"Deidara-senpai! You idiot, you blew yourself up!"
"Hahahaha!!"
"Wait—am I laughing?"
By the time Tobi realized, it was already too late.
"Hah!!"
BOOM!
...
Konoha, Chūnin Exam Hall.
"Sasuke was inside that clay minefield explosion too… Wuwuwu… He won't die, right?!"
Sakura couldn't accept the scene.
"Baka! What are you crying for! Since I calculated everything and managed to shoot Deidara down, of course I already planned a way to escape."
Seeing Sakura crying so hard her snot bubbles were coming out, Sasuke actually explained himself.
"Sasuke~ you must win! I still have to surpass you!"
"Naruto, if you want to surpass me, you can wait for the next life."
"SASUKE!!!"
Naruto was furious—he believed he could surpass him.
Orochimaru, however, looked extremely displeased.
Judging from Sasuke's performance in the footage, he had indeed grown a lot.
But that's all.
And—Sasuke had even used his Curse Mark.
Which meant Sasuke should've been under his control…
What exactly had happened in the future?
Could… could his future vessel have malfunctioned?
...
The footage continued.
[Whoosh whoosh!]
[Using the Curse Mark's power, Sasuke escaped the explosion and landed on a distant tree.]
["TOBI!!"]
["Didn't I say you're always so damn noisy? Mm!"]
[From the smoke, a small clay dragon flew out—with a blood-soaked Deidara standing on it, arms mangled.]
["S–Still… alive?!"]
[Tobi sounded genuinely disappointed.]
...
Konoha, Chūnin Exam Hall.
"Sasuke, you're amazing!"
"But that thing on your back is… really scary!"
"Do you really have to learn ninjutsu like that? Can you not learn it?"
Seeing Sasuke unharmed, Sakura was at first ecstatic—but gradually worried.
Sasuke remained cold and silent.
Not learn it?
Why not?
If not for the Curse Mark, the Sasuke in the footage would've died several times already.
For the first time—he began to consider whether he should seek out Orochimaru.
...
Rain Country, Akatsuki Base.
"Tobi! What else do you have to say for yourself?! Mm!"
Deidara was about to explode—this time emotionally.
"Leader! You saw it, right?! Tobi is OBVIOUSLY a spy! Mm!"
"When Sasuke was in danger, he was worried! Shocked! Mm!"
"When Sasuke escaped, he looked like it was expected! Mm!"
"When there was danger, he cried loudly—but once I was safe, he looked disappointed! Anyone could see that! Mm!"
"Leader, don't be stupid! If this isn't a spy, what is it?! Mm!"
Nagato looked helplessly at Tobi.
Tobi… oh Tobi…
He didn't expect you to behave normally—
But couldn't you at least hide it a little?!
"Deidara-senpai! Trust me! I'm NOT a spy!"
Hidan suddenly spoke up: "Leader, I have an idea. A way to test whether Tobi is a spy."
Deidara: "Hidan! Quick—what way?! Mm!"
Hidan: "Sasuke is still a kid. If Tobi could join us Akatsuki, his strength shouldn't be so low that he can't kill one little brat. Tobi—if you want to prove you're not trash, go to Konoha and kill Sasuke."
Uchiha Itachi's gaze instantly turned cold.
Hidan…
He had chosen the wrong path.
Behind the mask, even Tobi's eye twitched.
Kill Sasuke?
Right now??
Keep dreaming.
At this moment—he would sooner kill Hidan than Sasuke.
...
The footage continued.
["Stubborn little brat!"]
[Sasuke was shocked that Deidara survived.]
["You damn kid!"]
["Those eyes… THOSE EYES! Damn it!!"]
[Deidara gritted his teeth in hatred.]
["Don't joke with me! I absolutely will NOT lose!"]
["My art is perfect! My art is invincible!"]
["I'm stronger! I WON'T LOSE!!"]
["That look—that look in your eyes!!"]
[Deidara bit his lip until it bled, staring at Sasuke's three-tomoe Sharingan.]
["Ah!! Deidara-senpai is eating clay with his mouth! That means—!"]
[Tobi screamed in excitement.]
[Deidara growled: "This is my ultimate technique—I'll kill you with it!"]
["TOBI! RUN!!"]
[Tobi fled in absolute panic.]
["Crap—It's C4 Karura!!"]
[Deidara began spitting out massive amounts of clay.]
[Tobi, running while screaming at himself: "Hurry! Faster! FASTER!!"]
...
Rain Country, Akatsuki Base.
"Senpai! What is C4 Karura? It sounds super powerful!"
Deidara: "Why are you still here? Hurry and go kill Sasuke to prove you're not a spy! Mm!"
"Deidara-senpai, I—"
As Tobi desperately tried to explain, Deidara actually softened a little.
Maybe…
Tobi really wasn't a spy.
Otherwise, why would future him even share a technique like C4 Karura with him?
After all—
C4 was a special trump card designed specifically to kill Uchiha Itachi.
...
Pure Land.
[Uchiha Madara: What's wrong with those eyes? What's wrong with our clan's eyes?!]
[Uchiha Madara: Brat named Sasuke—if you lose to this clown, I'll beat you myself once I'm revived!]
[Uchiha Izuna: Nii-san! Calm down! Nii-san!!]
[Uchiha Madara: Anyone who dares hate the Uchiha eyes—this Deidara guy is courting death!]
[Senju Hashirama: Madara! Don't be mad. Your eyes are beautiful—just dangerous to look into… easy to get lost in~]
[Uchiha Madara: Hashirama! You understand me best!]
[Uzumaki Mito: ENOUGH, you two!!!]
The footage continued.
[A gigantic Deidara appeared!]
["Damn it! This was my trump card meant for killing Itachi!"]
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