Chapter 168 One Barrel of Chakra = One Asuma
"Of course!" At this moment, Teuchi poked his head out from the kitchen. "This is a delicious dish I created after traveling all over the ninja world and learning from everyone."
"Eh? Hokage?" Teuchi was also taken aback when he saw the person who walked into the shop. "What brings you here?"
"Of course, it's for these two brats. Give me an extra spicy bamboo shoot ramen." Uchiha Touko smiled and nodded to Teuchi. After ordering, he sat down next to the two blond-haired guys in the shop.
It has to be said that Teuchi is indeed the kind of chef with ambition. In today's rapidly developing Konoha, as a landmark food of Konoha, many businessmen have proposed to cooperate with him to expand his business and sell his ramen to the entire ninja world. However, Teuchi considered that opening up the market would affect the quality of the ramen, so he refused the proposal, even though he would lose a lot of money as a result.
Some of the businessmen, not wanting to miss such a huge opportunity, tried to use various means to force Teda to comply or obtain his formula. However, they clearly forgot one thing: Teda's backing in Konoha was probably even stronger than Gato's. After all, Gato was merely the Hokage's front man, but Teda could proudly say that this generation of Konoha ninjas grew up eating his ramen.
Those who wanted to pull some tricks had barely finished their plans when Kakashi took them to the Naka River Grand Hotel, giving them a good taste of the winter temperature of the Naka River.
"Sensei!"
"Uncle Hokage!"
The two blond-haired men greeted them. Uchiha Tokō said helplessly, "Didn't I tell you, the title 'Uncle' is unnecessary."
"Oh," Deidara replied casually.
After Uchiha Tokō finished his ramen and said goodbye to Teda, he took the two blond-haired men with him. After letting Naruto go back first, Uchiha Tokō led Deidara towards the edge of the village.
"I've already spoken with your teacher. The Tsuchikage's opinion is that you stay in Konoha as an exchange student for a while, so you can stay away from the war in the Land of Earth. He also asked me to guide your training," Uchiha Touko instructed Deidara as they walked. "
Let's put training aside for now and talk about art," Deidara said, rubbing his hands together. "After your instruction last time, I've gained some new insights into art."
"No rush, no rush," Uchiha Touko waved his hand. "Art is something you can't rush. Tomorrow I'll set aside some space for you, and you can show me what you've learned so far."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Deidara nodded eagerly, thinking to himself:
[Konoha is so much better! Those old fogies in Iwagakure would never understand my art!] After
bringing Deidara to a construction site on the edge of the village, Uchiha Tokō settled the boy in a thatched hut. This place was originally the village's ninth training ground. With the development of Konoha, the ninjas' training grounds were moved to the south of the village, and this area was planned as a future residential area. The thatched hut was originally where the ninjas rested during their training.
Uchiha Tokō naturally wouldn't arrange for the boy to live in the core area of Konoha. Otherwise, given the boy's personality, he might blow something up one day. Although he could directly seek compensation from the Tsuchikage, frequent explosions would definitely have a significant impact on Konoha's property prices. Therefore, Uchiha Tokō decisively settled the boy in this desolate wilderness, where he could blow up whatever he wanted. All that was needed was two Water Release ninjas to keep an eye on him and prevent him from setting the mountain on fire.
Of course, Uchiha Touko wouldn't say that directly to Deidara.
"Originally, I planned for you to stay with Naruto, but considering you're an artist, and artists need to be close to nature to gain inspiration, I arranged for you to stay here. I hope you don't have any objections," Uchiha Touko asked with a smile.
"This is wonderful!" Deidara looked excitedly at the surrounding green hills and waters, nodding in satisfaction. "Thank you so much, Hokage-san!"
See? He has to thank me!
"I'll send someone to take care of you. Just tell him if you need anything. Konoha treats every guest with kindness," Uchiha Touko said.
"Then tomorrow is a promise..." Deidara smiled shyly. Uchiha Touko's arrangements were so thoughtful that he felt a little embarrassed.
