Naruto: Deidara’s Struggle

"Konan, you shouldn't have done that!" Nagato was still visibly upset after Obito left.

Konan, however, showed no fear toward Nagato's attitude. After all, they were comrades who had shared life and death together.

"Nagato, I will personally remind Deidara and Sasori to be cautious. You don't need to worry."

"I'm sure they'll understand in the future." Konan didn't say much—not because she couldn't, but because she knew Nagato too well.

She only needed a few words to strike directly at Nagato's heart.

Just like this time, Nagato wasn't blind to the fact that Obito had some unspeakable secrets in Kirigakure. But his pride wouldn't allow him to achieve his goals by betraying his subordinates.

Seeing Nagato fall silent, Konan didn't linger. Cracks began to appear all over her body, and she transformed into countless sheets of paper that flew into the air, heading toward the Land of Rivers.

Meanwhile, in the secret base in the Land of Rivers, Deidara and Sasori weren't in a rush to depart. They had already learned from Nagato that Kisame and Itachi would be accompanying them on this mission.

The rendezvous was set for seven days later in the Land of Waves. The extended preparation time was meant to allow the four shinobi heading to Kirigakure to make adequate preparations.

After all, Kirigakure was one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, and they couldn't afford to be careless.

While Deidara believed that the four of them together could likely flatten the current Kirigakure, the reality was that Kisame and Itachi were not allies but obstacles.

Under these circumstances, they had to prepare thoroughly. After all, there was a chance they might end up fighting Kisame and Itachi. In the worst-case scenario, they might even face an ambush from Obito and Zetsu.

Buzz!

The massive boulder sealing the cave entrance began to shift upward. Konan, with her signature bun hairstyle and icy demeanor, stepped inside.

"Sister Konan, what brings you here?" Deidara asked, his voice muffled as he chewed on a large chunk of clay.

Damn it, why could the mouths on his hands chew clay, eat food, and drink water, but not talk?

"This time, you need to be cautious of Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha," Konan said directly, skipping any pleasantries.

Sasori paused. He had already sensed that something was off about this mission, but he didn't know the specifics. After all, he wasn't a time traveler privy to the plot.

Now that even Konan had come personally to warn them, could it be that Kisame and Itachi were planning to defect?

"They're not defecting. Kisame Hoshigaki was never truly one of us to begin with."

"As for Itachi Uchiha, he's a spy from Konoha. His relationship with the organization has always been one of mutual exploitation," Konan explained.

Not one of us? Sasori couldn't help but recall the mysterious figure they had encountered off the coast of the Land of Lightning.

"Is it Uchiha Madara?" Sasori asked.

For the first time, Konan's expression showed a hint of emotion. She frowned slightly and looked at Deidara and Sasori, her lips parting slightly: "He's approached you before?"

"Ah! Yeah!" Deidara replied, his voice still muffled, a bit of saliva escaping from the corner of his mouth.

"He called himself Uchiha Madara and claimed to have co-founded the Akatsuki with Leader Pain. He even tried to recruit us."

"The Akatsuki was founded by me and Pain. He's just an outsider," Konan said, her expression darkening.

"This is troublesome. Doesn't the Leader plan to have an open discussion with everyone?"

"To achieve such an ambitious goal as world domination, yet not trust his own subordinates—although everyone here is strong, without unity, such a goal might still be out of reach," Deidara said, steering the conversation.

He understood the truth and supported Nagato, but that didn't mean the rest of the Akatsuki felt the same way.

He hoped Nagato would be more transparent about their objectives, to openly rally those who could be united and work together toward their goal.

Instead of following the original timeline, where one member after another was sacrificed, leaving a strong hand of cards squandered to nothing.

"Indeed," Sasori agreed.

Konan pondered for a moment and nodded. "I'll discuss this with Pain. By the time you return from Kirigakure, there should be a resolution."

She supported Deidara's idea as well; it was just a matter of how to convince Nagato.

"Oh, by the way, Sister Konan."

"Can you give me a piece of your paper?" Deidara suddenly remembered the matter of unlocking his skills. With the wielder of the Paper Release bloodline standing right in front of him, he naturally wanted to collect it as soon as possible.

"Paper?" Konan was a bit puzzled. She pinched her thumb and forefinger together, and a plain white sheet of paper materialized between them.

Deidara took it and examined it. No, this wouldn't work—it was a piece of paper created by Konan's ability, and he couldn't extract the Paper Release bloodline from it.

"No! Not like this!"

"I want a piece of paper from your body," Deidara said.

"My body?" Konan seemed to think of something, and her expression suddenly darkened.

"Whoa! Sister Konan, don't take it the wrong way!" Deidara yelled as he quickly mounted his Clay Bird and flew out of the cave. Behind him, countless explosive tags pursued relentlessly, detonating ceaselessly as if she wouldn't stop until she blew him to pieces.

On the ground, Sasori, controlling Hiruko, was also fleeing at full speed. He glanced at Deidara in the sky and roared, "Deidara!"

"You bastard! Stop saying such nonsense!"

Deidara glanced back at the endless stream of white paper, interspersed with explosive tags, chasing after him.

"What nonsense? I just wanted a piece of paper from Sister Konan's body!"

"And besides, Sister Konan really understands art!"

The two were forced to depart early, arriving in the Land of Waves three days later.

The Land of Waves was a small, impoverished nation dominated by the shipping tycoon Gato. Even the daimyo of the Land of Waves was merely a puppet, surviving on Gato's scraps.

"Brother Sasori, let's rest here for now," Deidara suggested as the two wandered around what could barely be called a town. It was more like a large market—run-down and desolate. The only inn in sight looked as if it might collapse at any moment.

When they entered, the furniture and facilities were all extremely old, and the floorboards creaked loudly. Deidara glanced at Sasori, concerned that Hiruko's heavy weight might break through the floor.

The innkeeper, an elderly woman, seemed to notice the unusual weight of the strange, crawling guest. But seeing their menacing rogue ninja appearance, her face filled with nervous fear, she dared not say a word.

"I'll use chakra to distribute the weight. I won't damage the floor," Sasori sighed, his tone tinged with helplessness.

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