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***
"We've gathered quite a bit of information on Deidara lately."
Minato pulled a scroll from the table and tossed it to Shikaku, saying, "This contains some information about Deidara's past and the secret techniques he used in Iwa."
In reality, information on Deidara's techniques was top secret within Iwa.
Even Konoha's Anbu hadn't gathered much.
Much of the information on the scroll was obtained by Minato from Itachi.
"Detonating Clay."
Shikaku muttered, surveying the scroll's contents.
"Although this young man is only nine, he's the first person in Iwa to fully master the technique in decades. This explains why the Third Tsuchikage remains so partial to him, despite the numerous horrific incidents he perpetrated."
Minato explained.
According to Itachi, Deidara was recruited into the Akatsuki organization when he was around twelve or thirteen years old, making him a rare talent in the history of Iwa.
"No specific information?"
Shikaku glanced at the scroll.
Not even Itachi knew the details of Deidara's explosive clay.
Although the two had clashed before, with Itachi decisively victorious, he had used his Sharingan's genjutsu directly on Deidara at that time and hadn't witnessed the full extent of the explosive clay's power.
However, the explosive clay's power should not be underestimated, as it's capable of easily destroying an entire ninja village.
"That's all the information we have for now. I don't think even if Deidara were a genius, the Third Tsuchikage would have let him carry out the assassination of the Stone Country representative alone."
Minato chuckled and said, "Regarding the personnel for this mission, I'd like to temporarily reorganize your team. The strength of Daisuke and Shinichi isn't up to the task of such a mission."
Shikaku nodded, reflecting his own thoughts.
"Besides the required sensory ninja, I think Izumi should fill the other position. What do you think?"
Minato looked at Shikaku.
Izumi's strength was already second only to Itachi among his peers, and with the Sharingan he had developed two months ago, his power had skyrocketed.
Under Shinku's guidance, Izumi's illusion techniques had also reached a certain level of success, making them capable of playing a significant role in the mission.
Of course, Minato's true reliance lay in Shikaku and Itachi, whose true strength lay hidden within.
Forming a team to escort them shouldn't be a problem.
Shikaku shrugged, saying, "Since you've already made the arrangements, I have no objection."
Minato smiled, then looked at Itachi and said, "Then, Itachi, you will notify Izumi. I'll have the Anbu notify the client to come to the office immediately."
"Yes!"
Itachi replied, then immediately returned to his clan and fetched Izumi.
When Itachi returned to the Hokage's office with Izumi, the client hadn't arrived yet.
Besides Minato and Shikaku, there was also a female ninja in her early twenties.
She had short, sleek hair, slightly tanned skin, but a delicate appearance.
"Hello, my name is Aoki Yui,"
The female ninja smiled kindly at Izumi and Itachi.
She was a sensory ninja and would soon form a team with Itachi and Izumi.
Itachi and Izumi also greeted Aoki Yui individually.
Aoki didn't look down on them for their young age and freshmen status.
She knew how to sense them, and the chakra she could detect from both children was not weak.
Itachi's chakra, in particular, was even stronger than Shikaku's.
This was due to Tsunade's medication, so Itachi had no need to hide it.
A few minutes later, the client for this mission, the Stone Country's representative to the Forest Country to discuss mineral trade, a man in his thirties, led by an Anbu, entered.
His name was Kuroishi Lei.
Kuroishi Lei nodded respectfully at Minato, who was sitting at the Hokage's desk.
His gaze swept over Shikaku, then onto Aoki Yui, and especially Itachi and Izumi, his brows furrowed deeply.
A young woman and two boys.
Clearly, Aoki, Itachi, and Izumi didn't fit his image of a powerful ninja.
As if sensing the worry in Kuroishi's eyes, Minato chuckled and said, "Mr. Kuroishi, rest assured. Although they look young, they are all very capable Konoha ninjas and will successfully escort you to your destination."
"Really?"
Kuroishi muttered, offering Minato a very forced smile.
"Hokage-sama, thank you so much."
Itachi, observing his forced smile, knew that Kuroishi was still judging people by appearances and didn't trust Minato's words.
However, Konoha's agreement to send troops to aid the Stone Country was already a great favor, so he could only grit his teeth and accept it, hoping that the Hokage had not lied to him.
The mission to escort Kuroishi to the Forest Country was scheduled to depart early the next morning.
That evening, Minato met with Itachi again.
In the darkness, the Uchiha forest training grounds were deserted.
