Inside the Tsuchikage's office in Iwagakure, Onoki was currently locked in a fierce dispute with someone.
Yes, a dispute.
Although Onoki was the Third Tsuchikage and commanded immense prestige within Iwagakure, just as Hiruzen had his lifelong adversary in Danzo, Onoki had his own stubborn old foil who constantly rubbed him the wrong way.
This man wasn't a high-ranking official in Iwagakure's administration, and he possessed virtually no political authority. However, his background, status, age, and long history with Onoki allowed him to stand right here, slamming the desk and glaring daggers at the Tsuchikage without giving an inch.
"I'm not going to waste any more breath on you! Just give me a straight answer, yes or no?!" Roshi roared, striking the desk with his palm.
Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, was one of Iwagakure's most seasoned veterans. He had borne the burden of the Jinchuriki for nearly forty years, a span during which he had forged a deep bond of mutual trust with the Four-Tails, Son Goku. Like Killer B, he was a perfect Jinchuriki and stood as one of the hidden village's apex military assets.
Chronologically, he was a fair bit younger than Onoki, but his seniority in Iwagakure was undisputed. More importantly, his private relationship with Onoki was exceptionally close.
But that affinity was strictly personal. When it came to philosophy and policy, the two were fundamentally incompatible. Roshi possessed a notoriously stubborn disposition; once his mind was set on something, he became completely unyielding. Coincidentally, Onoki was another relic crafted from the exact same rigid mold—equally unyielding, equally obstinate.
When their opinions aligned, everything was smooth sailing. But the moment a divergence arose, neither would ever back down. With one being the Third Tsuchikage and the other being the village's perfect Jinchuriki, when these two locked horns, anyone else in the room found it utterly impossible to mediate.
"And I don't want to waste my breath on a fool like you either! I've already told you, absolutely not!" Onoki shot back without a shred of courtesy.
"You miserable old fossil! I've had entirely enough of you. Let whoever wants to deal with your nonsense take over, because I am finished! Goodbye!" Seeing that Onoki was completely deaf to reason, Roshi let out a humorless laugh. He slapped the desk one final time, refused to bicker further, and abruptly turned on his heel to leave.
Onoki's eyes narrowed into a glare. "Where do you think you're going?"
"None of your business!" Roshi barked without turning around. He yanked the door open and vanished down the corridor.
Once Roshi's footsteps faded, a man who had been sitting quietly in the corner finally spoke up. "Are you not going to pursue him?"
This man was clad from head to toe in a specialized suit of crimson armor, his face obscured save for his eyes, and a traditional straw hat perched atop his head. He was Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki. Unlike Roshi, his mastery over his Tailed Beast was not yet fully matured, meaning he was not a perfect Jinchuriki. Nonetheless, his individual combat prowess was devastating. Revered across the nations as the "Steam Ninja," he had performed spectacular feats during the Third Shinobi World War.
Yet, when all was said and done, the most blindingly radiant figure of the Third Shinobi World War had been the Yellow Flash. Minato's solitary prestige had effectively suppressed entire battlefields, casting a shadow over the Cloud Village's A-B Brother duo as well as Han himself.
A flicker of hesitation crossed Onoki's eyes, but he ultimately shook his head. "There's no point in dragging that bastard back. Do you honestly believe he would alter his perspective?"
"Of course not. He is as stubborn as a boulder, just like you," Han remarked dryly.
Onoki shot him an irritated look but chose not to argue, fully aware of his own rigid nature.
"Still, is it not perilous for him to abandon the village in such a manner?" Han asked, a trace of concern in his voice.
"The man may be an insufferable rogue, but his strength is undeniable. Given his flawless mastery over the Tailed Beast's power, he should be perfectly fine," Onoki replied, shaking his head.
And indeed, it was from this exact juncture onward that Roshi severed his ties with Iwagakure to wander the world as an itinerant monk. For an extensive period, he never stepped foot back in the village, merely sending sporadic correspondence to inform them that he remained alive and well.
This arrangement alone spoke volumes about his personal rapport with Onoki. Under normal circumstances, would any hidden village permit a Jinchuriki to roam freely across international borders? Absolutely not. Especially not after a volatile screaming match with the village's Kage.
Typically, leaving a village under such conditions would immediately result in being branded a Rogue Ninja. Roshi, who was literally walking away with a weapon of mass destruction sealed inside him, should have naturally received that exact classification. Yet, despite his prolonged absence, Iwagakure never officially struck his name from their registers, nor did Onoki ever commission the Anbu to hunt him down.
"Forget it, let us move past that. Regarding the catastrophe that befell Kumogakure, we cannot afford to lower our guard. Moving forward..." Onoki turned his attention back to Han, preparing to delve into strategy.
Before he could finish his thought, the office door was violently thrown open. The diminutive figure of Kurotsuchi burst into the room, her expression frantic. "Grandpa! Deidara-nii has gone missing!"
Onoki's jaw dropped.
Although Deidara had been effectively exiled to the outskirts, Onoki still harbored immense affection for the boy. Had he not cared for him, he would never have taken a delinquent who constantly detonated portions of the village as his personal disciple. Deidara's reckless behavior had, to a certain degree, severely tarnished Onoki's public reputation.
In Onoki's eyes, Deidara was simply too young. He believed that once the boy matured a bit more, he would outgrow his impulsive, destructive habits. Stationing Deidara in that desolate wasteland was intended to be a form of character-building discipline.
Yet now, the boy had vanished into thin air?
"What exactly happened?! Was he abducted? That brat is usually loud enough to wake the dead, how could he be taken without making a single sound?" Onoki demanded, his anxiety flaring.
