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"…"
After being mocked by Kurotsuchi, Deidara finally got to see a doctor as he'd hoped.
The medical ninja, brought by the Anbu, examined Deidara and said with surprise, "Your body took a serious impact, resulting in a fractured clavicle. You'll need to rest for a while. Try to avoid using force during this time, and if possible, don't get into any fights."
"By the way, who did this to you?"
These two were guests of the village. Assaulting guests was a serious offense.
"Uchiha Kazuki!" Deidara spat out the name through gritted teeth.
No wonder he couldn't muster any strength—Kazuki had ruthlessly broken his clavicle.
"Pfft, hahaha…" Kurotsuchi couldn't help but burst out laughing again.
She'd thought Deidara was exaggerating, but his bone was actually broken.
Kazuki had clearly done it on purpose, breaking one of Deidara's clavicles to render one arm useless for a while. During this time, Deidara wouldn't be able to talk about challenging anyone.
Kazuki had no interest in entertaining a rebellious teenager like Deidara—especially one who could turn into a genuine lunatic at any moment, not just the loudmouth kind.
"…"
You're joking, right?
The medical ninja's mouth twitched slightly. After bandaging Deidara's useless arm and securing it with a sling around his neck, they stood up and said, "This arm won't be usable for a while, so be careful. And don't provoke the Advisor again. Next time, it might not just be a broken clavicle."
"What, you think he can break every bone in my body?" Deidara scoffed, not taking it seriously.
The medical ninja gave a faint smile. "Not quite, but Orochimaru once provoked the Advisor and was put under a genjutsu that damaged his soul. It took him years to recover. So, you'd better not challenge the Assistant. The consequences could be severe."
"This isn't a warning—it's advice."
What the hell? Who can tell me why a genjutsu would damage someone's soul?
Deidara cursed inwardly. Though still defiant, he at least stopped mouthing off.
Seeing that Deidara had calmed down, the medical ninja packed up their things with satisfaction and left the temporary residence.
Kazuki, huh? Just you wait. One day, I, Deidara, will crush you under my foot.
Unfortunately for Deidara, Kazuki had no idea what was going through his mind. If he did, he'd probably just say three words: You are insane!
Though they couldn't leave the residence, being able to move freely was better than being stuck in a cell. At least Kurotsuchi was in a good mood, even trying to chat with the Anbu, though they ignored her.
Deidara, on the other hand, was far more sullen. He locked himself in his room all day, only coming out to eat. He'd had enough of Kurotsuchi's relentless chatter—it was driving him up the wall.
Thankfully, his suffering didn't last long. Two days later, Ōnoki arrived in Konoha.
Worried about what Konoha might do to his disciple and granddaughter, Ōnoki had flown at breakneck speed.
With his escort team in tow, he zoomed straight to Konoha. If not for his age, bad back, and the chakra drain of carrying a group while flying, he wouldn't have needed so long to get there.
Ōnoki's group was spotted by Konoha's patrol team before they even got close to the village.
The patrol team immediately relayed the news back to the village.
"Lord Advisor, the Tsuchikage and his group from the Rock Village are just outside the village. They'll arrive soon. The Hokage said you're in charge of handling their reception."
"Got it. Have Shizune go greet them and bring them to my office," Kazuki replied.
Upon receiving the order, Shizune quickly set aside her work and jogged to the village entrance to await Ōnoki's arrival.
Though Ōnoki could have flown directly into Konoha, doing so would have been seen as a provocation. So, he landed a short distance away and led his Tsuchikage escorts to the village on foot.
When Ōnoki reached the entrance and didn't see Kazuki, his old face stiffened. Despite mentally preparing himself, Kazuki's absence irritated him.
Tsunade not showing up was one thing—she was the Hokage, so waiting was expected. But Kazuki not coming out? That was a bit much.
"Everyone, Lord Advisor has asked me to escort you to the Hokage office building. Please follow me," Shizune said.
She didn't know why Kazuki had made this arrangement, but since he'd given the order, she followed it without overthinking.
Kazuki knew his absence would annoy Ōnoki.
But he didn't care.
When I went to the Rock Village, you sent the Tsuchikage's secretary to greet me. So I'm sending the Hokage's secretary to greet you. What's wrong with that?
Besides, Ōnoki was here to beg, not to show off. What was wrong with having the Hokage's secretary receive him?
If he was unhappy, he could leave—no one would stop him.
"Hmph, let's go," Ōnoki grumbled.
Though irritated, he couldn't take it out on Shizune and had to swallow his frustration.
Led by Shizune, Ōnoki's group arrived at the Hokage office building and headed straight to Kazuki's office.
However, Ōnoki's escorts were stopped at the door, unable to follow him inside.
Itachi and Shisui, guarding the entrance, firmly blocked everyone except Ōnoki.
Seeing these two "gatekeepers," Ōnoki's mouth twitched. The Uchiha clan is getting stronger and stronger.
"Come in, have a seat," Kazuki said.
A seat had already been prepared, and Izumi poured tea. After Ōnoki sat down, she served the tea and quietly left the office.
The room fell silent, with only Kazuki and Ōnoki staring at each other.
One wore a smile, while the other had a dark, sour expression, clearly in a foul mood.
"Kazuki, I'm here. Where are Deidara and Kurotsuchi?" Ōnoki asked, unable to hold back after Kazuki remained silent.
Kazuki could afford to wait, but Ōnoki couldn't. And that smiling face of Kazuki's made him want to explode—it felt like mockery.
"They're resting at the guest residence. If you want to see them, you will soon enough," Kazuki replied. "But let's talk about something else. Letting your disciple and granddaughter tail a guest and cause trouble… that's not exactly a good habit, is it?"