Deidara's bombing spree was truly exhilarating.
There was little threat from the ground, and very few attacks could pose a direct danger to him.
That was until the Sunagakure shinobi rolled out their giant siege crossbows.
Although Deidara's way of tossing bombs made him look like an idiot, his mind was surprisingly sharp.
The moment he saw the crossbows, he knew his mission was over. It was time to leave this nursery where he had been testing his art.
Touching the small amount of clay left in his ninja pouch, Deidara decided to give them one last masterpiece before his departure.
"Feel honored. You're about to witness my proudest art, hmm."
His hands devoured the remaining clay in the pouch, swallowing it all down until not a single scrap remained. Only then did Deidara smile and pull out a strangely shaped doll.
C3·Number Eighteen.
He dropped the doll from the sky, then steered his clay dragon to turn toward the direction outside the village.
Seeing Deidara flee, some Sunagakure shinobi prepared to give chase, but their more rational comrades stopped them.
Following the direction their fingers pointed, they suddenly realized that the doll, which was only the size of a baby moments ago, had already grown into a colossal giant as it neared the ground.
Every single Sunagakure shinobi's expression turned into one of horror.
If the small bombs from earlier had been that devastating, then what about this massive one? After this explosion, could Sunagakure even still exist?
Pakura, as the Kazekage, activated her Scorch Release at the very last moment to shield herself before the bomb touched the ground.
"Haah!"
Once Deidara had reached a safe distance, he decisively detonated the bomb.
Boom!
The explosion in the heart of Sunagakure produced a shockwave that quickly swept through the entire village.
Looking back at the mushroom cloud rising behind him, Deidara's whole body was filled with an indescribable ecstasy. The corners of his lips could no longer be suppressed, twisting into a wild grin.
"As expected, only the perfect, ultimate moment is true art, hmm!"
...
Pakura never imagined that her grudge would be "exploded" away by an Iwagakure shinobi.
That blast, which swept across the entire village, claimed the lives of most of the upper echelon, leaving only scattered survivors such as Chiyo and Ebizō.
The casualties among both Sunagakure shinobi and civilians were catastrophic. Taking advantage of this chaos, the demolition units secretly deployed to the front lines launched their offensive.
They tore open several breaches in the Wind Country's defensive line.
For a time, the entire Land of Wind was gripped in fear.
Realizing that if she did not reach an agreement with Konoha soon, she would be cornered by Ōnoki, Chiyo no longer cared about her earlier stance of delaying talks. She hastily invited Konoha's envoys inside and expressed willingness to enter a new round of negotiations.
"This Chiyo really won't shed tears until she sees her coffin."
Looking at the quickly drafted treaty, Takeshi revealed a mocking smile.
The treaty stipulated that, from the day of signing, all of Sunagakure's missions had to be re-approved by Konoha and reassigned at Konoha's discretion.
Konoha shinobi would enjoy military passage rights through Sunagakure. All of Sunagakure's ninja tool orders had to be manufactured by suppliers designated by Konoha.
Before declaring war, Sunagakure had to inform Konoha in advance. Any troop mobilization required Konoha's approval.
During joint operations, command authority would be handed over to a Konoha-designated shinobi.
No wonder Chiyo had previously been unwilling to sign a new treaty. Even taken individually, the terms were unacceptable.
Yet, despite all of Takeshi's secret efforts, nothing compared to Iwagakure's demolition unit making a single move.
"The new treaty has been signed. According to its terms, an attack on Sunagakure is equivalent to an attack on us."
Takeshi shook the treaty bearing Pakura's signature in his hand, then shifted his gaze toward Minato.
"Minato, I'll trouble you to notify Jiraiya and have him lead a team to support Sunagakure. Be extremely careful of a man named Deidara. He's the one who caused the explosion in Sunagakure."
"I understand."
Minato's expression turned solemn as he nodded firmly.
"Then I'll leave the Sunagakure matter to you."
At this time, Takeshi and Shikaku were focused on using the assassination attempt against them as leverage to pressure the daimyo. They had no intention of spending energy on Sunagakure themselves.
...
Inside a secluded wooden cabin in Konoha.
The two village advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, sat formally kneeling on tatami mats, chatting as usual about stories from their younger days.
"Even now, I still can't believe that Danzō's son became the Fifth Hokage."
Gently blowing away tea leaves floating at the rim, Homura took a sip of tea, sighing at the current state of affairs.
"The old one was ambitious, and the young one is no less so. For the Third to compare him to Minato… he really is getting old."
Koharu's tone carried obvious resentment toward Takeshi.
In her eyes, his actions perfectly embodied betrayal and defiance. What was worse, during his tenure as acting Hokage, Takeshi had discarded them—the advisors—without even bothering to offer a token show of respect.
His willful, unyielding manner was no different from Danzō's.
Koharu's hand, lifting her cup, froze in midair.
Thinking about it that way… his expression and tone really did resemble Danzō in his younger years.
"What's the matter?"
Her movement caught Homura's attention, and he curiously asked his old friend.
"Nothing. It just makes me feel that he truly is Danzō's son."
Koharu shook her head and raised the cup to her lips.
"Heh, now that you mention it, it reminds me of Danzō in his youth. Back then, he always acted like the world revolved around him, competing with Hiruzen day in and day out."
Homura, caught up in the memory, directly spoke the Third Hokage's name.
"Who can deny it?"
Koharu didn't bother correcting his slip. In such private conversation, who would ever know?
Just as that thought crossed her mind, unrestrained footsteps approached, growing louder until they stopped at the door of their small house.
"Come in."
Both of them immediately ended their discussion, straightening their backs and signaling the person outside to enter.
As the door slid open, the figures of Takeshi and Shikaku appeared before them.
"The Fifth? You've brought Shikaku with you. What business do you have here?"
Koharu hadn't expected Takeshi to visit in person. He had always seemed to dislike dealing with them.
"This is a matter of great importance. I dared not neglect a visit."
Takeshi performed the formalities well, even using respectful language.
For him to say "a matter of great importance" made both Koharu and Homura instinctively sit straighter.
"In truth, I was the target of an assassination attempt from the daimyo's estate."
Back in the Third's time, the two of them had long been in charge of negotiations with the daimyo's office, handling mainly logistical affairs for years.
Leaving this thorny matter in their hands, while letting Danzō play the villain, was the plan Takeshi and Shikaku agreed upon.
With Danzō cast as the great devil, the daimyo's office would surely give Konoha a satisfactory reply.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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