Author's Note: Hey friends! Hope everyone is safe and healthy amidst this distressing pandemic. Sorry for my long delay, I was too busy finishing off my final year and catching my repatriation flight back home (I'm finally a doctor!). This chapter was a bit tricky to write because I had to look up a lot of stuff to keep things as canon as they can be (I like to stay really faithful lol), and I beat my own record again as it's also the longest so far so I hope that compensates for my months of inactivity haha. It's 9 am where I am and I literally just pulled an all-nighter working on this, yikes (hopefully I did not make too many mistakes and typos lol, if so, I apologize for that!). I really hope things do not get confusing, I tried to write it as clearly as it allowed me to lol.

As always, I would like to thank all the reviewers and alerts! Thanks for not giving this up, and I would really appreciate future support as well. Therefore don't forget to review! It always makes the author very happy.

Disclaimer: some parts of this entry were taken from Naruto manga chapter 359.

Enjoy friends! And Ramadan Kareem!

Far Beyond The Truth

Chapter 20

Despite the silence engulfing the room, Deidara could not bring himself to sleep. He rolled in his bed as his mind kept replaying the last conversation he shared with the Yamanaka, and the more he thought about it the more he wanted to smack himself in the head. That was too embarrassing for his ego to take, and he was very sure things would turn ten times more awkward now. He brought this upon himself but what did he know? He truly thought Ino was aware of that incident so he could not help jumping in to clear his name. Then again, if she did not remember the kiss, did that statement of his not give him the upper hand?

Similarly to the S-class missing nin, Ino was also preoccupied with trying to put together everything she had learned about her past with Deidara thus far however, whenever she remembered what he had last said, her cheeks would automatically redden.

I'm still holding onto the possibility that I was under a genjutsu of some sort, but... Thinking that she looked down at both of her palms. Everything felt...too real...

Fortunately enough for the kunoichi, she was eventually able to fall asleep on her mattress, unknowingly leaving Deidara to fight with his own inner demons until dawn. It was why Ino was the one to wake up first in the late morning, raising an eyebrow when she noticed the blond was still deep asleep.

Isn't it too late already? He's an Akatsuki, doesn't he have people to kill or something?

Ino sat up in her place and gave her body a long stretch, rubbing her back at the pain that had built up over the night. She quietly stood up and glared at the man laying before her, a million thoughts going through her head.

He is indeed sleeping— is he really letting his guard down? Even if I end up dying alongside him, I could still be suicidal for all he knows. If it wasn't for the fact that I need to gather intel...

Finally allowing herself to look away, the girl took the liberty to open the man's closet and rummage through his belongings, pulling out a black tank top and matching shorts from his pile of clothes.

"I'm gonna have to test your capacities first, Yamanaka. But before that change into more flexible clothes, un, you can't pull a fight with such attire."

Ino looked around her confused as for what to do. She did not feel like going back indoors to change so the first thought was to tug her dress inside her shorts and work it out. However, when she noted his dark top lying on the ground, she grinned and ran to take it, earning a 'what the fuck?' look from Deidara.

"I'm borrowing this!" She exclaimed, snatching it off the ground and hiding behind the tree. After less than a minute, she stood out dusting her new shirt, which hung over her light gray shorts.

"Wow, my shirt actually fixed your look, un!" He shouted, gaining a death glare from the Yamanaka. She did not have time to respond.

"Try to dodge my attacks, un! Ready or not here I come!"

What the—

Ino blinked and shook her head, staring at the dark shirt between her hands. She turned back to catch a glimpse at the sleeping artist before heaving a long sigh, heading to the bathroom. Starting her day with a nice warm shower would perhaps lift her mood up. Maybe shower-thoughts could also help her link all her flashbacks together in one logical explanation. Indeed, the Yamanaka felt much better the moment the hot water descended upon her body, yet no luck in figuring out a solid conclusion. When the girl finished and got dressed, she stood in front of the mirror, contemplating her reflection while ruffling her hair with a towel. She was a mess, despite not looking so. Her eyes landed on a toothbrush hung on the wall below the mirror and she grinned, taking it out.

By the time Ino stepped out of the bathroom, she was surprised the man was still soundlessly asleep. Was he okay? Should she start getting worried?

Why should she worry about him anyway?

