Ninja World: I, Kisame Hoshigaki, am no longer human!

This is Deidara's special talent.

“Brother Deidara, you think too badly of the Tsuchikage. He just wants you to calm down here. As long as you promise not to cause trouble in the village again, you can go back anytime.”

"That's what Hongtu said in his simple and honest voice."

"Humph."

Upon hearing this, Deidara snorted unhappily, turned his head to the side, and said somewhat impatiently, "Just say what you want to say quickly, don't disturb my art research, you're almost ruining my inspiration."

"Art? Sculpting these ugly spiders out of clay and then throwing them around to explode is Deidara's art? Who would approve of such art?" Kurotsuchi frowned and questioned.

"Hahaha, you don't understand, Black Soil."

Deidara laughed, put his hands on his hips, and said arrogantly, "True art is not understood by the ignorant masses. How could you two brats possibly understand my art?"

Heitu was still unconvinced. His eyes darted around, and he continued to ask, "Then let me ask you again, can your art put food on the table? You live alone in this temple, how do you make a living? With these exploding spiders?"

She thought this question would stump Deidara, but to her surprise, he answered without hesitation:

"Of course. Don't forget, your senior brother is a genius ninja. I can take on some missions outside, such as assassinations and destroying buildings, which can be easily accomplished using the art of explosions. Supporting myself will be a piece of cake then."

As a result, no sooner had he finished speaking confidently than his stomach betrayed him and started growling.

"I'm so hungry."

Deidara then realized that he had entered a state of flow due to his excessive immersion in art studies, causing him to completely lose track of time. Now, thinking back, he realized he hadn't eaten for almost a whole day, so he immediately felt dizzy.

With a thud, he fell to the ground, on the verge of fainting from hunger.

"They're starving to death and still being stubborn."

Heitu shook her head. Although she was sharp-tongued, she felt sorry for her senior brother. She glanced at Hongtu, who put down the food box in his hand and took out a steaming bowl of bibimbap and meatball soup.

"Eat up, we brought this especially for you. After all, you're our big brother." Kurotsuchi said, arms crossed, looking down at the dejected Deidara.

Upon smelling the aroma of the food, Deidara's eyes lit up. At this moment, he no longer cared about saving face and immediately swallowed hard, wishing he could pounce on the food box and devour it all.

But the next second, after seeing the food the two had brought, he suddenly frowned and complained to Hei Tu:

"Why is it bibimbap? I hate bibimbap the most; it's the worst food in the world. Are you doing this on purpose?"

“You’re already lucky to have anything to eat, and you’re still being picky. You should know that Hongtu and I went hungry and used our saved allowance to buy you this food. Saying things like that really makes us feel bad for you.”

Kurotsuchi rolled her eyes, growing increasingly dissatisfied with Deidara.

"Then you can take it, I don't want it."

Deidara, suppressing his hunger, plopped down again and said resolutely, "I, Deidara, would rather starve to death than eat a single bite of bibimbap!"

"Fine, don't eat it then!"

Black Soil finally lost her temper and shouted. However, she didn't actually take the food; instead, she left the food box behind and then angrily dragged the good-natured Red Soil away.

"Gurgle..."

Deidara watched the two figures disappear into the distance, and only after they were completely gone did his stomach start growling again.

His eyes were fixed on the bibimbap, and finally, hunger overcame everything. He picked it up and wolfed it down, devouring it in no time.

"It's delicious."

Deidara finished his bibimbap in no time, not leaving a single grain, and then drank all the meatball soup. He said something with a hint of lingering satisfaction.

He touched his still-shriveled belly, estimating that he had only eaten about half full, far from enough.

"Sigh, there's nothing we can do."

Deidara sighed, stood up helplessly, and prepared to go to the surrounding towns to see if he could get any commissions or quests so he could earn some money to fill his stomach first.

Great artists often have a period of hardship in their lives and have to compromise with life to some extent.

There's no other way; we need to make a living.

However, just as Deidara finished packing all his belongings (which was actually just a cloth bag) and was about to leave, he suddenly noticed that someone had appeared by the roadside.

The man stood with his arms crossed, leaning against a large tree, looking this way with a faint smile on his lips.

"who are you?"

Deidara asked warily while hiding his hands behind his back, chewing on clay in his palms as he began to make a bomb.

The stranger in front of him appeared nearby silently, without him noticing.

"Don't be nervous, kid. I mean you no harm. You should understand that if I had attacked you earlier, you wouldn't be standing here talking to me right now."

As Kisame spoke, he walked towards Deidara and teased, "By the way, I heard everything you just said. You said you'd rather starve than eat a single bite of bibimbap, but you seemed to be enjoying it very much."

Upon hearing this, Deidara realized that his embarrassment had been noticed by the other party, and his face flushed red. After a long while, he managed to stammer out, "...Mind your own business."

"Heh. Enough with the nonsense. I came to Iwagakure this time because of you, this genius artist. I have a mission for you, and the reward will definitely satisfy you. Moreover, you can show off your explosive art to your heart's content during the mission. How about it, interested?"

