"I'm sorry, old man... I won't just stay outside the village doing nothing. Now that I'm out, I must go after the ultimate Explosion Art! Hmm!"
On a dusty path on the border of Turkey and Japan, a figure was walking leisurely. But this young man was different from other travelers. Almost all of his attention was focused on his hands, and he was concentrating on tinkering with a ball of stuff that was being kneaded and shaped.
He has long dark blond hair, and his bangs hang down obliquely, covering his right eye. The exposed left eye has a blue pupil, shining with the focus and enthusiasm of an artist.
This is Deidara who was just expelled by Stone Village. However, compared to the wild and uninhibited member of "Akatsuki", his face at this moment still has a bit of faded childishness.
"Land of Fire... the road is really long." He said to himself while shaping his body, "If the old man knew that instead of reflecting on it, I went to Konoha's territory, I don't know how angry you would be... However, if I can take the opportunity to join that legendary organization... Oh! This shape feels good!"
After some careful tinkering, Deidara was finally satisfied with the work in his hands. He saw that the ball of green clay was shaped into a simple spider.
At this moment, an uneasy rustling sound suddenly came from the woods nearby.
Deidara raised his head suddenly and glanced in the direction of the sound source. His body seemed to be still in a relaxed standing posture, but the fingers holding Clay Spider were slightly inward, ready to throw it out at any time and detonate it instantly - as long as the person who came showed the slightest hostility.
"... What is this? Tiger?"
What I saw walking slowly out of the dense bushes was not the human Ninja, but an unusually large and lustrous tiger.
But the most eye-catching thing is that its face is covered with a mask made of rough material and carved with strange fox patterns, which gives people an uneasy feeling.
Because this tiger showed no tendency to attack for the time being, Deidara did not take action immediately, but observed it with high vigilance, especially the strange mask.
"Is it some kind of Summoning Beast? The mask on the face... looks so weird. Huh?"
"Strange... Why do I always feel like I've seen it before somewhere?"
He searched hard in his memory, trying to find the source of this familiar feeling.
Just when Deidara was looking at the tiger wearing the strange Fox Mask in front of him, trying to recall the source of the familiar feeling, there was another strange noise from the surrounding woods!
But this time, the sound didn't come from a single direction. Rustling sounds sounded from all directions at the same time, and a suffocating sense of oppression spread from the forest like a tide.
Immediately afterwards, a group of figures with different shapes and exuding different auras slowly emerged from the surrounding shadows and trees.
The first thing that caught the eye was the other four Summoning Beast, which were huge in size and strange in shape. Together with the tiger, they formed a perfect encirclement.
Coiled on the thick branch is a giant snake, Golden Snake silently locking the young man below.
On the side, the giant turtle-snake beast, Black Tortoise, was lying calmly on the ground. In the air above his head, the giant bird Vermilion Bird was gliding quietly, and the huge dragon-shaped creature, Azure Dragon, was making a low buzz.
These Summoning Beast, which have very different forms but also exude powerful chapora, are none other than [Nine-Headed Beasts].
At the front and back ends of the path, and at the back, stood quietly two humanoid creatures, Southern Dipper Sage and Northern Dipper Sage, holding a staff in one hand and Hand Seals in the other.
What really blocked Deidara's path were the two figures standing right in front of him. One was the black-robed [Grim Reaper] holding a huge scythe and exuding an ominous aura, and the other was [Heavenly Maiden].
Looking at this being that surrounded him, the vague memory in Deidara's mind instantly became extremely clear! His body began to tremble slightly uncontrollably, but it was definitely not out of fear, it was a tremor caused by extreme excitement and ecstasy!
"Hey, hey... is it true? Hey!" He growled almost incoherently, his eyes widening with excitement, "If... if it is really the organization I imagined! Leader! Come out quickly! Don't hide your head and tail!"
Facing Deidara's excited reaction that far exceeded expectations, Menma, who was hiding in the dark, was slightly surprised. With a thought in his mind, he used the Flying Thunder God coordinates engraved on Nine-Headed Beasts's body, and the figure appeared in front of Deidara without any warning, standing exactly between Grim Reaper and Heavenly Maiden.
Deidara's eyes quickly swept over Menma, eagerly capturing every feature on his body - Fox Mask, the black robe, and Nine-Headed Beasts beside him.
That's right! That's him! The old man has been secretly searching for and fearing this person for so long! [Jin] The leader of the organization!
Deidara's heart was beating wildly. Unexpectedly... I actually encountered him here!
Although I don't know why he appeared at the Land of Earth border... if the target is right in front of us, it will be much easier to handle!
At this moment, Menma's voice sounded through the mask, and he understood his purpose. "Explosion Release Ninja, Deidara. I am here to welcome you and join the [Jin] organization to become one of us."
Hearing these words, the smile on Deidara's face instantly widened, becoming more open and enthusiastic, and he almost couldn't wait to respond to Yu.
"That's great! Just right! In order to pursue the ultimate art, I also came out to look for you——[Jhin]!"
Seeing Deidara's almost fanatical excitement, Menma's heart instantly became clear. I see... It seems that the [Great Spiraling Ring] dropped next to Konoha.
Its devastating explosion and "artistic" presentation created a butterfly effect that far exceeded expectations.
"In that case..."
Menma just spoke, trying to lead the conversation to a formal recruitment process. However, the next moment, a sudden change occurred!
Deidara threw the made-up Clay Spider toward Menma without any warning!
"Drink!"
Almost at the moment Clay Spider took off his hand, Deidara finished the last pose with one hand and let out a short sharp shout!
Clay Spider, which flew in front of Menma, expanded instantly, and the chakra contained inside was instantly detonated!
"Boom——!!!"
There was a violent explosion! The scorching air waves mixed with soil and broken grass spread violently in all directions. The thick smoke and dust instantly swallowed up the position where Menma was standing just now, and also briefly blocked Deidara's sight.
However, when the smoke quickly dispersed, there was nothing at the center of the explosion. Not only did Menma disappear, but the two people [Grim Reaper] and [Heavenly Maiden] who were standing next to him also disappeared.
"It's really energetic." The voice came from behind Deidara again without warning.
Deidara turned around suddenly, only to see Menma appearing silently and silently a few meters behind him at some point. The black robe on his body was as neat as ashes, not even a trace of dust stained on it.
"Good. It seems that your art pursues the kind of fleeting and extreme magnificence, full of explosive tension and... tragic beauty."
Of course... these guys with special talents are all rebellious and not easy to obey. In the end, we have to start 'communicating' first.
Menma sighed helplessly in his heart and was ready to conduct a "recruitment assessment".
To his surprise, Deidara did not launch an attack. Instead, he quickly raised his hands and made a slightly exaggerated "pause" gesture, explaining with an eager expression on his face.
"Wait wait! You misunderstood! I don't want to fight with you! Hmm!"
He stared at Menma closely, and his tone became extremely serious, "I just want to use the simplest and most direct method to verify whether the guy in front of me is the real leader of the [Jin] organization, and not some boring fake!"
When Menma heard this, he paused slightly and stood silently, waiting for Deidara's next move.
Seeing that Menma did not take action immediately, Deidara immediately put forward his conditions excitedly. "It's very easy for me to join your organization! You only need to meet two of my conditions!"
"First! Let me see with my own eyes the legendary ultimate art - the one you showed above Konoha, the perfect explosion that can reduce everything to nothingness!"
"Second! Promise me! Teach me that ninjutsu!"
"As long as you can do these two things! I will join your [Jin] organization immediately! Yes!"