"Alright, no problem!"
Deidara now completely trusted Kimimaro and did exactly as he suggested.
Someone who shares the same artistic views as him couldn't possibly have any bad intentions, right?
In fact, Kimimaro had no plans to harm Deidara.
The method he proposed was theoretically feasible because the Star Split Worms had evolved to possess such characteristics.
This ability wasn't particularly useful to Kimimaro, but it was extremely valuable to Deidara.
He had already lured Deidara over as a tool, so giving him some benefits wasn't an issue.
Of course, the most important thing was that Deidara, having merged with the Star Split Worms' chakra, posed no threat to him whatsoever.
This was because the Star Split Worms could completely counter the chakra Deidara gained from the fusion.
When making deals, Kimimaro never shortchanged himself.
Moreover, for Deidara, being countered by one person was far better than being countered by a bunch of Lightning-Style ninjas.
Hundreds of Star Split Worms surrounded Deidara, slowly devouring the chakra he released.
"I didn't expect Deidara to have so much chakra. Looks like I can increase the intensity."
Kimimaro thought to himself as he released several hundred more Star Split Worms.
In no time, Deidara was covered with purple Star Split Worms, looking as if he was wearing purple armor.
Deidara could feel his chakra being rapidly devoured.
At the same time, a new kind of chakra was returning to his body.
This chakra was very similar to his original chakra but was much more volatile.
For a regular ninja, this would be a bad thing, but for Deidara, it was undoubtedly a good thing.
This would enhance the power of his explosive clay.
"It actually works! This is great! The only issue is that the loss rate is a bit high—only one-tenth of the chakra returns. But that's okay. After the chakra recovers, the amount is the same as before, although it does dilute the explosiveness of the fusion."
"No wonder Kimimaro said it would take about ten sessions to complete the entire transformation. He really calculated it accurately."
Deidara was thrilled.
Little did he know, the high loss rate was because the remaining ninety percent of the chakra was being absorbed by the Star Split Worms for their own evolution.
After about half an hour, this round of fusion finally ended.
Thousands of Star Split Worms, having finished their work, fell to the ground, looking weak and exhausted.
In reality, they were just full and sleepy, falling asleep right then and there.
"Bro, what happened to these bugs?"
Deidara asked, puzzled.
Kimimaro feigned a look of distress and said, "This method of absorbing chakra and then returning it is extremely taxing on them, and it shortens their lifespan. That's why they're so tired and fainting right now.
"I'll work to get them back on their feet quickly, and then we'll continue helping you transform your chakra."
Having experienced the benefits of chakra fusion, Deidara had no doubts about Kimimaro's words.
Seeing how much Kimimaro was sacrificing to help him, Deidara felt quite guilty.
"Thanks, bro. I didn't expect you to be so kind. I'm really ashamed of how I treated you before."
"Deidara-senpai, there's no need to be so formal. We both pursue the same artistic ideals, so we should help each other out. These are just a few Star Split Worms. If they die, they die; I can breed more of them in no time. It's no big deal.
"As for our earlier fight, I just wanted to confirm your art, so I was a bit abrupt."
Kimimaro spoke casually, but Deidara could still see the pain he tried hard to suppress on his face.
Deidara was deeply moved.
He knew that Kimimaro must have been very attached to those Star Split Worms.
After all, they were his works of art.
And in this situation, Kimimaro was still willing to use the Star Split Worms to help him. What a great brother!
"Good brother! No need for words. From now on, your problems are my problems. If you need anything, just say the word, and I'll support you without hesitation!"
Deidara patted Kimimaro's shoulder, sincerity written all over his face.
"Thank you, Deidara-senpai."
Seeing Deidara being so good to him, Kimimaro felt a bit guilty.
Was he overdoing the manipulation?
It seemed like Deidara's fondness for him was maxed out.
Well, maxing it out wasn't a problem. It would make things easier in the future.
With that, Deidara began recovering his depleted chakra, while Kimimaro started gathering the sleeping Star Split Worms.
The patterns on the Star Split Worms' bodies had changed once again—small, but not escaping his keen eyes.
"It seems my hypothesis was correct; Deidara's chakra is indeed excellent material for the Star Split Worms' evolution.
"In the next ten days, I'll have the Star Split Worms consume Deidara's chakra, then feed them with my own.
"This should enable the Star Split Worms to complete their transformation. I can't wait to see their evolved numbers and power."
Once the Star Split Worms completed their evolution, another of Kimimaro's objectives for joining the Akatsuki would be achieved.
In the following days, Deidara and the Star Split Worms continued their chakra fusion, and the results only improved.
Five days later, Pikachu's thunder was no longer fully countering Deidara's explosive clay.
This made Deidara very pleased.
He and Kimimaro became more familiar with each other, discussing the art of explosions whenever they had free time.
For Kimimaro, who had the Star Split Worms, this was no challenge, so their conversations were always engaging.
Deidara even felt like he had found a kindred spirit in Kimimaro.
What he didn't realize was that if someone makes you feel comfortable in every conversation, it's likely because their intellect and emotional intelligence far exceed yours.
"Bro, you joined Akatsuki way too late! If we'd teamed up earlier, our art might have already been world-famous by now.
"These few days of talking with you have been so rewarding. It won't be long before I can create even better explosive art!"
Deidara was bursting with inspiration.
"I heard your partner Sasori also has a passion for art. What's his art like?"
Kimimaro subtly probed, eager to learn more about Sasori.
"Sasori's art is different from ours. He seeks eternal art. I just can't get behind that. He even turned himself into a puppet for it."
Deidara showed a bit of disdain when talking about Sasori's art.
Still, he had great respect for Sasori.
But now, with Kimimaro around, he felt he had found a better partner.
"Bro, I have a proposal. Even if Sasori returns, don't leave our team. If it doesn't work, I'll ask the boss to put us on the same team. That way, we can keep exploring our art together."
(End of Chapter)
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