That familiar voice stunned Deidara. He froze for a moment, then turned his head to the left.
"Kurotsuchi? Why are you here?!"
The surprise in his voice was unmistakable. Kurotsuchi, who had been studying the menu, slammed it onto the table and strode up to him. Her gaze swept over his outfit, her expression filled with disbelief and confusion.
"Brother Deidara… what are you doing…?"
Deidara met her stare, then casually raised his right hand and straightened the Konoha forehead protector on his brow. He brushed aside the bangs covering half of the symbol, revealing the full Konoha emblem.
"Yep. See that?" he said with a grin. "I'm now a registered Jonin of Konoha. Life here is ridiculously comfortable."
"Come on," he added, tugging Kurotsuchi along. "Let's sit over there and talk. Don't block everyone's view of Kisame butchering fish—if he gets annoyed and decides not to treat us later, that'd be a huge loss."
As he spoke, he pulled her to a table and sat down across from her.
"By the way," Deidara continued casually, "why did you come to Konoha? What's that old man planning now?"
Before Kurotsuchi could answer, Deidara had already asked his question.
Kurotsuchi ignored it completely.
Instead, she countered with one of her own—meeting force with force, like smashing stone with stone.
"I should be asking you!"
"Even though the Ninja Association revoked your wanted status for some reason, why would you choose to join Konoha instead of coming back to Iwagakure?"
"Do you have any idea how worried Grandpa and I have been all these years?!"
Her words instantly silenced Deidara.
The lighthearted mood on his face vanished.
Kurotsuchi braced herself, expecting anger—expecting him to snap back like he used to.
Instead, Deidara only gave a bitter smile.
"Go back to Iwagakure?" he said quietly. "Go back to a place where everyone looks at me like I'm a walking disaster?"
He looked at her indifferently, his eyes dim and distant.
Kurotsuchi's heart tightened. She would have preferred him yelling at her—anything was better than seeing him like this.
Deidara stood up, walked to the side, and took two cans of beer from the refrigerator. He set them on the table, then slid one in front of Kurotsuchi and kept the other for himself.
"Ah, right," he said casually. "I almost forgot—you're only sixteen. Still a minor. You can't drink."
As he spoke, he picked up a pair of chopsticks, aligned them, wedged the tips under the bottle cap, and pressed down against the table.
Pop.
The cap flew off.
He took a long swig.
Seeing Kurotsuchi's silence, Deidara waved a hand dismissively.
"Relax. I've got my own life now. Even if Iwagakure can't accept me, I'm doing great in Konoha."
"In just the past half month alone, I've earned over six million ryō in rewards. I never imagined so many people would actually love my art."
"Did you know?" he continued. "Konoha and Kirigakure are building a bridge across the sea."
Kurotsuchi nodded.
"I know. Were you involved in the construction?"
As she spoke, she unconsciously imagined Deidara wearing a work hat, laboring on a construction site.
Deidara nodded proudly.
"Pretty much. I'm responsible for transporting personnel, controlled blasting, and material collection."
"It was Uchiha Hikaru who asked me to take the job."
"You have no idea how excited those workers and shinobi were when they saw my art," he said, his voice warming. "Those smiles—real smiles—came straight from the heart."
"That feeling… it was something I never experienced in Iwagakure."
"There, people only feared and hated me. No one ever appreciated my art."
Before long, the server brought over two large trays of grilled fish.
The broth was deep brown, with a thin layer of red oil shimmering on the surface. Each fish had been split cleanly in half, laid neatly on the trays, surrounded by tofu, bean sprouts, and other side dishes. The aroma filled the air instantly.
They ate and talked as Deidara slowly recounted his experiences working on the bridge, one story after another.
Kurotsuchi listened quietly.
From confusion… to understanding… to acceptance.
But after finishing her grilled fish, she finally asked the question again.
"Brother Deidara… are you really not going back to Iwagakure?"
Deidara pulled out a napkin, wiped his mouth, then picked up the second can of beer—about one-third still left. He drank it, set it down, and spoke calmly.
"I left Iwagakure because I couldn't stand the looks," he said. "The whispers. The fear in everyone's eyes."
"But in Konoha, the tavern owner told me I was a natural-born fireworks artist."
"And Uchiha Hikaru helped me find work—something people respect, something I actually enjoy."
"So tell me," he continued quietly, "why would I abandon this place and leave again?"
He stood up, hands slipping into his pockets.
"It's late. I'm heading back to rest."
"When you've got time, come see me—Apartment 11, Room 203, Fandou Residential Block."
With that, he turned and walked out.
Kurotsuchi remained seated, sighing softly as she watched the spiral pattern on the back of Deidara's ninja vest disappear from view.
"…Forget it," she muttered. "If Deidara can be happier here, then let him stay."
"Being in Konoha is still better than being in Akatsuki."
After that, she returned to the Iwagakure Embassy. Lying quietly on the bed, exhaustion finally caught up to her, and she fell asleep without even realizing it.
As for Deidara—
He soon arrived at a public square in Konoha, already surrounded by children and adults alike.
"All eyes on me!" he shouted.
"I have an announcement!"
The crowd looked at him curiously, wondering what the young Jonin was about to do.
Deidara slipped his fingers into the clay pouch at his waist, clenched his fists, and raised them high.
"There will be a free fireworks show tonight!" he declared.
"Please keep your distance—don't get hurt by accident~!"
The children erupted into cheers.
"Yaaay~!"
"Big brother's setting off fireworks for us!"
"Wow, the Jonin big brother is doing it for free?!"
"I want rabbit-shaped fireworks!"
"Me too! I want a lollipop one!"
"Let me go first! I want one that pats your head!"
Amid the laughter and excitement, Deidara molded a cannon barrel out of clay. Holding it with both hands, he aimed it toward the sky.
"Scared kids—cover your ears!" he called out.
"Fireworks incoming!"
Bang! Bang! Bang—!
Fireworks shot straight into the sky, dragging brilliant trails of color before bursting high above.
A rainbow lollipop, a chubby white rabbit, and a round smiling face with squinting eyes and a giant hand patting its head bloomed in the night.
Snowflakes, raindrops, five-pointed stars, and countless other shapes shimmered around them, stealing the spotlight even from the moon itself.
Working late in the Hokage's office, Tsunade paused when she heard the explosions. She glanced out the window, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.
"When did the village get fireworks like this…?" she murmured.
"They're actually pretty beautiful."
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