Chapter 16: Deidara, You’ve Gone Too Far!

"Did Danzo pursue them?"

Of course not. Danzo made his way to a designated meeting spot outside of Konohagakure. From the shadows, Kabuto Yakushi emerged, adjusting his glasses with a calculated calm.

"Danzo-sama, Orochimaru-sama sent me to retrieve the agreed-upon items."

Danzo cast a cold glance at Kabuto, this slippery multi-faced spy who knew far too many secrets. If the circumstances had been different, Danzo wouldn't have hesitated to kill him right here.

"Take it," he said flatly.

Behind him, Aburame Ryoma stepped forward, carrying several green containers filled with nutrient fluid. Inside each one floated a Sharingan.

Yes, Sharingan!

After Orochimaru's disastrous misstep during the Konoha Crush and his financial fiasco with Deidara, he sought to recoup some losses through Danzo. Despite initiating the collaboration, Orochimaru's silver tongue had twisted the narrative, making it seem like he was doing Danzo a favor. Naturally, Danzo had to pay a price.

And what did Orochimaru demand? Sharingan. After all, Deidara had mentioned something about the Sharingan balancing well with Hashirama cells. Orochimaru saw an opportunity to gather experimental materials.

Danzo, who had hoarded countless Sharingan during the Uchiha massacre, grudgingly handed over a few of the weaker two-tomoe eyes. A minor loss for him, considering he still envisioned a future where he claimed the title of Hokage.

"I, Shimura Danzo, have struck gold!"

Meanwhile, Deidara and Sasori successfully slipped out of Konoha and reached their rendezvous point.

"Sasori no Danna, any luck?" Deidara asked, his voice tinged with curiosity.

"Hmph," Sasori snorted, his irritation palpable. "Those cowards from the Hyuga Main Family!"

Sasori had initially set his sights on gathering some Kekkei Genkai users. But as he assessed Konoha, it became painfully clear that the only viable targets were the Hyuga Clan. However, the Main Family was heavily guarded by the Branch Family, whose Byakugan surveillance rendered any stealthy infiltration nearly impossible. Even trying to turn Hyuga Ko into an inside man had proven fruitless.

Frustrated, Sasori turned his attention to Konoha's prison. There, he encountered a scar-faced man who inexplicably wanted to play interrogation games with him. To maintain his puppet cover, Sasori had to endure the ordeal, engaging in a tense game of wits with the sadistic jailer before narrowly escaping. By the time he regrouped, Orochimaru had already begun retreating, leaving Sasori no choice but to follow suit.

Before long, Orochimaru arrived at the meeting point, looking a bit disheveled alongside Kakuzu and Hidan.

"Hidan, what happened to you? Why do you look like a burnt stick?" Deidara nearly doubled over with laughter, pointing at Hidan's charred skin.

"It's Kakuzu! His jutsu was all over the place today—I got hit several times!" Hidan complained, completely oblivious to why Kakuzu's aim had been unusually poor.

"Well, now that the Konoha Crush is complete and everyone made it out alive, let's call it a day," Deidara said, eager to move on. He was already thinking about how to gain more Shock Points to level up and unlock his insect transformation abilities.

"I'm heading back to Otogakure," Orochimaru announced before disappearing into the shadows.

"What about you, Kakuzu?"

"I need to collect a new heart," Kakuzu replied, his tone grim. The loss of his five original hearts, each harvested from powerful shinobi, weighed heavily on him. Finding replacements of equal quality was no easy task.

"All this effort for 50 million ryo… If I'd known the cost, even a billion wouldn't have been enough!" Kakuzu muttered bitterly, his frustration mounting as he eyed Deidara. The blond upstart, with seemingly minimal effort, had managed to rake in more than him.

"Until next time, then," Deidara said breezily. But before leaving, he turned back to Kakuzu with a cheeky grin.

"Oh, and remember to hand over the bounty money after you collect it, okay?"

"...Fine."

"Actually, Kakuzu, could you settle my pay for these past five days?" Kakuzu's emerald eyes narrowed, brimming with suppressed fury.

"I don't have any money right now," Deidara admitted, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"You brat! Are you trying to play me for a fool?!" Kakuzu roared, his killing intent palpable.

Deidara quickly raised his hands in surrender. "Wait, Kakuzu! Hear me out first."

"You have three sentences!"

"If you collect the 50 million, you'll hand it over to the leader, right?"

"The leader will give me 100 million, right?"

"So, if I just ask the leader for 50 million directly, we can skip your step entirely!"

You…! YOU LITTLE—!

"Kakuzu! Don't get so worked up! Elderly shinobi like you need to watch your blood pressure!" Deidara said, hastily retreating as Kakuzu's glare promised murder.

As Deidara and Sasori fled, Sasori suddenly halted, his expression sharp.

"What's wrong, Sasori no Danna?"

"An enemy. A strong one," Sasori said, his tone unusually grave.

From behind a boulder stepped a tall man with wild white hair and a forehead protector bearing the kanji for "oil." His demeanor was carefree, almost mocking, but his sharp eyes betrayed his prowess.

"Well, someone's got sharp senses! That's right, it's me—the Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku, Jiraiya-sama!" He struck a flamboyant pose. "And yes, I'm very strong!"

Jiraiya…

This was an unprecedented threat. While not as outright destructive as the Eight-Tails or Yagura, Jiraiya's strength lay in his adaptability and versatility.

Sasori summoned his Third Kazekage puppet, his expression tense.

"Deidara, be careful this time. He's not to be underestimated."

Jiraiya's smile faded as his gaze locked onto the puppet. "So it really is the Third Kazekage… You're a dangerous one, Akasuna no Sasori. But today, my target isn't you—it's your partner!"

"Summoning: Toad Mouth Trap!"

In an instant, Sasori found himself surrounded by walls of fleshy, pink tissue. He realized he was trapped in a living barrier.

"A sealing jutsu?" Sasori muttered, inspecting his surroundings. "No… a barrier technique. This will take time to break."

Unable to sense Deidara anymore, Sasori could only hope the brash blond wouldn't get himself killed.

Outside the trap, Jiraiya turned to Deidara, his expression serious. "This is my chance. I'm taking you in, kid. Let's see what intel I can extract from you!"

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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