The meteorite, engulfed in flames, was far smaller than Madara Uchiha's Tengai Shinsei. Upon impact, it was only slightly larger than a Tailed Beast Ball.
The mushroom cloud it produced didn't cover as wide an area as two Tengai Shinsei strikes.
But the searing shockwave from the meteorite's explosion was far deadlier than Tengai Shinsei, its destructive power rivaling the energy blast of a Tailed Beast Ball.
When the mushroom cloud finally dissipated, the mountain where Sasori and Deidara had stood was gone, obliterated.
The mountain they'd taken shelter in, larger than the surrounding hills, had only a chunk blasted away.
In the mountain range, a massive crater now scarred the earth.
All that remained were countless shattered rocks, scorched by intense heat or melted into fragments of meteorite slag.
"Art—this is pure art!"
As the tremors subsided, Deidara, unscathed thanks to the mountain and iron sphere's protection, emerged from the black orb. He crafted a clay bird and took to the sky, gazing down at the devastation below.
His face burned with fervor, as if he wanted to detonate himself right there to outdo Izayoi.
"Idiot, get down here!"
Sasori's scolding voice echoed from below.
"Not bad—you both survived without a scratch."
A stranger's voice reached their ears.
Izayoi's figure had reappeared above Deidara, unnoticed until now.
Hearing him, Deidara looked up, his expression lighting with excitement. He blurted out, "Hey, don't you think the beauty of a fleeting moment is true art?"
"You mean explosions?"
Unlike those who scoffed or didn't get it, Izayoi nodded thoughtfully, answering with sincerity. "Explosions are indeed beautiful—a powerful kind of beauty. The stronger, the more stunning. That's why Tailed Beasts and their Jinchuriki are so feared: they can unleash the devastating Tailed Beast Ball."
"Right? Right?!"
Deidara shouted, practically vibrating with enthusiasm. "See, Sasori? My art's finally getting the recognition it deserves!"
"Idiot, he's the enemy," Sasori snapped, doubling down on his own belief. "And eternal beauty is the true art."
"No way, it's the beauty of a single moment!"
"It's eternal beauty!"
"..."
For a moment, the two bickered—one in the sky, the other on the ground.
Izayoi didn't interrupt. Arms crossed, he watched the scene with amusement.
"Hmph, I'm done arguing."
In the end, Deidara, only sixteen that year, ran out of patience and cut the dispute short.
He huffed, turning to Izayoi with a grin. "Hey, man, you get art. Wanna join our group?"
Finding a kindred spirit was rare, and Deidara was eager to recruit Izayoi.
"Oh? What group's that?" Izayoi asked, his smile playful.
"We're—"
Deidara started to answer, only to be cut off by Sasori's sharp rebuke. "Shut up, Deidara! You trying to get us killed?"
Deidara froze, as if recalling something, and clamped his mouth shut.
Still, he looked at Izayoi and said, "Join us, and I'll tell you."
"I'll pass on joining, but I'm up for being friends."
Izayoi glanced down at Sasori. "You got my greeting gift earlier. As a return favor, how about sharing your Puppet Technique and the method for making human puppets?"
"So that's why you showed up," Sasori said, his voice low. Inside, he felt a flicker of smug satisfaction.
This guy clearly appreciated art.
Though he was a bit fickle—praising Sasori's eternal art while giving Deidara's explosive art such high marks.
"Exactly."
Izayoi, unaware of Sasori's thoughts, nodded, readying himself for a fight if needed.
"Man, why do you want Sasori's Puppet Technique? That stuff's not art. Come learn Explosion Release from me—huh?!" Deidara started, only to be interrupted.
Sasori's voice cut in. "Fine. I'll give it to you."
"?"
A question mark practically materialized above Izayoi's masked forehead.
That easy?
With Sasori's grim demeanor, Izayoi had expected resistance, maybe a battle.
Then it hit him, and understanding dawned.