Kurotsuchi rushed to Onoki's desk, placing a sealed envelope upon it as she shook her head. "I don't think he was kidnapped. He left a letter."
Onoki ripped the envelope open, his eyes sweeping across the contents. In an instant, his face flushed a violent, apoplectic red. He slammed his fist onto the desk, nearly suffering a stroke on the spot. "That utter piece of trash!!! Does he have any remote concept of what he is doing?!"
The force of his strike sent the parchment airborne. Han reached out, catching the letter smoothly between two fingers. As his gaze drifted down the page, a chuckle escaped his lips.
"Old man, Iwagakure has no ship formidable enough to bear me. It's a completely tedious drag here, so I won't stick around to be an eyesore to you all anymore. I've discovered the future I truly wish to pursue, and I am heading off to join the Yorozuya. Out of respect for the years you spent raising me, I figured I'd leave you a proper notice before I depart. Hahaha! Rest easy, I won't accept any missions targeted at Iwagakure."
Han possessed a fair understanding of Deidara's personality. One glance at the sloppy handwriting was enough to confirm that the brat had penned this himself. No one else could replicate that exact brand of audacious swagger.
"Grandpa, what do we do now? Should we dispatch a squad to track him down?" Kurotsuchi asked urgently.
Onoki fell silent for a long moment before letting out a harsh breath. "We have to look for him, of course. I will instruct the Anbu to conduct a sweep and drag that absolute bastard back here. By the Heavens, I'll break his miserable legs!"
Yet, despite his furious rhetoric, Onoki secretly harbored a great deal of respect for Deidara's sheer initiative and competence. Once that kid resolved to accomplish something, he became an exact mirror image of Onoki—unbelievably thick-headed and unstoppable. Furthermore, beneath that facade of a crazed, ecstatic demolitionist, Onoki knew that Deidara possessed an extraordinarily analytical and calculating mind.
If the boy had truly decided to defect, he would have undoubtedly formulated a meticulous, airtight escape plan. The Anbu might not even be capable of picking up his trail. It was deeply infuriating.
"Does this count as a formal defection? Do you intend to put him on the Bingo Book?" Han asked with a wry smile, clearly enjoying the old Tsuchikage's misery.
Onoki glared at him before shaking his head. "There is no need. That brat was thoroughly detested by the villagers anyway. His departure won't raise any complaints from the civilian council."
That was a cold fact. Within Iwagakure, aside from Onoki's constant protection, Deidara was universally loathed by humans and animals alike.
In truth, Kurotsuchi did not visit Deidara every single day. Following their last conversation, Deidara had packed his belongings and slipped away from the Land of Earth the very next morning. Kurotsuchi had only just discovered his absence. By this point, Deidara had already been traveling for five full days, successfully reaching the borders of the Land of Rain.
For a mere child to traverse such a vast distance entirely unassisted and without encountering a single mishap proved that his strategic intellect was exceptionally sharp. Deidara might have appeared volatile on the surface, but in execution, he was profoundly deliberate.
When one thought about it carefully, anyone who specialized in high-yield explosives had to be inherently meticulous; if they truly lacked absolute emotional control, they would have accidentally blown themselves to pieces long ago.
Of course, that calculating composure remained intact only as long as no one insulted his artistic integrity. The boy possessed an intensely obsessive fixation regarding his craft. It was precisely because Sasuke would later repeatedly display utter disdain for his art that Deidara's psyche would completely fracture, driving him to detonate his own life force as a human bomb just to drag Sasuke down with him.
"What a thoroughly miserable climate," Deidara muttered, standing atop a jagged crag of rock. He smacked his lips in profound distaste as he stared up at the leaden skies, watching the endless torrent of rain cascade down.
The climate of Iwagakure was notoriously arid. While it wasn't a boundless desert wasteland like the Land of Wind, rainfall remained a rare luxury throughout the year. As an artist whose medium relied entirely on fire and explosions, Deidara naturally found himself harboring a deep-seated aversion to the Land of Rain's perpetual downpours.
A short distance below his vantage point lay a well-traveled mountain pass. Although the rain fell in unrelenting sheets, driving travelers to seek shelter in any other nation, such a luxury was impossible here. To wait out the rain in the Land of Rain meant never moving at all. Consequently, the mountain road was bustling with activity, filled with merchant caravans and passing travelers. It looked remarkably prosperous.
This particular route served as one of the primary commercial arteries within the Land of Rain, ensuring a constant flow of humanity.
Leaping down from the boulder, Deidara casually sidled up to a middle-aged merchant and asked, "Hey, uncle, do you know which way leads to Amegakure?"
"Amegakure?" The merchant blinked in surprise before nodding. "Of course. Just follow this main road straight ahead, and it will take you directly to the hidden village."
"Just keeping straight is enough?" Deidara pressed.
"Yes, just stick to the path. This road cuts entirely through the Land of Rain, connecting the Land of Earth all the way to the Land of Fire. It's a vital trade route, and Amegakure acts as the central hub. Years ago, the hidden village barred entry to all foreigners, but it has completely opened up recently. The commerce inside is incredibly vibrant," the merchant explained with a warm smile.
"Is that so? Thanks a lot!" Deidara nodded. Without wasting another second, he turned and began pacing down the muddy road.
How exactly does one go about applying to join the mercenary group like the Yorozuya? Should I introduce myself using my signature style first? Give them a proper demonstration of my art and talent? Deidara mused, his mind filled with a chaotic flurry of explosive ideas as he marched forward into the rain.