Art is an Explosion

Dave followed close behind the Shinobi. Judging by the direction they were heading, they were from the Land of Lightning—four of them in total.

"All right, we've run far enough. Nobody should have spotted us. Hmph, that Hokage and Madara Uchiha have been having dance battles in the village every day lately. They're beyond saving," the lead Shinobi said disdainfully.

"Who knew Konoha's defenses were so pathetic? Even four Genin like us could get in and out safely." One of the nameless Shinobi laughed.

"Don't get too excited. Konoha is still the strongest of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, and Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha are still there. We're just a few Genin, and those two have been having dance battles every day this past month. Even if their Shinobi sensed us, they wouldn't think anything of it," another nameless Shinobi said.

"All right, let's rest. We've already run so far, and we're almost out of Carat. Let's take a break and recover. Honestly, what was the village thinking, sending a few Genin like us? Still, we made it out safely. We need to get these phones back as soon as possible. The existence of these things puts our Land of Lightning at too much of a disadvantage," the third nameless Shinobi said.

So they took phones? Whew, good thing I caught them early. These things were bound to spread sooner or later, but it's far too soon right now. Following behind them, Dave felt fortunate as he listened to their conversation.

"Gentlemen, you took something from our Konoha, and now you're just strolling away with it? That's not very nice, is it?" Knowing they were only Genin gave Dave confidence. After running so far, they probably didn't have much Carat left, either. He should be able to put up a fight.

"Who's there? Oh? A little brat? Interesting. You spotted us, yet you dared to chase after us alone?" Hearing Dave's voice, the lead Shinobi whipped around to look at him.

When he realized Dave was only a five- or six-year-old brat, he let out a huge sigh of relief. They were only Genin. If their opponent had been a Chunin or even a Jonin, none of them would have gotten away.

"Now, now, mister, don't be so sure of yourself. Look at you, already that old and still a Genin. Aren't you embarrassed?" Dave stood on a tree branch and smiled. Then he jumped down and landed in front of the four of them.

"Sharp-tongued little brat. Since you followed us here, we can't let you leave alive." The lead Shinobi sneered and hurled the kunai in his hand at him.

The sudden throw seemed to serve as a signal. The other three immediately charged after it.

"Mister, have you ever played tower defense?" Watching the kunai fly toward him, Dave showed no sign of panic. Instead, he smiled calmly and asked the question.

"Wood Release: Wall-nut Four Walls!" Dave clapped his hands together. Four Wall-nuts suddenly appeared around him, enclosing him in the center like a fortress.

The Wall-nut blinked adorably as he watched the incoming kunai strike his body. He was completely unharmed; the kunai simply fell—Luo—to the ground.

"Die, brat!" The three men charging behind the kunai reached him, each slashing at one of the three Wall-nuts surrounding Dave with a kunai.

"Fools." Dave smiled disdainfully.

All three caught the look in Dave's eyes, which only fueled their anger. They put even more strength into their blows as they slashed at the Wall-nuts.

The scene they had imagined—the Wall-nuts splitting apart and Dave's head being severed—never happened. Instead, the three failed to inflict even the slightest damage on the Wall-nuts.

"Wood Release: Chomper!" A purple plant two or three meters tall erupted from the ground. With his hideous mouth open, he snapped his sharp fangs at one of the Shinobi.

"Ah!! Help me! Help me! Aaaah!!!!" At the sight of the enormous Chomper, two of them hurriedly retreated. The Shinobi closest to him froze in terror. Chomper gave him no time to react, biting down on him and dragging him into his huge mouth to chew.

At first, cries for help still came from inside Chomper's mouth. Moments later, they fell silent. All that remained was the sound of Chomper crunching bones and two trickles of blood slowly running from the corners of his mouth...

"Urgh!" Dave's face turned deathly pale, and he nearly threw up. This was his first time killing someone. Though he hadn't done it with his own hands, the sight of blood all over the ground still unsettled him.

"Wood Release... this brat!! Retreat!!!" The lead Shinobi finally understood why this brat had dared to chase them alone. Wood Release. Remembering his comrade's gruesome death, he knew they stood no chance. With their pitiful Genin skills, they couldn't possibly win.

What the fuck? Where did this damn brat come from, and how does he know Wood Release? Just my fucking luck!

The other two initially stood frozen, staring at the chewing Chomper and the blood covering the ground. Then their captain's words snapped them out of it, and they hurried after him to flee.

"Retreat? Fuck, I even puked up the food Tsukimi fed me today, and now you want to retreat? You think I'll let you?"

"Wood Release: Jalapeno!!!"

Back in Konoha.

"Clan Head! Clan Head!! Something terrible's happened!!" Tsukimi had reached the place where Madara and Hashirama were having their dance battle. She squeezed through the crowd and hurried to Madara's side, shouting.

"Hm? What is it, Tsukimi?" Madara had been dancing with great enthusiasm when someone suddenly interrupted him. He was rather annoyed, but when he saw that it was little Tsukimi, his expression softened slightly.

"Dave... Dave, he..." Tsukimi then explained what had happened to Dave.

"...Which way did they go?" After listening, Madara Uchiha froze for a moment, then asked with a calm expression.

Yet the calmer he appeared, the more clearly Tsukimi could sense the towering fury hidden in his voice.

"That way." Tsukimi pointed in the direction Dave had gone.

Without another word, Madara used the Body Flicker Technique and rushed off in that direction.

"Tsukimi? What happened? Why did Madara leave?" Seeing his best buddy suddenly depart, Hashirama walked over from the other side in confusion.

"Uncle Hashirama, Dave..." Tsukimi explained the situation to Hashirama as well.

"Damn it! Everyone! That's all for today's dance party! Please head home!" Hashirama cursed, then hurriedly addressed the Villagers around him.

The villagers had no complaints. Apparently, something had happened. Hadn't they just seen the Uchiha Clan Head leave without a word?

Back with Dave.

A fiery red pepper burst out of the soil in front of Dave. One of his eyes was large and the other small, making him look utterly arrogant.

"Art is... an explosion!!!" Dave roared.

Jalapeno's body suddenly began to swell.

Then he exploded, sending an enormous blaze spreading out in Tael directions.

"No! No! No!!" The fleeing ninjas had barely taken Tael steps before they felt the scorching heat behind them and screamed in panic.