The latest news from a messenger hawk had just arrived: at the border, the Uchiha and Iwagakure had joined forces to drive away spies from various other powers.
Based on the final traces of the confrontation, it appeared to have been a clash between Onoki and Kawasaki. Uchiha Kawasaki had departed from the clan in secret to engage Iwagakure's Onoki in a duel at the border. The conclusion drawn was that Onoki had likely emerged victorious, yet Iwagakure and the Uchiha ultimately avoided a direct, large-scale conflict.
No one knew what price the Uchiha had paid to make Iwagakure's forces withdraw.
The Third Hokage took a drag from his pipe. It seemed the Uchiha were no pushovers; they understood how to avoid a direct war with Iwagakure. Although the outcome wasn't perfect, the Third Hokage was already quite satisfied. The exposure of the Uchiha's hidden members had greatly mitigated a potential threat. Orochimaru's strategy had indeed been a good one.
Next, he would have to wait and see how the impending collision between Kumogakure and Kirigakure would unfold.
...
An Iwagakure stronghold was situated near the Land of That. It was a sprawling base with numerous patrols and a considerable garrison. Iwagakure's Earth Release was known for its grand scale and wide area of effect, so the training grounds here were exceptionally spacious.
Today, all Iwagakure personnel had been cleared from the area.
Only Onoki and Deidara remained on the field.
Onoki handed a portion of clay to Deidara—the very same portion the Uchiha had returned. Deidara snatched up his beloved clay treasure.
"Go on, Deidara. Show me the art you are most proud of!" Onoki said, floating in mid-air and beckoning with a finger.
"Hmph! Old man, I'll show you what my art is really about!"
Deidara stuffed the precious clay into the special mouths on his palms and began to chew. He then spat out the processed clay, molding it into a giant bird, and leaped onto its back, soaring straight into the clouds.
After reaching a sufficient altitude, the mouths on his hands spat out more clay. Deidara worked furiously, shaping the new lump into his masterpiece—C3-Eighteen. He gazed down at the base from above and released his creation. It swelled in mid-air, taking on the form of a massive puppet as it plummeted toward the ground.
Deidara's eyes narrowed.
"Art is an explosion! Katsu!"
The chakra within C3-Eighteen suddenly converged, shining with a brilliant light.
Onoki, also flying high in the air, condensed a white cube in his palm. It shot forward, spinning rapidly as it expanded to a colossal size. The glowing cube was particularly conspicuous against the dark night sky, but it radiated a terrifying aura of destruction.
With a wave of his hands, Onoki made the center of the cube split open, allowing C3-Eighteen to fall inside.
"Art is that which consumes all!" Onoki roared.
Boom! The sound of an explosion thundered!
The white cube slammed shut! A deep, muffled sound echoed from within.
In the next instant, the white cube dissipated, revealing nothing but empty air. Deidara stared, dumbfounded, as his clay bomb was completely consumed by Dust Release before it could even detonate.
Even the explosion itself was annihilated?
What astonishing art, what magnificent Dust Release!
Deidara's eyes glazed over with a look of mesmerized fascination. His heart seemed to skip a beat.
Just then, a beam of white light shot out from below. Deidara suddenly lost his footing as a large hole was bored straight through the giant white bird he was riding. The shock jolted him back to his senses. Fortunately, he was high enough.
He remained calm, chewing another lump of clay from his hand-mouths and creating a smaller clay bird.
Another beam of white light flashed past. The new clay bird was instantly disintegrated at a molecular level by Dust Release.
As Deidara continued to fall, he hastily molded a clay owl. Another blast of Dust Release, and the owl was also reduced to nothing.
The beam grazed Deidara's shoulder, tearing through his clothes and leaving a bloody wound. He was both shocked and enraged. He was now close to the ground, with no time to create another clay mount.
Onoki swept past, brushing by Deidara. In that instant, Deidara's weight drastically decreased, his freefall slowing to a gentle descent.
Ultimately, both Deidara and Onoki landed on the ground together.
"Admit it, the art of Dust Release is on a higher level than yours!"
Deidara's expression soured. "Shut up! I only lost to Dust Release, not to you! Hmph!"
Onoki stood with his hands behind his back. "If you don't learn Dust Release, your art will never have a chance of surpassing mine!"
"So annoying! I'll find a way to defeat your Dust Release! Hmph!"
Onoki sighed. "Then it's up to you, but you'd better be quick. If I pass away in another two years, your dream of mastering Dust Release will turn to dust."
With that, he began to fly away. "A pity. An ultimate art like this will have to go to the grave with me."
Deidara's heart trembled. The brilliant spectacle of Dust Release flashed through his mind, the profound impact it had on his soul. "Wait, old man!"
Seeing Onoki stop, Deidara paused for a moment before muttering, "I want to learn Dust Release. Hmph!"
Onoki rejoiced internally. He had been putting on this act for so long, and the kid had finally taken the bait. It was a good thing he had cleared the area beforehand, or his lifelong reputation might have been ruined.
On the outside, Onoki remained stern. "Oh? You're willing to learn my Dust Release now?"
Deidara turned his face away. "Don't get the wrong idea. I just don't want such an ultimate art to disappear, hmph!"
Onoki scoffed. "You're always running all over the place. Where would you find the time to learn such an art?"
"You're so noisy, old man! I will definitely master Dust Release!"
Onoki thought to himself that if Dust Release were so easy to learn, he wouldn't have spent years mastering it. But as long as he could tie Deidara down with the promise of Dust Release, he could spend the coming years training him. Kawasaki was right; art was the best way to get through to Deidara, and it was better to let him try to prove himself.
Judging by Deidara's current attitude, he would not rest until he learned Dust Release. Whether they could attack Kumogakure now was no longer important. Getting Deidara to return to the village willingly was the greatest achievement.
"Then you'd better hurry. Once I'm gone, you'll never have the chance to learn it."
...
In a war zone in the Land of Water, inside a dark cave on Tsuren Island, a figure opened his eyes, his gaze meeting that of Sasori of the Red Sand across from him.
"It seems this is as far as we go."
Sasori nodded lightly. "It's a shame about these two rings."
The first figure waved a dismissive hand. "It doesn't matter. It's not like we'll be needing them anymore."
"Fair enough," Sasori agreed.
Poof... Poof...
With two soft sounds, two plumes of smoke dissipated, and Kawasaki's two shadow clones vanished, leaving behind the "Blue" and "Jade" rings on the ground.
At that moment, far away near the Land of That, the real Kawasaki was reviewing his plans when he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. He recovered shortly after. The two shadow clones in the cave hadn't done anything major. Though the mission had taken a few extra days, the mental strain wasn't too severe.
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for significantly altering Onoki's life trajectory.]
[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique x1]
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for significantly altering Deidara's life trajectory.]
[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: Earth Release C0: Ultimate Art x1]
A look of delight appeared on Kawasaki's face. It seemed Onoki had successfully persuaded Deidara to come home.