Land of Crafts - Black Market Trading Area
Deidara sat listlessly on the roof of a ninja tool shop, pinching a lump of clay between his fingers, kneading it into various shapes and then casually popping it.
"Hmm... so boring, hmm." He sighed, his long golden hair shimmering in the sunlight. "Brother Scorpion, when are we going to be able to do something big?"
"Shut up, you idiot." Scorpion's deep voice came from Hiruko. "If you dare to cause trouble here, I'll tear you to pieces."
Deidara pursed his lips, but still put the clay away.
He knew Sasori wasn't joking— the Land of Crafts was the largest ninja tool manufacturing center in the Shinobi World, where almost all rare materials could be found. If his "art" caused this place to be sealed off, Sasori would have to travel all over the Shinobi World to replenish Puppet materials, and that would be something Sasori would hold a grudge against for life.
"The materials have been replenished; you can leave now," Scorpion said coldly.
"Finally! Yes!" Deidara leaped to his feet, rubbing his hands excitedly. "My artistic talent is almost dried up! Hmm! Where to next? The leader hasn't given us any new missions yet?"
Scorpion paused for a moment, then slowly said, "I have some good material."
"Oh?" Deidara's eyes lit up. "Who? Hmm?"
Sasori didn't answer directly, but simply manipulated Hiruko to turn and leave. Deidara shrugged and followed, but inwardly he was already looking forward to it—any "material" that could interest Sasori couldn't be simple.
--Intelligence indicates that Orochimaru's right-hand man, Kimimaro, is currently acting alone.
The core of the scorpion's Puppet was slightly warm.
He recently received a secret intelligence from Kabuto— Kimimaro's strength, after being modified by Orochimaru, far surpasses that of ordinary ninjas, especially his Kekkei Genkai, "Shikotsumyaku," which is a nightmare for close-combat ninjas.
"If I could turn him into Puppet..." A glint of fanaticism flashed in Scorpion's eyes.
A Puppet with an immortal body, coupled with near-perfect combat instincts, would definitely become one of his most prized collectibles.
Deidara grinned as he watched Sasori's retreating figure. "Looks like this target is quite interesting, hmm."
Inside the Ninja Tool Workshop in the Land of Crafts
In the dim candlelight, several craftsmen sat around the hearth, their expressions solemn.
"Those two monsters... are finally gone." An elderly craftsman breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Luckily they didn't cause trouble here." Another young ninja muttered in agreement, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the Kunai at his waist. "That blond kid's clay... just looking at it gives me the creeps."
"Hmph, Akatsuki lunatics." The third ninja craftsman snorted coldly, slamming his forging hammer heavily onto the anvil. "If it weren't for the leader behind them, we should have already joined forces with other ninja villages to wipe them out!"
"Shh—keep your voice down!" the older craftsman quickly stopped him, glancing warily around. "Have you forgotten how the Anbu who were monitoring them disappeared last time? They didn't even find their bodies!"
A brief silence fell over the room, broken only by the crackling of the fireplace.
After a long silence, a bespectacled ninja pushed up his glasses and calmly said:
"The intelligence has already been relayed to the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Let them fight like dogs." A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips. "Our Takumi Village won't get involved in this kind of conflict, as long as they don't run wild on our turf."
"But..." the young ninja hesitated, "What if the five Five Great Shinobi Villages ask us to provide ninja tools?"
"Then let's do it the old way." The elder craftsman narrowed his eyes. "Sell to both sides, but don't offend either. Remember, the way small countries survive is..."
"Never take sides."
The crowd nodded silently. In the firelight, their shadows stretched long on the wall, like lurking beasts.
Meanwhile, the mountain road outside the village
A night breeze rustled through the treetops, and a leaf swirled and landed on Deidara's shoulder. He casually picked up the leaf, and with a slight squeeze of his fingertips, the leaf instantly transformed into a miniature explosion.
"Hmm~ Explosions are definitely the best!" He squinted his eyes contentedly.
Sasori's Hiruko moved forward slowly, a hoarse voice emanating from the Puppet:
"Stop with those pointless tricks, let's get going."
"Okay, okay~" Deidara lazily followed, then suddenly seemed to remember something, turned his head to look in the direction of Takumi Village, and grinned:
"But those guys really thought we weren't watching them, huh~"
The scorpion did not respond, but the Puppet's tail twitched slightly, as if in silent mockery.
On the other side
Kimimaro was searching for Shinnō's whereabouts, unaware that Scorpion had already set his sights on him.
After a period of arduous searching, Kimimaro finally discovered clues left by Shinnō in a small village.
"Soon..." he murmured, his voice as icy as ice. "Once we find that man, we'll be able to complete Lord Orochimaru's mission."
Recalling the earth-shattering battle that was shown in the Heavenly Screen a few days ago—the scene of Gate of Death Might Guy versus Six Paths Madara Kimimaro couldn't help but be moved.
The astonishing power unleashed by the Eight Gates aroused Lord Orochimaru's keen interest. The man who sought immortality and power, upon witnessing the pinnacle of Taijutsu, immediately thought of Shinnō, with whom he had crossed paths many years ago.
"That old man's Body Revival Technique..." Kimimaro recalled the fervor in Lord Orochimaru's eyes when he mentioned it. "Combined with the research on the Eight Gates, perhaps we can create a completely new power system."
The night breeze ruffled his long, silvery-white hair Kimimaro gripped the bone blade tightly in his hand.
He knew that this hunt would soon come to an end. No matter how deep Shinnō hid, he would find him and bring him back to Lord Orochimaru's laboratory.
"For Lord Orochimaru's ideals..." Kimimaro's figure gradually disappeared into the night, leaving only a cold sentence drifting in the wind.