If anyone thought that Deidara, upon discovering his origins in the Hagoromo clan, would sincerely dedicate himself to serving the clan, they were mistaken.
This was the same man who had abandoned his position as the Third Tsuchikage's personal disciple and potential successor to the title of Fourth Tsuchikage, all on a whim. His thought process was anything but normal.
Forced by the circumstances, Deidara initially planned to stay with the Hagoromo clan for a while, to see if there were any noteworthy artists or inspiring works of art that could keep him interested.
If there were, he would stay, just like he had done with the Akatsuki.
If there weren't, he would find an opportunity to leave, abandoning both the Hagoromo clan and the Akatsuki, and continue his wandering artistic journey.
However, he hadn't anticipated being sent back to the Akatsuki as a spy, and on top of that, having the Hagoromo Mark planted on him.
With that mark capable of tracking his location, no matter where he went, the Hagoromo clan could find him.
Deidara's mind was filled with curses at his misfortune.
But Gensou wasn't done yet.
To ensure that Deidara remained motivated and obedient, the Hagoromo Mark was just a safeguard—the real motivation was yet to come.
"Would you like to witness a once-in-a-lifetime display of art?" Gensou asked.
Deidara was surprised that Gensou even mentioned the word "art."
His eyes lit up, and without hesitation, he nodded excitedly.
"Of course!"
With that, Gensou reached out, grabbing Deidara by the shoulder.
A fierce wind surged around them, and in the blink of an eye, the two vanished from the sight of the others present.
Everything happened so quickly!
Deidara couldn't even open his eyes.
He had no idea how much time had passed when he finally managed to open his eyes again. They were now standing on solid ground.
Not only that, but the seals on his body had been lifted, and his chakra was flowing freely again.
Confused, Deidara looked toward Gensou, not understanding what he was planning.
Gensou smiled faintly, cracking his knuckles as he said,
"Now, it's time for you to witness truly great art."
Boom!
Deafening explosions echoed across the barren wilderness, as if the entire world were being torn apart by a cataclysmic event.
Even from a distance, one could see flames shooting up into the sky.
There were gales, torrential rain, lightning, meteors, ice, magma…
For a long while, the chaos continued.
Finally, everything settled, the skies cleared, and calm returned.
Thud.
Lying at the bottom of a massive crater, utterly exhausted and covered in soot, Deidara opened his mouth, with puffs of black smoke still emerging from his throat.
In stark contrast, Gensou, who was standing nearby, clean and unscathed, approached with the same calm smile, asking,
"Well? What do you think?"
Deidara's head was too heavy to move, but his eyes rolled toward Gensou as he lay there in a daze, staring at him for a while.
At last, from the depths of his heart, Deidara spoke with genuine admiration:
"I've seen... true art! Hmm!!"
"Good."
Gensou nodded in satisfaction.
It wasn't in vain, giving Deidara a full-force demonstration of what true art could achieve.
After all, wasn't "art an explosion"?
Gensou had shown Deidara just how far that kind of art could go.
As he had expected, Deidara, having experienced it firsthand, had no complaints. In fact, when he looked at Gensou now, his eyes were filled with admiration.
"This... this is the kind of great artist I've been searching for my whole life!" Deidara's heart burned with newfound passion.
In truth, someone with Deidara's personality could be easily managed, as long as you found the right approach.
For someone like Deidara, the best approach was to give him a shocking, unforgettable experience in his most beloved field—art.
Thankfully, Deidara's obsession was with explosions, not painting or singing.
In the realm of devastating, powerful destruction, Gensou, with his mastery of countless jutsu and multiple Kekkei Genkai, was an undeniable expert.
With his full power on display, he had completely won Deidara over.
Forget Uchiha Itachi. Forget Pain.
None of them mattered as much to Deidara as Hagoromo Gensou now.
"Once you've recovered from your injuries, return to the Akatsuki," Gensou ordered.
"Yes, Boss," Deidara immediately replied.
Gensou glanced at him. "Call me Clan Leader."
"Yes, Clan Leader!"
Thanks to medical ninjutsu, it didn't take long for Deidara to fully recover.
Flap, flap.
His clay bird flapped its wings as it soared through the sky.
Standing on the bird's back, once again wearing his Akatsuki uniform, Deidara looked back longingly at the now-hidden airborne fortress.
If it were up to him, he would have stayed by Gensou's side forever, discussing art with such a great artist instead of returning to the Akatsuki as a spy.
Previously, Deidara had thought that the Akatsuki members were quite skilled, worthy of being called artists in their own right.
But now...
"How can I create great art if I surround myself with such vermin?! Hmm!"
Deidara sighed deeply.
But he couldn't disobey the great artist, his mentor... or rather, his Clan Leader.
"Well, if that's the case, I'll just have to work hard as a spy and bring down the Akatsuki as soon as possible so I can return!" Deidara cheered himself on.
He even started wondering if he should take matters into his own hands, maybe kill a few of the Akatsuki members or try to turn some of them against the organization.
"Even though Sasori's artistic ideals are completely opposed to mine, at least he's a genuine artist. Maybe I can convince him to switch sides."
Deidara stroked his chin, pondering as his clay bird flew steadily toward his destination.
An hour later...
On a remote cliffside in the Land of Fire.
The clay bird landed, and as Deidara jumped off, he heard a familiar voice beside him:
"Deidara, you've been gone so long, I thought you were dead."
Turning his head, Deidara saw Sasori, clad in his Akatsuki uniform, walking toward him.
With a grin, Deidara greeted him cheerfully, "Relax, Sasori. The Art Duo still hasn't made a name for itself in the ninja world, so how could I be dead? Hmm."
"I've told you many times, a name is just a burden," Sasori replied expressionlessly, sizing Deidara up before asking, "What happened?"
Deidara shrugged. "I was working on some art when a group called the Rockhead Clan interrupted me. That's why I was delayed. Hmm."
Sasori knew exactly what Deidara meant by "working on art," but the mention of the Rockhead Clan piqued his curiosity.
"Ninja hunters?"
"Oh? You know them, Sasori?"
"I know of them."
Sasori had his own network of information and was aware of many things happening in the ninja world.
Deidara's mind began to turn, and he suggested,
"Hey, Sasori, how about we team up and take down the Rockhead Clan together? Those bastards ambushed me, then ran off before I could chase them down. Hmm."
Deidara's real plan was to lure Sasori to the Land of Waves, where the Clan Leader could capture him. Then, he could persuade Sasori to join their side.
But Sasori wasn't taking the bait.
"Not interested."
If the Rockhead Clan had any Kekkei Genkai, Sasori might have been inclined to make them into human puppets.
But they didn't.
"The Leader's mission is more important," Sasori reminded him.
"We're still looking for the Three-Tails?" Deidara groaned. "The ocean is huge, and that turtle likes to hide at the bottom. We've been searching for days and still haven't found it. How are we supposed to find it?"
The search for the wild Three-Tails had been a recurring task for the Akatsuki. But the vast ocean had made it nearly impossible to find any trace of the beast.
This time was no different.
As one of the main searchers, Deidara had spent countless boring days searching the skies, still coming up with nothing.
He wanted to quit.
But Sasori's message was that they were expected to work overtime on this task. It was the Leader's order.
Ranking so low in the Akatsuki's hierarchy, Deidara couldn't argue. He grudgingly agreed, though his dissatisfaction was evident.
Still, in his heart, he added another reason to bring down the Akatsuki:
Using its members like workhorses—it had to go!
(End of Chapter)
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