Inside the cave, Deidara was busy tallying up his gains. After the battle with Kusagakure ninjas and Raiga Kurosuki, he had earned another 5,000 Shock Value. This meant he could finally unlock the Lightning-Resistant Clay skill.
"Strongest Artist System
Host: Deidara
Shock Value: 2750/5000
Skill Points: 0
Unlocked Skills: Explosion Mastery Level 1, C2 Enhanced Great Dragon, Improved Clay, Chakra Enhancement, Lightning-Resistant Clay."
"Advanced Clay (Requires 100 Research Points)" came into view as the next skill under the Lightning-Resistant Clay tree. Deidara furrowed his brow in confusion.
"System, how do I earn Research Points?"
"Once you unlock this skill, the system will provide you with a basic prototype. You will then need to either conduct research yourself or enlist others to help you refine it to fully master the production method of this clay material," the system explained.
"The speed of research depends on the researcher's abilities."
Research, huh? When it came to research, the first person that popped into Deidara's mind was Orochimaru, the greatest scientist in the Naruto world. If Orochimaru were involved, the process would undoubtedly be quick. But there was no rush for this. Now that he had unlocked Lightning-Resistant Clay, Deidara decided to set aside the Material Science tree for the time being and refocus his points into Pyrotechnics—the true core of his art!
"By the way, System, are there any skills that enhance Genjutsu Resistance?" Deidara suddenly thought of another glaring weakness of his. His lack of Genjutsu resistance had led to him being humiliated by Itachi Uchiha and nearly killed by Kakashi Hatake. This was definitely a flaw he needed to address.
"Yes, Genjutsu Resistance is part of the Ninja Arts tree. Once you unlock the Ninjutsu Enhancement skill, you'll gain access to points that improve Genjutsu Resistance," the system replied.
Satisfied, Deidara closed the system interface. When he opened his eyes, he noticed a red-haired little girl sitting nearby, looking at him with pitiful eyes.
"Hey, what's your deal now?"
"Are you bored or something? Brother Sasori, why don't you take out one of your puppets for this little girl to play with?" Deidara called out to Sasori, who was tinkering with puppet components nearby.
"Deidara!"
Sasori's hands froze mid-motion, and an intense wave of offense and indignation surged through him. His puppets—crafted by Sasori of the Red Sand—were fearsome killing machines that struck terror into the hearts of all who faced them. Even Kankurō treasured Sasori's discarded works as prized possessions.
And now, what had he just heard? Deidara wanted to use his puppets as toys to entertain a child? Sasori had half a mind to skewer Deidara with Hiruko's tail right then and there.
"Fine, Brother Sasori is clearly stingy. I'll make you a Barbie doll out of clay," Deidara said, popping a small piece of clay into the mouth on his right hand and letting it chew.
"Look! A Barbie doll!" Deidara announced as a small clay figurine emerged from his hand's mouth. With a puff, it expanded to roughly the size of a standard figurine.
"Ew! That's so ugly," Karin said, her expression one of distaste as she instinctively leaned back, clearly hesitant to accept the "gift."
"Ugly? Do you even know what you're talking about, little girl? ...Tch, okay, maybe it is a bit ugly," Deidara admitted, scratching his head. The doll's facial features were passable, but the intricate clothing he had envisioned turned out to be a crude, lumpy mess—like a blob of dough haphazardly mashed together.
A sudden realization struck Deidara. Could Morphology Optimization be the key to improving the precision of his clay creations? He had always wondered why his clay constructs leaned toward simplicity, mostly centipedes, spiders, and snakes. Even the various dragon designs relied on system unlocks because he couldn't sculpt anything more complex on his own.
If he learned Morphology Optimization, he could probably create a wider variety of clay creatures.
"That's correct, Host," the system chimed in. "Not only will you be able to craft more diverse clay creatures, but you'll also be able to optimize the structures of existing ones, making them more realistic and enhancing their performance."
"For instance, you could create clay spiders that can produce silk or clay grasshoppers with enhanced jumping abilities. As your mastery improves, you might even develop clay puppets or clay mechas."
This was amazing! Just imagining a future where he could summon an army of clay mechas to battle enemies—and then loudly ask Uchiha Madara, 'Do you also wish to dance?'—was exhilarating.
Deidara reclaimed the failed Barbie doll and noticed Karin still gazing at him expectantly. Feeling a headache coming on, he asked, "What do you want now?"
"I... I'm hungry," Karin replied softly.
Deidara froze for a moment.
"There's plenty of food stored in the back of the cave. Go get some yourself—and bring me something while you're at it," Deidara said, pointing to the cave's interior.
"What about that scary guy? Doesn't he eat?" Karin asked nervously, glancing at Hiruko and the scattered puppet parts around it. To a child, the sight was nothing short of terrifying.
"Don't worry about him. He doesn't eat food—he eats children," Deidara said, pulling a menacing face as the tongue on his hand extended and licked the air.
"Ahhh!"
"Hahaha!" Deidara burst into laughter as Karin ran off.
Four days later, the icy and elegant Akatsuki "White Tiger," Konan, finally arrived.
"Finally," Sasori muttered, his tone filled with irritation. While spending a few quiet days crafting puppets was enjoyable for him, the act of waiting for someone had drained all his good mood, leaving only endless frustration.
"Where's the child?" Konan asked, her expression as cold and emotionless as ever. To an outsider, she might have seemed like one of Nagato's Six Paths.
"Over there," Sasori replied, gesturing with Hiruko's tail toward the back of the cave. There, a red-haired girl with black-framed glasses sat helplessly in front of a pile of clay "monsters," watching as Deidara chewed on clay, trying to design new creatures.
"Man, it's so hard to create a clay soldier!" Deidara exclaimed.
"My teeth are sore from chewing," he grumbled. His goal was to create a clay soldier armed with a gun that could fire small clay bullets. Upon hitting a target, the bullets would explode, similar to the C2 Great Dragon's attacks.
Unfortunately, the level of precision required for such a creation was too high. Without the system's Morphology Optimization skill, it would take an extraordinary amount of time to develop the necessary muscle memory.
"Karin, take these failed creations and toss them out," Deidara said.
"Why me? Can't you throw them out yourself?" Karin retorted. After spending a few days with these two strange men, she had realized they weren't as malicious as she initially thought. While the puppet-making man was a bit intimidating, and the one with three mouths loved bossing her around, they didn't seem to mean her any harm.
"Oh, Konan's here," Deidara finally noticed the blue-purple-haired woman.
"I'll take the child with me," Konan said coolly.
"I don't want to go!" Karin protested, instinctively hiding behind Deidara. Having grown up without a sense of security, she was naturally fearful of unfamiliar environments.
"Don't worry. This sister is a good person. Go with her and learn ninjutsu—it'll help you protect yourself in the future," Deidara said, coaxing Karin until she reluctantly agreed to trust Konan.
"One more thing," Konan added, her tone unchanged. "There's something I need you to handle."
"What is it?"
"Our base in the Land of Birds has been destroyed. You two need to investigate and deal with the situation."