Kisame cut to the chase, using words to tempt Deidara, much like a child trafficker.

"Really?"

Upon hearing this, Deidara's eyes lit up, and he jumped up from the ground, appearing extremely excited. He had just been about to go out to accept a client, and the client had come to him on their own—this was too smooth!

Moreover, the other party called him a "genius artist," which made Deidara, who had always been questioned by the villagers, feel as warm as the spring sunshine, and he was about to float away on the spot.

As a child, he was completely immersed in his own artistic world, lacking any awareness or understanding of the deceitful and treacherous world around him.

What a simple-minded guy.

"Of course it's true."

Kisame's eyes flashed; he felt no remorse for abducting an innocent teenager. He glanced at the temple's surroundings and then said to Deidara, "As for the specifics of the mission, let's discuss it somewhere else."

"Okay, okay, whatever you say." Deidara quickly agreed.

Half an hour later, in a nearby town.

Kisame and Deidara walked into a small shop, where the proprietress immediately greeted them with a smile and asked, "Good afternoon, gentlemen. What would you like to eat?"

"Give me a young chicken and some liquor."

Kisame snapped his fingers, then glanced at Deidara beside him. Before the latter could speak, he smiled and said to the proprietress, "As for this young artist, I think he'll like oden and fried eggs, right?"

"How did you know? This is my favorite food!" Deidara's eyes widened in surprise, and her liking for the man in front of her increased even more.

Kisame smiled without saying a word.

Soon, the steaming hot food was served.

"Eat as much as you like, it's on me. Artists need to fill their stomachs too to generate enough inspiration," Kisame said generously.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony. Let's dig in!" Deidara clasped his hands together and then began to eat heartily, devouring several bowls of oden and fried eggs in one go, until his stomach was bulging high.

After resting for a while in the small shop and digesting the food in my stomach,

The two came out of the street and into a clearing in the woods not far away.

“Before I officially issue you this mission, I need to test your abilities to ensure you are qualified to accept it. Any questions?” Kisame asked, looking at Deidara.

"Bring it on. Let me make this clear first, I won't hold back."

Deidara raised both hands, licked his palms with his tongue, and looked eager to try.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions echoed through the forest, accompanied by flashes of fire and the toppling of trees. Deidara continuously generated explosive clay from within his body, manipulating it to approach Kisame and detonate it time and again.

Kisame dodged left and right, calmly avoiding Deidara's every attack, and said with a faint sneer, "Is this all you've got? The so-called art of explosion seems to be nothing more than this."

"Don't underestimate me, you bastard!"

Deidara was indeed enraged; he couldn't tolerate anyone belittling his art. So, without hesitation, he unleashed his strongest technique, creating a clay bird as tall as a person, which whooshed towards Kisame.

Boom!

The bird exploded in front of Kisame, creating a violent burst of fire that instantly engulfed him.

Oops.

When Deidara saw this, his expression changed. He hadn't expected that in a moment of impulse, he would accidentally kill his employer.

259. Digging up the foundation of a wall

Art is created in the instant of an explosion; it is a fleeting beauty.

Although Deidara may seem unserious, he is usually very calm and meticulous in battle. There is only one situation that will make him lose his mind—when he feels that his art is being disregarded by his opponent.

Just like it is now.

Kisame mocked Deidara's explosive art, enraging the "young artist" who impulsively unleashed his strongest attack, burying Kisame in a massive explosion.

However, just as Deidara was feeling frustrated, thinking he had accidentally killed his employer and lost his job—

Under his incredulous gaze, Kisame, who was at the center of the explosion, simply raised his hand, and a strange devouring power emanated from his palm, instantly absorbing all the flames and shockwaves generated by the explosion.

"What did you do? How did you do it?"

Deidara snapped out of his daze and saw Kisame completely unharmed. He rushed over to him and asked in astonishment.

"Just a trivial skill," Kisame said indifferently, glossing over the matter.

"So...did I pass your test?" Deidara felt that the man in front of him was unfathomable, and his tone unconsciously carried a hint of awe as he asked nervously.

"Hmm, I'd say you barely pass." Kisame pondered for a moment, then nodded, acknowledging Deidara's ability.

Upon hearing this, Deidara's face lit up with joy, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"However, before officially issuing the mission assignment, I have a question for you."

Kisame walked to a large rock, sat down with an air of authority, and then looked at Deidara, asking, "What are your thoughts on the death of your master—the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki?"

Why are you suddenly asking this kind of question?

Deidara paused, then crossed his arms and snorted, "You mean that annoying old geezer? It's good that he's dead. No one can control me anymore. I'm so happy, yeah."

"Really? You're not just saying that, are you?" Kisame squinted.

"No way!"

Deidara vehemently denied it, but it was clear to everyone that he still harbored deep feelings for the deceased Onoki. Perhaps growing impatient with Kisame's questioning, he frowned and retorted, "What exactly are you trying to hide?"