Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, I wouldn't be attempting to write a fanfiction. Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.
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Sakura and Deidara agreed that it would be best to start with the basics. Sakura would attempt to mold the clay without adding any chakra. The hand-mouths chewed up the clay and spit it out. Trying not to add chakra was hard but not beyond her control.
"Now focus on a specific shape in your mind, un."
Focus on a shape. What shape? Sakura was busy trying to figure out a specific shape – square, sphere, disc, kunai? – when she heard Deidara exclaim.
"That's not a specific shape. That's a jumbled mess, un."
"I'm trying!" "Try thinking of a shape before you start molding the clay."
A shape, a shape, that's it! "That's a ball, un."
"A ball's a shape!" A basic shape, that is, but Sakura didn't want to add that as she was already embarrassed.
"I guess I shouldn't have expected any better from you, un." Deidara sighed and shook his head. He looked like he was disappointed. What did he expect? Was he mocking her?
Sakura refused to let her temper get the best of her. She could and would do better. She shifted the ball between her hands. What would she make? This time she would try to replicate a living creature. A spider has eight legs, thorax and abdomen are connected…
"Much better, un. Maybe now you can add chakra to control it, un."
"I'd like to keep my first attempt as it is. Besides, I thought that adding chakra to the clay would make it explode, something I am sure would catch the guards attention. They would have us strung up so fast under maximum security."
Before Sakura could continue to rant, Deidara interrupted. "There is such a thing as adding chakra without making it explode, un. Try working on that, un."
"How can you tell the difference?"
"To add chakra so that the clay figure won't explode you need to think of more soothing and less intense chakra, un."
She would make another spider. Sakura was too busy trying to fill the clay with calm energy that she used too much chakra.
"Sakura, I don't think you meant to do that, un." Deidara chuckled. "Oops. He he, sorry."
Crawling from her hand was not one but many small clay spiders.
"Is there any way to extract the chakra?" Sakura asked nervously.
"You could try chewing it up and swallowing the chakra, un. Too bad that we can't have these explode, un."
"I don't want to draw unnecessary attention."
"You're going to draw attention sooner or later, un. Better to deal with it now, and watch the fireworks at their brightest, un." The problem was Sakura didn't want there to be any fireworks. She tried to figure out how to work things out as she gathered the spiders and chewed the clay back up, but she was just too tired. Deidara volunteered to clean things up, but she didn't trust him not to use the clay so she put it away herself.
--
The next day after Sakura's shift at the hospital, she passed by the tower and noticed a bit of commotion going on and a few people rushing about. Alarmed, she made her way to the Hokage's office.
"What's the problem, Tsunade-sama?" Tsunade was obviously stressed and Sakura certainly didn't want to get on her bad side.
"A few of Deidara's records are missing, Sakura."
"Is that all?" Sakura relaxed in relief. "What do you mean, is that all?!"
"I thought I told the guards that I was borrowing some of his records in order to record any new information."
"Well, they neglected to mention it on their report. If you tell me when it was, I can look up the specific ninja on duty and deal with more paperwork on their negligence of paperwork." Tsunade was disgruntled. Perhaps it was the thought of paperwork.
"There's no need. It's fine." "Are you sure?" "Yes, yes."
"So, did you get any new information on him?"
Should Sakura tell her? Wouldn't hurt. "I didn't find any information on the Akatsuki."
"But?" "But I did find out his last name. Kurebakuha."