"Huh? Figures?"
Unsurprisingly, the unfamiliar term left Deidara thoroughly bewildered. Otaku culture hadn't exactly flourished in the shinobi world, and most people's understanding of sculpted likenesses stopped at plastic mannequins and anatomical models. Even Deidara and Sasori—S-rank missing-nin operating at the bleeding edge of artistic expression—were hearing the word for the first time.
"That's right. Let me give you an example."
From the tool pouch at her back, Hinata produced the latest issue of Fox Tales, smiling as she pointed to the figure on the cover. This edition featured Lady Higan reclining with a languid smile amid a field of black spider lilies. Hinata kept her explanation brief: "Could the two of you take a character like this and sculpt her into a figure? Using some kind of moldable material, say?"
"Hmm~~ Sasori-danna, did we miss an issue? I haven't seen this one before~"
To Hinata's surprise, Deidara didn't answer her question at all. Instead, he bent down to study the copy of Fox Tales in her hands at eye level, then shot an irritated look back at Sasori. "It's that piecemeal job's fault—looks like we really did miss a new issue. Hmm!"
"Tch. Shut it."
Sasori gave Deidara a cold glance, then turned to Hinata. His tone was blunt and direct: "Hand that book over."
The discourteous demand made Sai instinctively reach for the sword hilt at his back, but Hinata raised a hand to stop him. After all, even if she and Sai combined their strength and multiplied it by ten, it still wouldn't be enough to take on either of these two.
"Could it be that you're both fans of this series?"
Hinata handed the copy of Fox Tales to Sasori without fuss, unbothered by what amounted to a Big G–style book-snatching. People with real power naturally enjoyed certain privileges.
"Ohhh~~ Wait, you guys like it too? I knew it~! Hey hey, which character's your favorite?"
Hinata's compliant attitude visibly pleased the artistic duo. The animated Deidara spoke up again: "Oh right—where'd you get this new issue? Sasori-danna and I made a special trip to the capital of the Land of Fire and still didn't make it in time for the release~"
"Oh, that's nothing~ If you're both interested, we could find somewhere to talk in private."
Hinata's eyes curved with amusement. Whatever their manners, Deidara and Sasori had both shown a clear willingness to converse—and that was all that mattered. As he examined the copy of Fox Tales in his hands, Sasori's response was characteristically terse: "Stop wasting time. Say what you came to say."
"Very well~ As I was explaining: could the two of you use some easily shaped material to create a model of a character from this book? Like this one, for instance—Lady Higan?"
She held her hands roughly ten centimeters apart to indicate the size. Her voice was all coaxing warmth: "About this big would be perfect. Can you do it?"
This time, Sasori didn't even look up from the book. He simply said: "Deidara."
"Ahh~~ Piece of cake."
The confident blond missing-nin plunged both hands into the clay pouches at his waist. After a series of chewing sounds, he pulled them out and kneaded them together. When the artist-nin spread his hands open again, a strikingly lifelike clay sculpture sat in his palm—an exact replica of Lady Higan from the cover. The only thing missing was color; every other detail, down to the hairpin and the cord sash at her waist, was crisply rendered.
"This... is genuinely incredible."
Hinata's admiration was sincere. The figurine's level of detail surpassed anything she'd seen in her previous life, including pieces that retailed for over ten thousand yen. Then again, what else would you expect from an S-rank missing-nin whose entire combat style revolved around sculpting clay? He'd shaped it in under ten seconds.
"Well, of course~~ My art is beyond anyone's reach! Hmm!"
S-rank missing-nin or not, Deidara was still a young man desperate for artistic validation. Seeing the Byakugan girl appreciate his craft put him in an excellent mood, and he offered the figure to Hinata: "Here~ This one's a gift. Oh, and—just make sure you never channel chakra into it. It'll explode~ Hmm~"
Hinata accepted the clay figure without a shred of concern, but she let out a small sigh. "It's a shame, though. There's only Lady Higan. What I really want is figures of every character in this book~ And beautiful as this one is, without paint, it doesn't really count as a proper figure."
The atmosphere shifted at once. Sasori, who had been reading with his head down, slowly looked up with cold eyes. Deidara dropped his easy grin, his jaw tightening. Both of them had caught the implication behind her words.
"You both clearly pursue art with everything you have. So let me be direct. My goal is to establish a new form of art called 'figure merchandise'—to render every beautiful thing into a tangible form that can be seen and held, and spread it to as many people as possible so they can recognize and appreciate this 'art'!"
Every word landed. Both Sasori and Deidara narrowed their eyes.
As obsessive artists, their dedication to their respective crafts was absolute—art was the single most important thing in their lives. And art, by its very nature, demanded an audience. Deidara and Sasori might not have cared what people thought of them personally, but they would never tolerate anyone dismissing their art.
In the original story, the outcome of Deidara's battle against Sasuke was driven precisely by Sasuke's contempt for Deidara's art. That mockery had enraged Deidara so completely that he'd detonated himself just to make Sasuke regret insulting his art.
Sasori was the same. He'd deliberately spared Kankurō during their fight, and later, when resurrected by Impure World Reincarnation, he'd willingly released himself from the jutsu—all because Kankurō, a fellow puppet master, shared his love of the puppet arts.
