"Whoosh!"
A massive bird made of white clay soared through the sky, carrying Deidara toward Iwagakure Village.
Deidara, as an apprentice to the Tsuchikage, had been deeply valued by Onoki since childhood.
However, because he often conducted explosive clay experiments in the village that caused panic, Onoki had no choice but to exile him outside the village. He lived alone under Anbu surveillance.
Back then, Deidara was only nine years old! The destruction he caused was difficult even for Jonin to handle—any mistake could cost someone their life.
Now twelve years old, Deidara had recently been summoned by Onoki for this mission.
There were several reasons. First, Onoki hoped that by participating in this mission, Deidara could send a friendly message to the village's ninja and gradually earn acceptance from the villagers.
Secondly, Deidara's abilities were truly overpowered. With air superiority, he was virtually unstoppable.
Although Onoki himself also possessed flight capabilities, leaving the village would draw too much attention and make it impossible to remain hidden.
That's why Deidara was brought in.
Soaring high above, Deidara glanced down at the Iwa ninja below and smirked.
If it weren't for the old man, he wouldn't have joined this mission at all.
Besides, these people seemed to value him, yet they secretly feared and avoided him.
Because of his unnatural power for someone his age, people saw him as a freak—a guy who literally had mouths on his palms!
Thinking about it, Deidara looked down at his palm, where two tongues playfully flicked out, almost as if displaying something!
Reckless and defiant!
Clutching the bird's neck, he steered it higher while scanning the ground below.
Truthfully, his power went far beyond what he had already shown.
He could sense the fear others had toward him—it came purely from his unnatural growth in strength.
Under Onoki's guidance, he had learned to hide his talent. But suppressing his true abilities made these past couple of years feel suffocating. He felt like sooner or later, he would explode—
Either blow himself up… or take the whole ungrateful village down with him!
Of course, not yet. He still needed to complete the mission assigned by the old man.
He deeply respected Onoki, because very few had ever genuinely cared for him—except for Onoki.
Due to his unique condition, he had faced ridicule and cold stares since childhood—until he met his current master, Tsuchikage Onoki.
That was a big part of why he followed Onoki's orders without question.
The silent clay bird soared through the sky, cutting through the air with surprising speed.
Soon, his eyes locked onto a distant location.
The snow there had already melted, and a few figures appeared to be engaged in battle!
Focusing closely, he recognized a familiar figure—the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, the "Steam Ninja"—Han!
"Are those two... members of Akatsuki?"
Deidara didn't immediately descend, nor did he rush back to notify Kitsuchi and the others.
Instead, he guided the clay bird to circle high above them, observing what was happening below.
He hadn't known anything about this group called Akatsuki before now. Just because he'd been driven out of the village by Onoki didn't mean he could do whatever he pleased.
Onoki had set limits on where he could go for surrounding safety, so his access to information was restricted. Even an organization like Akatsuki, currently making waves across the Shinobi World, remained unknown to him.
Before joining this mission, his master—Onoki—had briefly explained the nature of this group and stressed how dangerous it was.
Only then did he gain a basic understanding of the organization, though some strange ideas kept popping into his head...
He wrapped his arms around the bird's neck, legs swinging on either side.
He wasn't worried about being spotted by those below. He was high up, well hidden by clouds. It would be nearly impossible for anyone to notice him!
He wanted to see if this group that even the old man feared really lived up to its reputation.
And those ninja the old man called "terrorists"—were they truly as powerful as he claimed?
"Huff!" "Huff!"
At such a high altitude, the wind was fierce. Deidara needed precise control over the bird's flight path.
One little mistake and things could get embarrassing fast.
...
"Kitsuchi, do you think Han has run into some trouble? It's already past the scheduled time, and he still hasn't entered our encirclement."
As soon as Deidara left, one of the ninja beside Kitsuchi spoke up.
"Tozawa! Watch your tone! Han's strong—he should be fine. He probably just ran into some delays along the way."
Kitsuchi's expression turned serious as he slightly turned his head toward the speaker.
"Akatsuchi, what do you think?"
He shifted the topic, turning to a chubby young man nearby.
Akatsuchi looked quite young—probably only a bit older than Deidara—but his strength was impressive.
For this mission, he had been personally selected by Onoki.
Though he hadn't achieved any major victories yet, Onoki was already grooming him as one of the future elite Tsuchikage Guards—a true powerhouse with unbelievable brute strength.
"Eh? Me? I'll follow Kitsuchi's orders!"
Akatsuchi lifted his head, glancing at Kitsuchi in mild surprise.
The whole reason he came along was because Onoki said it'd give him more field experience and sharpen his combat skills. His personality simply wasn't one for deep thinking.
"Then let's wait a little longer and see what intel Deidara brings back."
Kitsuchi scanned the area, finally clenching his fist tightly and saying firmly.
A sense of unease stirred inside him, but he still chose to trust Han's abilities.
"Kitsuchi, can we really rely on Deidara?"
The same ninja spoke again, staring directly at Kitsuchi with clear discontent in his voice.
A long scar ran across his face—from the corner of his left eye down to his chin—an ugly mark.
Few people knew exactly how he got that wound. Whenever asked, he always claimed it came from an enemy during a mission.
In reality, it was none other than Deidara who had given him that scar.
An explosion had rocked the village. He dodged the blast in time, but a flying rock shard still sliced him.
Though the injury wasn't Deidara's direct fault, he'd never stopped holding a grudge over it.
Honestly speaking, that's totally understandable. Most people feared Deidara to some degree anyway.
But those fears and resentments were always buried deep—never daring to surface!
"Tozawa, what exactly are you trying to say?"
Akatsuchi, standing beside him, spoke with a heavier tone, questioning him.
Akatsuchi and Deidara had a good relationship; both had studied under Onoki before.
"Hmph! What I mean should be clear enough to all of you!"
Tozawa snorted coldly and stepped aside. He realized he'd been too emotional just now—after all, a core rule among ninja was to never doubt your teammates during a mission!
Kitsuchi remained silent, shooting a meaningful glance at Tozawa before looking up at the vast emptiness of the sky.
He himself wasn't entirely comfortable with Deidara, his master's disciple either. His personality and strength were a terrible mismatch—like giving a three-year-old the trigger of a nuke!
Still, they were on the same mission—trust was necessary.
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