High in the sky.
On the back of a massive white bird sat a young man and a young woman, flying at incredible speed toward Konoha.
Looking at the lush, green scenery below, Kurotsuchi couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "The Land of Fire is really beautiful. Compared to this, our Land of Earth feels way too barren."
Without waiting for a response, she continued talking to herself, "That long snake-like thing running on the ground—is that a train?"
"Wow, it's huge!"
"Why are the roads in the Land of Fire so wide? It just rained, but there's not even a bit of mud."
"There are horse-drawn carriages everywhere… it's so prosperous…"
Listening to the girl's constant chatter, Deidara impatiently dug at his ear. "Kurotsuchi, can you be quiet for a bit?"
Kurotsuchi snorted. "I'll say what I want. What's it to you?"
Deidara kneaded a lump of white explosive clay in his hands, his eyes burning with excitement. "This time, I'm going to Konoha to make Yuzuru acknowledge my art!"
"So when I'm perfecting my work, don't interfere."
At those words, a flicker of panic flashed through Kurotsuchi's eyes.
She tried to persuade him, "Deidara, even if you want someone to recognize your art, you don't have to go find Yuzuru, right?"
"Like what you did in the Hidden Stone Village—just toss a few bombs down when we get near Konoha, that should be enough, right?"
Deidara frowned, clearly dissatisfied. "How can an exchange of art be so careless?"
"You said before that only by gaining recognition from a major figure could my art shake the ninja world. So I must have Yuzuru acknowledge my art personally."
Hearing this, Kurotsuchi helplessly covered her forehead.
Her original intention was simply to have Deidara sneak her into Konoha from the air, and maybe gather some information about her father, Kitsuchi.
But she never expected Deidara to actually want to find Yuzuru…
That was the strongest person in the ninja world, publicly acknowledged by all. Even her grandfather, the Tsuchikage Ōnoki, could only swallow his pride in front of him.
For the two of them to provoke him… wasn't that basically asking to die?
But Deidara was even more insane than she had imagined. No matter how much she tried to persuade him, she couldn't change his mind.
Time passed little by little, and before long, the two arrived at a hidden location not far from Konoha.
Deidara set Kurotsuchi down on the ground and instructed, "Kurotsuchi, there are a lot of merchant caravans going in and out of Konoha. Whatever you need to do, figure it out yourself."
Kurotsuchi froze for a moment, confused. "Where are you going?"
A rare seriousness appeared on Deidara's face as he spoke slowly, "I'm going to find Yuzuru. I probably won't be coming back…"
"So… don't follow me."
Hearing his explanation, Kurotsuchi clenched her fist and punched him.
"You know you're going to die and you still want to go? Are you stupid?"
Deidara smiled, his voice firm. "Dying for art is the most noble thing there is."
"Besides, life is just like an explosion—it should burst out with the most brilliant colors in a single moment. Otherwise, what's the point of living, hmm!"
After hearing this, Kurotsuchi fell silent, unsure of what to say.
Deidara jumped onto the bird and looked down at her. "Coming here was my own choice. Even without you, I would've wanted to come sooner or later. So… even if I die, don't feel guilty."
"Kurotsuchi, you're only thirteen. Unlike that stubborn old man of a teacher who's lived forever, you should be able to understand me, right?"
"In three days, I'll begin my plan. If you want to enter Konoha, make sure you act ahead of time."
After speaking, Deidara controlled the bird and soared into the clouds.
Three days.
He would prepare the most spectacular explosion for Yuzuru!
"That guy…"
Only after Deidara became a tiny black dot in the distance did Kurotsuchi slowly lower her head.
"Father… you must be safe!"
————
————
"What?!"
"Say that again?!"
Inside the Tsuchikage's office, Ōnoki's face was ashen.
Floating in midair with both hands pressed against his lower back, he stared at Akatsuchi in disbelief.
Akatsuchi swallowed and repeated his report.
"Sensei, Kurotsuchi is missing."
"Anbu reported that the last time she was seen was at the ancient temple where Deidara was being confined."
Ōnoki clenched his teeth. "Those two brats… they must have gone to Konoha!"
"Huh?!" Akatsuchi was startled. "That can't be, right? Why would the two of them go to Konoha?"
"Maybe Kurotsuchi was just bored staying in the village, so she had Deidara sneak her out to play for a few days."
Ōnoki said coldly, "Akatsuchi, have you forgotten that Kitsuchi is being held in Konoha?"
At those words, Akatsuchi froze.
If that was the reason…
Given Kurotsuchi and Deidara's personalities, it really was possible they would go to Konoha on their own.
Thinking of this, Akatsuchi said anxiously, "Sensei, what should we do now?"
If it were just Kurotsuchi, it wouldn't be too bad—at worst, her identity would be exposed and she'd be detained.
She was still young, and as the Tsuchikage's granddaughter, Konoha had no reason to kill her.
But with Deidara involved, it was a completely different story.
Since childhood, Deidara had been lawless, constantly causing destruction in the village in pursuit of his so-called art.
He had caused countless incidents over the years.
If Deidara started bombing Konoha the way he did in the Hidden Stone Village…
Akatsuchi didn't dare to continue the thought.
After all, the one stationed in Konoha was the man known as the "Cold-Faced Asura"—Uchiha Yuzuru!
Ōnoki took a deep breath and sat back down at his desk.
He picked up a pen, wrote a few lines, then handed the scroll to Akatsuchi.
"Akatsuchi, take this scroll and head to Konoha immediately. You must inform them of this in advance."
"If you don't make it in time, then go directly to the Hokage and explain the situation. Show as much goodwill from our village as possible."
"Understood!"
After replying, Akatsuchi immediately turned and rushed out of the office.
Ōnoki slumped into his chair as if all his strength had been drained, his mind drifting back to the time he had followed his teacher to Konoha years ago.
The overwhelming power of Uchiha Madara still haunted him to this day.
Back then, his teacher had stood firmly in front of him, shielding him, and had humiliated himself by agreeing to all of Madara's demands.
That was the first time he had seen his teacher look so weak and helpless.
From that moment on, he had sworn to himself that if he ever became Tsuchikage, he would never allow such a thing to happen again.
But now…
Uchiha Yuzuru had appeared out of nowhere, displaying power even greater than Madara's back then.
Faced with such an opponent…
Could he really do better than his teacher?