"I'll come pick you up myself tomorrow," Uchiha Touko said.
"It's a promise then!" Deidara said happily.
Early the next morning, Uchiha Touko went to Deidara's residence and took the boy to the area where Yamato had given him the blueprints.
Judging from the dark circles under Deidara's eyes, it was clear he hadn't slept all night from excitement.
Upon arriving at the location, Uchiha Touko couldn't help but say, "Why don't you go back and get some sleep? There's no rush to show off your art."
"No, no, no! I'm perfectly fine!" Deidara wasn't willing to wait any longer. He immediately perked up, took out a lump of clay, and chewed it. Soon, he spat out a large clump of clay, which transformed into a giant bird in front of them.
Deidara climbed onto the bird and said to Uchiha Touko, "Let's go, let's get up there."
Uchiha Touko nodded and followed him onto the bird's back. The giant bird flapped its wings and took flight.
Once in the air, Uchiha Touko understood why Yamato had been so troubled by this location.
This area, covering approximately 400,000 square meters, even with the high labor costs of digging a 200,000 square meter pit as a foundation, wasn't entirely unprofitable.
However, considering the numerous large rocks scattered throughout the area, it seemed that there was no other economical way to break them apart except by using explosive tags.
As Uchiha Touko surveyed the construction site, Deidara also began his preparations, taking out a handful of clay and chewing it continuously. Not only that, but strange mouths also sprouted from the palms of his two hands, which he also began chewing on the clay.
Then, to Uchiha Touko's astonishment, Deidara pulled out numerous metal blocks and powders sealed using various methods.
Among them were highly reactive elemental metals, such as sodium and magnesium lying quietly in two cans of kerosene sealed with sealing techniques.
Seeing this, Uchiha Touko was dumbfounded. Even he, a transmigrator, didn't know how to obtain these elemental metals, yet Deidara had managed to create them through his own research?
"This... how did you make this?" Uchiha Touko asked, pointing to a can that looked like sodium.
"You mean this?" Deidara looked in the direction Uchiha Touko was pointing and then said with a smile, "I call this Explosive Red Metal. Let me tell you, this stuff is amazing. It makes a sharp popping sound when it comes into contact with water, and the explosion is quite loud."
"I know, I'm asking how you made it. This stuff shouldn't exist in nature, right?" Uchiha Touko ignored the somewhat rustic name and asked.
"Oh, this… You use an iron crucible, fill it with caustic soda, and then continuously heat it with high-intensity fire-style techniques to get a little of this metal," Deidara said. "Making this is quite laborious. There are only a few ninjas in Iwagakure who can raise the temperature of fire-style techniques to the required level, and it's very expensive to ask them for help. This one can of metal cost me almost half a year's allowance. It should be cheaper to make this in Konoha, right?"
Uchiha Touko: …
This kid seems to be more than just an explosion genius. Although his purpose in making this thing was for explosion, the fact that he could figure out how to make sodium elemental in the ninja world, where most people are semi-illiterate, is truly astonishing.
"Alright, preparations complete!" Deidara said enthusiastically, then smashed the glass jars and containers holding various metals. Clumps of clay surged up as the containers shattered, enveloping and consuming the metals. The surface of the clay clumps shimmered with various brilliant colors, sparkling in the sunlight.
Then, Deidara roared, "Explosion Release: Hundred Flowers Blooming Technique!" As
soon as Deidara finished speaking, a lump of processed clay beside him instantly transformed into a giant bird, flying towards the ground. Two seconds later, a massive explosion resounded through the sky, a huge mushroom cloud rising from the open space, sending debris and dirt flying everywhere.
However, what shocked Uchiha Touko even more was yet to come. He keenly sensed a fluctuation of space-time ninjutsu emanating from the center of the explosion. Then, the two pieces of clay mixed with metal floating beside Deidara vanished instantly, followed by two more booming sounds, and simultaneously, mushroom clouds bursting forth with blinding two-colored light.
