"We'll leave tomorrow instead."
After thinking for a moment, Tsunade nodded.
"That works too."
The Iwagakure side had already arranged accommodations for them.
It was an independent courtyard with both a front and rear section, more than spacious enough for everyone to stay comfortably.
Kiyohara was assigned a room toward the back.
He had only just put down his luggage when the courtyard gate was pushed open.
Looking up, he saw a small figure standing there.
Messy blond hair.
A dirty gray short robe.
Deidara.
The boy stood at the doorway with both hands behind his back, tilting his head upward to look at Kiyohara.
"I want you to look at my art one more time."
Planting one hand on his waist, Deidara pointed at Kiyohara and spoke confidently.
"Art?"
Kiyohara looked at the little brat who did not even reach his waist.
"Do you know what those bombs almost caused just now?"
"Wasn't it just an explosion?"
Deidara curled his lips dismissively.
"It's not like they were really going to blow anyone up. I had everything under control."
"Under control?"
Kiyohara raised an eyebrow.
"Then why were all the bombs crawling toward the Tsuchikage Building?"
Deidara immediately choked on his words.
A trace of guilt flashed across his face.
However, he quickly puffed out his chest again and replied righteously,
"That's because... because the view is better there!"
Kiyohara could not help laughing.
This little brat really was stubborn.
A born troublemaker.
Kiyohara remembered that Deidara had been driven out of the village by the villagers at the age of nine, forcing Onoki to teach him outside the village.
Then, after defecting from Iwagakure in his teens, Deidara had prepared to destroy a temple and admire the resulting explosion. During that time, he happened to encounter members of the Akatsuki and ended up boarding their criminal ship from that point onward.
"Let's begin."
The pattern of the Sharingan appeared within Kiyohara's eyes.
Deidara froze for a moment.
Looking at those crimson eyes, he became rather curious.
In Iwagakure, he had never seen such strange eyes before.
After staring for a while, Deidara remembered the important matter at hand.
Art could not be neglected.
So he quickly said,
"Alright! I'll show you!"
Squatting down, he rapidly kneaded clay with both hands.
The white lump of clay continuously changed shape within his palms before eventually forming a white spider that was larger than the one he had made earlier.
Deidara placed the spider on the ground and stepped back several paces.
Then he formed hand seals.
"Drink!"
The spider began crawling.
It headed outside the room.
When it reached the base of a tree, Deidara flicked a finger.
Boom!
An explosion erupted.
Broken stones flew everywhere.
The tree was blown apart.
Dust filled the sky.
Standing not far from the blast site, Deidara lifted his head and admired the rising smoke.
"Well? Pretty amazing, right?"
He turned around to look at Kiyohara.
Only to discover that the tomoe in Kiyohara's eyes were spinning.
Just as Deidara was about to say something, a sudden sensation of dizziness overtook him.
The world spun around him.
Then he discovered something heavy in his hands.
Looking down, he found that he was still holding his clay spider.
He had never thrown the spider out at all.
"This is... genjutsu."
Deidara instantly realized what had happened.
Without knowing when, he had fallen under Kiyohara's illusion.
And he was probably still trapped inside it now.
That was his conclusion.
Of course, he did not actually have much experience with genjutsu.
He was mostly guessing.
"Not bad."
Kiyohara spoke calmly.
"Your bombs are pretty interesting."
"Of course they are. That's my C1 Clay Spider."
Deidara's face was full of pride.
"It really is a creative technique."
As he spoke, Earth Release chakra began gathering in Kiyohara's hand.
Soon afterward, a lump of clay appeared in his palm.
This was clay created directly by Kiyohara through chakra.
Meanwhile, Deidara noticed that Kiyohara was looking down at something in his hand.
That thing...
Deidara blinked.
It was a clay spider.
An exact replica of the one he had just made.
"You... how...?"
Before he could finish speaking, he saw Kiyohara place the spider onto the ground.
The spider started crawling.
Kiyohara flicked a finger.
Boom!
Another explosion rang out.
It was exactly the same as Deidara's explosion moments ago.
The only difference was that Deidara's earlier explosion had occurred within a genjutsu.
And Kiyohara's explosion was also taking place within a genjutsu.
At this point, Deidara had already been completely dragged into a world constructed by Kiyohara's illusion.
His mouth hung open.
He stared at the shattered rock.
Then back at Kiyohara.
For a long time, he could not say a word.
This was supposed to be his unique forbidden technique.
How had Kiyohara learned it?
"You... how can you do it too?"
Deidara finally asked.
"Is it difficult?"
Kiyohara casually brushed the clay fragments from his hands.
"I merely used genjutsu to simulate Earth Release."
Kiyohara shook his head.
A lie.
He had genuinely learned the technique.
At its core, this ninjutsu was still fundamentally an Earth Release technique.
