This was Iwagakure's trump-card genin?
Anyone looking at this photograph of someone who was clearly still a child would surely ask that question.
He looked far too young.
Even if most ninjas matured early, someone like Itachi Uchiha, who could go to war at the age of four, was an exceedingly rare exception.
Even if this blond kid somehow had two extra mouths growing on his palms.
But Araki was different.
That unmistakable trait let him recognize the person at a glance—
The explosive artist, Deidara!
Looking at Deidara's photograph, Araki fell silent. He had originally believed that, with the Mist Village's six-man team's strength, they should be able to dominate the Chunin Exams.
Even Kumogakure's ace, Darui, would only be evenly matched against them.
But he had never expected Iwagakure to have something up its sleeve.
Although Deidara looked young, since he had been sent to participate in the Chunin Exams, his strength must have received the Third Tsuchikage's approval. His combat style centered around Explosive Clay had probably already been fully developed.
Explosions themselves were not particularly powerful, but Deidara could be considered one of the most imaginative ninjas when it came to developing ninjutsu.
The clay creations he made could not only fly on their own, but carry people through the air as well.
Humanity's longing for the sky had never ceased, yet the number of ninjas capable of developing flight was truly minuscule.
And nearly all of them were gathered in Iwagakure!
It was quite strange to think about. Earth, the deepest and heaviest element, had somehow been developed into the ability to soar freely through the skies. Meanwhile, wind and lightning, which belonged to the heavens by nature, had achieved nothing of the sort.
It was hard to know how to even judge that.
Perhaps