The Pursuit of Art Knows No Age

That's certainly the truth.

Without bloodline limits, Konoha Ninja wouldn't be subjected to unnecessary targeting and would be able to handle the exams with ease.

This also serves as protection for the reference ninja.

Their performance in the Joint Chunin Exams was itself part of their merit accumulation, which was equivalent to resources being tilted towards civilian Genin, broadening their path to advancement.

Although it's essentially still about protecting bloodlines, at least it's done in a more respectable way.

In the world of Hokage, achieving this is no easy feat.

But by the fourth day, when Uchiha Shingen realized that several promising young talents from the Leaf Village team hadn't returned, he couldn't just sit idly by.

Including him, that means the three major ninja villages have begun to put pressure on Sand Village together.

The Sand Village official present was also very troubled.

Others may not care, but these three must.

He knew that if Sunagakure hadn't made its efforts to increase security and capture the culprit public, the leaders of the three great ninja villages would have done more than just exert pressure; they would have forced their way in long ago—because they would have suspected that Sunagakure itself was the culprit.

In fact, that's what Kitsuchi and Terumi Mei, but Uchiha Shingen felt that it really didn't seem like an arm of Sunagakure.

Rasa may be the weakest of the current Five Kage, but he's not that stupid.

The other high-ranking members of Sunagakure wouldn't do something so damaging to their own reputation; the culprit wasn't targeting just one village, but all the participants.

He didn't attack the Sand Village's Genin, but he attacked the Sand Ninja proctoring the exam.

Of course, there was one village where the ninja assassins didn't attack.

That was Rain Village, but the Kusagakure team that had already arrived kept saying that the Rain Ninja didn't even have a chance to encounter the culprit before being killed by the Hidden Mist Village and Iwagakure teams.

This is quite awkward.

However, no one was in the mood to joke about Rain Village anymore, because by the fourth day, the culprit had become unrestrained. Every team that arrived at their destination that day reported that they had been attacked.

The reason they were able to get here is quite simple: the murderer didn't even notice them; the attack was merely to lure out the Sand Ninja was supervising the exam.

The information that the other party was a highly skilled puppeteer has also been confirmed.

The Sand Ninja who were proctoring the exam were also there to gather some materials.

This suggests that the other party intended to temporarily create or modify the puppet.

Not to mention that the person in charge of the Sand Village's examination hall was so angry that his face was distorted, all the team leaders had already sensed something was amiss.

This murderer is probably no ordinary person.

Even if Sunagakure performed poorly in the Third Shinobi World War, it was still one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Considering that the opponent was not only a puppeteer but also familiar with the desert as if it were his home, even if he did not run away from Sunagakure, he must have some connection with Sand Village. Combined with the description of the surviving examinee's strength—killing the Sand Ninja of the exam as easily as cutting vegetables—he must be at the level of an elite Jonin.

[Could it really be that scorpion...?]

Uchiha Shingen was also somewhat taken aback.

He could single-handedly outmaneuver all the Sand Ninja in the entire desert, something even elite Jonin couldn't do. There were Jonin among the proctoring ninjas.

Apart from Sasori of the Red Sands, no one else matches the abilities the murderer has demonstrated.

If it were him, then Uchiha Shingen would find it somewhat incomprehensible.

He admitted that this year 'Joint Chunin Exams did indeed have a slightly higher number of bloodline limits, but was it worth going against the entire Sunagakure... no, it should be against most of the Ninja World for that?

No matter what, I definitely have to go and see it.

Faced with pressure from the three major ninja villages, the head of Sand Village was truly unable to withstand it, and he had already sent someone to report to the Kazekage Building.

Rasa was also decisive, knowing there was no need to stop it at this point, and immediately sent someone to reply with his agreement.

He was hoping that the ninja villages would simply announce that the Chunin Ninja Exams were canceled and leave with their people as soon as possible, so as to save money for Sunagakure.

