The headless giant bird spiraled downward through the air.
If this were a movie, it would absolutely deserve a slow-motion close-up:
The blond boy riding the bird whipped his head around, swearing loudly while his instincts went on high alert. He pressed both hands down—and the mouths hidden in his palms bit viciously into the bird's body, chewing rapidly.
Just before impact, the boy rolled free, hitting the ground hard but avoiding becoming a red smear. At the same time, the mouths in his hands spat out more than a dozen small white spiders, which immediately scuttled toward Akio at alarming speed.
The entire sequence took less than two seconds.
Akio gave a small nod of approval. That kind of combat instinct lived up to the reputation of the Akatsuki's youngest future member—Deidara. (Not counting Sasuke.)
"Are those… spiders?" Karin grimaced and instinctively stepped back.
"Lord?" Kimimaro asked, glancing over his shoulder.
Akio weighed the slingshot in his hand. "Pretty accurate. No wonder the windows back home kept shattering… Haku, take care of the spiders."
Haku nodded, stepped forward, and unleashed a dense volley of ice needles, pinning every white spider to the ground.
"Ice Release?" Deidara frowned slightly and formed a hand seal with his right hand.
"Art is an explosion!"
The trapped spiders detonated several meters in front of Akio's group. Haku reacted quickly, forming hand seals as an ice mirror rose to block the shockwave.
Akio smiled faintly. "Don't let your guard down, Haku. The shinobi world is full of strange techniques."
"Understood… my apologies."
More small white birds burst out of the smoke. Haku responded instantly, throwing even more ice needles. The birds froze midair, shattered upon hitting the ground, and scattered into glittering shards.
The probing attacks ended there.
Deidara hesitated.
These people weren't easy opponents. Worse, he'd slipped out of Iwagakure without permission—his pursuers wouldn't be far behind. Retreating now was the smart move.
Still… the image of his bird's head exploding made his jaw tighten.
Akio noticed the hesitation and spoke calmly to the three children.
"When your enemy can't decide, that's when you decide for them. Have you mastered the technique I taught you?"
"Technique?" Karin blinked.
Akio replied casually, "Finger Cannon. Thunder Roar."
Karin's face darkened. She took two more steps back. "We're not learning that."
Haku looked equally resistant. Kimimaro, however, looked eager—prompting Akio to sigh.
Looks like I'll have to handle this myself. Provoking people is one of my specialties.
Akio stepped forward, raised the slingshot, and smiled warmly.
"Hey, kid. Since we met by chance, how about sharing lunch? Your bird shouldn't die for nothing. We could roast it."
In response, an entire swarm of explosive critters appeared in front of him.
Spiders. Birds. Grasshoppers. Centipedes. You name it.
Akio stepped back and gestured for Haku to engage while he observed quietly. After a moment, he murmured,
"Still too young. His explosives don't have much punch yet."
"Drink! Drink! Drink!" Deidara shouted repeatedly, detonating the creatures from a safer distance to avoid having them frozen. Haku began struggling to keep up.
"Lord?" Kimimaro asked eagerly. He could feel it—this was a worthy opponent.
Akio nodded. "Haku, fall back. Kimimaro, you're up."
Haku withdrew, slightly disheveled. Kimimaro charged straight in.
Deidara hesitated—then clicked his tongue and bolted.
Kimimaro frowned, extended his right hand, curled his finger, and shouted,
"Come back here!"
Deidara stumbled mid-run. "Damn it! Don't let me see you again! Hm!"
"Pfft—" Akio laughed openly.
Karin pinched the bridge of her nose. Her idol Kimimaro was being corrupted by this awful elder.
Kimimaro returned, visibly confused. "Lord… it didn't work."
Akio tried not to laugh. "It almost did. You're just missing timing. Let's chase him."
The kids moved—then Akio raised a hand, signaling them to stop. He pointed toward the forest behind them.
A moment later, a young girl—eight or nine years old, with short black hair and grayish-black eyes—stepped out cautiously.
"Have you seen Deidara? He was riding a giant white bird and flew this way."
Akio smiled pleasantly. "Yes. He went that direction."
He pointed directly toward where she'd come from.
"Tch—so he doubled back?" the girl muttered. "Thanks, red-haired uncle!"
She sprinted off.
The three children stared at Akio.
"She didn't hear the explosions?" Karin whispered. "Or see any of this? Half a bird is still lying there!"
Akio chuckled. "Knowing when to play dumb is a valuable skill. Learn it. Now move—if we don't hurry, we'll lose him."
The kids followed, Karin finally realizing what had happened. "That was way too convincing!"
As they ran, Akio spoke calmly.
"Until now, you've only fought adults—mostly rogue ninja from small villages. Today, you finally saw what a major village produces. You're strong for your age, but not invincible. Train harder."
No roasted bird for lunch—but Akio fed them something else instead: a dose of reality.
They took it in stride.
As they passed a cluster of massive trees, Akio's eyes gleamed with amusement. He subtly motioned for Karin not to expose anything.
Behind one of the trees, Deidara sighed in relief.
"Where did those idiots come from? Hm!"
He'd hidden here to retrieve the remaining half of his bird. Without enough clay, he wouldn't get far.
Then—
"Art is an explosion! Drink!"
Several small fireballs detonated around him, blasting him out of cover.
"Calling people idiots is addictive, huh? I don't hold grudges overnight!"
"You copied me?!" Deidara snarled, regaining his footing.
Akio looked at the soot-blackened face and smiled.
"Our ideas of art may differ—but I am an artist."
"Tch! Only fleeting explosions are true art! What do you know about art?!"
Akio shrugged lightly.
"Well… I suppose you could call me a performance artist."
---
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