Chapter 38: A Gift from a Good Friend

Since the meteor was in a state of combustion, its size was nowhere near that of Uchiha Madara's Heavenly Obstacle Quaking Star. Upon impact, it was only slightly larger than a Tailed Beast Ball.

The range of the mushroom cloud was also not as extensive as the impact of two Heavenly Obstacle Quaking Stars.

However, the high-temperature shockwave generated by the meteor's explosion was far more destructive than the Heavenly Obstacle Quaking Star, its power not inferior to the explosion of a Tailed Beast Ball.

After the mushroom cloud dissipated, the mountain where Sasori of the Red Sand and Deidara had been standing was completely obliterated.

The mountain they had hidden in, being much larger than the surrounding hills, only had a small portion of it blown away.

A massive crater now lay in the mountain range.

All that remained were countless shattered rocks, scorched by the intense heat, and fragments of molten lava left by the meteor.

"Art, this is pure art!"

As soon as the tremors subsided, Deidara, who had been unharmed thanks to the layers of protection from the mountain and the iron sphere, emerged from the black sphere. He created a Clay Giant Bird and flew into the air, gazing at the scene below.

His face was filled with fervor, as if he were ready to self-destruct on the spot to compete with Izayoi.

"Idiot, come down quickly."

Sasori's reprimanding voice came from below.

"Impressive, you both survived unscathed."

At that moment, an unfamiliar voice reached their ears.

Izayoi's figure had somehow reappeared above Deidara.

Hearing this voice, Deidara immediately looked up with a delighted expression and asked nonsensically, "Hey, do you also think that beauty in an instant is true art?"

"Are you talking about explosions?"

Unlike those who didn't understand or scoffed at the idea, Izayoi nodded seriously and replied, "Explosions are indeed very beautiful, and it's a powerful beauty. The stronger it is, the more beautiful it becomes. The reason Tailed Beasts and Jinchuriki are feared is precisely because they can unleash the astonishing Tailed Beast Ball."

"Right, right…"

Deidara shouted excitedly, "So explosions are art! Look, Sasori, my art has been recognized."

"Idiot, that guy is an enemy," Sasori scolded again, while firmly standing by his own art. "And eternal beauty is true art."

"No, beauty in an instant is!"

"Eternal beauty is!"

"..."

For a moment, the two of them argued, one in the sky and the other on the ground.

Izayoi didn't interrupt them but instead crossed his arms and watched the scene with great interest.

"Hmph, I'm done talking to you."

In the end, it was Deidara, who was only sixteen this year, who impatiently ended the argument.

He first turned his head with a huff, then looked at Izayoi and said enthusiastically, "Hey, you understand art so well. Why don't you join our organization?"

Having finally found someone who shared his views, Deidara was eager to recruit Izayoi.

"Oh? What kind of organization are you?" Izayoi asked with a playful smile.

"We are…"

Just as Deidara was about to answer, Sasori's reprimanding voice reached his ears, "Shut up! Deidara, do you want to die?"

Hearing this, Deidara seemed to remember something and had to stop himself from continuing.

However, he still said to Izayoi, "Join us, and I'll tell you."

"Joining your organization is out of the question, but being friends is fine."

Izayoi looked down at Sasori of the Red Sand and spoke, "My friend has already given you a greeting gift. As a return favor, could you give me your Puppet Technique and the method to create Human Puppets?"

"Is this the reason you came here?" Sasori replied in a deep voice, though he felt a hint of secret satisfaction.

It seems this guy has a decent appreciation for art.

Though he's a bit fickle—clearly he admires my eternal art, yet he gave Deidara's explosive art such high praise.

"Indeed."

Of course, Izayoi had no idea what Sasori was thinking.

He nodded, preparing himself to act at any moment.

"Hey, kid, why do you want Sasori's Puppet Technique? That stuff isn't art at all. You should learn Explosion Release from me… yeah!" Deidara chimed in.

As soon as Deidara finished speaking, Sasori's voice rang out, "Fine, I'll give it to you."

"?"

A question mark involuntarily appeared on Izayoi's forehead beneath his mask.

That easy?

With such a serious demeanor, I thought he'd refuse and we'd have to fight.

Suddenly, Izayoi seemed to remember something and felt a slight realization.

I almost forgot—Sasori's true body has also been turned into a Human Puppet.

