Naruto: With Favorabiltity System

Chapter 217: The Art-Loving Child

"Hey! You must be Uchiha Haneda! I've acknowledged your radiant art of universal enlightenment! Hmm!"

Blocking Haneda and his companions was a young boy standing atop a large white bird.

"What a lunatic," Kimimaro muttered in disdain.

"Hey, hey, hey! I'm talking about *art*! ART!"

The boy was none other than Deidara, who immediately felt his artist's soul insulted by Kimimaro's comment. He threw a handful of clay spiders and raised a finger with conviction:

"Let me show you my art!"

The explosive clay scurried across the ground, heading straight for Kimimaro.

"Allow me to handle this, Haneda-sama," Kimimaro said calmly.

With a fluid motion, he unleashed his *Dance of the Seedling Fern*. Bone spikes erupted from the ground, piercing the clay spiders before they could detonate.

The spiders exploded as soon as they were impaled, but the sturdy bone spikes remained intact, and Kimimaro stood unharmed.

Deidara couldn't help but exclaim, "Hey! Is that your art? Not bad! I acknowledge it too! Hmm!"

"That's my Shikotsumyaku," Kimimaro said curtly as bone blades extended from his arm, advancing toward Deidara.

Haneda suddenly interjected, "Don't kill him. I need him."

"Understood, Haneda-sama," Kimimaro replied before closing in on Deidara. His bone blade technique bore traces of Haneda's influence, but it had clearly evolved into something uniquely his own—fluid, precise, and deadly.

In close combat, Deidara quickly realized he was outmatched. Summoning a clay clone, he dropped several clay spiders while retreating.

"Art is a fleeting explosion of beauty! Witness my great art!"

"Hmm!"

The spiders detonated in a chain of deafening explosions, but Kimimaro's bone armor protected him, leaving only minor surface injuries.

Deidara was stunned but impressed. "Not bad, your art! But I'll prove what *true* art is! Hmm!"

The clay clone rushed toward Kimimaro, wrapping around him in an attempt to self-destruct. Kimimaro's bone spikes pierced through the clone's chest, but it was too late to stop the explosion.

"Hmm!"

Deidara prepared to detonate the clone, but a sudden gust of icy wind swept through the battlefield. The clay clone froze solid in an instant, its explosive potential nullified.

"What? My art! Hmm! Hmm! Hmm!"

Deidara frantically tried to trigger the explosion, but it was no use. At that moment, Haku stepped in beside Kimimaro.

"Interfering again? I could've handled it myself," Kimimaro said coldly.

"Apologies. I was worried about you," Haku replied.

Deidara's irritation grew as he watched the two ignore him entirely. "Hey! How dare you dismiss me? You accursed Ice Style user! My art won't be stopped! Hmm!"

Deidara molded more clay, summoning a massive clay dragon—his signature C2 weapon. He leaped onto the dragon's back, grinning as he looked down on his opponents.

"Your art isn't bad," he said. "Whether it's those unyielding bone sculptures or the frozen perfection of ice statues, I acknowledge your talents."

"But my explosive art surpasses them all! Hmm!"

The dragon soared into the sky, raining clay bombs like a bomber.

"Ice Style: Crystal Ice Dome!"

Haku created a crystalline ice barrier, encasing himself and Kimimaro within it. The clay bombs struck the barrier repeatedly, but it held firm, its surface smooth and unyielding.

Deidara was in disbelief. "Impossible! My fleeting art, stopped by mere ice!"

Just as he prepared to unleash his most powerful explosive, the clay bombs scattered across the battlefield suddenly wrapped around him, immobilizing him.

From the west, a figure emerged, stepping into the sunlight like a divine presence. The golden rays framed his silhouette, and his blood-red eyes gleamed like rubies.

"Art! ART!!" Deidara exclaimed with manic excitement, staring into Haneda's Sharingan. He realized he had been caught in a genjutsu without even noticing.

"This farce is over," Haneda said coldly, his voice devoid of emotion.

Haneda approached Deidara, lightning crackling in his hand. The sound of a thousand chirping birds filled the air as he drove his *Chidori* into the clay around Deidara, rendering it inert.

"My art is far beyond yours," Haneda said. "What you've seen is only the tip of the iceberg."

Deidara was speechless. The sheer artistry in Haneda's techniques, from the radiant genjutsu to the precision of his *Chidori*, left him in awe.

"You… you're Uchiha Haneda, aren't you? I've heard your name countless times from the old man!"

"I want to follow you! To observe your art! To learn from it! To surpass it! Hmm!"

"You can't," Haneda replied flatly.

This dismissive response only fueled Deidara's determination. "Hah! I don't care! No matter what you say, I'm going to follow you. I'll make you witness and praise my fleeting beauty! Hmm! Art is an explosion!!"

Haneda was at a loss for words. He had initially considered recruiting Deidara, but now it seemed the eccentric artist was determined to join him regardless.

"Didn't I kill your teacher a few days ago? Don't you hate me?" Haneda asked.

"Huh? The old man sacrificed himself for his art. Isn't that normal? Hmm!"

Deidara explained passionately, "A great artist dedicates their entire life to the pursuit of art, whether they succeed or fail!"

"One day, I too will give my all to my art! Hmm!"

"Impressive," Haneda muttered, realizing it was impossible to comprehend Deidara's artistic philosophy through conventional logic.

"Well? Do you accept me, Haneda-san?" Deidara asked eagerly.

"Fine, but on one condition," Haneda said.

"What condition?"

"Art should only be displayed in the right context—before true connoisseurs. It's meaningless to show art to those who can't appreciate its brilliance."

"For example, enemies… or someone like me."

Deidara pondered this for a moment and then nodded. "You're right, Haneda-san. Those without artistic sensibilities don't deserve to witness my fleeting masterpieces!"

"Good," Haneda said with a faint smile.

"Then it's settled! I'll follow you and prove my art is the greatest! Hmm!" Deidara declared enthusiastically.

…