Deidara, come with me!

In the thick fog, a figure staggered toward the group.

A gray, deathly aura surrounded him, emanating an unsettling scent. His stiff, halting movements looked extremely strange.

"There were other people in the Return to the Deep Valley?"

"No, it should be the guy who came out of that evil big box."

Everyone stared solemnly at the short figure. Gradually, the dark figure emerged from the thick fog, revealing a lifeless face.

Kid? A kid who's not even ten years old!

There was a little devil inside that huge box?!

"Muko, no... Muko is now gradually approaching enlightenment." A glint One Flash in Tōka's eyes as he quickly approached Muko.

Tōka made no attempt to conceal his presence, and his rapid approach was immediately detected by the other party.

Tōka stared expressionlessly at Dong Ge in the Muko fog; to be precise, he wasn't just looking, but rather sensing with his heart.

Fear, an emotion born from the heart, cannot lie.

"To predict the enemy's thoughts by relying on fear, a very good ability." Tōka's figure appeared ghost-like behind Muko.

"Behind us? When?" Muko's expression changed slightly; he couldn't predict this guy's actions at all.

An overwhelming aura of evil surged forth, and Muko's body began to writhe strangely.

Tōka immediately placed his hand on Muko's crown, and a stream of Senjutsu Chakra flowed out.

The swollen, Muko body immediately deflated like a punctured balloon.

While completely suppressing the opponent, Tōka's mark changed, Summoning Jutsu Formula Contract was formed in the process!

Click!

Tōka bit her thumb, and blood trickled down her palm.

Chakra, a convergence of Yin-Yang Power, condensed and formed a strange rune on Tōka's palm. As he slowly extended his hand...

When he placed a palm on Muko's brow...

Buzz!

A mysterious contract Jutsu Formula was generated in that instant.

"It's better than different Summoning Technique, after all, it's a forced Summoning Technique." Tōka withdrew his hand, looking at Wu Muko with an inscrutable expression.

Furthermore, when not fighting, Satoru can keep his Muko appearance with him.

It's incredibly convenient...

Tōka smiled faintly, then turned to look at the giant dragon circling in the sky. With his Ninjutsu sealed, he could test the power of his enlightenment.

Go play with them.

As soon as Tōka finished speaking, Wu Muko, who was standing to the side, turned into a gust of wind and drifted away.

As it approached Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, its body suddenly swelled up, instantly transforming into a gigantic monster.

Long legs support what is either a head or a body, and wings sprout from its back, making it resemble a demon. Four sharp fangs, like barbs, grow from its mouth.

A pair of thick, powerful arms hung down at his sides, looking quite strange.

Roar!!

The large, rough hand slammed down like a Small Mountain, creating a deafening hurricane-like roar. The oppressive feeling was as if an invisible giant hand was squeezing the air.

The Five-Tails Jinchuriki stared in shock at the giant hand descending from above, the gust of wind making it hard for him to breathe.

Han gritted his teeth, squeezing every cell in his body, and gathered the chakra in his legs.

Forced by the ground, Han squeezed out his chakra to move his body sideways.

Bang!

A loud bang shook the entire Return to the Deep Valley.

The earth groaned and cracked, and thick, black cracks spread out in a spiderweb pattern, causing the earth to sink a little deeper.

"What terrifying power!" Han's pupils contracted sharply as his body fell along with the pieces of rubble.

Meanwhile, Deidara's trio retreated swiftly, a thick crack in the ground resembling a long dragon relentlessly pursuing them.

The three exchanged a glance, then dispersed in three different directions.

"That's all for today. I look forward to seeing you again..." Tōka raised his hand and beckoned. Wu, who was about to attack, paused and then quickly shrank back to his Muko form.

Snap!

Tōka snapped his fingers, and Muko, along with the Box of Paradise behind him, turned into a cloud of white mist with a bang, returning to the Summoning Space.

A dark Vortex spun around Tōka's side, its movements seemingly slow but actually extremely fast.

The black Vortex cave seemed capable of swallowing everything whole; the surrounding thick fog was completely absorbed, and Tōka's figure gradually disappeared into the Void Black Hole.

Still shaken, everyone stared into the depths of the thick fog. Their vision was blurred, but they could sense that Tōka's presence had vanished.

"They're gone..." Han breathed a sigh of relief, only then noticing that his figure had become very stiff from maintaining one posture for so long.