Then, the space-time fluctuation returned, and this time four more pieces of clay beside Deidara disappeared. The next instant, another explosion followed, and four-colored mushroom clouds rose again beside the two-colored mushroom clouds that had just slightly disappeared.
Soon, eight more pieces of clay vanished beside Deidara, and eight more mushroom clouds of different colors exploded below.
"Holy crap! Mutual Explosive Tags?" Uchiha Touko stared in astonishment at Deidara's technique. The principle behind it was remarkably similar to the Mutual Explosive Tags technique developed by the inherently evil Senju Touko. Both used chakra generated during the explosion to trigger a pre-set summoning jutsu, summoning double the explosives to the center of the explosion, creating wave after wave of effects.
However, while the principle was similar, the spectacle Deidara created was far more dazzling than the Mutual Explosive Tags. In broad daylight, it looked like fireworks. From Uchiha Touko's perspective, the mushroom cloud formed by the explosion below resembled a gradually blooming colorful flower.
Meanwhile, Deidara, controlling the ninjutsu, was drenched in sweat. It was clear that this ninjutsu was incredibly taxing on him, and his chakra was nearing its limit.
"Uncle Hokage, lend a hand! Use a Water Release technique downwards! I'm running out of chakra!" Deidara, still sweating profusely, said to Uchiha Touko while maintaining the ninjutsu.
At this moment, Uchiha Touko understood Deidara's plan. After forming hand seals, he used Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique.
A massive water curtain appeared out of thin air, then was blasted into mist by the impact of the explosion!
"Now for the final blow!" Deidara shouted, and the remaining clay around him, fused with the highly reactive metals, transformed into birds and soared towards the water curtain in mid-air.
Then came the classic Floating Melt, Roaring Crimson, accompanied by a sharp explosion, the final wave of explosions.
Deidara was now completely drained of his chakra, and even the clay bird beneath his feet could no longer be maintained. After the bird dissipated, the two of them fell downwards together. Although they were hundreds of meters in the air, Deidara stared intently at the commotion he had created, a satisfied smile on his face.
Uchiha Touko shook his head helplessly, then activated his Mangekyou Sharingan. A giant Susanoo appeared out of thin air, enveloping the two of them, and they were once again suspended in the sky.
Most people would marvel at the power of Susanoo upon witnessing such a scene, but was Deidara an ordinary person? His gaze remained fixed on the mushroom cloud he had created, resembling a blooming flower, a satisfied expression on his face.
Even Uchiha Touko, standing beside Deidara, couldn't help but admire the boy's mastery of explosions. This ninjutsu, if ranked by ninjutsu levels, would undoubtedly be an S-rank technique. Considering its danger to the user, this technique would likely have been confined to the Scroll of Seals after its creation. Yet, this level of ninjutsu was created by a ten-year-old boy.
As the mushroom cloud slowly dissipated, the two landed safely, leaving behind a massive crater thousands of meters in diameter and tens of meters deep.
Although it was still far from the required size, if this commotion were to be caused using explosive tags, even with the Multiplicative Explosive Tags Technique, it would require nearly ten thousand tags. At the price Konoha sold to Takigakure for 3500 tags per tag, it could be said that one of Deidara's chakra bars was equivalent to one Asuma.
"How about it? My latest research results!" Although his stamina was completely drained, Deidara still raised his head, looking proudly at Uchiha Touko.
"Not bad! In this art, you've begun to forge your own path. Here, have some soldier pills to recover your chakra." Uchiha Touko smiled kindly, then handed over a few soldier pills. This wasn't just an explosive genius; this was practically a money-printing machine!
While Deidara was recovering his chakra, Uchiha Touko surveyed the deep crater before him, calculating the difference in area compared to what Yamato would need for a foundation. After a while, he spoke to him again, "However, don't you think your art just now was a bit too superficial? The explosion was dazzling, but I feel that dazzling colors alone are not enough to touch the highest realm of art."
"That makes sense!" After recovering some chakra, Deidara sprang to his feet. Uchiha Touko's words had sparked new thoughts in him.
(End of Chapter)