On the outskirts of Iwagakure in the Land of Earth, there stood a solitary little house that looked exceptionally desolate.
In front of its door sat a blonde youth, gripping a newspaper and reading it with absolute fervor.
"Incredible!!!" the boy shouted excitedly, his eyes glued to the headlines.
Indeed, newspapers existed in the ninja world. While they used to be small-scale operations, they had exploded into a mainstream trend over the last few years. The publishing industry had experienced massive growth, flourishing rapidly in the aftermath of the Third Shinobi World War.
By now, major press agencies could distribute their papers across almost the entire ninja world. Many shinobi kept track of international relations and recent curiosities by purchasing these publications.
Even more interesting was that several bestselling authors had begun serializing their novels directly in the papers, like that bastard Jiraiya.
Of course, given the rather explicit nature of Jiraiya's work, his stories could never make it onto mainstream press and were mostly relegated to various sketchy tabloids. This had provided him with a lucrative new stream of income.
As for the youth currently engrossed in the news, despite his seemingly miserable living conditions, he actually held a rather prominent social standing within Iwagakure.
His name was Deidara, the personal disciple of the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki of Both Scales. He was twelve years old, fast approaching thirteen.
The reason he had been kicked out to live in this barren, sparsely populated wasteland was entirely due to his wildly uninhibited and rebellious nature. Though a remarkably brilliant prodigy, he was utterly obsessed with art and explosions. Furthermore, he possessed an Earth-natured Kekkei Genkai known as Explosion Release.
With that power, he had run completely rampant in Iwagakure, constantly setting off detonations throughout the village. He became a massive headache for Onoki, and the villagers grew to thoroughly despise the brat. Ultimately unable to rein him in, Onoki simply exiled Deidara when he was nine years old.
Since then, Deidara had lived completely alone on the village outskirts.
He didn't actually mind this treatment. The kid didn't care about his circumstances at all; instead, he comforted himself with the self-indulgent philosophy that all true artists must be solitary.
Essentially, unless he encountered a complex problem he couldn't figure out, which would prompt him to seek out Onoki, he rarely ever set foot back in the village. He spent his days experimenting with his clay, manufacturing all kinds of bombs.
However, he did enjoy reading the newspaper. And today, he had spotted a piece of news that made his blood pump with excitement.
The Yorozuya, an organization branded by the entire ninja world as a "terrorist mercenary group," had raided Kumogakure, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, just a few days ago. They had incited massive chaos and triggered countless explosions throughout the hidden village, dealing astronomical damage to Kumogakure and causing them to lose significant face on the global stage.
Deidara naturally didn't care about international relations or political fallout; he didn't comprehend those things anyway. He just thought the Yorozuya was incredibly badass. Their style of doing things resonated deeply with his own.
Not only were they completely lawless, but they also favored explosions as their primary method of operation. For a moment, Deidara felt an intense yearning toward them.
He felt the Yorozuya was a million times more interesting than this stupid Iwagakure. Surely, there would be many kindred spirits waiting for him there?
While Deidara was lost in these thoughts, a young girl walked over from a distance, looking roughly the same age as him.
"Deidara-nii!" she called out.
Deidara turned his head, a look of immediate annoyance flashing across his face. "Kurotsuchi, what are you doing here? Stop bothering me."
Kurotsuchi was Onoki's biological granddaughter and Deidara's childhood friend. The two shared a relationship as fellow disciples. If things progressed naturally along that trajectory, there wouldn't be anything wrong with them becoming a couple in the future.
But unfortunately, Deidara was an absolute blockhead, the type who remained single strictly by his own merits.
Kurotsuchi was exceptionally pretty. She completely avoided inheriting the bulbous, red nose shared by Onoki and her father; her features were delicate and refined, making it obvious even at her young age that she would grow into a stunning beauty.
Many years down the road, she would succeed Onoki, becoming the Fourth Tsuchikage, and affectionately dubbed by fans as the First Tsuchikage of Legs. (Rumor has it she doesn't wear undergarments... I've personally verified it, it's true!)
Even though Deidara maintained his impatient front, he didn't actually chase her away. Truth be told, the two shared a fairly close bond.
"You're actually reading a newspaper?" Kurotsuchi asked, looking at Deidara with surprise.
Deidara's face darkened as he grumbled, "What do you mean actually? What kind of person do you take me for?"
"A dangerous delinquent who spends all day sculpting clay and causing explosions?" Kurotsuchi said after a moment's thought.
Deidara was so infuriated he nearly kicked her. He yelled defensively, "Ignorant fool! This is art! Can't you perceive the sheer aesthetic beauty of the impact and power delivered at the exact millisecond of a detonation? That is true art! Art is an explosion!"
Kurotsuchi scratched her head and replied, "Well, I certainly don't understand any of that."
"Cheh!" Deidara muttered in annoyance before asking, "Why did you come looking for me anyway?"
"No real reason, just wanted to see how you're doing. You haven't been to the village in days; I wanted to make sure you hadn't starved to death out here," Kurotsuchi said casually. Even though she was just a young girl, she spoke with the demeanor of a mature adult.
"I don't need you meddling in my—" Deidara started to dismiss her, but before he could finish his sentence, a thought suddenly struck him. He snapped his head back toward her. "Hey, Kurotsuchi, let me ask you something."
"What is it?" Kurotsuchi looked at him curiously.
"You're always hanging around the old man, so you must hear him talk about a lot of things, right? Do you know anything about this Yorozuya group?" Deidara pointed his finger at a photograph in the newspaper.