When Kiyohara first saw Deidara using Explosive Clay, he had actually been somewhat surprised.
According to the anime, Deidara had secretly learned Iwagakure's forbidden technique of "mixing chakra into matter," which allowed him to create explosions.
The mouths on his hands were simply modifications he had made to accelerate that process.
In truth, the technique itself was not a particularly serious issue.
With Deidara's status as the Tsuchikage's disciple, the matter had been quietly suppressed.
It was similar to how Naruto had stolen the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique from the Scroll of Seals.
Afterward, nothing really happened to him.
After all, how could defeating a mere Chunin like Mizuki possibly compensate for the value of the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique?
No matter which shinobi village one lived in, power, background, influence, and connections always mattered.
The same was true for Deidara.
The real reason he eventually defected was because he used Explosive Clay to kill villagers.
"Earth Release?"
Deidara frowned.
"It's not Earth Release at all. It's Explosion Release. It's my art!"
"Explosion Release?"
Kiyohara walked over and crouched down before him.
If one insisted on calling it Explosion Release, that was not entirely wrong.
After all, it was extremely similar to Explosion Release, and even the chakra involved was remarkably alike.
"Do you know what Earth Release actually is?"
"What do you mean? Earth Release ninjutsu is just Earth Release ninjutsu."
Deidara answered matter-of-factly.
"The foundation of Earth Release is injecting chakra into soil or stone and altering its form or properties."
Kiyohara extended his hand.
A lump of white clay appeared in his palm.
Naturally, it was clay simulated through genjutsu.
Unlike ordinary ninjutsu, this kind of technique required a physical medium.
In other words, if one wanted an explosion, a carrier was necessary.
For Deidara, that carrier was usually clay.
But clay itself was not the important part.
The true key was the forbidden technique.
The lump of clay slowly transformed in Kiyohara's hand.
Eventually, it became a spider far more refined than anything Deidara had ever created.
"Your clay bombs work on the same principle."
Kiyohara paused briefly.
"You inject chakra into clay and alter its properties, making it unstable."
He looked at Deidara.
"The underlying principle is exactly the same as Earth Release."
Deidara's eyes widened.
This guy knew a frightening amount.
He had actually seen through the technique's core principles.
Could it be that this kind of skill was common outside the village?
Unable to understand, Deidara could only assume that people elsewhere knew it as well.
After all, the forbidden technique had been passed down since the Warring States Era.
Then his gaze returned to the exquisitely crafted spider.
Indeed, from the outside, it looked very similar to his own art.
Yet it was also different.
His clay spiders were always crooked and uneven.
This one looked so realistic that it seemed alive.
Then the clay spider suddenly exploded with a bang.
A cloud of green smoke burst outward.
"How... how did you make it look so good?"
Deidara could not help asking.
Subconsciously, he ignored Kiyohara's technique itself.
Since he had already concluded that this was a genjutsu world, he assumed Kiyohara had simply used illusions to make the spider prettier.
"Chakra control."
Kiyohara replied.
"Your chakra control is too crude. Naturally, what you create ends up crude as well."
Deidara scrunched up his face.
He was unconvinced.
Yet he could not find any words to refute him.
Because it was true.
Kiyohara's spider was far more beautiful than his own.
"Then... what was that green explosion just now?"
Deidara asked again.
"Poison."
Kiyohara answered.
"Poison?"
"Of course. You only need to mix poison into the clay."
Deidara's eyes instantly widened.
Genius!
Why had he never thought of adding poison to explosions?
The problem, however, was how to prevent the poison from being destroyed by the heat.
How could it spread along with the blast instead?
If that issue could be solved, the power of Explosive Clay would reach an entirely new level.
As Deidara looked at Kiyohara, he suddenly felt that this person understood the concept of "instantaneous explosion" even better than he did.
And an explosion like that...
It resembled fireworks.
It possessed even greater aesthetic beauty.
So art could be approached this way too?
Then what exactly had he been doing all these years?
"In truth, there are many more possibilities."
Kiyohara said temptingly.
Naturally, he had his own plans for saying these things.
"Then... then what else can be done?"
Deidara asked eagerly.
"Can you show me all the ninjutsu you know first?"
Kiyohara looked at him.
This little brat clearly knew very little about the Sharingan right now.
"Sure."
Deidara nodded immediately.
"Oh right, you also have to promise me one thing."
Kiyohara continued.
"What is it?"
"If you want to pursue art in the future, come find me."
Kiyohara extended an olive branch.
If Iwagakure did not want this talented individual, then he would gladly take him for himself.
…
Kiyohara's Gold Dust Technique still had room for improvement.
The simplest optimization was to find an actual gold mine and directly collect ore from it.
In fact, this was exactly how Rasa operated.