The florist huffed and spun on her heel, making her way to the kitchen. She decided she would make use of anything offered to her at this point. So many ingredients and utensils were present in the kitchen when she checked it out the previous day so she was very excited to make a decent meal. Plus, investigating the area at the moment was too dangerous for Deidara could wake up any time now.

Deidara sluggishly rolled in his bed and opened his eyes, adjusting to the light. He gulped and looked down towards where he expected the kunoichi of Konoha to be only to find her missing. He sat up straight away in panic before the sound of "a rat—!" followed by metal hitting the ground reverberated throughout the entire floor, ironically putting the shinobi at ease.

She's in the kitchen, un.

He scratched the back of his head with a lazy hand and yawned, shuffling his way to the bathroom.

Ino was halfway through cutting her vegetables when a loud cough was heard at the other end of the room. What shocked the girl was not the fact that it was Deidara standing by the doorframe, but rather him holding her bra and panties high up at the level of his face. He thought he told her to keep the bathroom clean and tidy after she used it?

"Care to explain, un?" Deidara mumbled grumpily, though his frown was quickly replaced by a smirk the moment he registered that she was wearing his clothes. He checked her out up and down, impressed.

"Huh, weird, I was about to ask you the same thing." Ino uttered raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms. Was that the first time this incel got his hands on female underwear?

"Oh, you don't really think I'm a pervert now do you, Yamanaka? I'm a lot of things, but not that, un. You wouldn't take my word for it though would you?"

The kunoichi rolled her eyes and let out a sigh.

"You were asleep and I didn't know where to put my clothes, so I hung them behind the bathroom door. You should be grateful I did not shake you to your feet just to take care of my laundry, dumbass! Not to mention that awful futon you gave me— I'm gonna have some serious backaches because of that thing!"

Deidara was not phased. He stared at her with a bored expression, pointing to his left.

"Second door to the left from my room. There's also a washer, un. As for the futon," saying that he turned around and waved with his hand dismissively, "I'll write your complaint in the suggestion box, un." He disregarded whatever she had to say and casually left the room. Not That it stopped Ino from glaring at his imaginary silhouette.

The terrorist threw Ino's clothes on her mattress, proceeding to take his own shower. Said girl was grateful the boy had left her alone to enjoy her breakfast. A gray cloud always formed on top of her head whenever he was present around her. She was satisfied when the table was set a while later, different kinds of food occupying it. The Yamanaka was extremely hungry for she was left to starve just two days ago, so it was no exaggeration that she would eat literally anything. Her eyes sparkled as she began tasting every dish that she had made for herself.

This is so good— can't believe I'm having actual food... She munched happily, nonchalantly pouring herself some orange juice. If she was going to be held captive there against her will, then she would take advantage of every single opportunity she would get. Unfortunately, her peaceful meal would soon get interrupted yet again by no other than the Akatsuki member himself, who pushed the kitchen door fully open, angry.

"You did not just use my toothbrush—" Deidara growled holding the stick between his fingers. His hair was wet and he was only wearing black pants, a damp towel hugging his neck.

Ino barely looked back over her shoulder unbothered. Had it been in a different situation, her cheeks would have definitely flushed at the scene before her. As much as she hated to admit, post-shower Deidara looked very attractive.

"You did not get me a toothbrush of my own. So unless you shove it up your ass, I will keep using yours." She shrugged, reaching for her toast. Needless to say, the kunoichi did not use his toothbrush. It would evidently be so disgusting and she was not that desperate. She just ran water over it and left it on the side of the sink. The florist knew she would need to play things dirty in order to get anything she wanted from this Akatsuki.

"Fuckin' hell, why are you always so pressed, un. Is that how you women become with age?" Deidara retorted pulling a chair and taking a seat on the table. He grabbed the towel on his shoulders and resumed drying his blond locks.

"Oh no, I was born this way. I was always cynical."

"Is that so?" The missing nin arched an amused eyebrow. He folded his arms over his bare chest, leaning forward towards the blonde. "That's strange, you seemed very sweet and caring to me, un. You fed me, treated my wounds, nursed me to health— I was really touched, un. I was never this spoiled."

The man lay back without losing his trademark smirk. At that point, Ino was thankful for the heavens that her hairstyle was covering the right side of her face and denied that bastard the first seat view of her tomato cheeks. Had she not experienced her scattered memories herself, she would have resentfully refuted that possibility. Nothing was truly established yet but...what if he was partially telling the truth?