In other words, if their art could reach a wider audience and earn greater recognition, they would pay any price to make it happen.
And if that art could be combined with another creative work they already loved? That feeling was no different from a creator who loved anime producing fan works for a franchise they adored.
"Hey. Kid." Sasori fixed Hinata with a menacing stare. His voice was still cold and sharp, but there was an unmistakable thread of anticipation in it. "You're from Konoha, right? Then tell me honestly—do you know who the people who produced Fox Tales actually are?"
"Of course. The author and I are quite close."
Sasori's shift in demeanor startled Hinata—but the elation surging through her was far stronger. She hadn't expected both members of the artistic duo to be Fox Tales fans. This was a godsend.
"Seriously?? Hey, hey—what does she look like? Tall? Short? What does she like?"
Deidara was practically vibrating with excitement. Sasori shot him a vicious glare. "Shut up! What are you even asking?!"
Seeing their reactions, Hinata felt absurdly lucky. It was as if everything were falling into place. She'd originally planned to partner with Kakuzu, but fate had brought her face to face with two even better candidates.
"I won't mince words. My reason for traveling out here was to expand the Fox Tales product line by launching a figure series to develop that market. Yes—to take the characters, scenes, and story of this work and turn them into tangible figurines, then distribute and sell them to every corner of the world so that everyone can appreciate the beauty of this art!!"
She punctuated the declaration with a clenched fist, her voice rising with fervor: "That is the art of figures! Capturing fleeting beauty, eternal beauty, beauty in all its infinite forms—and presenting it in a way people can see and touch!! So—will you join me in spreading this art across the entire shinobi world?!"
She extended her hand toward them both, her tone utterly sincere: "Let us build a kingdom that belongs to us—and to everyone who appreciates art~!"
"..."
"..."
Deidara and Sasori stared at her in silence, and the odd stillness made Hinata's heart sink. She'd gone out of her way to frame everything through the lens of "for the sake of art," but it seemed even that wasn't enough to sway two S-rank missing-nin so easily.
Then Deidara reached forward without a word and snatched back the figure he'd given her. He crushed it back into a shapeless lump of clay. Hinata's spirits dropped further. Had she overplayed her hand?
Beside him, Sasori lowered his head and produced a toolbox from somewhere, pulling out a collection of implements and blocks of wood. He began carving with steady, practiced strokes—deliberate as a live demonstration. After just a few movements, the rough outline of a face was already emerging from the grain.
At the same time, Deidara emptied a fresh pile of clay from his pouch and began meticulously mixing in various additives—some Hinata recognized, some she didn't—including pigments of different colors. He was clearly preparing material for a proper piece.
?!
Sai glanced at Hinata in confusion. She was equally baffled, but after a moment's thought, she waved him off—stay quiet, don't make any sudden moves. Artists were half-mad at the best of times, and these two happened to be S-rank shinobi. Interrupt them at the wrong moment, and the manner of death would be decidedly "artistic."
Twenty minutes passed in a blink. Sasori and Deidara stopped almost simultaneously, then pushed their respective creations forward.
Both had sculpted the same character: Lady Higan from the cover. And the two approaches were strikingly different.
Sasori's figure leaned toward the puppet tradition. The expression was uncannily lifelike; even the hair and the flowing dress were fashioned from impossibly thin sheets of wood, producing an effect of exquisite delicacy. True to puppet-master form, the neck, waist, arms, and leg joints were all fully articulated.
Deidara's figure was the pinnacle of visual fidelity. The clay, blended from pigments of different colors, gave the impression of a real person shrunk down to miniature scale. Even the eye color was clearly distinguishable, and the texture difference between skin and fabric was rendered with breathtaking subtlety. The downside was equally obvious: every joint was fixed solid. No movement possible.
"My art is what you're looking for." ×2
Looking at Hinata, Sasori and Deidara said it in perfect unison. Their gazes locked instantly, both sets of eyes crackling with open hostility.
"Deidara. You dare compete with me?"
Sasori's eyelids dipped, his tone dripping with undisguised menace.
"Sasori-danna, I respect your seniority—normally. But this time, anyone can see my art comes out on top."
Deidara crossed his arms without a trace of backing down.
For Hinata, the feeling was something like: Ah~ Happiness really does come this fast, this intensely~~
A moment ago she'd been worried she'd blown it. Now it was clear the opposite was true—the pitch had worked too well. The artistic duo had answered with action, without a second's hesitation.
Seeing Sasori and Deidara on the verge of coming to blows, she smiled and intervened with practiced insincerity: "There's no need to argue. After all, our art still needs the author's approval. How about this~ I'll take both pieces back and let the author decide. Whichever she endorses will determine whose art is chosen. Fair?"
"Hmm~ I agree."
"Right! Only the author's judgment has any real weight! Hmm!"
Sasori and Deidara, thoroughly hooked, accepted her suggestion without hesitation. Deidara even whipped up a clay bird on the spot and handed it to her: "Here here~ We'll be operating in the Land of Fire for a while. When you need to reach us, just channel chakra into this bird to activate it."
Pocketing the clay bird with satisfaction, Hinata's eyes narrowed with quiet triumph.
"Wonderful~ Then I'll take my leave for now. I believe our art will resonate across this entire world."