Although Rasa did not possess as much chakra as Kiyohara, he had an entire team working under him. Through the stable excavation of gold mines, he was able to turn the technique into a major pillar supporting Suna's finances.
Kiyohara intended to recruit Deidara as a member of his future "Demolition Division."
If that happened, the speed of ore extraction would increase dramatically. Deidara could even use clay to create clay clones and have them assist with transportation.
Deidara froze for a moment before nodding.
"Alright! I agree!"
Then Deidara began displaying all the Explosive Clay techniques he knew.
One by one, Kiyohara alternated between using the Byakugan and the Sharingan to copy them.
Naturally, from Deidara's perspective, nothing about Kiyohara seemed to change. The chakra of the genjutsu was affecting his perception of reality.
The current Kiyohara possessed extremely powerful ocular strength and could incorporate far more details into his illusions.
He even felt that his eye power was approaching that of a Mangekyo Sharingan.
One had to remember that he still possessed only a Three Tomoe Sharingan. If he awakened the Mangekyo, his abilities would likely increase explosively once again.
Therefore, learning the forbidden techniques Deidara was currently using was remarkably easy for him.
Kiyohara would not claim he could instantly master every secret technique in existence, but when it came to techniques involving chakra infusion, he learned them exceptionally quickly.
Within Kiyohara's field of vision, he could clearly observe how chakra was injected into the clay. He used the Sharingan to examine the details of the chakra itself and the Byakugan to study the structure of the clay.
Without Deidara noticing, Kiyohara quietly switched back to the real world. Only during the moments of explosion would he enter the illusionary world again.
As a result, Deidara spent the entire time repeatedly injecting chakra, forming seals, detonating his creations, and then repeating the process.
Once Deidara had finished demonstrating everything, he immediately demanded that it be Kiyohara's turn.
Kiyohara smiled.
He had obtained everything.
A tremendous harvest.
At this moment, Kiyohara only wanted to say one thing.
The Tsuchikage's foolish son really was generous.
Then Kiyohara raised his right hand.
Chakra gathered in his palm once more.
This time, even more clay poured out.
The white clay slowly accumulated before him, shifting and deforming until it eventually condensed into something entirely new.
A puppet.
The puppet stood roughly the height of an arm, with complete limbs and flexible joints.
Deidara's eyes widened.
"This... this is..."
"A clay puppet."
Kiyohara controlled the puppet and made it walk a few steps before them.
"The spiders and birds you've made before are all relatively simple animal forms."
"But if you shape the clay into a puppet, you can achieve far more complicated control."
After a brief pause, he moved a finger.
The puppet suddenly sprang to life.
It took several steps around the courtyard.
Then it raised an arm and threw a punch.
Deidara became completely absorbed by the sight.
"It can be done like this too..."
he muttered.
"Of course."
Kiyohara dispersed the puppet and withdrew his chakra.
"Furthermore, a puppet can contain far more chakra."
"If you make it self-destruct, the resulting explosion will be much more powerful than an ordinary clay bomb."
Deidara's eyes shone even brighter.
"It can self-destruct too?"
"It can."
Kiyohara nodded.
"However, controlling it becomes more difficult. It requires much more precise chakra manipulation, since the structure is divided into numerous separate components."
The excitement in Deidara's gaze gradually intensified.
Every idea Kiyohara offered felt astonishing to him.
These were concepts he had never even considered before.
This guy was definitely a genius.
Someone who truly understood art.
No.
It was more than that.
Nobody understood art better than him.
For the first time in his life, Deidara felt as though he had found a kindred spirit.
No one in Iwagakure had ever given him such a feeling.
"You... what's your name?"
Deidara finally asked.
"Kiyohara."
Kiyohara introduced himself.
"And you?"
"Deidara."
Deidara tilted his head up to look at him.
"Kiyohara... can you teach me?"
Kiyohara looked down at him.
"Of course."
He snapped his fingers.
The surroundings instantly returned to reality.
For an ordinary Uchiha, the ocular power consumed by such a genjutsu would have been substantial.
For Kiyohara, however, it was practically insignificant.
The illusionary worlds created by Madara were even more realistic.
After all, Madara had once restored his youth and freedom of movement within an illusionary world. In a short period of time, he had managed to pass most of his abilities on to Obito there.
Deidara looked around.
The real world felt almost identical to the illusionary world.
His shock only deepened.
Kiyohara's genjutsu was truly incredible.
"This is some of my personal research."
Kiyohara took out part of the puppet and poison techniques he had previously acquired from Sasori.
Naturally, he had renamed the "Red Secret Technique" into the "Yuan Secret Technique."
Deidara carefully accepted the scroll Kiyohara handed him.
"But for now, you should head back."
Kiyohara smiled.
"If you're any later, your teacher will come looking for you."