Minato smiled and said, "You can probably understand why I arranged the personnel for this mission this way, right?"
The composition of Shikaku's team seemed reasonable, and there weren't better options.
Minato's reason for this was to get Itachi involved.
Looking at Itachi, Minato said, "Since you said Deidara would be recruited by the Akatsuki, we must find a way to help the Third Tsuchikage keep him in Iwa."
Itachi had concealed from Minato the details of his clan's extermination and his undercover Akatsuki membership, so he couldn't have known about their previous encounters.
"From what I understand, Deidara's constant terrorist acts are designed to convince others that his so-called art is a bit paranoid."
"So, I think if he's inspired by a genius ninja from Konoha, he won't be so easily rebellious,"
Minato said.
The only way to control the behavior of a prodigy like Deidara wasn't through preaching, but through pressure.
The Konoha prodigy he was referring to was, of course, Itachi.
"I'll do my best," Itachi said.
He had understood Minato's intentions, but even he couldn't control Deidara's thoughts.
But from what he knew about Deidara, this method would indeed work for the paranoid individual.
Early the next morning,
Itachi said goodbye to his family and, along with Izumi, rushed to the main gate of Konoha, where he reunited with Shikaku, Aoki Yuu, and Kuroishi Lei.
The five of them set out on the journey to the Forest Country.
In the Earth Country, near a small border town, stood a dense cluster of rock formations.
Boom, boom, boom!
Outside the previously quiet and peaceful town, a series of explosions erupted from the direction of the rock formations.
Flames shot skyward, followed by the relentless, cascading sound of large swathes of rock shattering and collapsing.
Many residents of the town's upper floors witnessed this scene, their eyes filled with horror.
Meanwhile, a blond boy, standing in front of the collapsed rock formations, nodded with considerable satisfaction.
"Well, worthy of my art!"
The boy exclaimed with a frenzied look in his eyes.
At this moment, a black-haired girl wearing an Iwa ninja forehead protector flew over from a distance and landed beside the boy.
Looking at the completely destroyed rock formations before her, the girl put her hands on her hips and sighed helplessly.
"Alas..."
"Brother Deidara, you're doing this again. Grandpa will definitely punish you when he finds out."
"Punish me if he want. I'm used to it. The old man only uses those boring, old-fashioned punishments anyway."
Deidara's azure eyes reflected the fiery explosion from the collapsed rocks, and he looked clearly immersed in it.
"Whatever you say," the cute black-haired girl shrugged.
She looked younger than Deidara but was wearing a tan vest that belied her petite figure, representing the rank of chūnin from Iwagakure.
"I heard the Land of Stone has sent a commission to the Hokage of Konoha, and it seems he's ready to accept it," the girl said.
"I've never fought a Konoha ninja before, but I heard their Hokage is quite formidable, and they're not to be trifled with."
"So what if he's a Konoha ninja?"
Deidara turned and said nonchalantly, "Even if he's the Hokage, if he appears before me, I'll show him my magnificent art!"
"Tsk," the girl rolled her eyes at him.
"Senior Haitsu is still waiting for us, let's go."
With that, she turned and headed towards the border of the Land of Earth.
Deidara glanced back at the devastation he had created before following the girl.
The destination of this mission, the Land of Forest, was separated from the Land of Fire by several small nations not marked on maps, with the exception of the Land of Hot Water.
After leaving the village, Shikaku's team, along with the client, Kuroishi Lei, and their five companions, advanced rapidly, reaching the Konohagakure border in just a day and a half.
Naturally, the ninjas of Iwagakure would not assassinate their targets within the Land of Fire.
Therefore, the mission officially began only after they crossed the Land of Fire border.
Beyond the border, they entered the Land of Hot Water.
The Land of Hot Water boasted its own ninja villages, but during the three previous Shinobi World Wars, the Land of Hot Water remained neutral and was unaffected by the fighting.
The Land of Hot Water was renowned for its hot springs, but Shikaku and his companions had no time to indulge in them this time.
They continued their journey without stopping.
Another day passed.
This strenuous journey was no big deal for ninjas, but for an ordinary person like Kuroishi Lei, it was too much.
The five of them paused outside the town of Izumi, on the border of the Land of Hot Water, to rest.
Kuroishi Lei, the client, could no longer afford the inn for the five of them.
As night fell, an exhausted Kuroishi Lei fell into a deep sleep.
Around the campfire, Shikaku and several members of the team discussed their next move.
"Once we leave this town, we could be under attack at any moment."
