Quasi-Kage Deidara

After Kawakita left, Yichen turned his attention to Deidara.

Deidara was still immersed in the battle between Yichen and Kawakita.

Deidara had involuntarily put himself in their shoes, and then he came to the conclusion that the Exploding Clay he had created was nothing compared to them.

The only redeeming feature is that the Exploding Clay can fly. As long as it takes off in advance, Kawakita shouldn't be able to do anything about it.

But if he hadn't taken off earlier, he might not have even had the chance to take off.

He had witnessed Kawakita's rapid advance firsthand; he felt that before he could even take out his Exploding Clay, Kawakita might already be right in front of him.

Yichen interrupted Deidara's thoughts and said, "Deidara, I heard that you not only developed Explosion Release, but also created a remotely controllable Exploding Clay?"

Deidara nodded and said, "Yes, this is it."

As he spoke, he took out some Exploding Clay, chewed it a few times, and then spat out a large amount of white substance, which quickly transformed into a giant white bird.

At this point, Deidara had not yet modified his body as in the original story, and he still had to use his mouth to unleash the Exploding Clay.

"This bird can fly, and it can explode." With that, Deidara jumped onto the bird's back.

The bird flapped its wings a few times and took flight.

Yichen also used the Light-Weight Rock Technique to fly into the air.

Then Deidara sat down on the white bird, and it spat out a much smaller bird.

After the little bird moved a distance away from the two, Deidara One-handed Hand Seals one hand and shouted loudly, and then the little bird exploded.

Boom! A huge ball of fire appeared in the air.

Yichen nodded to Deidara and said, "Not bad, not bad, the power is good. The way it's used is also more varied than normal Ninjutsu; it's a very good Ninjutsu."

"Let's try again."

Deidara was somewhat puzzled, but he still had the large bird beneath him spit out a small flying bird.

After the little bird flew out, Yichen took out a Senbon needle and casually flicked it. The next moment, the Senbon hit the little bird directly.

Yichen asked, "Can it still be detonated?"

Deidara was taken aback, tried it, and then said in surprise, "What's wrong? It's malfunctioning?"

Yichen said, "The Senbon I just shot contained Lightning Release Chakra. I've already used Lightning Release to destroy the Earth Release within the Exploding Clay, so that little bird is useless now."

Deidara was somewhat dejected upon hearing this. He could easily tell that the Chakra he needed to create such a small flying bird was dozens of times more than the Yichen chakra of Yichen's Senbon Lightning Release Chakra.

This exchange ratio is a complete failure.

Seeing that the goal of suppression had been achieved, Yichen added, "However, your Exploding Clay did indeed bring out the immense power of Explosion Release to its fullest extent."

"Your Exploding Clay is now more suitable for dealing with large-scale ninja armies."

"If you want to use Exploding Clay for high-level battles, you'll need to develop a series of tactics."

Deidara nodded, and said weakly, "I understand."

Seeing this, Yichen felt that Deidara's condition was different from what he had expected.

Yichen suddenly became curious about how Deidara perceived his own talent.

So Yichen also landed on the Clay Bird, stood next to Deidara, and asked, "Deidara, what do you think of your talent?"

Deidara didn't understand Yichen's purpose in asking this, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Among my peers, I am the strongest."

"But in the village, there are many people who are stronger than me, or about the same level as me."

"Among those younger than me are Zhongxing, Bai, Riori, Kurotsuchi, and Neji. Kurotsuchi said that Uzumaki Karin, Sakura Haruno, Yakumo Kurama, and Shion also have good talent."

"If you include the Lord Tsuchikage, and also Kawakita- senpai and Matsutani Shinya- senpai, I'm just an ordinary ninja in the village."

Yichen was taken aback, thinking, "Have we gone too far in Deidara Ōnoki the years? Have we damaged his confidence?"

Looking at Deidara's expression, Yichen felt that this couldn't go on and he had to correct it.

After thinking for a moment, Yichen said, "Do you know why I wanted to talk to you alone?"

