Deidara's boyish good looks were officially gone—
in their place stood a smoke-stained, short-tempered troublemaker.
Akio felt he'd shown restraint. The two explosive charges had been perfectly measured—just enough to shred Deidara's clothes without actually injuring him. His exposed skin was still pale and unscathed.
Mentally, though, Deidara was clearly not okay.
He looked like he wanted to murder Akio on the spot.
That expression, however, quickly shifted when he noticed the lump of white clay being casually kneaded in Akio's hands.
"Where did you learn Explosion Release?" Deidara demanded.
"I'm self-taught," Akio replied calmly. "But I've hit a wall. How do you shape—or chew—the clay into spiders?"
Deidara stared at him for a long moment, suspicion flashing through his eyes.
What is that old man thinking? he muttered internally. This guy is obviously dangerous. And yet no one's sent anyone to keep an eye on him? Has the old man finally lost it?
"Don't just glare at me," Akio continued. "Teach me your art. How do you sculpt those little creatures? Birds, maybe. Chicks, ducks—anything works."
Deidara snorted. His right hand lowered, the mouth in his palm biting off a chunk of clay and chewing it. A moment later, a small white bird flew toward Akio.
"My art is explosion—not sculpture," Deidara declared. "Drink this!"
The bird detonated midair, blasting Akio's red hair back in the shockwave.
Unfazed, Akio bent down, picked up some clay, and popped it into his mouth.
He mimicked the movements perfectly—but when he spat it out, all he produced was a round lump with teeth marks.
Deidara scoffed. "You're using your teeth. Use your tongue."
Akio froze.
"…Your tongue?" he echoed, eyeing Deidara with visible discomfort.
That kind of dexterity is… impressive in a deeply unsettling way.
"Yeah," he sighed inwardly. That's a skill best left unlearned.
"I'll stick to hand-shaping," Akio muttered. "Grenades are good enough."
Before he could say more, the ground trembled violently.
In the distance, Akatsuchi—only twelve years old—was unleashing a massive Earth Release technique, raising slabs of rock from the ground. Haku and Kimimaro were already struggling to keep up.
Even Deidara's attention snapped away.
Akio recalled Karin's comment from the night before and tested the waters.
"Haku's a boy, you know."
Deidara blinked, then looked away. "I figured that out already."
Now it was Akio's turn to freeze.
Then why were you staring so much—
Before he could finish that thought, the girls' sparring match ended. Karin and Kurotsuchi approached.
Kurotsuchi was grinning brightly, her sleeve torn slightly by a kunai. Karin looked annoyed and filthy, coated in mud—but unharmed.
With her healing ability and massive chakra reserves, she could've dragged the fight out. She just couldn't stand being dirty.
"Oh? Deidara, you're awake?" Kurotsuchi laughed. "You look awful—did you sleep in a furnace?"
Karin clenched her teeth. "Shanks… find me a place to wash up."
She hadn't forgotten to keep Akio's identity secret.
Akio nodded approvingly. If his cover blew, half the fun would be gone.
"There's no bathhouse nearby," he said casually. "We'll do it here."
He formed hand seals, and a curtain of water poured down over Karin.
She twitched. "Just like th—"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball!"
The massive fireball split just before reaching her, blasting away the water and instantly drying her clothes.
Karin stood there, clean, stunned, and very close to snapping.
"You can do that with ninjutsu?" Kurotsuchi asked, wide-eyed.
Akio nodded. "Same principle as roasting boar. Temperature control."
Karin's fists clenched.
Akio immediately lobbed a grenade behind him.
BOOM.
"Did Deidara teach you Explosion Release?" Kurotsuchi asked in awe.
"I learned it myself," Akio said lightly. "Karin, come here. I'll teach you the art of explosions."
Deidara finally snapped. "Don't act like anyone can master my art!"
Akio ignored him and handed Karin a newly shaped explosive.
"Use your Mind's Eye of the Kagura. Feel the chakra flow inside it. Try to recreate it."
Until now, Karin had only learned basic taijutsu and kunai throwing. Akio had been unsure where her future lay.
Her aggressive temperament made her wasted as a pure support ninja.
Explosion Release, though?
It fit her perfectly.
Karin's eyes lit up. "You're finally teaching me ninjutsu?! When I master this, I'm blowing that smug little girl off the map!"
Akio sighed. "She beat you fair and square. Focus."
Then, in a flash, he vanished.
He reappeared beside Haku and Kimimaro, smashing Akatsuchi's stone fist apart with a single strike.
"That's enough for today."
Kimimaro panted. "We haven't lost."
Akio smiled. "Not yet. But he's holding back. We'll be staying in Iwagakure for two months. By then, you'll beat him."
Akatsuchi scratched his head sheepishly.
Ten minutes later, by the campfire.
Akio roasted the remaining half of the boar, carving it with his absurdly oversized blade and seasoning it carefully.
"How much longer?" Kurotsuchi asked, practically drooling.
"Half an hour," Akio replied—his eyes subtly watching Deidara.
Deidara wasn't staring at Haku.
He was staring at the monocular hanging around Haku's neck.
"You want that scope?" Akio asked.
Deidara didn't answer.
Kurotsuchi nodded. "Grandpa gave Deidara one last month for his birthday."
"Five million ryō," Akio said casually.
Kurotsuchi nearly choked.
Deidara turned away, sulking.
Akio paused.
That expression…
It pulled him back decades—to the early days of Konoha, when he'd first met Ōnoki.
That same stubborn scowl.
"That look really is identical," Akio murmured.
"…Though Ōnoki was definitely uglier."
---
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