"Art is an explosion! Hah!"
Boom!
A massive explosion shook the ground, adding yet another crater to the already scarred landscape that looked as if it had been struck by a meteor shower.
Standing atop his clay bird, Deidara looked down at his handiwork, nodding with satisfaction:
"Sasori-bro's puppets look beautiful when they explode. Indeed, an instant of explosion is the truest form of art! Hm!"
"Deidara!!!"
From within the smoke, Sasori's angry shout echoed once more.
He looked utterly disheveled; not only had his puppet, Hiruko, been obliterated, but even his main puppet body was now in shambles, with his heart secured only in a regular puppet.
With his level of power, this outcome should've been impossible.
But one misstep led to another.
Deidara's sudden betrayal, along with his C4 Karura, had dealt a devastating blow before Sasori could unleash his full strength.
Surviving was already a stroke of luck, let alone staging a comeback.
Keeping himself in the fight until now was his greatest effort.
At this moment, Deidara, moving his hands to form another clay construct, called out loudly:
"Sasori -bro! Have you thought about it yet? How about defecting and joining me?"
Sasori had never been this furious.
While dodging, he coldly replied, "Deidara! I underestimated you. You betrayed the boss- fine. But is this your idea of persuasion? Starting with C4 Karura?"
"Relax~~ It's because Sasori -bro is so powerful. I had to give it my all! Besides, you're still alive, right? Hm." Deidara's carefree voice floated down from above.
Sasori's gaze darkened.
Nearly all the puppets he had painstakingly created were now reduced to rubble.
He felt an overwhelming urge to turn Deidara into a human puppet on the spot.
But the current situation didn't favor him.
Suppressing his anger, Sasori surveyed his surroundings, planning his escape. However, Deidara was well-acquainted with his senior partner's tactics.
After another clash, Deidara suddenly smirked, forming a seal with one hand: "Sasori -bro, as a fellow artist, I've given you another chance. Hm."
As he spoke, Sasori found himself suddenly immobilized and looked down.
Two massive clay centipedes burst out from beneath him, quickly binding most of his body. His heart's container ended up securely pinned to the centipede's back.
Sasori could only surrender.
He looked up at Deidara, his tone icy, tinged with confusion: "Deidara, have you considered the consequences of betraying the boss?"
Pain possessed the legendary Rinnegan, information known to everyone in the Akatsuki.
Others had challenged him before, but they all lost without exception.
Sasori couldn't understand why Deidara, who was perfectly fine, would choose to betray Pain.
Especially with Zetsu's intelligence network spread across the entire shinobi world.
No matter how far Deidara fled, he'd eventually be caught.
In the Akatsuki, betrayal could only end in death.
Hearing this, Deidara shrugged indifferently and said, "Compared to betraying Pain, I'm more concerned about the consequences of betraying the clan leader."
"The clan leader? What do you mean?"
Sasori was about to press further.
Suddenly, his "Jade" ring projected a hologram.
"You're done for."
Sasori gave Deidara a glance, preparing to report to the projected leader.
But as he opened his mouth, he realized that the figure wasn't their leader.
The man looked familiar.
It wasn't until Deidara descended, proudly introducing the figure as his esteemed mentor, his clan leader, the legendary Gensou, that Sasori finally recognized him.
Then, with a jolt, he realized a certain possibility.
While Pain had seemed invincible, if the opponent was someone not from this era-someone as renowned as Gensou...
"Pain is dead. I now control the Akatsuki," Gensou announced after surveying the scene.
"So, Sasori of the Red Sand, what is your choice?"
Sasori was silent.
Nearby, Deidara urged him: "Sasori -bro, what's there to hesitate about? We can still be the Art Duo. Don't tell me you're loyal to Pain. That would surprise me. Hm!"
Sasori glanced at Deidara before finally speaking:
"If Pain is dead, what about Konan?"
The reason Sasori had joined the Akatsuki in the first place was because Konan had defeated
him.
Her Paper Style was, in his eyes, a form of beautiful art.
He asked about Konan, not out of deep affection, but simply out of a passing curiosity.
Gensou didn't hold back: "Before Pain died, we made a deal. The cost was Konan's freedom. She's left the Akatsuki, and I have no interest in knowing where she's gone."
Sasori understood.
After a moment, he finally nodded and said, "In that case, I'll join. But I have one condition."
"Speak."
Sasori glanced coldly at Deidara, who had no sense of his own actions, sidling up beside him. Shifting away, he addressed Gensou:
"For the next mission, I refuse to be partnered with Deidara again!"
Hearing this, Deidara was thunderstruck: "Sasori -bro, we're both artists in pursuit of grand creations. We're a natural pair. We can't be separated! Hm!"
Sasori let out a cold chuckle, ignoring him.
The biggest misfortune he'd endured was partnering with someone like Deidara.
If he had to do it again?
He feared he wouldn't be able to restrain himself from attacking first.
Gensou, glancing between Sasori and Deidara, nodded to prevent the two from clashing later:
"Agreed."
Sasori breathed a sigh of relief.
Deidara, however, looked disappointed.
Thus, the Art Duo was disbanded.
The Akatsuki had a total of ten members.
With Pain and Itachi dead, Orochimaru defected, Konan gone, and Zetsu now aligned with
Uchiha Obito, Gensou could only secure five members of the Akatsuki.
Only one remained.
In Sasuke's location, the once scenic mountain hot springs had turned to ruins.
After defeating Kisame, Sasuke was extinguishing the flames of Amaterasu, ensuring that the
mountain and everything nearby wouldn't burn down.
When he returned, he found Gensou's hologram standing before a bound Kisame.
Gensou turned to look at Sasuke, nodding slightly, then addressed Kisame: "The Rinnegan and the Gedo Statue are now in my possession, and the Eye of the Moon plan will be executed by me. Will you continue to follow 'Uchiha Madara,' or join me?" Kisame had joined the Akatsuki because he believed in "Madara's" vision and the Eye of the
Moon plan.
He hadn't expected Gensou to not only know about it but to have seized control of its key
components.
Having witnessed Gensou's strength firsthand, Kisame suddenly felt that under Gensou, the Eye of the Moon plan might have a higher chance of success than under "Madara."
He was eager to see if the world would turn out as he envisioned once the plan succeeded.
And so...
Kisame looked at Gensou, then glanced at Uchiha Sasuke behind him.
He withdrew his gaze from Sasuke's Sharingan.
After a moment of hesitation and contemplation, he looked back at Gensou and slowly
nodded.
Thus, the takeover of the Akatsuki was complete.
Gensou immediately issued an order: "Perfect timing, as the Akatsuki now has a mission."
(End of Chapter)
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