Deidara shook his head. He was also puzzled. He was Ōnoki's disciple and hadn't had much contact with Yichen.

The two were not in a master-disciple relationship, nor were they particularly close acquaintances. Deidara guessed that Yichen might be showing concern for a junior as the Tsuchikage, but he didn't say it aloud.

Yichen said, "Because in my heart, you are the most talented genius in the village."

Deidara looked at Yichen in surprise.

Because it was the truth, Yichen spoke these words very frankly and from the bottom of his heart.

Yichen said, "Take those geniuses younger than you for example. Think about it, how many of them were originally from the village?"

Deidara was taken aback, thought about it, and realized it seemed to be true.

Zhongxing, Bai, Neji, Riori, Karin, Sakura Haruno, Yakumo Kurama, Shion are all considered outsiders. Only Kurotsuchi is a true-blooded third-generation Kage.

Yichen continued, "Those people were handpicked by me, some of them even risked their lives to be rescued from other ninja villages."

"Why did I choose only Zhongxing, Neji, and Haku from among so many children from the Hyuga Clan Uchiha Clan, Yuki Clan?"

"I didn't choose them randomly. I did my research, and I felt they were exceptionally talented, which is why I brought them back to the village."

"As for me, Kawakita, and Shinya, we've also reached Kage Level, but our talent is far inferior to yours. You can go and inquire about our grades at the Ninja Academy."

"Only Ikura and Kitsuchi Tu have decent talent, but they are still far inferior to you."

Deidara knew this; everyone in Iwagakure knew it. None of Yichen's disciples had any talent.

Yichen said, "You are the most talented person among all the native people in the village."

"Your teachers and I, Third Lord, have actually been suppressing you because your temperament is too unruly, and we were afraid you would go astray."

"Otherwise, with your talent, if we had focused on guiding your training and helping you develop your bloodline limit, you would have already created this Exploding Clay."

Deidara was taken aback. He had always felt that Ōnoki had treated him well and regarded him as his successor.

But after listening to Yichen's analysis, it seems to make sense. At first, Ōnoki didn't teach him anything; instead, he kept talking to him about the almost useless Will of Stone.

Although he taught everything he needed to, it still wasted a lot of his time.

Yichen knew what Deidara was thinking, so he smiled and said, "Are you thinking that the Third Lord didn't teach you Ninjutsu and just talked to you about that useless Will of Stone all day?"

"You're still young. Although you've matured a lot in terms of temperament over the years, it's still far behind your rapid improvement in strength."

"You can't understand what the Will of Stone is yet. When you've experienced life and death, when you truly think about how to encourage the next generation, you'll understand."

"Only the Will of Stone holds true truth, and only the Will of Stone can guide future generations onto the right path."

"We hope you can get on the right path. We don't want you to reach the level of Jonin, Elite Jonin, or even Kage Level before your mind can control your power."

Yichen patted Deidara on the shoulder and said, "I can't ask you not to blame us, but we definitely don't want you to lose confidence because of our suppression."

"You know, I always teach my students with encouragement. You're the only one I've ever chosen to suppress because I'm afraid you'll grow too fast."

Upon hearing Yichen's words, Deidara's eyes lit up, and a feeling called self-confidence immediately filled his chest.

Yichen continued, "Be confident. You are a genius I acknowledge. Even if you doubt yourself, don't doubt my judgment!"

This was the greatest compliment Deidara had ever heard.

In the entire village, no, in the entire Ninja World, who doesn't know the level of the Yichen Sect disciples?

Not only did he guide Kawakita down the path to Kage Level, but with the revelation that Matsutani Shinya become Kage Level, and the fact that Sokai had awakened the Mangekyo becoming known throughout the Ninja World, Yichen's reputation as a master teacher grew even stronger.

Not to mention, legend has it that even the Mizukage was instructed by Yichen.

Deidara suddenly felt as if there was a lump in his throat, and he had to exhale it.

