Naruto: Deidara’s Struggle

"How could this happen?"

Tsukigetsu Rin collapsed onto the ground, utterly shaken. She had never considered these issues before, instinctively believing that her village represented justice and righteousness. Yet now, the harsh truth had shattered her worldview.

Deidara felt as though he had captured a bit of Orochimaru's essence at this moment. Extending his hand with a polite gesture, he said, "It is precisely because we've seen the cruel reality of the shinobi world that our organization seeks to create true peace."

"Come, join us."

"For the future of the shinobi world! For peace in the shinobi world!"

Rin grasped Deidara's outstretched hand, standing up in a daze, her mind still reeling from the overwhelming shock.

"Peace? How should it be achieved?" she asked, her voice filled with confusion, as if her soul had been lost.

"Rin! Don't trust him!"

"The truth of the matter must be pursued by ourselves!" Hyuga Kanade, still bound on the ground, shouted.

As a member of the Hyuga branch family, Kanade had witnessed much of the world's cruelty since childhood. Compared to Rin's naïve nature, he had been exposed to far more of the dark side, making his beliefs harder to destroy.

Not to mention the internal dynamics of the Hyuga Clan—the Main Family's oppressive rule over the Branch Family was far more brutal than outsiders could imagine.

"A branch family ninja like you dares to claim the Will of Fire?" Deidara mocked, his words cutting deeply.

"I may be a branch family ninja, but I am also a Konoha ninja. Why wouldn't I have the Will of Fire?" Kanade retorted.

"If Konoha truly valued the members of the Hyuga branch family, why would they tolerate the Main Family's cruel treatment of you?"

"Who could accept their comrades being someone else's slaves?"

"If they can, it means they never considered you their comrades in the first place."

Kanade fell silent, unable to respond.

He recalled the oppression of the Main Family, their cruelty, and the dreadful curse mark known as the Caged Bird Seal.

"Listen to the name—Caged Bird. How ironic is that?"

"They didn't even bother to disguise the meaning with another term. It's pure disdain, a humiliation that strikes at the very soul!"

"You—don't you want to resist the Main Family?"

The atmosphere grew heavy with silence. After a long pause, Kanade spoke again, his tone once again calm and composed.

"Your words sound convincing, but why should I believe your organization has the strength to achieve this?"

"You yourself admitted earlier that while you may be S-rank rogue ninja, you're still far inferior to the power of a major ninja village."

Deidara smiled faintly, knowing he had successfully swayed the Hyuga branch family ninja.

"I'll take you to meet our leader. Once you see him, you won't have any doubts left."

"As for you," Deidara said, pointing at Tsukigetsu Rin.

"For now, heal these injured civilians. Consider it a way to atone for your sins."

"And after I heal them?" Rin asked, her voice hollow.

"Return to Konoha and perform well. Someday, we'll find you again and give you a new purpose, granting you the power to pursue peace alongside us," Deidara said, his tone persuasive.

"Understood!" Rin placed her hands over her abdomen and bowed deeply, her demeanor entirely changed. She was no longer the same Tsukigetsu Rin.

"Alright, there's no need to use Memory-Concealing Manipulating Sand on either of you. After all, you're like-minded allies now."

"No one would do such a thing to their comrades, right?"

After resting for a day to allow Deidara to recover from his injuries, he and Sasori left Matsusaka City. With the threat from Zoe resolved, there was no need for them to remain stationed there.

Oh, and of course, they brought Hyuga Kanade along.

They were heading to a secret base in the Land of Rivers to introduce Kanade to Nagato.

The base was located near a small river, with a cliff on the opposite side. Does this seem familiar?

It was likely the same location where the One-Tail was sealed in the original series.

When Nagato received Deidara's transmission, he was momentarily surprised. After half a month without Deidara bothering him, he had almost grown unaccustomed to the peace.

This brat always brought people back to the organization whenever he returned. The first time, it was the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki; the second time, it was Karin; the third time, it was members of the Xuanyuan Group; and now, it was a Hyuga branch family member. Why was he always giving Nagato more work?

Buzz!

The massive boulder blocking the cave entrance shifted upward, revealing the interior. Kanade followed Deidara and Sasori inside, his expression quickly transforming into one of classic shock.

"The Rinnegan!"

"This is our leader, Pain," Deidara introduced.

"So, do you still think we can't defeat Konoha?"

Kanade's resolve solidified as he stared at the Rinnegan. Seeing it erased all his doubts, and he became determined to seize this opportunity to liberate the branch family from the Main Family's oppression!

"Deidara, you've done well," Nagato praised.

Deidara smirked. "What's the point of doing well? I still don't get paid!"

Nagato: "…"

Seriously, why was this kid so fixated on his paycheck? Everyone here was an S-rank ninja—why were material possessions still a concern?

"You've worked hard," Pain said through his Deva Path.

"I'll be holding the next Akatsuki Meeting tomorrow. You can rest until then."

Indeed, they needed some rest. Deidara chewed up some clay to create a bed and lay down on it. Surprisingly, it was soft and comfortable—no worse than a luxury mattress.

Right!

He hadn't had a chance to check the system after the last battle.

Strongest Artist System

Host: Deidara

Shock Value: 2700/10000

Skill Points: 1

Unlocked Skills: Explosion Mastery Level 1, C2 Enhanced Great Dragon, Improved Clay, Chakra Enhancement, Lightning-Resistant Clay, Ultra-High Temperature, Morphology Optimization, Ninjutsu Enhancement, Insect Form Mastery

Aside from the skill point he had spent during the battle, he had leveled up once more and still had one skill point remaining.

Deidara looked at the Skill Tree and identified four skills he was most eager to unlock.

Pyrotechnics: Explosion Mastery Level 2 (Requires Shibuki)

Pyrotechnics was undoubtedly the core of Deidara's art. When in doubt, add explosions—it never fails. However, unlocking it required sacrificing the sword Shibuki, which was located in the Mist Village and wouldn't be easy to obtain.

Morphology: Insect Form Activation (Requires Aburame Clan's Secret Technique)

Morphology was becoming increasingly important to Deidara. As he unlocked more skills within this category, he realized the benefits were beyond imagination. Once the Insect Form Activation skill was unlocked, the clay insects he created would gain autonomous movement—a highly tempting prospect.

However, unlocking it required the Aburame Clan's secret technique. Thinking back to the dead Aburame ninja he had encountered earlier, Deidara felt it was a major loss. If he had known, he would've taken the secret technique at all costs.

Material Science: Advanced Clay (Requires 100 Research Points)

This one was self-explanatory. Deidara's need for Advanced Clay wasn't particularly urgent, so he could put it on hold for now.

Ninja Arts: Clayification (Requires Hōzuki Clan and Paper Release bloodlines)

This was another god-tier skill. If his body could undergo Clayification, he wouldn't be so vulnerable in close combat or surprise attacks—a critical shortcoming he needed to address.

After reviewing the options, Deidara realized that every skill required additional conditions to unlock. For now, he decided to save his skill points.

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