"Did I? I can't seem to recall. Sorry, I have a bad memory." The Yamanaka swallowed her pride and overplayed the awkwardness. She would not let him triumph no matter what. Unluckily for her, the Akatsuki was still not planning to drop the subject just yet.

"Right," the blond artist nodded, holding his hand with the other, "maybe I can refresh your memory a little bit, un?" Saying that he leaned forward again and started making kissing sounds, taunting the kunoichi. If he was throwing the weight of that kiss on her back to bear, he might as well carry on with it.

You son of a—! Ino popped a vein on her forehead, clenching her fists tightly. She was very convinced the world was testing her patience right now, and if it was not for her stubbornness she would have probably already given up.

"Huh, you know, nothing is reliable when I don't remember any of it and you refuse to tell me. Besides, who in their right mind would ever like an Akatsuki like you. You're delusional."

Deidara huffed slumping back on his chair. The last comment seemed to pull a string. "Oh yeah? What do you know? Just because I'm a missing nin doesn't mean I'm not liked, un."

"Oh, I'm sorry, you haven't even realized that nobody likes you except for your mom, and even that I doubt." She stood up in her place drawing the chair back. "Besides, assuming everything you are claiming did happen, how do you even know it was true? I might have been playing nice to spy on you or something."

The terrorist bomber huffed again and rolled his eyes, his expression turning bored.

"You? A spy? That's impossible. You don't have the brains to fool anyone, un."

Although that remark was meant to offend Konoha's kunoichi, she placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow amused. Did that man not know whom he was addressing to?

"But that's exactly my point? Acting dumb so you don't suspect a thing? You know, going along with whatever you say so I get what I want and then bam, kill you when I don't need you anymore. This sounds like the most logical explanation for why I, a dignified kunoichi, would willingly accompany a criminal like you." Ino nodded, to which Deidara only blinked, pausing in his movements.

"Ha—?! I doubt you have such a complex personality, un." He stood up from his seat giving his hair final ruffles with the towel. Ino mentally facepalmed, standing up to grab the juice bottle. She would not push it upon him further when she still needed to investigate the entire hideout and the man himself. One wrong step and he could send her to flames, after all. After putting the bottle back in the fridge, she looked around the table for the dessert she had made for herself. She was looking forward to having all that sugar in her bloodstream after everything she had been through the past few days.

Huh? Where's my...?

Turning around to face the artist, the words were stuck in the girl's throat at noting the man eating her dessert. Her right eye twitched at every bite he took until the blond finally noticed her staring.

"What? Oh, you're not on a diet...?" Deidara mumbled checking her out up and down.

"I was looking forward to this all morning. I'm gonna kill you."

Deidara grinned setting the plate down. "If you wish to kill me you will have to stay alive, un." He sang holding his index and middle finger next to his face in a peace sign.

"I don't know, dying together sounds pretty romantic don't you think so?" The Yamanaka snatched the plate and glared at him, harshly cutting a piece. "I'm not sharing anything with you. You're losing that arm of yours again if you touch my food one more time." One bite into the fluffy goodness was enough to calm Ino's soul down. Immediately feeling the gravity of her last words, she was quick to add: "I-I mean—"

The florist was worried she had pushed it too far with her final comments. Would he lose his temper and blow her up? That criminal was too unpredictable. She should have tried harder to tone things down enough to gather more information and find a way to relay them before he killed her. She could not die before she made use of this opportunity. The teens were not facing each other, so she had no means of knowing what the Akatsuki was thinking about at that very moment, nor did she expect to hear him laughing out loud like that. She was so shocked that for a second, she wondered whether that was her very own imagination.

"That's cute, un. Would love to see you try."

Ino turned around to face the Akatsuki at once, startled to see him wearing an unusual, semi-soft smile. She was so perplexed that she was not able to speak anything for few seconds, and when she finally found her voice, she still stuttered when dismissing the conversation.

"Wh-whatever. Just go put something on already..." She sulked, breaking the gaze.

"It's really okay to admit that you can't handle it Yamanaka, un." Deidara proudly flicked his hair back as he turned around heading to the door.

He sweat-dropped when an apple came flying right next to his face.

