an entire mountain with hundreds of people?"
Still clutching the bugs, Deidara ran off to test them.
Minutes later, Shigeo felt the ground tremble, and the equipment on his desk rattled. The shaking lasted for about ten seconds before subsiding.
Soon after, a dust-covered Deidara burst into the room, shouting excitedly.
"That was incredible, Master! Your creation's explosion had a one-kilometer radius! Even from the air, I was affected. This... this is true art! Art is an explosion! Yeah!"
"..." Shigeo sighed, watching Deidara's fanatic expression.
"I told you, I don't know anything about art. But if you want more of those bugs, I can make them for you—for ten thousand ryō each."
"What? That's an insult to art!" Deidara protested, crossing his arms.
"At least charge one hundred thousand per bug. Such masterpieces deserve it. Yeah!"
"Uh..." Shigeo blinked, finding Deidara unexpectedly endearing. He nodded, his expression softening.
"You're right, Little Deidara. A hundred thousand it is. So, how many do you want?"
"I'm not buying any!" Deidara declared proudly.
"I'm only interested in my own creations. And one day, I'll make something with the same explosive power. Art is an explosion! Yeah!"
Shigeo: "..."
Damn it, this idiot! Why waste my time if you're not buying?
Resisting the urge to punch him, Shigeo took a deep breath and pointed at the door.
Deidara tilted his head. "Master, what do you mean by that?"
"Leave," Shigeo growled, his face twisting in barely restrained fury. "Right now. If I see you again, I'll kill you!"
"..."