The Strongest Artist in Naruto

In a hidden base deep within the Land of Waterfalls, Deidara finally came face-to-face with the man who called himself a god—Pain.

"So, this is the newbie? Hah, what a joke. Just a brat."

A sneering, dismissive voice echoed from the shadows. The sound of approaching footsteps soon revealed two towering figures in the signature black cloaks adorned with red clouds.

One wore a white turban, a scratched-out Takigakure headband, and had small, green, beady eyes that gave him a menacing look. The other was a burly man with a round face—clearly the source of the earlier insult.

These must be Kakuzu and his former teammate, Deidara surmised. This was before Hidan joined Akatsuki. According to what he remembered from the plot of his previous life, Kakuzu had a nasty reputation for killing his partners. Probably saw them as walking bounties. After all, even the weakest Akatsuki members were on the level of elite jōnin, and any bounty on their heads wouldn't be small—certainly no less than Asuma's had been.

"And who's this round-faced geezer? Don't tell me you're a full-fledged member of Akatsuki too? You're making me look down on this organization," Deidara shot back, smirking.

Even at the age of twelve, Deidara wasn't about to let himself be underestimated. His strength as an elite jōnin had earned him this "luxurious" recruitment mission led by Pain himself.

"Oh? Looks like the brat needs to learn some respect for his elders. May I, Leader?"

The round-faced man scowled, his pride clearly pricked. But in Pain's presence, he still knew to keep his temper somewhat in check.

"You may."

Pain nodded from his projection, transmitted here by the Astral Projection Jutsu. His real body, of course, was back in Amegakure.

"Oho, this should be fun to watch," Kisame chuckled, flashing his sharp, shark-like teeth. "What do you think, Itachi-san? A little entertainment to break the monotony?"

Itachi remained silent, his stoic demeanor unchanging. But his silence, as always, spoke volumes—it was tacit approval. Kisame didn't mind his partner's cold attitude. Despite their age gap, Kisame respected Itachi deeply, viewing him as both a friend and mentor.

"Deidara, don't keep me waiting," Sasori said in his usual low, dispassionate tone.

"Tch." Deidara clicked his tongue, irritated. They were testing him, and Pain was clearly using this as an opportunity to gauge his abilities.

Fine. Let them witness the brilliance of his art!

Deidara reached into the clay pouch at his waist, his palm-mouth eagerly devouring a lump of white clay. It chewed methodically as Deidara molded his first creation.

Let's start with something simple. A C1 clay bomb should do for now. Hmm.

He opened his palm to reveal a swarm of miniature clay spiders, intricately detailed. Tossing them to the ground, he infused them with chakra. The tiny spiders grew to the size of fists and scurried forward, heading straight for the round-faced man wielding a massive sword.

"Secret technique, huh?" the man sneered. "If they're coming for me, I'll just keep my distance."

Despite his arrogant attitude, the man wasn't a novice. Compared to the other Akatsuki members, his abilities might be lacking, but to ordinary shinobi, he was nothing short of a powerhouse. As an elite jōnin with extensive combat experience, he quickly deduced the need to keep Deidara at bay.

Leaping upward, chakra surged to his feet as he darted along the cave's upper walls.

Fast!

Deidara's eyes widened slightly. This guy was clearly a close-range specialist, while Deidara himself excelled in long-range combat. Allowing him to close the distance would spell trouble.

"Go!" Deidara commanded his spiders, steering them toward his opponent while retreating to gain distance. Meanwhile, both hands dove back into his clay pouch to prepare his next move.

The cramped cave was proving to be a disadvantage. If they were outside in open air, he could summon a clay bird, take to the skies, and end the fight quickly with his aerial advantage.

"Useless!" the man barked, forming quick hand seals. "Fire Style: Flame Bullets!"

His cheeks puffed out before releasing a series of four or five fireballs. He wasn't aiming at Deidara directly, but at the approaching clay spiders.

No choice—detonate now!

Deidara grimaced. While his clay was famously weak against Lightning Style, it wasn't invincible against other elements either. If those flames hit, the spiders would melt before they could explode.

"Art is an explosion!" Deidara cried, forming a hand sign.

The spiders detonated with a resounding series of booms. The blasts sent chunks of rock tumbling from the cave ceiling, temporarily obscuring the area in a cloud of dust and debris.

Nice! The Explosives Mastery already increased the power of my bombs by 50%. And that's just at level one. Can't wait to unlock the later abilities.

From within the dust cloud, the man's voice rang out.

"Didn't I tell you? Useless!"

Emerging unharmed save for a bit of soot, he charged forward again. It was clear neither side was giving their all yet—this was just a warm-up.

"Fire Release: Flame Tiger Bombing!"

This time, a roaring inferno surged forth, its size and intensity far beyond the earlier flame bullets. A B-rank jutsu, it cut off Deidara's retreat.

"I've got you now!"

The man closed the distance to less than five meters, leaping with his blade raised for a decisive strike.

"Don't underestimate my art, bastard!" Deidara shouted.

Suddenly, a clay centipede burst from the ground, coiling around the man in mid-air.

"What?!"

Deidara smirked, pulling his hand into the familiar seal.

"Art is an explosion!"

The centipede detonated with a deafening roar.

But as the smoke cleared, Deidara's expression soured. The remains of the explosion revealed only a charred log.

Substitution Jutsu?! When?!

The man's mocking laugh echoed from above.

"Gotcha, brat!"

Descending from the ceiling with his blade poised, he moved to finish the fight.

But Deidara's smirk returned.

"You're the one who fell for it, idiot!"

Another centipede erupted from the ground, this time wrapping around them both.

The man's face twisted in disbelief. "You'd blow yourself up just to take me down?!"

"Hardly," Deidara said smugly. The "Deidara" caught by the centipede collapsed into a heap of white clay.

"A clone?!"

"Bingo! The answer was there all along—back when the spiders exploded." Deidara's real voice came from behind.

"Art… is an explosion!"

The final blast shook the cavern, filling it with brilliant light and smoke.