With his aching arms twisted, Han mechanically stood up.

Sudden!

A startled cry rang in Han's ears, and his nerves, which had just relaxed, tensed up again. It was Kurotsuchi's voice!

Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw that one of the three people standing in the Swastika Formation was missing!

"Deidara?"

Han instinctively called out a name, and the remaining three people looked around with their six eyes, but could not find Deidara.

Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi quickly went to Han's side, looking at him with panic.

Although both of them are outstanding among their peers, they are only teenagers after all. When faced with such a situation, they would naturally seek the advice of Han, Jonin who is leading the team, at the first opportunity.

"Lord Han, what should we do?" Akatsuchi and Kurotsuchi looked at Han anxiously and asked uneasily.

"That person knows Space-Time Ninjutsu; his aura has completely vanished, so we have no way to catch up with him, not even to gather intelligence," Han analyzed with a heavy expression.

"Let's go back first. This matter can only be handled by the village organizing more people."

Seeing the disappointment in their eyes, Han felt bad too.

Most importantly, even if all three of them attacked together, they wouldn't be a match for the opponent.

"But..." Kurotsuchi hesitated, her reason telling her she should return to Iwagakure first, but she was unwilling to give up so easily.

"Kurotsuchi, you are the Tsuchikage's granddaughter."

Han looked at the two of them expressionlessly, his deep voice calm and even, yet it struck them like a heavy blow to their hearts.

Kurotsuchi Tu shuddered and silently lowered his head.

The cold mist gathered from the Return to the Deep Valley, and the world seemed to turn gray at that moment.

The three of them walked heavily toward Iwagakure).

In a secluded Small Mountain within the Land of Earth, green hills and clear waters are dotted with wisps of smoke rising like a blue dragon coiling in the azure sky.

A refined and elegant young man was followed by a blond-haired brat who looked only a few years younger.

Rustling...

The unhurried footsteps caught the villagers' attention; this place was near the Land of Fire, and the soil was gradually changing.

The environment near the village is different from the earthy yellow rocks of the Land of Earth; instead, it is more like the lush greenery of the Land of Fire.

Deidara followed behind Tōka, opening his mouth several times to speak but not knowing where to begin.

"You want to ask me why I captured you?" Tōka seemed to have eyes in the back of his head; even though Deidara's back was turned, he could clearly see the expression on his face.

A faint voice suddenly rang out, startling Deidara, who was lost in thought, before he immediately came to his senses.

He stared at Tōka warily, pursing his lips and remaining silent.

Tōka tilted his head, grinned, and gestured for Deidara to follow. Then, he walked unhurriedly into the secluded village.

This place is located at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, and many merchants usually pass through here. The arrival of Tōka and Deidara did not attract much attention from the villagers.

The two stopped at a Tea House to rest and sat down facing each other at a Square Table.

"Deidara, your ability is quite interesting." Tōka took a sip of Clear Tea before looking up at Deidara and saying.

"From now on, you're a member of Xiaozhong."

"That is, my art..." Deidara was inexplicably praised, and the joy on his face One Flash by.

Deidara paused, his cheerful face instantly turning somber.

"Xiao? How could I possibly listen to you... um!"

"Iwagakure doesn't really like you. If it weren't for Ōnoki's forceful actions, you would probably have been expelled from the village by now." Tōka didn't care about Deidara's reaction and just smiled faintly.

Upon hearing this, Deidara's pupils contracted.

This matter is not a secret, but outsiders have no way of knowing about it except for the villagers who live in Iwagakure year-round.

From this perspective, it seems that Akatsuki has planted many permanent spies within Iwagakure.

The longer time passes, the greater the likelihood of exposure.

"Now that Ōnoki is dead, you have lost your last protection. Shouldn't you reconsider?" Tōka's voice rang out slowly, each word carrying a mysterious power.

Like a magical musical note, it pierced into Deidara's heart.

Those guys in Iwagakure who don't understand art...

A fleeting glint of interest flashed in Deidara's eyes, so quick it seemed like a mere illusion.

But Tōka clearly noticed that unusual expression.

"Joining Akatsuki won't hinder your art; in fact, it will elevate it," Tōka, a smirk playing on his lips as he looked at Deidara.

"Sublimation? This guy must be lying to me... Hmm." Deidara stared at Tōka in surprise, clearly wanting to hear what happened next, but putting on a defensive look.