So he urged the Clay Bird beneath his feet to flap its wings a few times, and the Clay Bird immediately carried the two of them rapidly into the higher sky.

Then Deidara shouted into the air currents high in the sky, "I am a genius! I am the number one genius recognized by the Tsuchikage!"

Yichen turned his head and smiled slightly. Only now did Deidara resemble the eccentric Deidara from the original work.

However, Yichen's smile wasn't because of the resemblance, but because Deidara was undergoing a transformation at that moment.

Standing beside Deidara, facing the fierce wind high in the sky, Yichen felt even more relaxed Deidara, muttering to himself: Another one!

Yichen and Ōnoki made a mistake before; they suppressed Deidara too much, or rather, Yichen was too influenced by the original work.

They didn't consider that in this life, Deidara's talent wasn't particularly outstanding in Iwagakure, and they misjudged Deidara's mentality.

Deidara has a bold and unrestrained personality, and the natural state depicted in the original work helped him grow.

However, Yichen intentionally or unintentionally suppressed this aspect of his personality.

Especially after Yichen brought one genius after another to the village, Deidara's pride as the top student almost disappeared.

Fortunately, Yichen discovered the mistake in time and rectified it.

This time, Yichen said so many deceptive things to rebuild Deidara's confidence and restore some of his true nature.

Sure enough, once Deidara shed the mental constraints that had been weighing him down, his true nature was unleashed, and he directly entered the Quasi-Kage level.

The two let the giant white bird fly in the air for a long time before Deidara came to his senses.

Yichen looked at Deidara and said, "Congratulations, you've finally become a Quasi-Kage."

Deidara grinned and said, "Lord Tsuchikage, don't worry, I won't be naughty anymore."

Yichen was taken aback, looking at him curiously, not understanding why he suddenly said that.

Deidara continued, "Now I understand. The Lord Tsuchikage and the old man were both afraid I would go astray, so they've been trying to correct my mindset."

"Now I understand, and I know what I should do from now on?"

Yichen was a little curious and didn't understand what Deidara wanted to say, so he didn't interrupt him and listened quietly.

He was thinking to himself, "If this guy comes up with any strange ideas again, I must correct him."

Yichen, Deidara didn't have such complicated thoughts. He shouted, "From now on, I will train hard. I want to become the Fifth Tsuchikage. I can't lose to Riori, Sokai, Neji, Haku, Sakura Haruno, Yakumo Kurama, Shion!"

Yichen:...

Realizing he had overthought things, Yichen tapped Deidara and said, "Becoming a mere Tsuchikage Light cultivator isn't enough; you need to learn to stand on your own."

"After we return to the village, I'll assign you a position. Get familiar with the administrative affairs first. The Tsuchikage has to handle a lot of administrative matters every day."

Deidara immediately protested, saying, "Lord Tsuchikage, you're lying! The old man said you're the Tsuchikage with the most relaxed life ever; you've pushed all the work of the Tsuchikage onto the Advisor Group."

Yichen:...

Why does Ōnoki tell Deidara everything?

Enraged, Yichen flicked Deidara's forehead several times, saying, "Nonsense! I've dealt with a whole table full of documents today."

Deidara immediately covered his head and said, "It must be because you haven't handled any official business for a long time. The old man told me that a long time ago."

"Also, I don't want an office job. I'm a quasi-Kage; I want to carry out S-rank mission."

While tapping Deidara on the head, Yichen said, "Don't even think about it. From today onwards, you must work in an office."

Deidara didn't know that no matter how much he protested, it was useless; being confined to the village after becoming a potential Kage was a tradition of Iwagakure.

Yichen brought Deidara back to the village and kept his word, immediately arranging an office job for him as Kawakita's subordinates's deputy.

The two are close in age, and Kawakita has only recently taken over village affairs, so they should have a lot in common and can discuss things with each other.

Kawakita was stunned by Yichen's actions. He had only been separated from these two for a short while, and Deidara had already become a near-Kage?