Ino finished her laundry and headed back towards the man's bedroom, pausing at the door frame when she saw him on the ground working on something. She had decided she would avoid the criminal as much as possible until the Hokage brought her back again, but there was little she could do being imprisoned alone.

I really hope it doesn't take too long... She thought walking back to the kitchen. She would spend the entire day there in an attempt to avoid the blond. The only chance for her to investigate was at night when both teens were meant to be sleeping. That was why she caught the rat she came across in the kitchen earlier that morning, nothing that Deidara needed to know about.

"Yamanaka," The Akatsuki startled the girl with his presence. She was bored and leaning on the table half asleep. "I have an important meeting I need to attend, but I will still be on this floor. Don't you even consider crashing the meeting because while I might be merciful at times, the other members are not, un. For your own good I mean." He shrugged, about to head back when Ino interrupted him.

"Hold on, what will happen to me if you need to leave the hideout?"

The missing nin shrugged again. "I'll probably take you back to the dungeon or something, un."

The kunoichi sighed and leaned back on her chair. "I guess I can't be picky. Just...please provide me with a few hours' notice so I can empty my bladder beforehand okay?"

Deidara burst into laughter, waving with his hand as he left the kitchen. "Yeah yeah, un."

As if I will not make use of this opportunity!

The girl gave it a five-minutes wait before she opened the cupboard underneath the sink, spotting the rat she had previously caught.

Where did he go?!

The kunoichi was listening to each room along the poorly lit corridor. Rats made a perfect vessel to use with their sensitive sense of hearing, so it was no surprise that she was eventually able to find the room Deidara was in. As a rat, they would also not be able to sense her chakra so they should not suspect a thing.

"Thought so, Sasori no danna and I couldn't find his corpse when I blew up his entire hideout in the Land of Wind, un, so we couldn't confirm his death." She was easily able to recognize the artist's voice, especially with his nasal grunt. Who were they referring to though?

"Yes. But according to our intel, we don't need to worry about him anymore. In fact, it was your younger brother who did us the favor, Itachi."

The Yamanaka could not identify the person behind that statement, but she mentally gasped at realizing that they were talking about Uchiha Sasuke.

"What?! But I wanted to be the one to kill Orochimaru, un!" Deidara complained, immediately adding afterwards. "Pain, please allow me to pursue that brat and finish him off, un!"

"How you spend your free time is up to you, Deidara. I don't believe Itachi has a problem with it, do you?"

"Do as you wish." Ino did not know why she was alarmed to hear the voice of Uchiha Itachi. Was he also in that room?!

"Speaking of Konoha brats, do you still have that kunoichi of Konoha locked in the dungeon, Deidara?"

Hearing that the girl tensed.

"Yeah, un."

"I don't think she will be of any use anymore. You can get rid of her."

What..?!

"B-but Pain, what about using her to catch Konoha's Jinchuuriki, un?"

"The hidden leaf will surely never trade the Kyuubi for a nobody like her. Everyone dismissed."

It took Ino a moment to digest what had been said last. Was...was her time finally up? Thankfully the steps inside the room woke her out of her thoughts in time to run back and reverse her jutsu, for if anyone found out she was eavesdropping they would certainly ensure her death would be a slow process.

Wh-what do I do...? Is there no way for me to escape?! The moment I step out of this floor I'll be blown to bits and pieces. Even if I somehow manage to kill Deidara, I will still end up in bits and pieces. If I try to use my mind body switch on him, there's no way for me to know how to reverse his technique and I will risk detonating my own body. This is worse than being a chained hostage because technically, the only way out of this is for him to willingly reverse his jutsu. Fuck, what do I—

"You okay? You look so pale, un."

Ino almost jumped in her chair. She was at loss of words so when nothing came out of her mouth, the missing nin just shrugged and headed back to his room.

Is he not gonna kill me now? Do I still have some time left? She thought standing up from her seat warily. She returned to his room preparing for the worst, however him casually leaning back on his bed was the last thing she would have expected at that moment. The way he was also silent seemed suspicious too. Normally, he would not keep his mouth shut and would take every chance to trigger her.

"I'll turn off the lights..." The florist stated unsure, pressing the switch when the man gave no answer. What was up with him?