"You'll understand when you get there..." Tōka knew that Scorpion's art pursued eternity, while Deidara's art pursued fleeting moments of brilliance.

But Tōka didn't quite understand why the two were so insistent on this.

However, this does not change the fact that the two are destined to become best friends.

Seeing Tōka's confident expression, Deidara took a sip of his tea with some skepticism.

As Tōka said, with Ōnoki dead, Deidara's position in Iwagakure became even more awkward, especially since he liked to cause explosions everywhere, making the entire Iwagakure chaotic.

Without Ōnoki's protection, Deidara will definitely be driven out of Iwagakure.

Even when Ōnoki was alive, Deidara lived alone in a corner of the village, and apart from Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi, he rarely saw anyone else come to visit him throughout the year.

"Well... it might be good to go and take a look, hmm." Deidara thought silently to himself.

Tick-tock...

The rain kept falling, the sky was overcast, dark clouds pressed down, the air was damp, and the world felt like a waterlogged sponge, strangely dull.

Two figures carrying umbrellas appeared one after the other within the territory of the Land of Rain.

Deidara patted the water stains off his clothes in annoyance. "When will this rain in the Land of Rain stop? It's as annoying as a woman crying... ugh."

"The rain will stop? The rain in the Land of Rain will never stop." Tōka stretched his palm out of the umbrella and touched the falling raindrops.

The Land of Rain is perpetually shrouded in rain, and is also home to Nagato's Rain Tiger at Will Technique.

Unless caused by human intervention, the Land of Rain can never see a sunny day.

The instant Tōka's palm touched the rain, Nagato, atop a Nagato Tower deep within the Land of Rain, suddenly opened his eyes.

"That guy's back." Nagato's deep voice suddenly rang out.

"Who's back?" Konan, who was standing to the side, was slightly taken aback and asked subconsciously.

"Tōka, it seems you've gotten much stronger over the years." Through the Rain Tiger at Will Technique, Nagato sensed the immense, vast power within Tōka's body.

"Should I go take a look?" Konan had never trusted Tōka. From the first time they met, when Tōka was just a little kid, she had a feeling about it.

Never underestimate Tōka because of her age, or you will suffer a great loss.

Therefore, Konan was wary of Tōka at every turn, and even the three members of Kimimaro Squad were under Konan's Secret Technique surveillance.

"Be careful, at least for now we share the same goal." Nagato didn't know what Tōka wanted to do, but one thing he was sure of.

Tailed Beast are also Tōka's goal.

This time when I came back, it seemed that something had changed.

Konan nodded slightly, her body transforming into countless white pieces of paper that drifted away on the wind, floating out of the Tower and moving with the wind and rain.

Tap tap tap...

Stepping on the puddled road, the water splashed up as my feet landed, soaking my trouser legs.

Deidara frowned in displeasure. Accustomed to the environment of the Land of Earth, his sudden arrival in the Land of Rain made him feel uneasy.

His feet were wet and cold; the rain seemed to be deliberately targeting him, relentlessly seeping into the soles of his feet.

"We should be almost there... um." Deidara glanced at the spotless Tōka and said impatiently.

"Our people are here." Tōka didn't answer Deidara's question directly, but instead raised his eyes to look at the piece of paper floating in the air.

The snow-white paper gradually coalesced in the rain, transforming into a beautiful, serene figure.

Konan looked down at the two of them from her high vantage point, with pieces of snow-white paper fluttering around her like dancing sprites.

Deidara frowned unhappily. He didn't like looking up at people, and he especially disliked looking up at women.

The mouth in the palm licked its tongue.

Deidara secretly reached into his clay bag with his left hand, tore off a piece of clay, and began to chew it.

Tōka noticed Deidara's subtle actions, a faint smile playing on his lips, but he didn't say anything to stop him.

Akatsuki is a gathering place for many S-rank Rogue Ninja. If one's strength is not recognized, one becomes an awkward existence, especially for a rookie like Deidara.

Trying it out with Konan wouldn't be a bad idea...

The thought flashed through his mind, and a strange spatial energy fluctuation flickered around Tōka. Then, his figure gradually faded...

Gradually, it transformed into a Phantom and disappeared from the spot.

Seeing this, a hint of joy flashed in Deidara's eyes. Tōka's actions had clearly told him to just go for it!