Deidara's Preparations

[Inside the Tsuchikage's Office, the atmosphere was heavier than ever.]

[Deidara stood by the window, his fingers tapping the frame unconsciously as he looked out over Battle City, the bustling metropolis he had built with his own hands.]

[Kurotsuchi pushed the door open, weariness from her travels on her face.]

["Konoha has replied," Kurotsuchi said without preamble. "The Seventh Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki, has agreed. The Five Kage Summit will be held here in Iwagakure in three days."]

["And he isn't coming alone. He's bringing his son Boruto and members of Konoha's younger generation."]

["What?!" Deidara spun around, disbelief filling his blue eyes. "Has he lost his mind?!"]

["Doesn't he know what things are like here right now?! An alien monster could land at any moment and turn this place into a scorched battlefield! Yeah!"]

[Kurotsuchi nodded gravely, her voice thick with emotion. "Of course he knows. That's precisely why he insists on bringing the next generation's key figures."]

["This is more than a summit. By risking his own safety and that of his successors, he's showing us—and the entire Shinobi World—that Konoha is determined to stand or fall with Iwagakure."]

[Deidara froze. He opened his mouth, but his throat tightened before he could speak. That blond kid who was always going on about bonds and mutual understanding had shown through his actions what it meant to be an ally, and what it meant to shoulder responsibility.]

[Hot, tangled emotions surged through his chest: shock, gratitude, and above all, the heavy weight of responsibility.]

[He fell silent for a moment. When he looked up again, resolve flashed in his eyes, and he gave Kurotsuchi an order in a low voice:]

["Pass on my orders. Activate Iwagakure's noncombatant evacuation plan immediately. Make absolutely sure we can move the elderly, women, children, and