Chapter 204: The Daimyo of the Land of Bears
[Amamiya senpai's words: My reliable Deidara, have you used your clever little brain to make a flying clay bomb yet?]
[Oh my god of ninjas, how could I be so stupid! I never even thought of using this to make a flying clay bomb! This must be the wise teachings of my senior, Amamiya.]
So this was how I replied to reliable Amamiya senpai.
[Amamiya senpai, I'm so sorry. I haven't thought of doing that yet, but don't worry, I'll definitely try!]
As Kenichi watched Deidara scribble like his life depended on it, he could not help rubbing his face. Why did he suddenly feel tired for no clear reason? Deidara might be a fan, but this level of obsession was almost like a stalker fan.
This was terrifying. The fandom had invaded the ninja world.
"Actually, you do not need to be in such a hurry," Kenichi said, reaching out a hand to stop him.
Deidara did not stop at all. He kept writing furiously.
Kenichi honestly had no idea what the unfortunate kid was recording. What Kenichi had said was not even that long.
Still, if they were going to test this thing properly, they needed a suitable location. Kenichi also had to confirm whether Deidara's cluster bomb could cause enough damage to shinobi. Testing it casually did not feel right.
So, after one more glance at Deidara still writing like a madman, Kenichi touched the ring on his finger and released a thought wave.
The ring vibrated with a familiar pulse.
The next second, Kenichi appeared in that illusionary space where Nagato waited.
"Boss," Kenichi said with a chuckle, rubbing his hands together, "I want to ask if the organization has any missions recently. The kind where we launch an attack on some place. The kind where nobody is left alive."
Nagato raised an eyebrow. Something felt off. This guy was actually thinking about missions? It was uncomfortable. Kenichi had been doing research nonstop ever since finishing a few missions.
Kenichi himself was not even sure there would be a suitable job. He wanted to test cluster bombs, so theoretically a mission to attack a base would be best, but if that was not possible, attacking a village would also work.
Nagato added, "Let me check."
Then he fell silent.
Kenichi immediately understood. Nagato had gone to confirm the mission details.
While waiting, Kenichi could not help thinking that if this illusion space let them see the other person's body shape and movements, then there would be no need to invent phones at all. The only problem was that they still could not see faces clearly. In that sense, a true video call was still more convenient.
A moment later, Nagato's voice returned, blunt and efficient. "There is one mission. Investigate the Hoshigakure in the Land of Bears, then destroy the Hoshigakure and kill the Third Hoshikage."
"The Land of Bears?" Kenichi was taken aback again. What kind of country was that? He felt like he had heard of it before, but he could not place it.
Still, even if the daimyo of the Land of Bears and the Hoshigakure had hundreds of thousands of words worth of drama to write about, it had nothing to do with him. Kenichi was just a ruthless executor.
Nagato nodded.
The next second, Kenichi left that strange space.
Kenichi licked his lips, a dangerous impulse rising for an instant, but when he thought of the villagers of Amegakure smiling because they had grown the special rice, he abandoned the thought.
If it were not for the fact that the rice seeds Kenichi had handed over actually increased yield by ten percent, Nagato would have already considered kicking him out of the Akatsuki.
Even so, while Kenichi was a headache, he was also useful in some ways. The ninja world needed people like him, people who could change the world.
Kenichi turned back to Deidara and patted him on the shoulder. "Let's go, Deidara. I found a place to test the power of this weapon."
Deidara immediately followed, practically glowing.
"Amamiya senpai!" Kenichi smiled at him. It was time to head to the Land of Bears. It required crossing the Land of Fire, but Kenichi planned to take a different route this time.
After finding an open space, he slapped his hands onto the ground and used a summoning jutsu.
A massive airship appeared.
Deidara scratched his head sheepishly, then sat down beside Kenichi, cleverly choosing a spot half a body length behind him.
"Amamiya senpai, what is this thing?" Deidara stared at the enormous structure in front of him, eyes full of curiosity. He had never seen anything like it.
It was only then that Deidara belatedly realized what it was for. The idea that something this huge could fly made him feel ridiculous disbelief.
Kenichi led him inside, moved to the cockpit, and controlled the airship to lift off.
Only then did Deidara believe it.
"How can it be called a demon if it does not fly in the sky?" Kenichi clapped his hands after a quick inspection. Other than dust, the airship had no major issues. It could be cleaned up.
"Do you know my nickname?" Kenichi asked as he swept away the dusty grime and checked the airtightness.
The cockpit was basically just a separate room, with glass windows that could be opened at any time to use ninjutsu to adjust the airship's direction. Otherwise, if something went wrong midair, it would become a very annoying problem.
Deidara's eyes nearly turned into stars. "Of course I know! Amamiya senpai is Heavenly Demon!"
When he first heard that nickname, he had been absurdly jealous. He wanted a nickname that sounded just as powerful.
Kenichi found it a little amusing.
Then he noticed Deidara reaching for clay, as if he planned to start crafting something on the spot.
Kenichi immediately stopped him. Did this kid even understand where they were? Kenichi had no intention of being blown up while flying.
"Try it again when we land somewhere open," Kenichi said, half helpless. Deidara was good in every way, but he never cared about timing. He would start building things wherever he stood, and that was a headache.
Inside the airship, Deidara followed him closely, asking questions like an overly curious child. Kenichi felt both amused and exasperated, yet he still answered patiently.
Airships were different from Deidara's flying clay birds. They relied on the buoyancy of hot air. Both could fly, but they depended on completely different forces.
When Kenichi first met Deidara, he had imagined how terrifying it would be if Deidara sculpted a clay bomber. The ninja world would witness that kind of power far earlier than it was meant to.
But he soon realized the bomber's flight did not rely on chakra at all.
If he wanted Deidara's clay creations to truly replicate that, he would have to study what allowed Deidara's clay to fly in the first place.
"Senpai," Deidara asked, eyes bright, "if I sculpt an airship like this out of clay, do you think my airship can fly?"
Kenichi glanced at him. If it could not even take off, then making it would be pointless.
"You can give it a try," Kenichi said. He was not fully sure either. Deidara's clay flew more through biomimicry. His birds relied on flapping wings and airflow.
As the airship climbed rapidly, Kenichi withdrew his hand from the controls and walked deeper into the cockpit area.
After arriving in this world, he had discovered small countries in the ninja world whose names he had never heard before. But the name Hoshigakure, the Star Village, sounded strangely familiar.
On the seat behind him, Deidara finally grew quiet.
Kenichi looked over. "Deidara, speaking of which, why did you leave Iwagakure?"
The Third Tsuchikage's high regard for Deidara was obvious even to an outsider. If Deidara had listened, he very likely could have become the Fourth Tsuchikage one day.
Deidara's expression darkened at the mention of Iwagakure, but he still answered.
"Senpai… I left because the village could not accept me."
Kenichi glanced back.
Deidara had drawn his legs up, hugging them to his chest, eyes dim and strangely sad.
….
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With gratitude,
FanficLord03