Looking at that Mangekyō Sharingan, Deidara's pupils suddenly shrank.
His whole body froze.
As if someone had cast a paralysis jutsu on him, he stood there without moving.
Only his lips trembled slightly.
A rough, choking sound came from his throat, as if he could barely breathe.
"Th-This is…"
His voice sounded dry, like his mouth was full of sand.
He reached out, wanting to touch the petri dish.
But his fingers stopped halfway.
As if he were afraid he might shatter it.
Teizawa twirled the petri dish between his fingers, as casually as if he were playing with an interesting toy.
"A Mangekyō Sharingan."
His voice was light, as casual as if he were commenting on the weather. "The same eyes as Itachi."
Deidara's breathing grew ragged.
The same eyes as that bastard.
If he could understand the secret of this eye, wouldn't he have a way to deal with Itachi?
"Didn't you want to know the secret of the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Teizawa tucked the petri dish back into his clothes and patted his lapel.
"This is the answer."
Deidara's eyes followed the petri dish.
Only after it disappeared into Teizawa's clothes did he abruptly snap back to himself.
"You… where did you get that?"
"Secret."
Teizawa gave him the same two words.
The corner of Deidara's mouth twitched.
He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
But his heart was still pounding like a drum.
He stared at Teizawa.
Complex light churned in those blue eyes…
Desire. Fear.
And another kind of fear he could not quite define.
"What do you want me to do?"
His voice dropped very low, so low it sounded squeezed out from the depths of his throat.
Teizawa leaned against the earthen wall, his hands tucked into his sleeves.
His gaze fell on the demolition unit still training below.
"I want you to help me do something." He paused. "Do it well, and you'll understand the secret in that eye."
Deidara's eyes lit up for an instant, then quickly dimmed again.
"What is it?"
"I want you to help me blow up a place."
"What place?"
Teizawa turned to look at him, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Amegakure."
Deidara froze.
Amegakure?
That village where rain fell year-round, that isolated place cut off from the world.
Akatsuki's headquarters?
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind…
Pain. Konan…
And those terrifying Rinnegan.
A chill crept up his back.
But the temptation of that Mangekyō Sharingan was too great.
So great that he could not bring himself to refuse.
"Are you insane?" His voice sounded a little unsteady. "That's Akatsuki territory."
"I know."
Teizawa's tone was as calm as if he were saying, "I know the weather is nice today."
"They have Pain. They have the Rinnegan…"
Deidara's voice rose several pitches. "You're telling me to blow that place up? Isn't that just asking me to die?"
Teizawa looked at him. There was no emotion in those deep eyes.
Only a faint, condescending certainty.
"I didn't tell you to go now. When the time is right, I'll tell you."
Deidara fell silent.
He was weighing it. Calculating.
Trying to decide whether this was worth doing.
One Mangekyō Sharingan, in exchange for a suicide mission…
It did not sound like a fair trade.
Teizawa could see Deidara's struggle.
In those blue eyes, desire and fear clashed fiercely.
Like two surging tides hammering at the dam called reason.
Pain's shadow over him was too deep.
Deep enough that even the temptation of the Mangekyō Sharingan could not make him decide.
Teizawa kept his hands inside his sleeves.
His gaze drifted toward the training ground in the distance.
The young Suna shinobi were still circling through the air.
Bombs dropped to the ground, bursting into blossoms of orange-red flame.
He was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke.
"Deidara, what do you think of your art?"
Deidara paused.
He clearly had not expected Teizawa to ask that out of nowhere.
He snorted coldly. His long blond hair drifted in the wind, and his chin lifted slightly, arrogance written all over his face.
"My art is the greatest art in the entire shinobi world."
"Heh."
Teizawa laughed. The sound was light, but it fell over Deidara like a bucket of ice water.
"In my eyes, your art is garbage."
Deidara's eyes suddenly widened.
"You… say that again!"