The picture captured the silhouette of Jūzō, carrying the Executioner's Blade on his shoulder and cloaked in a black cloak patterned with red clouds, looking intensely mysterious and menacing.
"Grandpa was actually talking about this just today. He was reading the exact same paper as you," Kurotsuchi said, raising an eyebrow.
Without hiding anything from Deidara, Kurotsuchi sat down directly on the stone steps beside him. She began, "The person you're pointing at is named Biwa Jūzō..."
"I know that! Biwa Jūzō, former member of Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. It's written right here in the paper. Tell me something else," Deidara interrupted.
"Fine." Kurotsuchi tilted her head, tapping her chin. "Let me think..."
After a brief pause, Kurotsuchi continued, "It seems the Yorozuya doesn't have many members, but every single one of them is monstrously powerful. Among them is Sasori of the Red Sand, the former prodigy puppeteer of Sunagakure who essentially acted as the catalyst for the Third Shinobi World War. The war erupted precisely because he assassinated the Third Kazekage, leaving Sunagakure leaderless. Kumogakure took the opportunity to launch a surprise attack, which ultimately dragged the entire ninja world into conflict..."
"Sasori of the Red Sand? He was the catalyst for the last war? That's so cool!" Deidara's eyes lit up with excitement.
In his mind, the Third Shinobi World War was just one massive, epic explosion. Naturally, the man who acted as the fuse had to be incredibly artistic and cool.
"Who else?" Deidara pressed eagerly.
"Then there's Biwa Jūzō's partner. He's extraordinarily mysterious, and barely any intelligence exists on him to this day. His name is Kakuzu, a rogue ninja from Takigakure who has apparently been active in the ninja world for many decades. Word says he even fought against the God of Shinobi, the First Hokage," Kurotsuchi recalled.
"He's that powerful?" Deidara was stunned.
Ordinary people might not fully grasp how terrifying Senju Hashirama had been, but Onoki certainly did. Having been utterly humbled by Madara in his youth, Onoki was intimately aware of Madara's overwhelming power, and Madara had ultimately been defeated by Hashirama.
Because of this, Onoki constantly ranted about how legendary Hashirama was, especially given his title as the God of Shinobi.
Therefore, even though Deidara had never seen Hashirama, the man left an incredibly powerful impression on him. Hearing that this Kakuzu fellow had actually clashed with the First Hokage shook him to his core.
Are the members of the Yorozuya all such absolute freaks?
(Kakuzu: If I hadn't gone soft back then and thrown a shuriken from eight hundred miles away to spare the First Hokage's life, Konoha wouldn't even exist today!)
"Of course they're powerful," Kurotsuchi nodded in agreement. "Oh, and you know the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, right?"
"Duh, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru!" Deidara stated instantly.
Compared to ancient legends, the names of the Legendary Sannin were far more representative and tangible to people of this era. Many active shinobi had risen from the exact same generation as them; the three of them were practically the living symbols of that period.
"Right. That Orochimaru is currently a member of the Yorozuya as well," Kurotsuchi confirmed with a nod.
"Incredible... This is just too incredible! Are the people in the Yorozuya all this top-tier?" Deidara was vibrating with excitement.
Although he was branded as an "explosion lunatic" within Iwagakure, no one could deny his status as an absolute prodigy. Prodigies were always isolated, and he felt that he could never find anyone in Iwagakure who truly understood his artistic vision. That was why he didn't mind living out here in the middle of nowhere.
But now, he had learned about the Yorozuya.
It was an evil syndicate recognized by the global community as a terrorist mercenary group. Yet, by some miracle, every single member seemed to be a terrifyingly powerful outlier.
Wasn't this exactly the kind of place he had been yearning for? If he could join them, it would be absolutely perfect!
"There's someone even more incredible, the leader of the Yorozuya. His name is Rodriguez Diarmuid. His true strength is currently impossible to gauge, but considering he commands a pack of monsters like the Yorozuya, it goes without saying that his abilities must be transcendent. Furthermore, I know for a fact that during the Third Shinobi World War, he was the one who killed the Third Raikage. My dad met him back then and brought it up once, claiming his strength is likely the absolute highest in the entire ninja world right now..." Kurotsuchi whispered mysteriously.
"Rodriguez Diarmuid?" A flash of astonishment crossed Deidara's eyes. "The strongest in the world? How come I've barely heard of him before?"
"He seemed to be quite active a few years ago, but since the war ended, he rarely shows his face anymore. No one knows what he's up to. There are even rumors that he shares a bizarre, ambiguous relationship with Konoha, and that he might secretly be one of their operatives..." Kurotsuchi added.
To be fair, for a girl barely ten years old to memorize and analyze this much complex intelligence was highly impressive. She truly was cut out to become the future Tsuchikage.
"Amazing, absolutely amazing! Do you know where their headquarters is?" Deidara asked urgently.
"I'm not entirely sure about that, but rumors suggest they are located in Amegakure within the Land of Rain... Perhaps Grandpa knows whether it's true or false," Kurotsuchi shook her head.
"The Land of Rain... Amegakure, huh?" A sharp gleam flared within Deidara's eyes. Ceasing his questioning, he stood up and vigorously brushed the dust off his pants. "Alright, alright! I'm going back to researching my new bomb. Don't bother me unless it's important."
Kurotsuchi: "???"
Are you kidding me? You change your face faster than a dog flips its posture!
Using me for information and then immediately throwing me away?!