Chapter 18: Misunderstanding
There was a knock at the door, and Kurotsuchi's voice came through, "Deidara, Kurotsuchi didn't come home last night. Did you take her out somewhere? Do you know where she is?"
It was early morning, and with Kurotsuchi's loud voice, the still-sleeping Kurotsuchi opened her bleary eyes and, feeling slightly annoyed, said, "Who is it? Why are you shouting so early? I'm still so sleepy!"
Deidara froze, quickly moved away from the door, and pulled Kurotsuchi to the side. He said, "Uh, Uncle, we are very pure as a brother and sister. There's nothing else going on, so please don't think too much!"
Kurotsuchi looked at Deidara, puzzled and still not fully awake.
Bang! The door to Deidara's house was kicked open, and Kurotsuchi's father stormed in with a furious expression. He grabbed Deidara by the collar and pointed at Kurotsuchi, who was wearing Deidara's clothes, saying, "This is how you want me to believe in your pure relationship? Deidara, I'm going to beat you up today!"
At this point, Kurotsuchi was fully awake and quickly realized what her father was believing. She blushed instantly.
"Dad, it's not what you think! You're really misunderstanding!" Kurotsuchi quickly tugged at her father's sleeve and said, "Deidara brother didn't do anything. Last night, he just made a sculpture and got really tired. I took care of him for a long time, and after sweating from washing, I ended up wearing his clothes!"
The stubbornness of the Iwagakure clan wasn't something reserved only for the Tsuchikage; it seemed to run in the family. Although Kurotsuchi's father believed her to some extent, he still trusted his own judgment more.
Kurotsuchi understood her father's thoughts well, so she said, "If you don't believe me, let's go home! Let Mom take a look!"
Her father finally let go of Deidara but didn't free him; instead, he used Earth Release to bind Deidara's hands with a lock made of earth.
Deidara was helpless. After all, he had indeed forgotten to inform Kurotsuchi that she could go home, and Kurotsuchi not returning was also due to her caring for him.
"Uncle Kurotsuchi, what Kurotsuchi said is true. I really didn't do anything to her. We're still quite young; we can't do anything for a few more years anyway."
Kurotsuchi's father slapped Deidara on the head and said, "Hey! What are you trying to do? Don't be smart with me until we figure this out, or watch out for my fists."
Deidara obediently fell silent and followed Kurotsuchi and her father back to their home. Fortunately, Kurotsuchi was considerate. She grabbed a spare cloak to cover Deidara's hands, sparing them from curious onlookers.
Once at Kurotsuchi's house, her mother pulled Kurotsuchi aside to explain the situation, while Kurotsuchi's father coldly glared at Deidara in the living room, making Deidara feel uneasy.
Despite usually having a good temper, Deidara was a bit irritated at being wronged. He had explained everything, yet the other party wouldn't listen. It was understandable that he had made a mistake, but he felt that if he were as strong as Kurotsuchi's father—or even stronger—he wouldn't be treated this way.
If Deidara were at a Kage-level strength, even if things had happened like this, Kurotsuchi's father would likely be more worried for his daughter and less inclined to treat Deidara harshly.
This reflected the differences in treatment based on strength. Those without power would never have a voice. The weak would only seek help, while the strong achieved their desires with their own hands.
In this moment, Deidara felt an urgent desire for strength for the first time—he needed to become stronger!
After a while, Kurotsuchi's mother brought her out and started talking quietly with her husband. As he listened, Kurotsuchi's father's expression changed to one of discomfort, and eventually, he even blushed.
Seeing this, Deidara finally understood that his grievances were cleared up. He didn't hold much resentment toward Kurotsuchi's father; after all, he was a father too. If he were in Kurotsuchi's father's shoes and saw his own daughter being compromised at such a young age, he would likely be even more upset.
After a moment of flushing, Kurotsuchi's father approached Deidara and said, "It seems I was a bit hasty; I misjudged you."
Deidara hurriedly waved his hands, saying, "No, no, it's still my fault for not informing you that I let Kurotsuchi rest at my house. You have every right to worry about your daughter."
Seeing Deidara grasp the situation so well, Kurotsuchi's father breathed a sigh of relief. Although he had made a mistake, apologizing to someone younger was still not easy for him.
"Kurotsuchi, you must not do things like last night again; it's too worrisome!" Kurotsuchi's father first scolded Kurotsuchi and then turned to Deidara, saying, "I know I was at fault, so I will make it up to you."
Saying that, he pulled out a scroll and said, "This is the scroll for Earth Release: Light Rock Technique. You already received the Earth Release: Heavy Rock Technique that I gave you yesterday. With this, you can create even more tactical variations. I believe your strategic awareness will allow you to make great use of these two techniques together."
Deidara quickly reached out to take it, and noticing the earthy shackles binding Deidara's hands, Kurotsuchi's father immediately performed a technique to release the shackles.
With the scroll now in hand, and coupled with the Earth Release: Heavy Rock Technique he already had at home, Deidara felt he would have plenty to practice.
Kurotsuchi's father's gesture melted away Deidara's complaints. Yet his desire to grow stronger remained undiminished.
So, he politely declined the invitation to eat at Kurotsuchi's house, insisting on going home to train. On the way, he bought some food to serve as his meal.
Meanwhile, Deidara's instructor had arrived at the Tsuchikage's office.
"Tsuchikage-sama, I have something to report." The teacher knocked on the Tsuchikage's office door.
Onoki glanced up and recognized him as the responsible teacher for the Iwagakure genin training class, or the "Homeroom Teacher."
"Yes, you must be here regarding the early graduation of some of your students," Onoki said, recalling the matches from the previous day, including Deidara's impressive performance and the other outstanding students who were indeed ready to become real ninja.
"You're quite right, Tsuchikage-sama; I've come for that reason," the homeroom teacher said, pride shimmering on his face. He was thrilled that his students were performing so well!
"However, becoming a ninja requires more than just combat skills; they also need other capabilities, such as foundational knowledge in reconnaissance and tracking," Onoki stated. "By the way, how are they doing academically?"
"Ah! Tsuchikage-sama is correct; those kids are doing quite well with their grades, all good."
"That's good to hear. Then, let's schedule a theoretical exam for them to complete before graduation. If they pass, we can arrange for a battle test," Onoki concluded, finalizing the early graduation details for the students in the ninja school.