After dinner.
Jingxin called a team meeting. "The mission is basically complete. After Ishida finishes the trade tomorrow, we'll escort him back to Iwagakure, and the mission will be over."
Deidara grinned and complained, "What a bore. We came all this way just so he could sell a few trinkets. I'd love to blow his whole shipment to bits!"
Jingxin felt a surge of relief.
This was Deidara being relatively friendly.
If he'd been like the Deidara in the original story, he'd be thinking about blowing people up instead.
Ignoring the remark, Jingxin continued, "A ninja must train consistently. We can't slack off today, either."
"Next, I'll teach you a basic skill."
He paused and looked around at everyone. "Does anyone still not know how to climb trees or practice Water Walking?"
Deidara chuckled. "That's child's play!"
He'd once received a scroll from Jingxin about training chakra control, and he'd already tried both tree climbing and Water Walking.
Kurotsuchi's training had covered those skills as well.
So everyone turned to Karin, who looked bewildered. "What's that?"
Jingxin took the opportunity to pass the buck. "Kurotsuchi, you're in charge of training Karin in those skills."
"I'd be happy to." Kurotsuchi agreed without a moment's thought.
Perhaps a teenage girl's thoughts weren't entirely focused on getting stronger.
Kurotsuchi knew that if she refused, Jingxin would have to teach Karin himself.
Wouldn't that just give them a chance to spend time alone together?
Kurotsuchi knew Karin didn't look at Jingxin innocently.
"In exchange, I'll leave my Earth Release training to you, Instructor." Kurotsuchi raised an eyebrow at Jingxin.
"..." Jingxin said, "That's my job anyway. Before that, I'll be in charge of Deidara's training."
Deidara picked at his ear and said flippantly, "You'd better focus on yourself first. Just don't get beaten by me one day, hmm."
"I have no idea what the old man was thinking, making you the team's jōnin, hmm."
Jingxin gestured to Kurotsuchi. "You can start training. Don't go too far."
"Deidara." Jingxin turned to the blond. "Come with me."
The group split up.
Jingxin led Deidara to the open space behind the inn. The boy still looked less than convinced.
"You're not really going to teach me by holding my hand, are you? Hmm..." Deidara said. "I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with that."
Jingxin nodded. "I know you don't like people telling you what to do, unless they're as powerful as Lord Tsuchikage."
Deidara's heart skipped a beat. A bad feeling suddenly came over him.
"So let's fight again." Jingxin's eyes turned scarlet, his Sharingan's three Tomoe slowly spinning in his pupils. Then they converged toward the center and merged into a solid-black circle, an eerie sight.
Deidara sounded excited. "Great! Hmm... What's that?"
After asking, he frowned and glanced at the inn beside them. "Maybe we should go farther away. I don't want to end up with nowhere to sleep tonight."
Jingxin folded his arms. "No need. Go ahead and attack me."
"Don't underestimate me! Hmm!" Deidara flared up at once, reaching into the pouch at his waist for clay.
But at that very moment,
an overwhelming pressure rushed in from every direction, swallowing Deidara like a tsunami.
Heavy... danger...
Deidara's eyes widened. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his heart felt as if it were about to leap out of his throat. His body had gone stiff as a board.
Across from him, Jingxin looked utterly serious. His Mangekyō Sharingan fixed on Deidara, while the air around him warped under the force of a powerful blue chakra current.
He was serious!
If Deidara made a move, he might die!
"You!" Deidara swallowed. "What is that? Chakra you can see with the naked eye?"
This guy was actually that strong?!
All this time, he'd been playing along with Deidara!
Jingxin deactivated his Sharingan, his expression softening.
Deidara's body relaxed. He hadn't even fought, yet he was drenched in cold sweat.
"Deidara, what do you think of Iwagakure?" Jingxin asked, shifting to a topic unrelated to training.
Deidara curled his lip. "What do you mean? I live there."
That was all.
"Is there anything you're unhappy with?"
"If I had to say, the old man meddles too much. You're the opposite—he lets you get away with too much! Hmm! Probably because you're stronger. You've just proved that to me. So what? Hmm!"
"It's because of your personality."
"Hm? Hmm."
Jingxin explained, "You're talented, and your techniques are powerful. That also makes them more dangerous, and they could affect other people, so you're kept on a tighter leash."
"So what?" Deidara laughed. "I'm definitely not giving up on pursuing art over some trivial stuff! Hmm! One day, I'll need more freedom!"
Was that why he defected?
Jingxin understood, then said, "I'll ask Lord Tsuchikage to set aside an area near the village for you, where you can research explosions without holding back."
"Really?" Deidara's eyes lit up, but then he grew wary. "What's the catch? Hmm..."
Jingxin looked puzzled. "Why ask that? I'm doing it because I'm interested in some of your abilities, that's all."
"Oh?" Deidara said excitedly. "You think it's beautiful, too. That it's art, right? Hmm! So you're one of us."
Jingxin said regretfully, "It's just a little small in scale."
Small in scale?
At the mention of that, Deidara perked up even more. He rushed up to Jingxin and asked, "How do I make it bigger? I don't have much chakra. Why don't you give it a try?"
"Actually..." Jingxin recalled, "I once learned about a form of power from a different system."
Deidara was confused. "It has nothing to do with chakra?"
"That's right." Jingxin sounded eager. "I once found an ancient book in Konoha's library. It said there had once been a bomb whose fireball reached a diameter of eight kilometers in an instant. It annihilated everything within dozens of kilometers and could still inflict significant damage hundreds of kilometers away. Its shockwaves even circled the entire planet three times."
"But that thing wasn't part of the ninja system. I think it was called... physics?"
Deidara's whole body grew hot with excitement. "I know about that! I studied physics before, to help me realize my art. Lately, I've been planning to make an optical device that lets me see farther."
"I never thought it'd be possible to create that kind of ultimate art, too."
He even dropped his habitual verbal tic. "What else do you know? Tell me as much as you can. Then I'll invite you to see my ultimate art!"
Jingxin talked with him about some of the basics, such as black powder.
After they finished, Jingxin glanced at Deidara, who was a little too excited.
Hmm...
He'd solve Deidara's problem with not having enough "freedom" in the village, then give him a research project that required the village's resources.
Then he'd find a chance to kill a rogue ninja in front of him in the most brutal way possible.
That should just about do it.
Before you continue