His voice shot up several pitches, and his fists clenched.
"Your explosions…"
Teizawa turned to him and said each word clearly.
"In my eyes, they're child's play."
Deidara's expression changed.
From white to red, from red to blue, from blue to purple.
As if someone had knocked over a paint palette.
The corner of his mouth twitched. Veins bulged on his forehead.
His whole body was like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
"You…"
He charged straight at Teizawa.
But before he could get close, an invisible force sent him flying.
Boom.
Deidara slammed heavily into the ground.
He smashed out a shallow crater.
Broken stones scattered, and dust billowed into the air.
Before he could climb back up, that force pressed down again.
Like an invisible mountain.
It pinned him to the ground and left him unable to move.
It was Magnet Release.
Teizawa walked up to him, crouched, and looked down at him.
"Have you ever seen an Explosion Release capable of destroying an entire city in one blow?"
Deidara froze.
His pupils suddenly shrank, and his breathing quickened.
Destroying an entire city in one blow?
He had to admit it.
He could not do that.
No matter how powerful his clay bombs were, they could not blow up a whole city.
Not even close.
But if that were truly possible…
That would be real art!
His eyes lit up.
Like two stars catching fire, shining with fanaticism and longing.
"For example…"
Teizawa's voice was unhurried, as if he were stating a simple fact.
"You toss it out casually, and boom… Iwagakure is gone."
"Pfft, pfft, pfft…"
Deidara muttered in dissatisfaction, "That's just because you have ridiculous chakra reserves!"
There was a hint of protest in his tone.
But his eyes were still frighteningly bright.
He asked curiously, "You've seen it?"
Teizawa nodded.
"I have. One shot is enough to destroy heaven and earth. For dozens of miles around, not a blade of grass survives. Even the air carries the stench of death."
Of course, what he was talking about was not Explosion Release.
It was a nuclear bomb.
In his previous life, he had seen photos and videos of nuclear detonations.
The mushroom cloud blotting out the sky.
The high temperature and shock wave that destroyed everything.
The radiation that could leave the earth barren for decades…
In a certain sense, he was not lying.
Deidara's breathing grew ragged.
The image appeared in his mind…
A massive mushroom cloud rising into the sky. Firelight devouring everything. The earth trembling. The sky burning.
That was art!
That was true explosive art!
He swallowed, his voice dry as sand.
"You… can you help me complete that kind of art?"
Teizawa stood up and withdrew his Magnet Release.
"I'll help you complete that kind of art. From now on…"
He looked down at Deidara.
"Wherever I tell you to blow up, you blow it up."
"Deal!"
Deidara sprang up from the ground.
Without even bothering to dust himself off, he grabbed Teizawa's sleeve. His eyes shone like two stars.
"Hurry up and tell me… how do we do it?"
The corners of Teizawa's mouth lifted slightly.
Hooked.
He patted Deidara on the shoulder.
"Don't rush. One step at a time. First, train your current demolition unit properly."
"When the time is right, I'll tell you."
Deidara let go.
Though he was impatient, he still nodded.
"Fine. I'll wait."
Teizawa said nothing more and turned to leave.
His dark-gold robe gleamed faintly beneath the sunlight. His steps were unhurried as he gradually walked away.
Deidara stood where he was, watching his back.
His fists clenched.
His heart pounded like a drum.
An Explosion Release capable of destroying an entire city in one blow…
That was true art!
He took a deep breath, turned around, and ran toward the demolition unit still training below.
"Keep going…"
His voice echoed over the training ground, carrying excitement he could no longer suppress.
"Blast it harder! Anyone who slacks off is dead!"
The young Suna shinobi answered in unison.
Clay birds circled through the air.
Bombs fell to the ground, bursting into blossoms of orange-red flame.
Deidara stood atop the earthen wall, watching the sky dyed red by firelight. A smile rose on his lips.
True art.
He would create it with his own hands.
(End of Chapter)
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