The Yamanaka laid down on her futon, overwhelmed with the sudden realization that her life was coming to an end. It was not like she had never expected it, but she had hope her teammates or the Hokage would work things out to rescue her. This was probably her final night. Even if she wanted to get a last good night sleep, she was unable to with all the thoughts running through her head. But what can she do? Escaping on her own was impossible, and she was still unsure whether killing her was an order or a suggestion.

Well, if there's a high chance he would kill me, might as well make the best out of it and kill him myself. At least I would be useful. She rolled on her mattress so that she faced the Akatsuki's motionless body, deep in thought. If we're gonna die anyway, might as well...find out more about the past two weeks through his own memories... I need my answers...

With determination as well as helplessness in her eyes, the kunoichi slowly lifted her hands up in a seal, aiming it at the sleeping blond.

This is kinda risky...if he wakes up before I'm back to my body, he will undoubtedly finish me off at that very moment. The Yamanaka pondered roaming the darkness. Hundreds of windows suddenly came into view around her, each playing a certain memory.

I need to find the one related to me. Where is—

As the girl turned around in search of her image, she gasped in surprise at seeing a child standing in front of her, who seemed to be bewildered himself. With his blond hair and blue eyes, she immediately identified him as a younger version of Deidara however, before she was able to express anything, the boy instantly ran away.

"Wait!" Casting one last look at the memories she was leaving behind, the kunoichi cursed under her breath and ran after the child. She could not risk taking her time.

The boy noticed she was following so he jumped into one of the windows, driving the florist to jump after him into the bright light as well.

Huh..? Where am I...? everything's in..ruins... The kunoichi thought as she opened her eyes and saw the flames around her. She then realized that she was standing on top of a flying clay bird, a slightly younger version of Deidara in his Akatsuki cloak beside her. Also, was that Iwagakure?

Oh yeah, he is from Iwa isn't he? To be expected...living up to his terrorist bomber name... Upon closer inspection of his face she noted that the boy was fixated on something. She followed his gaze and was startled to see a young girl with short black hair staring back at him, tears in her eyes. Did they know each other?

I wonder why he destroyed his own village. Come to think of it, Uchiha Itachi also annihilated his entire clan. His family— ugh, I hate that I'm getting really curious about this! M-maybe just a quick look. It's not like I'll ever have the opportunity to check an Akatsuki's past again...not that I'm gonna live past tomorrow anyway...

The kunoichi jumped from one memory to another, stopping when she reached a temple.

x-x-x

"Akatsuki?" Deidara wondered facing three men in dark cloaks with red clouds. His long blond hair was held in a low ponytail and he was wearing an aqua-colored yukata jacket. He looked a couple of years younger so he was probably in his mid-teens. "Don't know and don't care. Now get lost! You're keeping me from my art appreciation time."

"I have to take this brat on as my partner...? Sure, he's full of energy, but he seems like the early death type." The one with the cloth hiding the bottom half of his face said. If she was not mistaken, that was Akasuna no Sasori. He was killed by Sakura and an elder from Sunagakure.

"It's our leader's orders. His talent will be very useful..." Ino got wary when she recognized Uchiha Itachi. He looked scary even as a harmless illusion. Was this the first time Deidara got recruited?

"What do you know about my talent, un? Who are you anyway...?!"

"We know you're aiding the anti-government factions of neighboring nations with terrorist bombings...you're a rogue ninja, but what's your purpose?" The girl was also able to identify the third man speaking, Hoshigaki Kisame, Itachi's partner.

"Purpose? Don't need one. I'm just taking commissions to cause explosions. Using my art, un!"

"Your art?" Sasori asked.

"Like this!" Deidara revealed a medium-sized clay spider in his hand. "Well? Such clean, refined lines and a form that pursues two-dimensional deformé, un! This is art, but my art goes far beyond this as well. My pieces are versatile! While they hold shape, they are merely objects, un. But this thing can also explode! And when it does, it makes its existence more sublime and finally comes fully into its own! I feel that true art lives only in that brief flash of sublimation, un! True art is an explosion!"

Silence roamed the area for a moment.

"...disgusting." Sasori mumbled.

"Is he done...?" Kisame asked turning towards the Uchiha.

"Who knows...doesn't matter though. I'll convince him." Itachi stepped forward activating his sharingan. Deidara's eyes locked with those of the Uchiha, frowning.

What's up with his eyes? Ino could hear his thoughts echoing.