Deidara froze briefly before remembering Onoki's gloomy expression.
His neck instinctively shrank back.
However, he quickly straightened up again.
"So what? At worst I'll just get scolded."
Kiyohara could not help laughing.
This kid was really stubborn.
"Go on."
He turned and walked toward the courtyard gate.
Deidara followed behind him.
After taking several steps, he suddenly stopped.
"Kiyohara."
"Hm?"
"You really understand art."
Kiyohara turned around.
"Nobody understands art better than you."
Kiyohara simply smiled.
"Head back."
He waved a hand and disappeared beyond the courtyard gate.
Deidara also turned around and hurried away, eager to begin his research immediately.
The entire way back, he jogged through the streets.
His mind was filled with the images he had just witnessed.
Green explosions.
Exquisitely crafted clay birds.
Walking clay puppets.
The images spun endlessly in his head, making him itch with excitement.
As he walked, he continuously flipped through the scroll.
"Deidara!"
A voice suddenly called out from ahead.
Deidara looked up and saw a figure only slightly taller than himself standing at the entrance of an alley.
It was a chubby boy wearing a gray short robe similar to Deidara's.
A simple and honest smile rested on his face.
Akatsuchi.
"Where have you been?"
Akatsuchi ran over.
"Onoki-sama has been looking for you everywhere."
"What for?"
Deidara curled his lips.
"I only blew up a few bombs. It's not like I actually hurt anyone."
"It's not about that."
Akatsuchi shook his head.
"Master said you offended some guests from Konoha today. He told me to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't cause any more trouble."
Deidara blinked.
"Guests from Konoha?"
"The people who arrived today."
Akatsuchi answered as though it were obvious.
"Onoki-sama said they're here for negotiations. It's important."
Deidara froze.
Guests from Konoha...
Kiyohara was one of those guests?
He suddenly remembered the forehead protector Kiyohara had been wearing.
The symbol of Konoha.
So he had come here for negotiations.
That explained why Konoha shinobi had been walking openly through the village.
"Deidara?"
Seeing him lost in thought, Akatsuchi waved a hand in front of his face.
Onoki had already explained all of this beforehand.
The only one who never paid attention was Deidara.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing."
Deidara snapped back to reality and continued walking.
After a few more steps, he suddenly stopped.
"Akatsuchi."
"Hm?"
"Did you know clay bombs can be turned into puppets?"
Akatsuchi blinked.
"Puppets? What kind of puppets?"
"Clay people that can move. They can walk, fight, and even self-destruct."
Deidara gestured enthusiastically.
Akatsuchi scratched his head.
"People made out of clay... that can move?"
Deidara nodded.
"And you can use different poisons to make the explosions different colors. Like green."
This was an idea that had just occurred to him.
After all, poison was not limited to green.
As he skimmed through the scroll, he discovered methods for creating puppets as well as various techniques for concocting poisons.
"Deidara... did you have a strange dream or something?"
Akatsuchi felt that his friend was acting unusually.
"It wasn't a dream!"
Deidara immediately protested.
"Kiyohara did it! I saw it with my own eyes!"
"Kiyohara?"
Akatsuchi frowned.
"Who's that?"
"One of the Konoha guests who came today."
Deidara answered matter-of-factly.
"He understands art better than anyone."
Akatsuchi stared at him.
His expression gradually became strange.
"Deidara... you weren't hit by a genjutsu, were you?"
"Genjutsu?"
Deidara paused.
Genjutsu...
Suddenly, he remembered that moment.
Those crimson eyes.
Those three tomoe.
"I already experienced that."
Deidara waved dismissively.
Kiyohara's genjutsu really was impressive.
It had even managed to perfectly imitate his Explosion Release.
Although Kiyohara insisted that Explosion Release was fundamentally just Earth Release, Deidara still preferred calling it Explosion Release.
"Are you sure you're alright?"
Akatsuchi felt increasingly convinced that Deidara had become a little foolish.
Deidara raised his head and looked at Akatsuchi's honest face.
"I'm fine."
Then he continued walking forward.
"Akatsuchi, tell me this."
"Hm?"
"If one day I manage to create a clay puppet that can walk, fight, and self-destruct... what do you think would happen?"
Akatsuchi thought seriously for a moment.
"That would probably be really amazing, right?"
"Exactly!"
Deidara exclaimed immediately.
At that moment, his eyes were brighter than they had ever been.
For the first time, he felt that the path of art before him had become infinitely broader.
And the person who had opened that door for him was Kiyohara.
In Deidara's mind, Kiyohara's status had already risen to an unprecedented height.
Not only did he understand explosions.
Not only did he understand beauty.
Not only did he understand creativity.
He understood art itself.
And perhaps, from this day onward, Deidara's understanding of art would begin moving toward a completely different future.
(End of Chapter)