Deidara... Not long after sending Hozuki Mangetsu back to Kirigakure, Hatake Satoru gave him a temporary job.
Even though he was treated well after going to Kirigakure, they kept him from using his art.
After all, Kirigakure was still being rebuilt, and if he blew something up, it might cause a chain reaction of collapses.
The Anbu people were a little wary of him, even though Hozuki Mangetsu didn't tell them his name or Deidara's identity.
They just had people stop him from setting off explosions when no one was around.
Deidara must have felt pretty annoyed by this situation, but there was nothing he could do.
So he just sat on his clay bird all day, flying high above Kirigakure.
When he got bored and started planning his next escape, Hatake Satoru suddenly told Hozuki Mangetsu and Terumi Mei about a new building project.
Most of Kirigakure's tourist spots were being built along the coast.
Even though the Land of Water is surrounded by water, most of the island is actually deep mountains.
In the past, it was a good hiding place because it became hard to enter when the fog rolled in.
It's good for keeping secrets, but it also means it's not used very well.
Only the coastal areas can be developed easily, while other areas are harder to develop because of the mountains.
It's not that they can't be developed, but it would take more effort and resources.
The Land of Water has mostly gotten rid of its reputation as the Village of the Bloody Mist and become a very nice place to live.
The number of people visiting and living there is still growing.
Basically, Kirigakure is now attracting a lot of people to live there because it's too peaceful.
Now there are more people, but the amount of land available is still the same, so it's starting to get crowded.
This isn't just a problem for Kirigakure. Kirigakure is still a ninja village, and some people live in the Land of Water.
The Land of Water Daimyo has asked Hatake Satoru about this several times because it's becoming a pressing issue.
He asked if Satoru had any good solutions.
Hatake Satoru just gave him vague answers because the Land of Water is full of deep mountains.
Who would they get to fix the mountains? Fixing them would waste effort and resources, and would they get anything back in return?
There are a lot of things to consider.
Even though Hatake Satoru initially sent Deidara to Kirigakure just to get Hozuki Mangetsu back quickly.
After thinking about it for a day, Hatake Satoru found a new use for Deidara.
If that kid was always thinking about proving his art, he might as well have him blow things up and blast the mountains.
He's as strong as several people, and it wouldn't really waste many resources.
After all, he mainly uses his own clay.
With all those mountains in Kirigakure, he could blow them up however he wanted with a little planning.
"I'm such a genius~."
As soon as Hatake Satoru had this idea, he was immediately impressed by it.
It would save a lot of money and keep Deidara around.
He quickly sent a letter to Hozuki Mangetsu, explaining his idea.
He told Hozuki Mangetsu to find a way to let Deidara start his art activities there.
Hozuki Mangetsu thought this idea was pretty unreliable, but Deidara was clearly becoming impatient.
He didn't mind Deidara being controlled, but he had to keep doing his art.
Now, even though he's not really restricted, his art development is being stopped.
This reminded him of when he was in Iwagakure Village, which wasn't a pleasant memory.
So, to calm down the anxious Deidara, Hozuki Mangetsu had to tell Deidara what Hatake Satoru said.
After being outside for a few days, Deidara went deep into the deserted mountains to do art and develop the area.
"Is this really going to work... I'm worried about what he'll do."
Hozuki Mangetsu was in the Mizukage's office at the time, looking at the distant mountains, his face falling with worry as he took a deep breath.
Because of the continuous mountains, Kirigakure was still being repaired, and the ground couldn't handle too much shaking.
So the location where Deidara was blowing things up was very far from the village. Even if there was an explosion, they could only see a puff of black smoke in the distance.
Other than that, even the sound was very faint.
"Didn't Mr. Satoru say this? Then it should be fine."
Terumi Mei was no longer the shy girl in the Anbu. After being the Mizukage for several years and dealing with all kinds of people, she had fully grown up.
Now she was like an older sister.
"How should I put it... You're very different from before, but also almost the same."
Hozuki Mangetsu raised his eyebrows, turning his head to look at Terumi Mei, who was sitting in front of the Mizukage's desk, as if he was struggling with something.
Terumi Mei crossed her legs on the chair and moved it back a little after noticing Hozuki Mangetsu's gaze.
"Huh?"
Terumi Mei asked, clearly not understanding.
Hozuki Mangetsu hesitated, as if he was gathering his thoughts.
This place was the Mizukage's office. Overall, Hozuki Mangetsu was very familiar with it, since he had arranged most of the things in it.
But now this place gave him a strange feeling he couldn't explain.
"There are way too many pictures of the teacher here!?"
"It's so weird to have pictures and posters on the desk and walls...!"
Hozuki Mangetsu complained angrily.
He deeply respected Hatake Satoru, but after all, he was his teacher, and he only respected him.
Terumi Mei had decorated the entire Mizukage's office like a huge fan club event.
Actually, it wouldn't matter if she just put up pictures of Hatake Satoru, since it was a matter of personal preference.
However, all the pictures were clearly photos of Hatake Satoru striking cool poses.
He didn't even know that Hatake Satoru had so many photos.
Luckily, Hatake Satoru hadn't come back to see it in person, or he would have been so embarrassed he would have died on the spot.
"What's wrong with that...!"
"It would be a shame to hide such a handsome face!"
"Besides, everyone wants to do this. They'll feel refreshed every day when they come to pick up their missions."
Terumi Mei immediately retorted, although she also had her own personal preferences.
But everyone liked it, so she could do it so openly!
Hozuki Mangetsu, after stepping down from the Mizukage position for a few years, deeply felt that.
This place might be about to end, a scary thought.
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