"You wanna fight, un?"

"If I win, you'll come with us." Itachi spoke calmly, irritating the artist even more.

"Don't you mock me, or my art! My ninjutsu is nothing but noble, refined art, un!"

The blond threw the clay spider towards the Uchiha, who jumped back in return. After making the seal of confrontation and shouting 'katsu,' an explosion erupted in the temple, breaking one of the walls. The missing nin of Konoha landed few steps ahead, but a clay centipede emerged from the floor beneath him and wrapped itself around his body to trap him.

"Is that all you got?!" Deidara shouted making the seal.

"Better look closely at yourself."

The blond blinked and looked down, seeing the centipede trapping him instead.

"That was close, you were about to blow yourself up." Kisame uttered.

"I told you he would die an early death..."

"Genjutsu..? When—" Deidara was baffled, to which Kisame smirked.

"From the moment you looked into Itachi's sharingan, you were trapped."

Light shined through the opening created in the wall of the temple, where Itachi stoically stood on the stony ruins. The artist could not avert his eyes off the man's sharingan, shining fiercely between his pitch black locks.

This...is art... Ino heard him thinking, but the boy shook his head immediately.

Gah...no...I will not be intimidated by the abilities of another. That ocular jutsu...it was not art. I will not acknowledge it. Never. But I will get my revenge.

"You lose." Itachi muttered leading the way.

The Yamanaka was stunned, overwhelmed by this unpredictable encounter. She would have never imagined this was how Deidara had joined this infamous organization. Was that jerk actually forced into Akatsuki? Why did he not escape? Not that it changed the fact that he was still a terrorist bomber anyway.

I have to go deeper. I have to know more about him. Why he betrayed his village. How it all started— The Yamanaka mused, diving further.

x-x-x

"Absolutely unacceptable!" The voice of an old man boomed in the area before a slam on a hard surface was heard. Ino wandered around in search of the source when she noted a short elder man sitting behind a desk, a young boy with shoulder-length blond hair facing him. "This is the 7th time this has occurred, Deidara. You can't just keep detonating things whenever you want!"

The man, whom Ino identified as the third Tsuchikage Ōnoki, was evidently angry.

"You, Kurotsuchi, and Akatsuchi are my apprentices. So far, you are the most promising among the group. Obviously you're still 13, you're too young and you have a long way to go, but in order to become my successor you must build a good relationship with the village. I understand you're very capable already and your kekkei genkai has a lot of potential, but no one will accept you if they can't trust you!"

The young boy sighed and rolled his eyes.

"I don't even want to become a Tsuchikage, old man! Why would I ever want to help this village, un. The only reason I agreed to join the Explosion Corps is because it allows me to blow things up and practice my art, un!"

Ōnoki frowned and crossed his arms, leaning back on his chair.

"Here we go again with your art nonsense. Never forget that I picked you off the streets when you were an abandoned child, Deidara, you still owe us—"

"You're right. If I owe anything to anyone, it would only be to you and you alone, un. Why do you think I never had any friends, old man?" The boy furrowed his eyebrows and held his fingers together in fists, glaring at the man before him. He was startled when someone wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer against them.

"Deidara-nii, that's pretty harsh to say. What do you mean you have no friends?" A young girl with short black hair pouted dramatically. She seemed to be in around the same age range as that of the young artist. "Akatsuchi and I are all the friends you need, you know."

The blond boy growled and fought to get the girl's arms off him.

Hold on a minute— he was the Tsuchikage's pupil?! The kunoichi pondered jumping further into the darkness. I guess it would make sense, he's still young and an S-class already after all. But why did he hate his village?

She stopped again when she saw the blond boy walking alone, so she followed him silently.

"Monster."

"Look at this kid, the third should've never taken him in."

The florist started seeing people on either side of the kid, frowning and whispering demeaning remarks. Her expression softened at seeing the child holding himself together before running away from the crowd.

What are these people talking about? The Yamanaka was confused but carried on.

x-x-x

"Take your hands off me, un!" The young artist (maybe around 10?) shouted before being pushed into an office, falling face first. His hands were tied back together and his shirt was torn, revealing his chest.

"There he is, Tsuchikage-sama."

