"Uh..."
For a moment, Sasori had no idea how to respond. This new leader seemed a little too enthusiastic.
Naruto did not pay much attention to Sasori's reaction. He turned to look at Deidara, who was two years older than him but half a head shorter and currently standing there in a daze.
Smiling, he said, "Deidara, I think highly of you too."
Deidara was just as much of a pleasant surprise to Naruto. He remembered that, in the original story, Deidara had joined Akatsuki at the age of twelve. He had not expected him to be brought into Akatsuki at just nine here.
Naruto guessed it was largely because Orochimaru, Kakuzu, Hidan, and Uchiha Itachi were all absent, leaving Akatsuki so short on manpower that they would not even pass up a nine-year-old child.
Although Deidara's Explosion Release did not have an especially high ceiling, it was still extremely practical.
He could control the intensity of his explosions, using them for precise assassinations or wide-area demolitions. It could be said to be exceptionally useful.
Deidara's eyes lit up at Naruto's words. Unable to wait any longer, he asked eagerly, his face full of anticipation, "Do you understand my art?"
Looking at this child who was only nine years old, Naruto understood that he was at the age when he desperately needed recognition.
Whether it was defecting from Iwagakure in the original story or coming to the Land of Rain now, it was mostly driven by rebellion, because Ōnoki had never acknowledged his art.
Naruto could not help feeling emotional. The Ninja World really was abnormal. Of course, it might also have been due to the influence of Chakra—the children of the Ninja World matured frighteningly early.
At five, they were already getting tangled up in romance. At six, they