He'd almost forgotten—Sasori's true body was a human puppet itself.
"Thanks, then."
Getting what he wanted so smoothly delighted Izayoi.
His original plan had been to take Sasori out, seize his "inheritance," and maybe even turn him into part of an endless puppet army.
But after admiring the explosion—and checking Sasori's "tags" in the process—Izayoi scrapped that idea.
[Puppet Master (Purple)]
[Kage-Level Talent (Purple)]
[Chakra Control (Purple)]
In a world where surpassing Kage-level strength was impossible without ties to the Otsutsuki clan—or came at the cost of one's life—purple tags were the highest mark of genius.
And purple tags signified Kage-level potential.
Kage-level shinobi were rare in this era.
Someone like Sasori, with three purple tags, was even rarer.
Deidara, by comparison, only had two: [Kekkei Genkai: Explosion Release (Purple)] and [Kage-Level Talent (Purple)].
No one was born a Puppet Master. At best, they started like Izayoi, with [Genius (Blue)].
Sasori had clearly transformed himself into a human puppet, defying fate to turn [Puppet Genius (Blue)] into [Puppet Master (Purple)].
Killing talent like that would be a waste.
Better to treat him like Sasuke Uchiha—milk him for all he's worth.
Once Izayoi's Tenseigan reached its final evolution, advancing further would require upgrading his Otsutsuki bloodline, which demanded massive points.
A single purple tag, when broken down, could yield a random four-digit point haul.
Since they survived his greeting gift, Izayoi didn't mind letting them off.
Though if pushed, Deidara's C4 Garuda or C0 Self-Destruct could pose a threat.
But neither of them had reached Super Kage-level.
Anyone below Super Kage-level still fell under the rule: "A ninja's battle is a battle of information."
As a transmigrator, Izayoi knew everything about them.
They, on the other hand, knew nothing about him.
Maybe that's why Sasori agreed so readily.
Otherwise, if some random ninja demanded his Puppet Technique and human puppet methods, Sasori might—on a good day—gift them a spot in his puppet army.
On a bad day? A poison needle or a tail swipe, followed by a corpse left to rot.
"Here's the stuff."
Sasori produced three scrolls, wrapping them with his iron tail and tossing them toward Deidara in the sky.
Why not Izayoi? Too high up.
Before Deidara could descend to catch them, Izayoi opened his palm.
An invisible pull halted the scrolls mid-flight, making them float slowly upward.
"Is that… Shinra Tensei?!"
Seeing this, both Deidara and Sasori's true body froze, staring at Izayoi in shock.
Deidara, ever the fool, ventured, "Leader?"
Idiot!
Sasori's mind screamed with exasperation.
Sure enough…
Izayoi's tone turned curious. "Shinra Tensei? Nice name for a technique. Your leader uses gravity too?"
"Crap!"
Deidara slapped a hand over his mouth, achieving the feat of screwing himself over.
The scrolls didn't reach Izayoi, stopping a dozen meters away in midair.
With a flick of his finger, Izayoi unrolled them.
Seeing no poison gas erupt, he used his Tenseigan's far-sight to scan them safely.
After a quick glance, Izayoi nodded, drawing the scrolls to his hand.
Looking down at Deidara and Sasori, he waved farewell. "Thanks for the gift, my friends. Until we meet again."
With that, he flew off.
Watching him vanish, Sasori—who'd braced for a fight to the death if Izayoi turned hostile—let out a quiet breath of relief.
Having seen the man's flight and meteorite, Sasori knew this was a bad matchup.
If Deidara hadn't been there, he'd have slipped away in the smoke long ago.
Then, witnessing Izayoi use what looked like their leader's ability, and recalling how his poison needles were repelled, Sasori felt an unshakable sense of defeat.
Thankfully, the guy didn't seem intent on killing.
Still, being ambushed, nearly killed, and essentially robbed left a bitter taste!
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