Chapter 133: More Than Just Explosions
"Hahaha! Come on! Let me see! Hmm!"
Logaro laughed like a 200-pound child, his bangs trembling, making the silver-haired youth wonder if this guy might be the prototype for the blonde character in the manga.
He truly resembled a delinquent. While Yahiko also had yellow hair, his demeanor was far less obnoxious than this guy's.
The last person to be so obnoxious in front of Kakashi was Uchiha Obito.
Kakashi took two deep breaths, trying hard to tell himself this was for the Hidden Rain, this was for peace, only then suppressing the urge to teach this guy a lesson with taijutsu.
"Alright, come here, and I'll show you what true art is."
"True art? You're quite bold, hmm."
Even though this silver-haired guy was challenging the authority of his art, Logaro wasn't angry.
Art gained value through comparison, allowing the defeated to understand the victor's art.
He wasn't afraid of different interpretations of art, only of a lack of understanding of art.
This explosion genius thought precisely this way.
Kakashi went to an open space, took out a kunai, and mentally prepared his upcoming explanation.
"Art is fleeting beauty, I don't deny that. However, the concept of 'beauty' is too broad. Everyone's aesthetic standards differ, and the artistic essence they perceive also varies. You say art is an explosion, but explosions are too singular. There are so many ways to express fleeting beauty. I believe lightning is the highest realm of art in nature."
"Lightning?"
Remembering the few instances of lightning he had seen in the Land of Earth, Logaro curled his lip.
"That's far inferior to my explosions."
"That's because you haven't seen a bigger one."
Tossing the kunai high, Kakashi threw a punch, right in front of Logaro's disdainful gaze. The powerful purple current carried by his right hand immediately accelerated the kunai to over five times the speed of sound, producing a sharp whistling sound in the air.
The purple lightning flickering along the kunai's trajectory continued to pulse. In less than a tenth of a second, the kunai struck a rock a hundred meters away. The rock immediately exploded, and the rising dust proved to Logaro what speed, aesthetic beauty, and destructive power combined meant.
"This was just a kunai."
Kakashi said calmly to the person watching nearby.
Logaro's mouth was slightly agape; he was indeed shaken by this blow. In his understanding, explosions should be pure, and everything else was merely an attachment, a deviant path.
He just hadn't expected that adding lightning and speed to an explosion—the trail of dust it kicked up, the sound in the air so utterly different from an explosion—could also be so artistic.
However, such a thing could absolutely not be admitted.
"Your art is not bad, but mine is still superior, hmm."
"Artists can understand each other, but bumpkins cannot understand artists, do you understand me?"
"What are you trying to say?"
Logaro disliked the veiled meaning in these words; he hated roundabout speech most, just like the village elders.
"We are of the same kind, or rather, your kind may not necessarily be in the Land of Earth, do you understand?"
"You want me to betray Hidden Stone? Hmm?"
"Currently, the Land of Rain and Hidden Stone are allied nations. How can something between allies be called betrayal? I merely want you to visit the Land of Rain a few more times to experience the artistic atmosphere."
"Artistic atmosphere? I haven't felt any artistic atmosphere in the Hidden Rain Village."
"You were waiting for us the whole time you were in the Hidden Rain Village, never even leaving your room, right?"
Kakashi was certain; seeing him blow open the door that day and feeling annoyed, he knew this guy must have been like that.
"So what? Humidity and rain only bring dirty mud, which only spoils my art. Hmm."
"Have you ever considered making underwater bombs or depth charges?"
"What are those?"
"Imagine an explosion occurring underwater, instantly creating beautiful splashes, with rainbows appearing under the sunlight, and emitting dull booming sounds. You've always detonated on land; even the most beautiful art would become boring, wouldn't it?"
"It seems so… hmm."
Lowering his head to ponder the feasibility of underwater bombs, Logaro found the idea increasingly enticing the more he thought about it, making him eager to find a place to test it immediately.
"The Third Tsuchikage doesn't allow you to use explosions inside the village, but Hidden Rain is full of lakes. You can detonate however you like."
"Really?"
"Furthermore, the Uchiha clan has all gone to the Hidden Rain Village. Think about it, the ninja world's largest clan. How many of them must love art just like you?"
"!! The Uchiha clan also understands art? Hmm?"
"If you don't believe me, you can ask Shisui later."
"I will ask, hmm."
Seeing his goal nearly achieved, Kakashi felt somewhat relieved.
"Most importantly, look at your clothes—red paired with yellow, completely lacking artistic flair. Now look at the Akatsuki's robes—black background with red clouds, symbolizing the dawn's arrival. That is art."
This hit the bullseye. Logaro immediately compared his own clothes with the Akatsuki robe, and the more he compared, the more he felt the Land of Earth's combat uniform was so tacky it was unbearable, his face turning red.
"...This... clothes can be changed, hmm."
"The Hidden Rain Village's Akatsuki robes can be replaced for free year-round. If you come to the Hidden Rain Village, you can directly become a formal member of the Akatsuki. Hidden Rain will not restrict you from creating explosions; instead, it will encourage you to actively create explosions. There are countless lakes and countless places needing demolition there. You can unleash your full potential and find the most artists."
"Perhaps I should discuss it with the old man Onoki."
Logaro hesitated. The place sounded so wonderful, truly an artist's paradise, but he still had a wife and children.
"Discuss? Why discuss? Don't you think being a rogue ninja is also art?"
These words were like a flash of lightning through Logaro's mind, freezing him on the spot.
"I am a Konoha S-rank rogue ninja, the entire Uchiha clan are rogue ninja, and artists are unconventional individuals. If you don't become a Hidden Stone rogue ninja, you are not qualified to join our art."
Facing Kakashi's contemptuous gaze, as if looking at trash, Logaro's blood rushed, and he blurted out:
"Nonsense! When did I say I wouldn't dare be a rogue ninja!!! Hmm!!!"
"Think about it yourself. I just saw how much you love art, so I merely spoke a couple of extra words to you."
With that, Kakashi turned and left the open space. This level of Talk No Jutsu was still a bit inferior compared to that of Yahiko or Naruto.
However, it should be enough to fool Logaro; this was much simpler than persuading the Uchiha clan to leave Konoha.
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on Patreon. with 50 advanced chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/Leanzin