Shikaku said solemnly, a sheepskin map spread out on the ground before him, illuminated by the dim yellow light.
Given the ninja's speed, Konohagakure's usual dealings with the Iwagakure ninja, the speed of information transmission from their intelligence network, and the distance between Iwagakure and this village, it would have been impossible for the Iwagakure ninja to reach the village in two and a half days.
However, some of the Iwagakure ninja, masters of advanced earth-style ninjutsu, possess the rare ability to fly, a feat rarely seen in the ninja world.
Furthermore, Itachi had provided Minato with information that Deidara could use detonating clay to create various pseudo-lifeforms, such as giant flying birds capable of carrying people.
While the Yugakure was weak, the Iwagakure ninja would naturally not bring the war here if they didn't want to cause trouble.
However, the Iwagakure ninja wouldn't take the next few small nations seriously.
"Next, I'm going to have to rely on you," Shikaku said, looking at Aoki Yui.
In a situation like this where enemy attacks were imminent, they would rely on their sensory ninjas.
"That's my duty," Aoki Yui smiled gently.
Izumi and Itachi exchanged a glance, and Izumi chuckled, "Itachi and I can also use our Sharingan to observe the enemy, so you can get some rest, Sister Yui."
"Well, thank you," Aoki Yui said.
She was easy to get along with, and over the past two and a half days, she and Izumi had become close friends.
Itachi's interactions with her were less frequent.
"In any case, it's best to avoid a direct confrontation,"
Shikaku said, glancing at Kuroishi Lei, who lay soundly asleep against a tree.
The opponent they faced this time was certainly not to be underestimated, and fighting to protect their client would significantly impact their combat effectiveness.
Although he had experienced the Third Shinobi World War, Shikaku had never fought against the ninjas of Iwagakure.
At that time, he had been on the front lines against the Kirigakure.
"Tonight, everyone will take turns keeping watch."
Shikaku arranged the watch, and then, except for the watchmen, everyone else went to sleep.
Izumi was assigned to the last shift.
When she woke up on her own and handed over the previous shift, Itachi was completely awake.
"Go back to sleep. We have to travel early tomorrow morning."
Izumi looked at the boy with concern.
Itachi shook his head.
He had rested for a few hours, which was enough for a ninja with chakra.
The two sat by the now-diminishing campfire.
Itachi looked at Izumi and said, "If a fight breaks out, be extremely cautious. This time, the enemy is different from the ones we've faced before."
Putting aside the other Iwagakure ninjas sent to assassinate Kuroishi Lei, even the nine-year-old Deidara was not to be underestimated.
A face-to-face battle would have been fine, but Deidara's ninjutsu characteristics would have made an assassination attempt extremely difficult.
"Don't worry, I'm also very strong," Izumi smiled.
Itachi was the one who knew her strength best, and she knew even more that since the Hokage had entrusted them with the mission, it meant this team had the ability to complete it.
As for the key figures in the mission, she believed that besides Shikaku-sensei, Itachi was also crucial.
As she grew older, she gradually realized that some of the things that had happened to Itachi in the past were inappropriate for his age, but Izumi never questioned the reason.
The boy before her was still the same person she knew, and that was enough.
After a peaceful night, everyone awoke and, having made sufficient preparations, crossed the border of the Land of Hot Water and entered another realm.
Several hours later, they arrived at a small valley.
The cliffs on either side of the valley were only a few meters apart, making it quite narrow.
So, to be on the safe side, Shikaku led Kuroishi Lei, and they, using their chakra to their feet, ran up one of the cliffs.
As soon as they reached the top, Aoki Yui's open chakra senses registered a wave of perception.
"Sensor ninja, the enemy is just outside the valley!"
Aoki Yui immediately shouted to everyone.
"Attention!"
Shikaku nodded, his eyes slightly lowered.
The four ninjas immediately formed an "*" formation, protecting their client, Kuroishi Lei, in the center.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a shadow soared into the sky from the outside of the valley, charging directly towards Itachi and his companions on the cliff side.
It was a small white bird made of clay.
Itachi was the first to spot it, and he quickly grabbed Kuroishi Lei's arm and retreated, warning his companions.
"Get out of the way!"
Meanwhile, outside the valley, Deidara formed a seal with one hand, his eyes slightly fanatical as he shouted,
"Art is explosion, hmm!"
Bang!
The white bird that flew towards Shikaku and the other four exploded, a wave of heat and flames sweeping across the area.
....
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