"Then, thank you."

Getting what he wanted so easily, Izayoi was quite pleased.

Originally, Izayoi's plan was to kill Sasori, confiscate his legacy, and even turn him into a member of his endless Puppet Army. However, while admiring the explosion earlier, he took a glance at Sasori's Talents and immediately abandoned that idea.

[Puppet Master (Purple)]

[Kage-Level Aptitude (Purple)]

[Chakra Control (Purple)]

In this world, where one cannot hope to reach Super Kage-level without ties to the Otsutsuki Clan, and even if one could gain power beyond Kage-level, it would come at the cost of their life, Purple Traits are the highest level of Talent any genius can possess.

And Purple Traits correspond precisely to Kage-level.

In this era, the number of Kage-level powerhouses is exceedingly rare.

Someone like Sasori, with three Purple Traits, is even rarer.

Deidara, standing nearby, only has two Purple Traits: Kekkei Genkai·Explosion Release (Purple) and Kage-Level Aptitude (Purple).

But no one is born a Puppet Master; at most, they're a genius (Blue), just like Izayoi.

Sasori clearly transformed himself into a Human Puppet, defying fate, and turned his Puppet Genius (Blue) into a Puppet Master (Purple).

Killing such a talent would be a true waste.

He should be exploited repeatedly, just like Uchiha Sasuke.

Once Izayoi's Tenseigan completes its final evolution, if he wants to advance further, he'll need to upgrade his Otsutsuki Bloodline, which requires an enormous amount of points.

A single Purple Trait, when decomposed, yields a random four-digit number of points.

Since they didn't die from the earlier greeting gift, Izayoi didn't mind letting them go.

Though if pushed to the brink, Deidara's C4·Garuda and C0·Self-Detonation could pose a threat to Izayoi.

However, their strength hasn't reached Super Kage-level.

As long as they're not Super Kage-level, they still fall under the category of "a ninja's battle is a battle of intelligence."

As a transmigrator, Izayoi knows their intelligence all too well.

In contrast, the two of them knew nothing about Izayoi.

Perhaps this was the reason why Sasori of the Red Sand agreed so readily.

Otherwise, if a random passerby came out and demanded that he hand over the Puppet Technique and the method of creating Human Puppets, Sasori might, in a good mood, reward them by turning them into a member of his Puppet Army.

If he was in a bad mood, it would be a Poison Needle or a tail slap to kill them, leaving their corpse to rot in the wilderness.

"Here, take it."

Sasori of the Red Sand took out three Scrolls, wrapped them with his iron tail, and threw them towards Deidara in the sky.

As for why he didn't throw them at Izayoi, it was naturally because he was too high up.

Before Deidara could descend to catch them, Izayoi opened his palm.

An invisible Attraction immediately halted the flying Scrolls, causing them to float slowly in mid-air.

"Is this... Universal Pull?!"

Seeing this, both Deidara and Sasori's main body were visibly shocked, staring at Izayoi in astonishment.

The clueless Deidara even tentatively called out, "Leader?"

This idiot!

Sasori was filled with helplessness.

Sure enough...

Izayoi said with interest, "Universal Pull? A nice name for a technique. Does your Leader also use Attraction?"

"Oh no!"

Deidara quickly covered his mouth, achieving the feat of kissing himself.

The Scrolls didn't fly to Izayoi but stopped in the air about ten meters away.

Izayoi gently flicked his finger, and the Scrolls automatically opened.

Seeing that no poisonous gas sprayed out, Izayoi used the long-range vision of his Tenseigan to safely examine the contents.

After just a few glances, Izayoi nodded and drew the Scrolls toward him.

Then, looking down at Deidara and Sasori below, he waved goodbye and said, "Thanks for the gift. Until we meet again, my friends."

With that, Izayoi flew away.

Watching his retreating figure, Sasori, who had been prepared for a deadly fight if the other party turned hostile, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Having witnessed the other's flight and meteor abilities, Sasori was certain that this was a type that countered him.

If it weren't for Deidara being there, he would have taken advantage of the lingering smoke to escape long ago.

Seeing the other use the Leader's ability, Sasori recalled the earlier scene where his Poison Needles were deflected, and a sense of hopelessness washed over him.

Fortunately, the other party had no killing intent.

But the feeling of being robbed on the road and nearly killed was truly humiliating!

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