At the main gate of Konoha, chaos unfolded.
The art group emerged.
The old Konoha was reduced to rubble, unrecognizable.
But Kakuzu, ever the opportunist, continued searching for valuables.
Though, it was a lost cause. All valuable items had long been taken by the Nine-Tails.
Feidan, always seeking sacrifices, had been preparing for his dark rituals.
Without money, many lives had been lost. A perfect storm of natural and man-made disasters, all gathered in Old Konoha.
It was fitting then, that the first group to truly arrive at Konoha was the art group.
"Deidara?" Kurotsuchi called out.
Deidara had intended to make a grand entrance, but as soon as he reached Konoha's gates, Kurotsuchi, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, immediately recognized him.
"Uh... Kurotsuchi, you're here too?" Deidara asked, somewhat taken aback.
Kurotsuchi dashed over, her excitement palpable. Deidara froze for a moment, unsure of how to react.
Sasori, not one to intervene hastily, observed with a smirk. Given the current interaction between Deidara and Kurotsuchi, he knew something interesting was bound to happen.
"Look at this yellow-haired guy," Sasori mused inwardly. "With Deidara's talent and unique abilities, he was once tied to the Fourth Tsuchikage. Too bad he threw it all away to become a clay artist. Well, that's his loss. Why play with clay when you could play with black earth?"
Deidara's special gift, a chakra-based artistic restraint, made him unique—but also a bit of a joke in some circles.
Sasori continued, "He's the only one I know who can be totally undone by his own elements... maybe if he leaves the village, he'll learn Dust Release and finally be useful. But for now, Deidara is too obsessed with his own 'art' to see it."
"Don't think for a second that I won't do something just because we have a past," Kurotsuchi sneered. "Art is all about explosions, don't you get it?!"
Deidara flinched, "So why don't you just blow me up right now?"
"I know a real artist whose explosions are far more impressive than yours. Want to guess who it is?" Kurotsuchi taunted.
Deidara's eye twitched. He threw his hands up in frustration. "Who cares?"
Kurotsuchi rolled her eyes. "Don't think I'll fall for that. You're just picking random names now."
Heitu, perched atop a giant clay bird, chimed in from above. "Deidara, do you doubt your own art? Really?"
"I'm no longer the person I used to be!" Deidara insisted, puffing out his chest. "I've developed a new super-ultimate art!"
"Yeah, yeah, we get it," Kurotsuchi said with a mock yawn. "Your art's the best, huh?"
Deidara growled in frustration. "Stop talking nonsense!"
"No one's art compares to mine!" he shouted, waving his arms dramatically.
Kurotsuchi, unimpressed, shot back, "I saw your 'art' firsthand. Compared to Big Brother's explosions... it's nothing. You're just a little loser."
Her disdain was clear. "An artistic fool trapped in his own tiny world. How pathetic."
Sasori, never one to miss a moment, nodded in agreement. "She's right."
"Dammit!" Deidara hissed, unable to take the insult any longer. He quickly stashed the giant bird made of clay and stormed after Kurotsuchi.
"Where's this 'artist' you're talking about?" he demanded.
"Why should I tell you?" Kurotsuchi teased.
"Black Earth!" Deidara snapped.
"Yes, yes, but I don't want to tell you if it doesn't benefit me." Kurotsuchi smirked.
Deidara frowned, sensing that there was more to this than just a simple exchange. "What's the point of this game?"
"How about we make a bet?" Kurotsuchi offered.
"A bet?" Deidara raised an eyebrow, sensing something familiar.
"Let's bet on explosion art," Kurotsuchi said. "If you lose, you come back to the village with me."
"Hmph! My art will never lose!" Deidara retorted, though his posture suggested he was already following her.
Sasori, watching from his puppet shell, smirked as Deidara's Akatsuki cloak was slowly torn off by Kurotsuchi.
"So, puppetry is the true art," he mused as he turned his attention to the gate of Konoha.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
At that moment, several kunai flew toward Sasori.
Bite—
With a swift movement, Sasori manipulated the puppet, using its tail blade to deflect the incoming kunai.
"Let me handle this," Sasori said, his voice cool and detached.
As Deidara and Kurotsuchi moved out of sight, the other members of the art group focused their attention on Sasori.
At that instant, Kankuro appeared.
His attire had changed significantly, now more technical, almost cyberpunk in style.
"Well... seems like there are a few more in Old Konoha. Let's take care of them," Kankuro suggested.
"Good idea. Last thing we need is to break the gate and have the Nine-Tails charge us for repairs again," Sasori muttered, clearly unimpressed.
As they moved toward Old Konoha, Kankuro glanced at Sasori, sensing the tension in the air.
"I've moved on from the old puppets," Kankuro said, drawing a scroll from his back.
"Let me show you something new."
With a swift motion, Kankuro performed a series of seals.
Bang—
White smoke erupted from the scroll, followed by the sound of metal clashing together.
Sasori frowned, eyeing Kankuro's new puppets. These weren't like his usual creations—they were metallic.
"Is this still considered puppetry?" Sasori muttered, inspecting one of the metal puppets. He pulled off the mask, revealing intricate mechanisms beneath.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Suddenly, countless metal spikes shot out at high speed.
Kankuro raised a smirk as he moved his fingers, guiding the puppet's actions.
The metal puppet in front of him raised its hand, revealing a hidden jet on its palm.
Boom boom—
Flames shot out, but Sasori was quick to dodge. His hands transformed, sending a thruster-like mechanism flying toward Kankuro.
The thrust collided with hundreds of wooden sticks, which quickly surrounded Kankuro's puppet.
