When Uchiha Seiryu finished speaking, the Daimyo of the Land of Grass's face turned red in anger, while Onoki beside him also looked a bit awkward.
"I've heard that the new Grand Minister of Fire is a young hero. Now that I see you today, your reputation is well-deserved," said a robust, middle-aged man in ornate ceremonial attire, walking over with a smile.
Onoki bowed respectfully upon seeing the newcomer. "Your Highness, Daimyo."
Seiryu also smiled, bowed, and said, "Greetings."
"No need for such formality." The Daimyo of the Land of Earth nodded, then stepped forward to warmly shake Seiryu's hand.
This Daimyo and Onoki were known as a model pair in the shinobi world. The Land of Earth owed much of its current prosperity not only to Onoki's efforts in Iwagakure but also to the Daimyo's strong support. Among the five great nations, this Daimyo—Uesugi Hideyoshi—was considered the wisest.
So, Seiryu didn't mind showing him some respect. After all, by rank, he was on par with the Fire Country's Daimyo.
After Seiryu bowed, the Daimyo of Grass's face turned from red to purple.
"Ikezawa, why are you still here? The matches are about to start," Uesugi Hideyoshi said, looking at the Grass Daimyo. "By the way, why didn't any ninja from your country participate this time?"
Seeing this, Seiryu also wore a faint smile; it was clear that the Grass Daimyo wasn't well-liked among his peers.
"Oh, look at my memory—I almost forgot," Uesugi Hideyoshi laughed. "Your Grass Village probably can't put together a proper team now, right? Honestly, that's your own fault. The Hokage already issued a statement to the whole shinobi world, but Grass Village insisted on going its own way. You can't blame anyone else for this."
"That's right," Seiryu replied with a smile. "Besides, Konoha has already given Grass Village plenty of chances. Unfortunately, some people just don't understand the significance of a great nation."
"In that situation, Iwagakure would have made the same decision," Onoki added.
The three laughed together, leaving only the Grass Daimyo standing alone, the biggest laughingstock under everyone's gaze.
"The matches are about to begin—does Konoha have any geniuses participating this time?" Uesugi Hideyoshi asked with a smile.
"I wouldn't call them geniuses—just two clan members who aren't very promising," Seiryu said.
"Hokage, you're strict with your clan members. A Uchiha with a double tomoe Sharingan, if skilled enough, would already be a Jonin in our village," Onoki remarked. "I suppose the championship will go to him."
"He just got lucky and awakened his eyes," Seiryu waved his hand. "He's still far from being a true powerhouse."
"Hearing you say that makes me look forward to it even more," Uesugi Hideyoshi chuckled. "After you, Grand Minister."
"You are the Daimyo; you should go first," Seiryu replied with a smile.
Chatting and laughing, the three made their way to the VIP area. The arena was already set up, and the matches were about to begin.
After sitting down, Seiryu suddenly spoke up. "Tsuchikage, before the matches start, how about a little warm-up show?"
Onoki looked at Seiryu, a bit puzzled. "Does Hokage have a suggestion?"
"Not so much a suggestion," Seiryu smiled, "but our disciples are about the same age. How about a friendly spar before the main event, for the audience to enjoy?"
Onoki narrowed his eyes, studied Seiryu for a moment, and then said, "If Hokage wants it, Iwagakure can't deny our guests some fun."
Onoki called over an ANBU and instructed, "Bring Deidara here."
"Understood," the ANBU replied and left.
At that moment, Deidara and Kurotsuchi ran into Naruto and his friends in the arena.
"Big bro!" Naruto waved excitedly at Deidara. That day, Deidara's bold move to take the blame for him had really earned his respect for this fellow blond big brother.
"Little bro!" Deidara was also happy to see Naruto. After all, growing up, Naruto was the only one willing to explore art with him and even gave him a great suggestion for the firework explosion, which Deidara was very satisfied with.