Deidara looked up with bruises all over his face. Ōnoki flew from his seat to stand in front of the blond, frowning. "Why did you steal that kinjutsu, Deidara? What use do you have in kneading chakra into substances? Is this how you repay us?"

Deidara remained silent, so the shinobi behind him gave him a kick for him to talk.

"I needed it to further develop my clay sculptures and enhance my art, un." The boy muttered looking away.

"What's this art of yours?" The sandaime questioned, crouching down to get a closer view.

"The art of a single moment—" The blond smirked. "The moment in which anything that has form is destroyed, un."

"You little brat— you saying you wanna destroy Iwa?!" The guard lifted his leg ready to stomp the artist when Ōnoki waved with his hand.

"Release the boy." The elder ordered, leaving everyone stunned.

"B-but Tsuchikage-sama—"

The Third waived with his hand again. "Forbidden techniques are banned, but their use is not technically punishable unless targeted against our village." He reached to take a look at Deidara's hands, noting the mouths on his palms. "Are these a result of the kinjutsu?"

Deidara nodded, leaning to his side to show the marks and stitches on his chest.

"I see..." The man straightened up turning around. "From now on you will be my pupil, Deidara."

Ōnoki left all the shinobis in his office astonished yet again.

"B-but Tsuchikage-sama, this brat broke the rules—"

"This kid possesses an explosion release kekkei genkai that can effectively complement the kinjutsu he just stole. It's a wiser idea to build him up under my supervision. Who knows, he might excel to become the yondaime one day. " The third stared outside the window into the distance, deep in thought.

"This brat?" A shinobi breathed out sarcastically, shaking his head. "As if anybody would ever acknowledge him. Word will spread that he stole a kinjutsu like wildfire. This alone will give him a hard time already."

So Deidara basically stole a forbidden technique, which together with his explosion release enabled him to use this explosive clay of his? It kinda reminds me of Naruto when he stole the Scroll of Seals. But if he was the Tsuchikage's apprentice, why would he betray the village?

x-x-x

I'm not a monster.

Shatter

"Oops!" A boy laughed high-fiving a couple other friends.

"You..." Deidara mumbled in disbelief, staring at his broken clay sculpture. He appeared to be in his early teens. "You will pay for this—!"

It took me days to build...to use it for my art...

"What are you gonna do about it, monster? Blow us up?!" One of the children teased, pushing the artist to the floor of his bedroom. He grabbed another sculpture, forcefully throwing it to the ground.

I'm not a monster.

"Piss off!" Deidara jumped to punch the boy, but his other friends held him down violently, laughing alongside their friend.

"Why don't you go cry to the Tsuchikage again? We all agree he should've never taken someone like you to begin with, freak!" He ridiculed, throwing another clay sculpture.

No...stop...

"Well this looks like a nice bird...who would've thought a freak like you could make something so beautiful, yeah!" The boy grinned about to break it when Deidara held his index and middle finger in a confrontation seal, anger blinding his ocean blue eyes.

I've had it...with you...with all of you!

No—! Ino unconsciously reached out to stop the blond, her hand passing right through him.

"KATSU!"

And the clay sculpture, along with the boy bullying the artist, were sent to flames. The impact was enough to push the other two away from the blond, who hesitantly stood up few minutes later when the smoke began to clear out.

I...just killed someone... His thoughts reverberated. He was still in shock, staring at both of his hands.

"O-oh my god...that freak—!" One of the remaining boys whispered in terror. He screamed as he escaped the house immediately, his friend following suit.

I...just killed someone...and I don't regret it...

Deidara was still gazing at the smoke, unfocused. His lips soon curved up in a half-smile, starting to laugh.

Old man, I told you I do not belong here. And that true art, is an explosion un.

I was very skeptic about submitting this chapter because I'm worried I messed things up, haha. This was not where I originally wanted to stop, but the chapter was too long already. Just a side note, not all the memories followed the correct order so it was up to Ino (and you readers) to figure out the correct sequence. I hope it was not too difficult to link everything together! Very little is provided about Deidara's past in canon so I had to make things up while trying to stay as faithful as possible to the bigger, general picture provided. I also had to look up the other characters in Iwa to make sure I'm not missing anything out (yes I was very dedicated lol! I'm such a perfectionist).

Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter! Please don't forget to drop down your thoughts in a review!

Y'all be safe, practice all the necessary precautions, and stay at home! See you soon friends!