Chapter 98: What Happened to Deidara?

Kitsuchi's mind was a bit muddled. He couldn't quite understand what was wrong with Deidara. He knew that Onoki had the idea of teaching Deidara Dust Release. After all, Iwagakure couldn't compare to Konoha, which always inexplicably produced a batch of talented Ninja. Even though Deidara's personality was somewhar troublesome, he was still a genius of their village. But wasn't Deidara very annoyed with Ōnoki's teachings? How did he change after coming to Konoha? "Kitsuchi, seeing you is like seeing your father. Although our positions are different, we are old friends." Before Kitsuchi could fully recover, he suddenly heard Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice from the side. This immediately startled him, and at the same time, he couldn't help but inwardly curse Deidara for being unreliable, because no matter how much they asked Deidara, he ignored them. Moreover, they had undergone strict checks last night and confirmed that Deidara was not poisoned or under any Genjutsu. Kitsuchi truly couldn't understand how Deidara had changed his nature. "Lord Hokage, my father often speaks of you as well." Although Kitsuchi appeared to be the 'tough guy' type, he was Ōnoki's son after all, and having been exposed to many things, he understood a lot. "After all, only you and my father remain of the third Kages." "Indeed, time passes quickly." Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled. He didn't want to talk about his retirement, but spoke seriously, "I was wondering when we would have a chance to talk. I never thought this opportunity would come like this." Causing trouble in our village and even abducting Deidara to Konoha, that counts as an opportunity, right? Kitsuchi felt helpless to complain inwardly, but he could only nod in agreement. "That is true, but Lord Hokage, this time you..." "In the past, due to various reasons, we were unable to trust each other, let alone communicate." However, Sarutobi Hiruzen was an old hand. He didn't wait for Kitsuchi to finish speaking and continued with a smile, "Konoha and Iwagakure have almost no channels of communication, but now I seem to see an opportunity, what do you think?" "..." If you want information, just say so! Although Kitsuchi was a bit slow to react, he wasn't so slow as to not understand what this meant. It was just the thing he hated most. He would rather go to the front lines and fight people than deal with these matters. "It is indeed an opportunity, but Lord Hokage..." Kitsuchi was a bit helpless. He could only look at Sarutobi Hiruzen and say, "Establishing channels between us might be very necessary, but the foundation is mutual trust. Could you please tell us what exactly is going on?" "What happened that day in the Land of Earth, and everything that happened that day, I think only by understanding each other can many things continue." "Indeed." Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, holding his pipe. Although Kitsuchi was being direct, this was also what he needed. "For mutual trust, we do need some information exchange. Only then can we better understand each other, especially concerning a certain mysterious organization..." — — — In a training ground in Konoha. Kakashi and Takemi had just finished a round of training and sat down to rest. Kakashi could participate in the village's affairs but wasn't very interested. If something came up, they could just find him. Takemi was curious, but as a Chunin, he wasn't quite suitable to participate, and at this stage, they couldn't take on many missions, so they might as well train well. "You brat, you're getting stronger and stronger." Kakashi sat on the side, rubbing his hair, and commented seriously. "Especially as the difficulty of your missions increases, your combat experience has also become richer. Even if there are still shortcomings, your Flying Thunder God can compensate for them." "I believe you will definitely become a Ninja who will amaze the Ninja World in the future." "Hehe." Takemi smiled, then deliberately asked, "Am I not amazing enough now?" "..." Kakashi rolled his eyes, picked up his book, and started reading. "Be more modest. There are always people stronger than you. Every Ninja must be careful and cautious, because as more people learn about you, they will constantly study you." "Alright, alright, I get it." Takemi nodded, knowing this well. Even though he was indeed strong, there were still many powerful Ninja in the Ninja World. At least, he wouldn't dare to run into Ōnoki's Dust Release... He said, "But it's good that the Iwagakure people are here. That kid Deidara owes me money anyway." "Hmm? Didn't I hear Naruto say you asked him for it?" Just then, a voice suddenly came over. Turning around, they saw that it was Jiraiya. "Jiraiya-sama, why are you here?" Kakashi was a bit surprised. He remembered Jiraiya had gone to see the Sunagakure people, hadn't he? "Things on old man's side isn't over yet. The Sunagakure people wanted to cool down, so I ran off." Jiraiya laughed carelessly. He didn't want to get involved in these matters at all, but his status dictated that he couldn't avoid them. "That side is really troublesome." Jiraiya shook his head, then sat down. The three white-haired Ninja sat together. "Sunagakure is taking this very seriously this time. Chiyo came. It's a good thing you two weren't there, otherwise..." As he spoke, he looked at Takemi and Kakashi with a hint of teasing. This look immediately made Kakashi's eyes turn deadpan. Last time, that puppeteer forcefully granted Takemi 'Konoha's White Fang' title. Although no one said anything about it, everyone knew it in their hearts. "Do I look like him, Kakashi-sensei?" Takemi even blinked and turned to look at Kakashi, who pressed his book onto his head. "Dye your hair back!" Although annoyed, he turned to Jiraiya again and asked, "So, that guy was actually the legendary 'Sasori of the Red Sand'? "Hmm, probably." Jiraiya nodded, also becoming serious. "Such puppetry skills, and turning people into human puppets while retaining the deceased's abilities, these are only possessed by top puppeteers in Sunagakure." "And I also heard something. Sasori of the Red Sand was one of the Third Kazekage's bodyguard squad members back then, and he disappeared after the Third Kazekage went missing." "At first, everyone thought he had met with an accident, but now it seems..." "Right under their noses. As a bodyguard, he could also meet with the Third Kazekage alone." Takemi also spoke up at this point, "And that guy is very good at using poison. The Third Kazekage was probably poisoned by him, right?" "Yes, that's possible." Jiraiya sighed, then gave a wry smile.