Chakra flowed from his fingertip.
Poof!
A tiny, dust-scale explosion bloomed on the ground before Deidara. A gentle breeze scattered the newly powdered earth, revealing the name etched into the shallow crater:
[Takumi]!!!!
For a moment, the world was utterly silent. You could have heard a leaf drop.
Everyone stared, dumbstruck, at the name, their minds reeling.
"Takumi-senpai..." In Deidara's eyes, Takumi's figure now seemed immense, towering like a master hermit walking among mortals, radiating an aura of greatness.
"Takumi-senpai!" Deidara yelled after the retreating figure, his voice filled with fervent respect, "I will surpass you! Just you wait and see!"
Deidara bowed deeply, a gesture of pure reverence from one aspiring explosion artist to the acknowledged master. It was an artist's salute.
Watching Deidara's transformation from arrogant braggart to this humble, respectful disciple made Kurotsuchi's fingers curl tightly, 'What kind of power does that boy have... to make a bastard like Deidara act like this...?'
She glanced down at the stone heart in her hand, her face flushing a deep crimson once more.
And in that dazed state, strange memories seemed to seep into her mind. Memories of being injured by Deidara, saved by Takumi... of falling in love, helping him train, sharing a bed... of eventually marrying him and living a long, romantic life together...
"Me!" She gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth, her fair skin glowing pink, her eyes shimmering with a confused but undeniable happiness, 'Wh-what's happening? I just looked at him and I'm already imagining our whole life together?!'
…
"Takumi, just who are you?" Kurenai asked, her voice hushed with awe as they walked through the forest back towards the Land of Fire.
The terrifying killing intent that broke a prisoner, and now instantly defeating an Akatsuki's member... Takumi was no ordinary Genin.
She was starting to suspect he was some hidden scion of Sandaime Hokage or a major clan. Nothing else made sense!
"Me? Well, actually..." Takumi paused, turning a perfectly serious face to her, "I think... I'm a descendant of the Sage of the Six Paths."
"You... what?" The name hit Kurenai like a physical blow. She froze mid-step, a cold shiver running down her spine.
'The Sage of the Six Paths? Takumi was claiming descent from the mythical progenitor of the entire Shinobi World?'
"Are you... serious? You're not joking? The Sage of the Six Paths is... he's a legend!"
Kurenai was genuinely spooked. Under normal circumstances, a claim like this would have earned him a knuckle-sandwich.
The Sage of the Six Paths? Stop joking around.
But now, after witnessing his impossible power, his origins were a complete enigma. Any outlandish explanation felt more plausible than him being a normal boy.
In fact, a normal excuse would have seemed suspicious. This lie was perfectly timed.
Seeing she was completely hooked, Takumi reeled her in further, "No, the Sage was real. I have... fragments of memories. From a long time ago. For example, I remember his family name... I think it was... Otsutsuki..."
Kurenai's jaw nearly hit the forest floor. Her ruby eyes widened to their limit, 'He knew the surname? He had to be telling the truth! He really was the Sage's descendant!'
"C-can you remember anything else? About the Sage? About your family?" She pressed, desperate for more.
Takumi held back. Revealing everything, like Hagoromo, Kaguya, the reincarnations of Indra and Asura, would be too much. It would strain credibility.
The key was to be vague, to offer tantalizing, half-remembered scraps. That ambiguity was the most convincing.
"Not much else... But one thing sticks out. I remember his eyes... They were called the Rinnegan. They had these... spiral patterns. Circles within circles..."
This piece of information was carefully chosen. It was verifiable.
While younger Jonin like Kurenai or Kakashi might not know, certain people in Konoha definitely did.
The Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya had recognized Nagato's eyes instantly during the Second Shinobi World War. He'd known they were the eyes of the Sage, likely from research shared by Orochimaru, who had even deduced the Sharingan's connection to the Rinnegan.
All Kurenai had to do was ask Jiraiya, and his confirmation would seal the deal.
"This... I..." Kurenai stood motionless, her mind a whirlwind.
She thought she was babysitting a precocious kid. Instead, she was escorting a living legend, the heir to the Shinobi World's founder. The sheer scale of it was staggering.
"Kurenai-sensei." Takumi's voice gently pulled her from her stupor. He placed a hand on her arm, "Can you keep this a secret for me?"
