Looking at Haku, Deidara said seriously, "You must possess the Ice Release kekkei genkai. You don't seem like a trained ninja, yet you can keep your ice puppets from melting for almost a year. You're incredibly talented!"
Deidara then leaned in close, startling Haku, "Your puppet designs have given me great inspiration. You're undeniably an artistic genius. While you still fall short of me, it's quite remarkable!"
"Why don't you come with me? We can discuss art, and I can teach you ninjutsu! If your ice puppets could explode, that would be even more perfect!"
Haku smiled and politely declined Deidara's offer.
He knew his limitations; his puppets lacked artistic merit. His peaceful life suited him perfectly, and he wasn't interested in learning ninjutsu.
But Deidara, who highly valued Haku's "artistic talent," refused to give up and persistently tried to persuade him.
A typical merchant would be annoyed by such persistence, considering it a disruption of business.
However, Haku was gentle and didn't value money much; he only needed enough to survive. He didn't show any displeasure at Deidara's relentless pursuit.
"Deidara, you're here."
As Deidara earnestly pleaded with Haku not to bury his artistic talent, a raspy voice echoed.
Deidara was startled.
Two figures in black cloaks with red clouds appeared on the street—Orochimaru and Sasori, the duo who had failed to recruit him into Akatsuki.
The one who had spoken was Sasori, using a voice changer hidden within his Hiruko.
Seeing these two persistent pursuers, Deidara felt a headache coming on.
He couldn't win a fight, and they relentlessly pursued him, chasing him from the Land of Earth to Land of Waves. They were truly relentless.
"Being a genius is full of troubles!"
Deidara sighed, lamenting his situation.
He had secluded himself in a temple to focus on art, only to be targeted by this peculiar organization.
Looking at Orochimaru and Sasori, Deidara angrily said, "You're going too far! I've already said I won't join your organization."
"You don't understand art at all! We're not on the same wavelength!"
Sasori, his voice laced with anger, retorted, "You don't know anything about art! You call randomly molding clay 'art'?"
"Since you're so stubborn, you'll become one of my puppet collections. It'll be your only contribution to art."
The two, deeply divided in their artistic views, began an impassioned debate in the middle of the street, neither willing to yield.
Haku, watching the arguing Deidara and Sasori, found their quarrel amusing. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pang of anxiety.
Searching for the source, a low, raspy voice whispered in his ear.
"To find someone with such pure Ice Release kekkei genkai… a gift from heaven!"
Looking towards the source, Haku saw a pair of snake-like eyes fixed on him.
The owner of these eyes was deathly pale, his gaze like that of someone who had discovered a precious treasure. Haku felt intensely uncomfortable.
Orochimaru had lost interest in Deidara. Haku had become his primary target.
After eliminating the Land of Snow and obtaining numerous bodies with Ice Release kekkei genkai, Orochimaru traded the lower half of Hidan's body to Yusuke for Root's experimental data on merging kekkei genkai with human bodies. Combining this with Kimimaro's initial version of the "Kekkai Genkai Fusion Jutsu," Orochimaru finally developed the ultimate forbidden jutsu, "FushiTensei,".
Using "Fushi Tensei," Orochimaru consumed numerous bodies with Ice Release kekkei genkai captured from the Land of Snow.
To ensure a constant supply of material, Orochimaru kept a few individuals with the highest Ice Release aptitude to create clones for consumption.
After some time, Orochimaru discovered that the more clones he consumed, the less his Ice Release kekkei genkai improved, until it almost plateaued.
This stagnation was intolerable to Orochimaru, who always sought self-improvement.
Orochimaru conducted extensive research, even attempting to clone himself for consumption. However, his Ice Release kekkei genkai was already incredibly powerful, and all his clones perished. The experiment failed.
Orochimaru knew that to surpass his limits, he needed a better clone base with superior Ice Release kekkei genkai aptitude. Haku was his ideal target!
Seeing the pale man with snake-like eyes extend a tongue like a snake, licking his lips, Haku felt a chill run down his spine. A cold dread welled up within him.
Suddenly, a snow-white snake emerged from Orochimaru's coat and lunged at Haku, who was standing next to Deidara.
Although Haku reacted too slowly, Deidara, who had been secretly wary of Orochimaru and Sasori, acted quickly.
Pulling Haku away from Orochimaru's attack, Deidara summoned his high-speed clay bird and immediately took to the skies with Haku.
Deidara's ability to escape Orochimaru and Sasori was largely due to his clay bird's ability to fly.
While ninja abilities are diverse, flight is rare.
Seeing Deidara's escape, Sasori unfurled a scroll and summoned a giant eagle puppet—newly created to counter Deidara.
Orochimaru and Sasori mounted the eagle and pursued Deidara relentlessly.
"Can't you two stop harassing me? Sasori's pursuit is understandable; killing someone with differing artistic views is also acceptable!"
"But Orochimaru, you unmanly monster, are also relentlessly pursuing me. This is excessive!"
Deidara finished, leaving Haku completely bewildered.
What did 'killing someone with differing artistic views is also acceptable' mean? This boy named Deidara had utterly incomprehensible views.
Orochimaru's face darkened, his already pale complexion turning even greener with anger.
During his previous battle with Deidara, Orochimaru, trying to conserve strength in front of Sasori, had his human skin mask blown off by Deidara, revealing his female "Edo Tensei" body, thus becoming the "unmanly monster" in Deidara's words.
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