Ōnoki stared at the future unfolding across the sky, a future created by his most rebellious and unpredictable disciple.
In an almost absurd way, the scenes before him showed him a path he had never imagined.
"Use art as a calling card and an attraction?" Ōnoki murmured, a glint flashing through his cloudy eyes.
He understood now. That brat Deidara had turned the entire Hidden Stone Village into one enormous art-themed destination and place of pilgrimage!
The statues, the museum, the art center, and that slogan known throughout the Shinobi World were all remarkably effective publicity.
Tourists from across the world would be drawn by this distinctive art culture. They would come to visit, spend money, settle down, and invest, bringing wealth and resources that would grow like a rolling snowball.
Ninja might no longer have to depend entirely on dangerous mission fees. They could work as guards or guides, or even help run and maintain the City of Art, earning a steadier, safer income.
As infuriating as Deidara's methods were, the brat really had breathed life into the village.
A complicated feeling spread through Ōnoki, mingling resignation with a faint sense of pride.
Behind Deidara's apparent fooling around, he could almost see the courage and ingenuity to break with tradition and forge a different path.
It was a model of development that Ōnoki, an old-school ninja, could never have conceived of, much less brought about.
Ōnoki slowly let out a long breath. The hands clasped behind his back tightened, then gradually relaxed.
Deidara's vanity still left him speechless. But as he looked up at that vibrant, bustling city of the future, the corners of his stern mouth lifted ever so slightly.
"Ah, well. If that really is the future..." He turned away from the Canopy Screen and muttered, "At