Having received the Kazekage's explicit instructions, the Sand Village leader breathed a sigh of relief and immediately relayed the message to Uchiha Shingen, Kitsuchi, and Terumi Mei.

The three leaders were not surprised by this, and without any hesitation, they asked the Sand Village for a guide and turned to enter the desert.

With the three of them walking, the man-made structures behind them soon disappeared below the horizon, and after a while, the surroundings were just the same endless yellow sand.

"Let's split up," Terumi Mei said. "Both Mr. Kitsuchi Tu and I need to find the Genin in our respective villages first. Time is of the essence, so we'll go ahead."

"Alright." Uchiha Shingen nodded. "Although everyone probably thinks the same way, I'll still add that the opponent might be Sasori of the Red Sands, so be careful."

Kitsuchi and Terumi Mei nodded, indicating that they understood, and then went their separate ways.

They need to find Deidara and Kimimaro first.

If the culprit is Sasori of the Red Sands, the two little guys really won't be able to escape; the skill level difference is too great.

After the two left, Uchiha Shingen patted his "guide" and asked, "Where are the Leaf Village teams mainly located now?"

If we're talking about who in Leaf Village is most likely to be chosen as a candidate for sustenance, Uchiha Shingen thinks it's Inuzuka Hana.

The Inuzuka Clan is a family of secret arts, but perhaps because their secret arts are so unique, after a long period of uninterrupted transmission, the secret arts began to affect the physiology of the Inuzuka Clan, resulting in some common characteristics.

For example, the Four Legs Technique most of the Inuzuka Clan's Genin use are based on the fact that their limbs are more agile than ordinary people, allowing them to better withstand and release Chakra, and their sense of smell is also extremely developed.

This can already be considered a special ability.

When it comes to judging the materials for Human Puppet, ability is the primary selection factor.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Pursuit of Art Has Nothing to Do with Age

Boom!

The explosion propelled sand and gravel into the air, which then fell back down.

The raindrops pattered on the ground like raindrops.

Kimimaro watched expressionlessly as Deidara took out another lump of clay from his bag.

There's a reason they're together.

"Didn't you say you could blow him up?" Kimimaro pointed at Hiruko, and gave Deidara a stern rebuke with an expression that said, "You lied again."

"If it were someone else, they would have been blown up." Deidara retorted, "If you're so good, you do it yourself."

Kimimaro glanced back at Hiruko, who was slowly inching towards the two of them.

"We can't beat him," he said honestly. "Let's keep running. We're faster than him, and if we run further away, he won't be able to find us."

"This isn't the first time you've said that..." Deidara said, but his body still started running without hesitation.

The two little ones ran far away in the blink of an eye amidst the swirling sand and dust.

Scorpion watched the two little ones' retreating figures, pondering something in his mind.

The children from Iwagakure don't seem to have any special abilities; they rely entirely on Explosive Clay. Although they're quite skilled at it, it's not very valuable as Human Puppet.

That kid from the Hidden Mist Village Shikotsumyaku is pretty awesome.

However, the Shikotsumyaku) is indeed a very powerful bloodline limit, and that child was also very well trained. His Taijutsu was Genin should be at, his reactions were very fast, and he was very good at using his abilities. With the cooperation of the Iwagakure kid, the two of them were able to stall until this point.

Of course, the main reason is that Scorpion doesn't want to ruin the materials.

He wanted to obtain complete Shikotsumyaku data.

Moreover, these two kids are really skilled at running around; it feels like they were being chased even in their mother's womb.

[It's the fourth day, that's about enough, time to speed things up.]

Scorpion thought to himself.

The Sand Village Jonin will intercept him sooner or later; after all, he's alone, and no matter how familiar he is with the area, it's only a matter of time.

Next, it will probably be the Fourth Kazekage himself.

[Oh well, if it's broken, it's broken... it's better than nothing.]

He decided to hold back no longer.

Obtain the Shikotsumyaku materials, then leave.

