Art Is an Explosion

Deidara's bombardment was really satisfying.

There are few threats from the ground, and few attacks pose a direct threat to him.

Until the Sand Ninja brought out their giant crossbows for siege.

Although Deidara looks like a fool when he throws bombs, his mind is surprisingly sharp.

The moment he saw the giant crossbow, he knew his mission was over and it was time to leave this nursery where he had experimented with art.

After touching the remaining clay in his ninja tool pouch, Deidara decided to make them a big one before leaving.

"Feel honored to see the art I'm so proud of, um."

Deidara devoured the clay in his pocket with both hands until the last bit was gone, then smiled and pulled out a strangely shaped doll.

C3, No. 18.

Deidara dropped the doll from the air, then maneuvered the dragon to turn it around and fly towards the edge of the village.

Seeing Deidara escape, some Sand Ninja were about to give chase, but were stopped by their rational teammates.

Following the direction they were pointing, the Sand Ninja then realized that the doll, which had originally been the size of a baby, had grown into a gigantic creature as it drew closer to the ground.

All the Sand Ninja showed expressions of horror.

The bomb we just saw, even so small, was this powerful. This bomb is huge! Will Sunagakure still exist after it explodes?

As the Kazekage, Pakura used Scorch Release to protect herself just as the bomb was about to hit the ground.

"Drink!"

Once at a safe distance, Deidara decisively detonated the bomb.

Boom!

The bomb that exploded in the center of Sunagakure caused a shockwave that quickly swept through the entire village.

Watching the mushroom cloud rise behind him, Deidara was filled with an indescribable pleasure, and the corners of his mouth, which he could no longer suppress, quickly swelled to a large size.

"Indeed, the perfect, ultimate moment is true art, hmm!"

Pakura never imagined that her grudge would be "exploded" by the Stone Ninja.

The explosion that swept through the entire village claimed the lives of most of the high-ranking officials, leaving only a few, such as Chiyo and Ebizo, to survive.

The Sand Ninja and their inhabitants suffered heavy casualties, and the Explosion Corps, secretly dispatched to the front lines, seized the opportunity to launch an attack.

Several gaps were torn in the Land of Wind line.

For a time, the entire Land of Wind was filled with unease and fear.

Realizing that she would be bombarded with gold coins by Konoha if she didn't reach Chiyo agreement with Ōnoki soon, Chiyo didn't bother with any talk of postponing contact with Konoha. She hurriedly invited Konoha's envoy in and expressed her willingness to start a new round of negotiations with Konoha.

"That Chiyo, she really won't shed a tear until she sees the coffin."

Looking at the quickly drafted treaty, Kazashiro revealed a playful expression.

The treaty stipulates that from the date of its signing, all commissions from Sunagakure must be submitted to Konoha for re-approval and redistribution by Konoha.

Konoha Ninja have military access rights to Sunagakure's ninja tool orders must be manufactured by suppliers designated by Konoha.

Before declaring war, Sunagakure must notify Konoha in advance, and the mobilization of troops must be approved by Konoha.

During joint operations, command of the ninjas will be taken over by ninjas designated by Konoha.

It's no wonder Chiyo was unwilling to sign the new treaty before; its contents, taken individually, are hard to accept.

I never imagined that all my secret efforts would be less effective than a single strike from the Iwagakure Explosion Corps.

"A new treaty has been signed. According to the treaty, an attack on Sunagakure is equivalent to an attack on our side."

Kazashiro waved the treaty in his hand, which bore Pakura's signature, and fixed his gaze on Minato.

"Minato, please inform Jiraiya to lead a team to support Sunagakure. Be very careful of a guy named Deidara; he's the one who caused the explosion in Sunagakure."

"I see."

Minato nodded in agreement with a serious expression.

"I'll leave Sunagakure to you."

At this time, Kazashiro and Shikaku were looking for leverage to attack the daimyo over the assassination attempt, and had no intention of focusing their efforts on Sunagakure.

In a secluded little wooden cabin in Konoha.

The two advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, sat upright on the tatami mats, chatting about their childhood anecdotes as usual.

"Even now, I still can't believe that Danzo's son actually became the Fifth Hokage."

Gently blowing away the tea leaves at the entrance, Mitokado Homura took a sip of tea, reflecting on his current situation.

"The old ones are ambitious, but the young ones are no less so. The Third Hokage actually compared him to someone like Minato. He's getting old too."

Utatane Koharu, clearly harbored some resentment towards Kazashiro.

In her view, the other party's actions perfectly illustrated what it meant to be utterly rebellious. What was even more outrageous was that Kazashiro had abandoned them, his advisors, during his time Acting Hokage, and was unwilling to even put on a show of respect.

His stubbornness is no different from Danzo's.

Utatane Koharu, paused in mid-air as she picked up the cup.

Thinking about it, the child's expression and tone really do resemble Danzo in his youth.

"What's wrong?"

Utatane Koharu room caught Mitokado Homura's attention, and he curiously asked his old friend about it.

"It's nothing, it just makes you feel like they truly are father and son."

Utatane Koharu, shook her head and reached out to pick up the cup.

"Hehe, now that you mention it, it reminds me of Danzo when he was young. Back then, he acted like he was the most important person in the world, and he was always competing with Hiruzen."

As Mitokado Homura got carried away, he directly mentioned the name of the Third Hokage.

"Who can argue with that?"

Utatane Koharu didn't correct the other person's grammatical error; in such a private setting, who would know about such a thing?

Just as she was thinking this, unmasked footsteps approached from afar, finally stopping in front of the two-person cabin.

Come in.

Upon hearing footsteps, the two stopped their conversation simultaneously, sat up straight, and gestured for the person outside to come in.

As the door was pushed open, Kazashiro and Shikaku came into view.

"Fifth Generation? What brings you here with Shikaku?"

Utatane Koharu, was surprised to find that the person who came was Kazashiro, who clearly disliked having contact with people like them.

"This matter is of great importance; I dared not fail to pay a visit."

Kazashiro did a thorough job of putting on a show, even using honorifics directly.

Upon hearing the word "of great importance" from the person in front of them, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura instinctively straightened their backs.

"Actually, I was assassinated by the Daimyo's Mansion."

During the Third Hokage, the two were responsible for negotiating with the Daimyo's Mansion, and for many years they have been engaged in logistical work.

Entrusting this thorny matter to them and having Danzo play the villain was a solution agreed upon by Kazashiro and Shikaku.

With Danzo acting as the Great Demon there, the Daimyo's Mansion should be able to give Konoha a satisfactory answer.