So, upon meeting, the two immediately clustered together and introduced each other to their companions.
"Sasuke, Neji, this is big bro Deidara," Naruto introduced.
"Kurotsuchi, this is my newly acquainted little bro…" Deidara started, but then realized he didn't know Naruto's name. "Oh right, what's your name again?"
"Big bro, I'm Naruto—Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto replied cheerfully.
Sasuke and Neji eyed Deidara, suddenly understanding why these two hit it off so well—there was a certain foolishness about this new blond.
At the same time, Kurotsuchi sized up Naruto, secretly thinking:
'So Konoha has idiots like Deidara too?'
"Naruto, later come with me—I'll get you a good spot to watch the match," Deidara said, thumping his chest.
"Thanks, Deidara big bro!" Naruto beamed.
But before Deidara could find them a spot, Iwagakure's ANBU appeared before Deidara. "Deidara, Tsuchikage-sama wants to see you."
"Old man wants me now? I'm not going," Deidara waved dismissively. "Can't you see I'm busy?"
This stubbornness gave the ANBU a headache. It wasn't just because Deidara was the Tsuchikage's personal disciple—he was notorious for holding grudges. Anyone who offended him had their house blown up. If you really got on his bad side, he'd even bomb your toilet!
Just then, a Konoha Genin who'd failed the survival test found Naruto's group. "The Hokage wants to see you three."
"Sorry, Deidara big bro—my teacher wants me," Naruto scratched his head. He couldn't be as defiant as Deidara; if he misbehaved, both Kakashi and Seiryu would beat him up for real.
Seeing his little bro leave, Deidara lost interest and said to the ANBU, "Alright, I'll come with you to see the old man then."
The ANBU breathed a sigh of relief. Deidara being cooperative was always best.
Then, the two blond kids realized they were heading to the same place.
"Old man, what do you want?" Deidara asked bluntly on arrival at the VIP area.
Onoki's face twitched, but, seeing all the dignitaries, he held back from scolding the brat and said patiently, "The Hokage wants to see your strength, so he'd like his disciple to spar with you."
"Hokage-uncle, you want your disciple to spar with me?" Deidara turned to Seiryu.
"Kid, I'm only eight years older than you. No need to call me uncle," Seiryu's face twitched too, making a mental note to focus more on the kids' manners in the village.
"Eh, that's not important," Deidara waved it off, glanced at Naruto's group, and said, "Let's skip the spar. They're all younger than me—it'd be a waste of time. We'd be better off discussing new art."
In Deidara's eyes, if Naruto as a disciple could inspire him, how much more could Seiryu as a teacher? Given the chance, he'd rather discuss art than bully kids.
Sasuke and Neji, hearing this, narrowed their eyes. Did he just underestimate them?
"Deidara! Don't be rude to Konoha's guests!" Onoki scolded.
"Hehe, it's fine," Seiryu said with a smile. "You want to discuss art? How about this: if you beat my disciple, I'll tell you what ultimate art really is."
"For real?" Deidara's eyes lit up—ultimate art sounded awesome.
"For real," Seiryu nodded.
"Sensei, let me do it," Sasuke said coldly, volunteering.
"No, sensei, I'm only a year younger than him. Let me," Neji said.
Seeing both disciples eager to fight, Seiryu smiled and waved at Naruto. "Naruto, you go this round."
"Huh? Me?" Naruto asked in disbelief.
"Yes, you," Seiryu smiled. "Aren't you two friends already? Treat it as a friendly match between friends."
"Alright, I'll do it!" Naruto nodded confidently.
Onoki's eyes narrowed, brows furrowed. He really couldn't figure out what Seiryu's goal was.
…
Soon, the two blond kids stood at opposite sides of the arena, drawing everyone's attention.
"Little bro, if you can't hold on, just say so," Deidara said after they formed the seal of confrontation.
"Don't underestimate me, big bro!" Naruto said, working up his fists.