"Ah... Why?"
"Because... if everyone knew who I was, I don't think I could just be their friend anymore."
The performance was flawless. Kurenai was utterly conquered.
'Look at his humility! He was the descendant of the Sage of the Six Paths, yet he valued his simple friendships so much he was willing to hide his cosmic heritage! He was a thousand times the man of that entitled brat who wrote 'My Hokage Father'!'
Her expression softened into one of pure, unadulterated affection.
"Of course," She whispered, her eyes shining, "This will be our secret. Just between us."
…
Land of Rain, Amegakure.
Akatsuki's Hideout.
"Deidara is back already?" Konan descended on silent paper wings, landing near Hidan. If Pain hadn't sensed his return, she'd have thought he was still out. After all, he hadn't reported in.
"Yeah, that jerk got back a while ago," Hidan grumbled, looking annoyed, "He came in with a face like a slapped ass and locked himself in his room. I dunno what's got his panties in a twist. Seriously, I've got a good mind to stab him."
"Got to him?" Konan's pale face showed a flicker of confusion. Deidara was the most boisterous, unflappable member of their group.
He lived for explosions. She'd never seen him look... defeated.
'Did something happen on his mission?' She wondered, her delicate brows knitting together. She flew to his door and knocked.
Knock. Knock.
She entered without waiting for a reply.
Deidara was slumped in a chair, his Akatsuki's cloak discarded, his clay pouches lying unused on the table. He looked utterly dejected and lost. The sight was so foreign it stunned her.
'What's going on? His mission was simple reconnaissance. Did he run into someone from his past? An old teacher from Iwagakure trying to appeal to his conscience? At his age, that could be destabilizing.'
"Deidara, what's wrong?" she asked, her voice calm, "Did you meet someone from your past?"
"Yeah... I did..." Konan's frown deepened, 'Was he having second thoughts? Was he going to leave?'
"But that's not it..." Deidara muttered, his gaze distant, "It's... Takumi-senpai. How can he be that strong? It's not fair. It's... it's an outrage. His techniques are true art. Mine are garbage in comparison. I can't even..."
He trailed off, mumbling a stream of incoherent praise and self-deprecation. Konan listened, completely baffled.
'Takumi-senpai? A master from Iwagakure?'
"Deidara. Who is this 'Takumi'?" She pressed. Monitoring the members' mental states was her duty.
"A senior... from Konoha..." Deidara's voice was hollow.
"Konoha?" Konan's dark orange eyes narrowed in confusion. She knew of no Shinobi of that name in Konoha.
'A rising newcomer?'
"What's his background? Is he Kakashi's contemporary? One of the Sannin...?"
"No," Deidara shook his head, a pained look on his face, "Takumi-senpai... he's maybe thirteen, fourteen years old. Younger than me..."
The explanation only confused her more, 'A child? A senior? What was he talking about?'
"He's a teenager, and you call him 'senpai'?"
"It's not about age!" Deidara snapped, his frustration boiling over, "Takumi-senpai's skill... it's perfection! I've never seen anything like it! It was a miracle! You wouldn't believe it if you didn't see it!"
He launched into a rambling description… remote detonations, neutralizing his bombs with other bombs, sculpting stone with explosions... It all sounded like pure fantasy to Konan.
'But his tone, his raw, shaken awe... he wasn't exaggerating. This 'Takumi' was the real deal. Deidara, their explosive fanatic, had been completely and utterly dominated.'
"Then... this Takumi. Should we send a team to eliminate him?" Konan ventured cautiously.
The reaction was instantaneous and violent.
"YOU IDIOT!" Deidara screamed, leaping to his feet, "HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT TAKUMI-SENPAI LIKE THAT! HE'S THE GREATEST EXPLOSION GENIUS IN THE WORLD! A ONCE-IN-A-CENTURY ARTIST! A TRUE MASTER! I COULD TRAIN FOR TEN MORE YEARS AND NOT REACH HIS ANKLES!"
Seeing him on the verge of a complete meltdown, Konan quickly backtracked, "Alright, alright! I understand! I won't interfere with this Takumi person..."
"MASTER! CALL HIM MASTER TAKUMI!"
"Fine... Master Takumi... I won't interfere..."
---
FOR EVERY 50 POWER STONES, I'LL UPLOAD ONE CHAPTER