Why do I suddenly feel like I'm about to be surpassed by my juniors? It seems I haven't been working hard enough. Have I become complacent after becoming Kage Level?

After leaving Deidara with Kawakita, Yichen went to see Yoshimura Kazumasa, Takuya, Chiga, Uzumaki Riori, and others to learn more about their training or research progress and achievements.

Yoshimura Kazumasa has made progress in the Hand Seals he has researched specifically for Ninja Cat. He has utilized the special flexibility of the cat's body to study a series of methods for performing Hand Seals by swaying the body.

Although this method is slow in terms of Hand Seals, theoretically, there are no longer any obstacles for the Ninja Cat of Iwagakure to perform Ninjutsu.

What surprised Yichen even more was that Yoshimura Kazumasa was currently researching a method for performing Hand Seals using Taijutsu.

Yoshimura Kazumasa said to Yichen, "Teacher Yichen, this is something I came up with when I was researching Hand Seals for the Ninja Cat."

"If one can achieve the purpose of Hand Seals through specific Taijutsu movements while performing Taijutsu, then there is hope of successfully performing Ninjutsu."

While marveling at the researchers' peculiar thought processes, Yichen affirmed Yoshimura Kazumasa's idea.

Next was Takuya.

Yichen was delighted by Takuya's progress. Yichen learned in detail from him about the thought process behind developing the Movement Technique, the problems encountered, and how they were solved.

Then Yichen combined the Banshō Ten'in with various attempts at Movement Technique.

Sure enough, although Yichen was not very familiar with this Movement Technique, the agility Yichen displayed, compensated by the gravity skill, surprised even himself.

"Looks like I need to practice more with Kawakita; this Movement Technique is so practical." Yichen was quite satisfied.

After leaving Takuya, Yichen went to the Anbu, because Chiga was in the Anbu.

Chiga's training requires blood, which is provided by the Anbu.

Sometimes the Anbu would help Chiga find the blood of wild animals, sometimes the blood of criminals, and sometimes even the blood of Anbu members themselves.

"Teacher Yichen, I did it!" Chiga exclaimed excitedly upon seeing Yichen.

Yichen still has no idea what Chiga has researched.

However, without Yichen needing to ask, Chiga excitedly explained to Yichen.

After tallying up the benefits she received from the Jashin Cult, Chiga finally completed a task that Yichen had once given her.

Chiga is now able to swallow the blood of several different people from the same family and then sense the location of all the members of that family.

Upon hearing this answer, Yichen was so excited he almost jumped for joy.

Yichen hurriedly asked, "Is there a distance limit?"

Chiga thought for a moment and said, "Probably not. I've tested it with several families in the village, and I can directly sense that someone from their family is on duty in that area in the southwestern part of the Land of Fire."

Yichen was overjoyed. It was an exclave of the Land of Earth, originally ceded by the Land of Fire to the Land of Wind, which Yichen later reclaimed from the Land of Wind.

That enclave was almost halfway across the Ninja World from Iwagakure.

"Great, great! You wait here, I'll go get some things." Yichen said and hurriedly left the Anbu.

Yichen found the ninja Orochimaru had left in Iwagakure and said to him, "Contact Orochimaru and give him this."

The man took the scroll from Yichen and immediately passed it to Orochimaru.

Before long, Orochimaru sent over a dozen bottles using Summoning Jutsu.

After taking the bottle, Yichen ignored the man and went straight to the Anbu.

Yichen found Chiga, and the two of them went together to the Anbu's biological research lab.

Yichen handed over a dozen bottles to the researchers and said, "Can you culture these Hematopoietic Stem Cells and give Chiga a fresh blood sample every ten days?"

The researcher didn't ask why, glanced at the dozen or so bottles, and immediately nodded, saying, "It's just using Hematopoietic Stem Cells to culture blood; there's no problem with that."

After saying that, he immediately went to train Yichen at his request.

A while later, he returned with more than a dozen blood samples.

Yichen gestured for Chiga to drink it.

