บท 165: Chapter 165
Deidara wasn't flying very fast. Team Rockhead could tell that their target was deliberately keeping them on his tail.
Even so, confident in their abilities, Team Rockhead decided to keep up the pursuit.
Of course, during the chase, they sent relevant intel back to Jomae Village.
With the Land of Waves now essentially under Jomae Village's control, Team Rockhead believed that even if Deidara managed to escape their pursuit, there was no way he'd evade the grasp of Jomae Village.
In fact, Jomae Village had already received the news.
"The daimyō's mansion was blown up. The culprit wears a black cloak with red clouds, has a golden ponytail, looks young, and is a bit mentally unstable. Claims to be an artist who loves explosive art?"
As Gensou read the report sent by Akira, he was sitting in a large hall, discussing important matters with Hagoromo Mokutei, Hagoromo Anki, and several other high-ranking officials.
To be fair, Akira's analysis of Deidara was quite thorough given the short time frame.
Gensou quickly identified the culprit, though he was puzzled.
"Deidara? What is he doing in the Land of Waves?"
"Is he a member of the Akatsuki?" Mokutei asked, taking note of the phrase "black cloak with red clouds" in the report.
As the head of the intelligence division and with prior instructions from Gensou, Mokutei was well aware of the Akatsuki.
"Could it be that there's a tailed beast nearby?" Anki, now representing the Uchiha clan in the village, speculated.
"Regardless of his intentions, how should we deal with this Deidara character? Should we drive him away, or simply eliminate him?" Another high-ranking member of Jomae Village asked, his tone dripping with bloodlust.
Judging by his demeanor, he clearly favored the latter option.
"Ahem."
At that moment, an older man, not much younger than Mokutei, coughed a few times before hurriedly speaking up:
"Wait, everyone."
"Elder Mori, what's the matter?" The official who was about to suggest eliminating Deidara turned to him in confusion.
Mori, his real name, looked a bit embarrassed, and after some hesitation, he finally said, "Well… I actually know that 'Deidara' kid."
"You know him?"
At this, Gensou and the others turned their attention to the elder.
Seeing that even the clan leader was looking at him, Hagoromo Mori gritted his teeth and revealed the truth:
"To be honest, Deidara is actually a member of the Hagoromo clan."
This revelation stunned the entire room.
"Deidara is one of us? I've never heard that before."
"If he's one of us, why did he blow up the daimyō's mansion?"
"Did we plant someone in the Akatsuki?"
The room buzzed with questions.
Even Gensou was taken aback.
As the clan leader, he had no prior knowledge that Deidara was part of their clan.
"It's like this," Mori began to explain, "I hail from the Hagoromo branch in Iwagakure. Although I live in Jomae Village now, I spent many years in Iwagakure. Deidara comes from that branch as well. But his parents passed away early, and there were issues with his education, so he wasn't marked with the Hagoromo seal, and thus, he wasn't added to the clan's registry."
Mori summarized the situation succinctly.
Gensou, intrigued, asked, "Elder Mori, could you explain in more detail?"
Though Mori found the topic difficult to discuss, with the clan leader requesting it, he had no choice but to continue:
"Deidara… How should I put this? He was always a peculiar child. Somewhere along the way, he picked up the word 'art' and couldn't stop talking about it, no matter how much we tried to guide him properly."
"Later, he became the personal disciple of the Third Tsuchikage, and I was thrilled. At one point, I even told him about the Hagoromo clan's heritage. But his first reaction was..."
"'Hagoromo clan? Sounds artistic. Where are they? I want to set off a massive firework!'"
Even now, Mori could vividly recall the moment Deidara heard about the clan. His immediate, enthusiastic response was one of eager anticipation, as if he wanted to blow the entire clan sky-high.
"I tried to teach him, to instill some pride in the Hagoromo clan within him. But that brat! He'd let everything go in one ear and out the other, obsessing over art and explosions day and night. He just wouldn't listen!"
"And then, without saying a word, he fled Iwagakure. I didn't expect him to join the Akatsuki or show up here."
By the end, Mori let out a deep sigh.
When it came to Deidara, he was truly at his wits' end.
Fearing that Deidara might one day really blow up the Hagoromo clan, Mori never gave him the Hagoromo seal, nor did he tell him much about the clan.
He had planned to wait until Deidara grew up a little, until he matured, before telling him more.
But now...
Mori sighed again.
Meanwhile, after hearing Mori's story, Mokutei and the others exchanged bewildered glances. They never expected such an oddball to appear among the Hagoromo descendants.
"So, does this mean Deidara technically deserted the Hagoromo clan as well?" someone asked.
Mori shook his head and chuckled bitterly. "Deserted? From what I know of Deidara, he probably didn't even think about the Hagoromo clan when he fled. If you asked him now about the Hagoromo clan, he'd probably just say, 'Hagoromo clan? Sounds artistic.'"
The one who had asked the question: "..."
As for Gensou, what more could he say? All he could do was acknowledge that the Hagoromo clan produced a wide variety of talents.
"I wonder where this strong artistic gene came from?"
Gensou briefly recalled the members of the Hagoromo clan from the Warring States period, but he couldn't think of anyone who had a love for art.
"Clan leader, what should we do about Deidara now?" Mokutei asked, bringing the question back to Gensou.
If they killed him... well, Deidara was still technically part of the clan, and his strength was undeniable. Whether or not he remembered, he hadn't exposed the clan over the years. And really, their only reason for killing him would be that he destroyed the daimyō's mansion, which caused no real harm to the Hagoromo clan.
If they let him live, there was no telling when this "artist" might share information about the Iwagakure branch of the Hagoromo clan. Not to mention, he hadn't exactly shown much regard for the clan by running off without a word. And now he was flying around the skies of the Land of Waves, perhaps one day discovering their airborne fortress.
So should they kill him or not? The group was divided, leaving the final decision to the clan leader.
"Let's capture him first."
Gensou waved his hand.
They could decide whether to kill or let him go later. There was plenty of time.
Besides, it was quite fitting.
Just as they were talking about Deidara, he was now delivering himself to their doorstep.
At that moment, sensing a sudden disturbance in the Jomae Village barrier, Gensou's eyes lit up. He stood and smiled:
"It's time to see if Elder Mori's words are true."
(End of Chapter)
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