When Deidara regained consciousness, he squinted slightly, surveying his surroundings. He found himself lying in a large hall, surrounded by a group of strange, older men who were curiously eyeing him like he was some kind of oddity.
Instinctively, his body tensed up.
No way? This can't be happening, right?
Though Deidara considered himself an artist, and a mainstream one at that, he had no interest in the unusual hobbies of more eccentric, fringe artists.
Whenever he encountered them, he'd blast them to pieces, purging the art world of such "blemishes."
Could this be karma, coming back to bite me now?
Deidara grew increasingly worried.
Just then, he overheard the strange men conversing nearby:
"Look at this kid, smooth skin, and a delicate face. He fits right in with us—definitely one of us!"
'One of you'? Who the hell is one of you?! Deidara raged internally.
"Let's keep him. He can help us expand our family."
No! Don't tell me I'm going to be both a troublemaker and a breeding pig?! Deidara felt a cold chill run down his spine.
"No way! This kid looks pretty rebellious. I doubt he'll be obedient."
"Then we'll just give him a good beating and keep scolding him. A good child is raised under discipline."
'A beating'... Deidara fell silent.
"Let's give it a try. If it doesn't work, we'll just bury him."
Use me and then bury me? Deidara couldn't hold it in any longer.
"You shameless old fools! All of you, go to hell! Hmm!"
Furious, Deidara jumped up, preparing to surprise and blow away these disgusting men.
However, in the next second, Deidara realized that while he could move freely, his chakra had been completely sealed. His full strength was unavailable.
He froze mid-pose, an awkward expression on his face as the room's atmosphere grew tense.
Meanwhile, due to Deidara's sudden outburst, the hall quickly fell silent.
The high-ranking members of the Hagoromo clan watched as Deidara erupted in anger, shouted at them, and then stood frozen, dumbstruck.
After a brief moment…
"Let's just kill him," one of the "old fools" suggested.
This drew agreement from many of the other "old fools."
Until a shout broke the tension:
"Deidara!!! Do you still not realize your mistake?!"
Just as Deidara, who was about to nobly face death, heard someone call his name, he turned and asked:
"Who the heck are you?"
Hagoromo Morin, his face flushed with frustration, replied, "You don't even recognize me anymore?!"
"You look kinda familiar... Hmm." Deidara scratched his chin, carefully studying Morin. After a moment, he clapped his hands and exclaimed:
"Oh, it's you! The old man who used to nag at me constantly back in the day! Hmm!"
If there were two people from Iwagakure who had left a deep impression on Deidara, one was his teacher, the Third Tsuchikage Onoki, who constantly restricted him from blowing things up. The other was old man Morin, who always followed him around, spouting strange phrases.
As for Kurotsuchi—was there anything more fun than bombs?
Seeing an old acquaintance in a foreign land, Deidara temporarily set aside his thoughts of martyrdom and curiously asked:
"Hey, old man Morin, weren't you in Iwagakure? What are you doing here? Don't tell me you've become a rogue ninja like me? Hmm?"
Hagoromo Morin sighed deeply. "Deidara, you really didn't listen back then, did you? This is the territory of the Hagoromo clan. I am a member of the Hagoromo clan, so of course, I'm here."
Deidara thought for a moment. "The Hagoromo clan? Sounds familiar. Oh right! That strong guy who beat me mentioned it earlier. Hmm."
"This is the Hagoromo clan's land. Everyone here is a member of the Hagoromo clan. Including you, Deidara. You carry the blood of the Hagoromo clan within you," a young voice echoed through the hall.
Deidara noticed that the moment the voice rang out, everyone present, including Morin, whom he recognized, immediately stood up and bowed respectfully toward the main seat.
Following their gaze, Deidara saw that someone had now taken a seat in the previously empty spot.
It was the young man who had easily defeated him earlier.
"I see you were all having quite the lively discussion," Gensou remarked with a light smile, glancing at everyone present.
Morin quickly stepped forward and said, "Forgive us, Clan Leader. Deidara turned out like this because I failed in raising him properly."
While Morin was openly explaining, he was secretly doing everything he could to protect Deidara's life.
Meanwhile, Deidara was deep in thought.
"Clan Leader… Hagoromo clan… old man Morin…"
Deidara had never been lacking in intelligence. He had simply always been so focused on his artistic creations that he paid little attention to anything else, even matters others considered of utmost importance.
If he hadn't cared for Onoki's teachings, how could he have paid any mind to Morin's words?
In a way, this was another form of childlike innocence.
Now, with everything laid bare and his attention fully focused, Deidara began to recall long-buried memories bit by bit.
He remembered how, back in the day, while he was shaping new clay bomb designs, old man Morin would always nag him about the "glory of the clan."
Right—he had always been talking about the Hagoromo clan.
But Morin had never explained which "Hagoromo" (羽衣) he meant. Could it have been "浴衣" (bathrobe)? "羽翼" (wings)? "雨意" (rain sentiment)? It could have been any of them.
Busy with his artistic endeavors, and with the "glory of the clan" meaning nothing to him, Deidara had always let those words go in one ear and out the other.
Even as words like "Hagoromo Gensou" and "Hagoromo clan" became more frequent in the ninja world, they hadn't stirred Deidara's deeply buried memories.
Until now.
Listening to the conversations around him, Deidara finally understood.
Hagoromo Gensou!
The young man before him was none other than Hagoromo Gensou!
Deidara was certain.
Only someone of such stature could possess the overwhelming strength that left him with no chance to resist.
And the people around him—all members of the Hagoromo clan.
Wait—he himself was a member of the Hagoromo clan, too.
"So my last name is Hagoromo? The same Hagoromo as Hagoromo Gensou? Hmm, the characters for 'Hagoromo' look pretty artistic. They suit me as an artist. Hmm."
Now that everything was clear, Deidara's first thought, in typical fashion, was how the characters for "Hagoromo" had an artistic feel that he liked.
Then, he let out a big sigh of relief:
"So, it looks like I won't be forced down the wrong path after all. Hmm!"
(End of Chapter)
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