After drinking it, Chiga waited a while before saying, "I sensed it. There are many people. One is in our village, but most are far away."

"Is this direction... towards the Land of Fire?"

Yichen nodded and said, "Very good, very good. This is Hyuga Clan blood, which I obtained from Orochimaru. The Hyuga member in the village is Neji Hyuga."

"Try to sense if you can detect any other members of the Hyuga Clan who are not in the Land of Fire."

Chiga nodded, examined the details carefully, then shook his head and said, "No, apart from Neji Hyuga, all the other members of the Hyuga Clan are in the Land of Fire."

Yichen said with some regret, "Really? What a pity. Wasn't your perception supposed to last for ten days? From now on, you will drink the blood of the Hyuga Clan every ten days and monitor the Hyuga Clan at all times."

"Notify me immediately if the Hyuga Clan appears outside the Land of Fire."

Chiga didn't understand why Yichen so interested in the Hyuga Clan. Didn't the Hyuga Clan all have the Caged Bird? They weren't that strong, so why was he paying attention to them?

Yichen didn't explain, then asked, "Can you sense other families at the same time?"

Chiga nodded and said, "Yes, I can. I can sense many individuals at the same time, but I can only sense two entire families."

"We've done experiments before; any more and things will get chaotic."

Yichen thought to himself, "Very good. Hehe, Shisui Uchiha, I hope Fugaku Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan is right here in your eye socket."

However, there was something else to do before that. Yichen said, "Let's go to the Uzumaki Clan."

Soon, Yichen brought Chiga to the residence of the Uzumaki Clan.

The Uzumaki Clan doesn't all live together, but because they moved to Iwagakure at the same time, their residences are not far apart.

The Uzumaki Clan lives in this area, but there are also many civilians or ninjas who are not from the Uzumaki Clan in this area.

The arrival of Yichen, the Tsuchikage, kept the Uzumaki Clan quite busy.

After arriving in Iwagakure Uzumaki Clan did not adopt a strategy of banding together for mutual support. Although they maintained contact with each other, they did not form a unified force.

Their initial choice was to directly integrate into Iwagakure), and the marriage of Ikura and Uzumaki Yumi was an attempt by the Uzumaki Clan.

Yichen sat in Uzumaki Yumi's parents' house, looking at the other members of the Uzumaki Clan in the living room.

Yichen smiled and said, "Don't be nervous, I've come today with good news."

"However, this matter cannot be made public for the time being. Everyone, please select a few trustworthy clansmen to stay behind, and the rest of you may leave."

Hearing Yichen's words, these people all breathed a sigh of relief. They whispered among themselves for a while, and finally left behind ten ninjas, including Uzumaki Yumi's parents.

This also includes Uzumaki Riori.

Uzumaki Riori's strength is among the top in the entire Uzumaki Clan, and as Earth Shadow's disciple, her status should have been very high.

However, her immaturity meant that most people didn't see her as a strong person.

Yichen smiled and pointed at Chiga, saying to the ten people, "This is my disciple Chiga. She has an ability to Blood Sense."

"Now Chiga's ability has been upgraded. As long as she swallows the blood of many members of her clan, she can sense the location of the entire clan."

"So the first person I thought of was your Uzumaki Clan."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the Uzumaki Clan, except for Uzumaki Riori, immediately stood up from their seats.

One of them asked with great surprise, "Does the Tsuchikage mean that Chiga can find our clansmen scattered throughout the Ninja World?"

Yichen nodded and said, "This ability has been tested and it can indeed do this. This is also my main purpose for coming to the Uzumaki Clan today."

After receiving Yichen's affirmative answer, these people began to bleed themselves without saying a word.

Chiga quickly said, "Just a little bit is enough, a few drops for each person."

She was frightened; judging from the posture of these nine people, they were probably going to give her a bowl each.

Chiga swallowed the blood of the nine people, and the nine people looked at her expectantly.

What do you think they're doing, constantly monitoring the Hyuga Clan?