Chapter 21: The Bomb Duo
Su Xiao arrived near a wilderness camp. From the pile of extinguished charcoal, it was clear that Scorpion and Deidara had already stayed here for at least two days.
Ninjas weren't always about glory; when carrying out missions, they often endured the elements.
"Any recent missions?" Su Xiao asked.
"There's a troublesome one—intercepting the daimyo of the River Country."
Scorpion sounded somewhat dissatisfied. He hated this kind of mission where they had to wait for the target to appear.
The Akatsuki organization was utterly lawless. Every ninja village had rules forbidding the assassination of daimyos from other nations, including those from medium-sized countries like the River Country. Moreover, the River Country bordered the Land of Fire, cutting off the Land of Wind. Ordinary ninja villages wouldn't dare touch the River Country.
The Akatsuki didn't care about such things. As long as there was a commission, they would accept it, regardless of which country's daimyo was involved. If the price was right, they would even assassinate the daimyo of the Land of Fire.
Nagato dared to single-handedly challenge Konohagakure, so assassinating the Fire Country's daimyo was nothing.
"Just wait here?"
"Yes. According to scout reports, the River Country daimyo will pass through here. We've already waited two days."
It seemed the Akatsuki wasn't completely lawless; otherwise, they wouldn't have chosen an ambush in the wilderness.
"You'll be responsible for holding off the guards."
"I can perform ultra-long-range sniping. No need to get close, reducing the risk of exposure."
"Hmm?"
Scorpion looked at Su Xiao, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
"You'll understand when the time comes. If the guards aren't too strong, I can take them out from over a kilometer away."
Su Xiao rekindled the fire and took out some food to cook.
"A kilometer... Fine. Hope there are no surprises."
Scorpion wanted to learn more about Su Xiao's abilities, since the three of them would be working together from now on.
Whoosh~
A whistling sound came from above. A large white bird with a wingspan of about three meters flew toward them. The bird looked like it was made from some kind of white clay—it was Deidara, returning from collecting clay.
The large bird swooped down, and a short, blond-haired youth jumped off.
The blond youth had a short ponytail, his left eye covered by his hanging blond hair. He wore a forehead protector from Iwagakure with a scratch through its center—the mark of a rogue ninja from the Stone Village.
Deidara, who had been out collecting clay, had returned. Though Deidara was now an S-rank rogue ninja, he was only nineteen years old. To be precise, if things followed the original plot, Deidara would die at nineteen~
"Isn't this the new guy? Hmm."
Deidara walked up, sizing up Su Xiao. He had a habit of adding "hmm" at the end of his sentences, as if emphasizing or confirming something.
"Yes. He'll be working with us from now on."
Scorpion glanced at Deidara. Though they were teammates, their philosophies clashed—or rather, their understanding of art differed.
Scorpion pursued eternal art, while Deidara sought the art of the instant—the moment of explosion.
"I'm Deidara."
Deidara greeted Su Xiao. When not in battle, Deidara was a straightforward, somewhat naive youth. His reason for becoming a rogue ninja was mostly due to his clay explosion ability, but it couldn't be denied that there was a cruel streak in Deidara's personality.
"Bai Ye."
Su Xiao nodded at Deidara.
Deidara sniffed, squinting at Su Xiao.
"You smell of gunpowder... No, it's a strange smell. Bombs?"
Bubu Wang looked at Deidara, as if recognizing a kindred spirit~
"Bombs."
Su Xiao raised his arm, and white spiders crawled out from his sleeve. Scorpion looked surprised, while Deidara leaped backward.
"Do you know that old man Onoki?"
Deidara stared warily at Su Xiao. Su Xiao's alchemy bombs looked too similar to his clay bombs.
As for the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, he was Deidara's master. If Deidara hadn't defected from Iwagakure, he might have become the Fourth Tsuchikage.
Compared to Deidara, Onoki's granddaughter Kurotsuchi was far less talented. If Deidara had stayed in Iwagakure, Kurotsuchi wouldn't have had a chance at becoming the Fourth Tsuchikage.
Onoki had been strict with Deidara during his training. The unruly Deidara feared only one person: the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki.
"Never met him."
Su Xiao held a white spider formed from an alchemy bomb. After a few seconds, Deidara frowned.
"This is..."
He stepped forward slowly, not touching the alchemy bomb but sensing something.
"This is a different kind of bomb. It looks like clay bombs, but the texture is very different."
Deidara relaxed his guard. He had previously thought Su Xiao was connected to Iwagakure.
"How do you make these?"
Seeing the alchemy bomb in Su Xiao's hand, Deidara was clearly interested.
"65% gunpowder, 25% rare soft metal..."
Su Xiao briefly explained the composition of the alchemy bomb to Deidara.
"Metal? You can incorporate metal into bombs?"
"Yes, but it requires energy to harmonize, and the metal needs to be soft and unstable to increase explosive power."
"Hmm, makes sense. But clay is a better choice. This kind of metal is too hard to find and inconvenient to replenish."
Su Xiao and Deidara discussed bomb-making techniques for a while, neither revealing their core knowledge.
Scorpion glanced at them, silently deciding to be cautious during future missions. Having one bomb fanatic in the team was dangerous enough; now there were two.
"Here, take this."
Su Xiao tossed a mid-grade alchemy bomb. Deidara hesitated for a moment before catching it. They were close now, so Su Xiao couldn't detonate it.
"What's this thing for?"
Deidara squeezed the alchemy bomb, showing great interest.
"You can control it by infusing it with your mental energy."
"Oh?"
Deidara seemed skeptical. His clay bombs couldn't be controlled by anyone else.
The alchemy bomb changed shape in Deidara's hand, turning into a snake, then a small bird.
"Much easier to control."
Deidara's eyes burned with excitement as he looked at Su Xiao, as if considering blowing him half to death to force out the formula for the alchemy bomb.
Su Xiao watched the small white bird flying in midair. It was made from an alchemy bomb, but he had tried many methods and still couldn't make it fly.
"How did you do that?"
"What?"
"Make it fly."
Deidara smiled but didn't answer. Su Xiao didn't press further. They had just met, and exchanging knowledge about bombs was unlikely without mutual trust. After working together for a while, there might be a chance for an exchange.
"He's here. The River Country daimyo will pass through here in half an hour."
Scorpion's low, hoarse voice interrupted Su Xiao and Deidara's discussion.
Though it was their first meeting, and their temperaments were different, there was no sign of hostility between them.
"Show me your long-range sniping ability. I'm curious."
Su Xiao nodded, looking around for a high point.
"What are you looking for?" Deidara asked.
"A vantage point."
"A vantage point? Somewhere high?"
"Yes."
Deidara reached into a pouch at his waist, which contained specially treated clay. The mouth on his palm bit off a piece of clay and chewed slowly.
After a few seconds of chewing, the mouth on Deidara's palm spat out a small clay bird figurine.
He formed hand seals, and with a puff of white smoke, the palm-sized clay bird transformed into a large bird with a five-meter wingspan.
Deidara jumped onto the large bird, which rose slightly.
"There's nothing higher around here than flying."