Hiruko's speed suddenly increased, and the previous sluggish, zombie-like feeling seemed to be just an illusion.

It stirred up even more dust, glided across the sand, and rapidly closed the distance to Kimimaro.

"He's catching up again." Deidara knew from the sound that the ugly old man had caught up again.

While running, he Hand Seals with one hand and gave a soft shout.

In an instant, a deafening explosion erupted behind us.

The blast of air pushed them from behind, and the two children skillfully used the force to propel themselves forward.

"Do you have any more clay?" Kimimaro asked.

"We're almost done. Minefields use up a lot of clay," Deidara said, not at all worried. "Don't worry, this route is correct. We're getting quite close to our destination."

"I stole the most scrolls," Kimimaro felt it necessary to remind his temporary teammate, "If the Sand Ninja ask, you'll have to admit it."

"Okay, okay." Deidara thought Kimimaro was stingy, "Miserly!"

"Snort."

Kimimaro thought to himself that he wouldn't have chosen to team up with the other party if he hadn't accidentally killed him with a bone when they first met.

This was the secret technique taught to him by the Mizukage.

If you can't kill someone, then be their friend.

Although he didn't even know what a friend was.

Anyway, it should count as ganging up on others.

"Kid, you've learned Iwagakure's Ninjutsu quite well, but unfortunately, it's no match for my art." Sasori's voice reached their ears from mid-air.

Deidara and Kimimaro, one on the left and one on the right, pounced on the food like hungry dogs, followed by several rolls.

Where they had just been, Hiruko fell like a meteor, the soft sand itself acting as an excellent buffer, catching it steadily.

However, the Chakra released by Sasori was too powerful for the two of them, and the shockwave it created was no less than a small explosion, sending them tumbling over again.

Deidara, who had rolled over twice, didn't care about any of that, because he had heard some incredible words.

With a somersault, Deidara sprang to his feet, pointed at Hiruko, and said angrily, "Please don't use the word 'art' so casually, it makes everything seem low-class!"

"Hmm?" Scorpion, who was about to make a move, sensed the child's strong will.

"A brat like you actually has an art you'd rather die for? Interesting..." Scorpion's voice deepened. "Don't say I didn't give you a chance. Tell me, what is your art?"

"Art is an Explosion!" Deidara's mouth moved faster than his brain, naturally uttering his catchphrase that he often used in front of Ōnoki. His eyes lit up when he talked about explosions.

But Scorpion was disappointed.

I thought I'd stumbled upon a rather enlightened little devil, but a little devil is still just a little devil; he lacks experience and has no idea what art is.

Ultimately, no one in this world can rival him in the halls of art.

Sure enough, only loneliness could keep him company.

"Boring. The Demolition Corps is just a bunch of barbarians. I never thought you had any understanding of art." Hiruko's tail flared up. "Art is eternal beauty. My Puppet Technique is the perfect combination of art and craftsmanship. Mortals really can't understand how magnificent my Puppet Technique is."

"Uncle, you don't understand anything! The beauty of art is the ultimate in that one moment. Only an explosion can capture these frozen moments of art!" Deidara was determined not to give up his stance on art, even though he couldn't win anyway, so he let out his soul-stirring roar.

"So that's how it is. You've gone astray. I've changed my mind. I'll preserve your consciousness so you can experience the true essence of art."

"Kill me if you want! But I will never give you my art!"

Kimimaro, who had already assumed a fighting stance, was puzzled when he saw the two, one big and one small, actually starting to chat.

What are these two saying?

What are these two doing?

The more I look at them, the more I feel like these two are in cahoots.

One by one, white bones sprouted from his body.

I see, that explains it. I'm destined to disappoint the Mizukage.

He was unwilling to accept it! The Mizukage needed him so much, yet he was to die here!

But! It is in the face of life and death that we truly put our beliefs to the end!

Kimimaro pushed off the ground and charged towards Deidara.

Deceitful people are more despicable than unknown powerful figures.