Bang—
The clash between the two puppeteers intensified, each showcasing their unique version of the art of combat.
At the gates of Konoha, an art group emerged.
The old Konoha had been reduced to rubble, completely unrecognizable.
Yet, Kakuzu remained persistent, continuing to scour the ruins for anything of value.
But it was pointless.
Everything of worth had long been looted by the Nine-Tailed Fox.
Feidan, ever hungry for sacrifices to offer to his evil god, was on the prowl. Many had lost their lives, and with both natural and man-made disasters hitting, old Konoha had become a graveyard.
The first to arrive at the real Konoha, however, were the artists.
"Deidara?" Kurotsuchi's voice rang out as she spotted him.
Deidara had hoped for a dramatic entrance, but as soon as he stepped through the gates of Konoha, he was immediately recognized by Kurotsuchi, who had rushed over at the sound of the commotion.
"Uh... Kurotsuchi, you're here too?" Deidara stammered.
Kurotsuchi sprinted toward him, her excitement palpable. Deidara was momentarily stunned.
Sasori didn't intervene right away, figuring something interesting was bound to happen between Deidara and Kurotsuchi.
Deidara was quite the character, after all. His talents and unique abilities were heavily tied to the Fourth Tsuchikage, but he'd forsaken his stable position to become an artist of clay.
It was a shame—he could've stuck with the solid foundation of Earth-style ninjutsu, but instead, he chose clay... Of course, his obsession with explosions set him apart in the most unusual way.
"Don't think just because we have history, I won't do anything!" Kurotsuchi grumbled. "Art is all about explosions, you know that, right?"
Deidara raised an eyebrow. "So why don't you just blow me up now?"
Kurotsuchi rolled her eyes. "Don't think you can get away with picking random names and expecting me to believe you."
"Hey, hey, hey!" Deidara scoffed. "My art is the best!"
"Shut up!" Kurotsuchi shot back.
Deidara's face flushed with indignation. He opened his mouth to retort, but Kurotsuchi's words stopped him cold.
"An idiot trapped in his own little world... How pathetic."
Sasori, ever the observer, nodded approvingly. "She's got a point."
"Dammit!" Deidara snapped, his anger flaring. He put away his clay bird and chased after Kurotsuchi.
"Where's that guy you were talking about?" he demanded.
"Why should I tell you?" Kurotsuchi retorted smugly.
"Black Earth!" Deidara growled.
"Fine, but I won't tell you just because you ask." Kurotsuchi smirked.
"What's the point?" Deidara growled, annoyed.
"I propose a bet," she said, glancing at him challengingly.
"A bet?"
"Yeah. Let's see whose art is better. If you lose, you come back to the village with me," she declared with a grin.
"Hmph! My art can't lose!" Deidara declared, raising his head with confidence.
"Then let's settle this!" Kurotsuchi shot back as she led the way, with Deidara begrudgingly following.
Meanwhile, Sasori, still hidden inside his puppet, watched the drama unfold. He grinned to himself, amused by Deidara's antics.
Suddenly, kunai flew toward him, and Sasori's fingers moved rapidly. His puppet's tail blade intercepted the kunai with a sharp, metallic clash.
"Let me handle this," Sasori muttered as he prepared for the next move.
As he turned his attention back to the gates of Konoha, Kankuro appeared, his outfit now brimming with tech—cyberpunk vibes, perhaps?
"Looks like there are still a couple of pests in Old Konoha. Let's go take care of them," Kankuro said with a sly grin.
"Agreed. We don't want Jiu Lama hounding us for more cash again," another member chimed in.
They all began to walk toward the ruins of the old village. Sasori couldn't help but feel a slight irritation—was he being underestimated?
"I've upgraded my puppets," Kankuro boasted, pulling a scroll from his back.
With a flick of his wrist, Kankuro summoned his puppet, a massive, metal creature. The sound of metal scraping against metal filled the air.
Sasori's eyes narrowed, his interest piqued. "Is this still considered puppetry?"
He inspected the puppet as it shifted, its arm transforming into a bladed weapon. Thousands of kunai shot out, filling the air.
Kankuro smirked, the puppet raising its hand to shield him. "Unit 1 is equipped with some serious tech," he said, a grin spreading across his face.
The metal puppet unleashed a barrage of jet-flame from its arms, but Sasori wasn't deterred. He dodged the attacks and retaliated with his own puppet's tail, striking fiercely.
"Let's see how your puppets handle this," Kankuro murmured. He formed a quick set of seals.
"Bang!" The ground shook as his puppet's fist crashed against Sasori's attack.
"Even if you just stand there and take it, you won't break Unit-1's defenses!" Kankuro boasted.
Sasori frowned, unfazed by Kankuro's taunts. His puppet's tail darted out once more, but before he could react, poisonous gas poured from the broken arms of Kankuro's puppet.
Quickly thinking, Kankuro activated the metal puppet's jets, blasting the gas away.
Kankuro smiled. "Your turn to deal with this."
He placed a sealing talisman onto the back of Unit-1's chassis.
The metal armor on the chest of Unit-1 shifted, revealing a chakra energy release port. Chakra began to accumulate rapidly.
Sasori's eyes widened in realization. "No way..." he muttered under his breath.
Kankuro patted Unit-1's shoulder, looking toward Sasori. "Can you stop this, Senior Sasori?"
The Third Kazekage puppet raised its arms, unleashing a new set of deadly attacks, but Kankuro just smiled, his fingers moving decisively.
"I'm sorry, Sandaime," he said quietly.
As the chakras gathered, Kankuro's voice rang out.
"Unit 1: Tailed Beast Ball!"
...
TN:
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