Mastermind of the Akatsuki

"Cloud is a bandit, Sand is weak, and Mist is embroiled in the Blood Mist Crisis. Among all the ninja villages in the world, only Ōnoki-sensei's Iwagakure can be our cooperation partner."

Without realizing it, Byakuya had already started addressing Ōnoki as "Ōnoki-sensei" instead of "Tsuchikage-sama."

Ōnoki noticed the change in address but didn't comment on it. Instead, he accepted Byakuya's respectful tone with a smile. At the same time, he couldn't help but feel a little envious of how well Hanzō of the Salamander had trained such an exceptional successor.

"If only my own disciple, Deidara, could be this promising. If he could even be a tenth as capable, he wouldn't be constantly causing me trouble in the village," Ōnoki mused.

After a few seconds of contemplation, Ōnoki replied, "Byakuya, I'll carefully consider your plan, but first, shouldn't we stop my disciple from fighting your village?"

Byakuya nodded and took out a summoning contract, handing it to Ōnoki.

Ōnoki glanced at it and immediately recognized that it was a summoning contract, likely intended to establish a communication channel between Iwagakure and Amegakure using summoning beasts.

Ōnoki accepted the contract, but he didn't plan on signing it himself. Instead, he intended to have his subordinates test it out, uncertain if there were any traps hidden within.

After the discussion concluded, the two flew into the air, heading toward the location where Konan and Deidara were battling.

Ōnoki couldn't help but feel a hint of surprise when he saw Byakuya flying. He hadn't expected this young man to not only master Wood Release but also possess the ability to fly.

Few shinobi in the world could fly, and most of them relied on powerful bird summoning creatures to achieve flight.

A ninja who could fly under their own power was an extraordinary rarity. This meant that, even if Byakuya wasn't strong enough to defeat his opponents in battle, he could always retreat through flight.

Byakuya, enjoying the attention, accelerated his speed. For him, the shock of a hundred ordinary ninjas paled in comparison to the astonishment of a Kage-level ninja, and Ōnoki was no ordinary Kage—he was one of the Five Kage.

Before long, Byakuya and Ōnoki arrived at the battlefield between Konan and Deidara.

By this point, the battle was nearly over. Konan's nearly endless supply of explosive tags had worn Deidara down to the point where he had exhausted most of his chakra, unable even to maintain flight.

Deidara, always passionate about his explosive arts, had ironically been defeated in an explosive battle by a female ninja. This was a serious blow to his confidence, and he gazed at Konan in midair, feeling despondent and defeated.

Konan didn't deliver a fatal blow to Deidara; she only restricted his movements.

Part of the reason was that Byakuya hadn't appeared yet, and she wasn't sure how Byakuya intended to handle Deidara. Another reason was that Deidara held a sensitive position as the disciple of the Third Tsuchikage. A ninja like him, during peacetime, couldn't be killed unless she wanted to instigate a war.

At that moment, Konan sensed Byakuya and Ōnoki's arrival. When she saw Ōnoki flying in the sky, she was momentarily stunned.

What had Byakuya been doing while she was fighting Deidara? Why was he now appearing side by side with the Third Tsuchikage? Did Byakuya possess some special aura that made the old man more inclined to like him?

Deidara, upon seeing Ōnoki, also appeared momentarily confused. After rubbing his eyes, he confirmed that the short old man before him was indeed his teacher.

"Ōnoki-sensei... Master, you're finally here... I..."

This was the first time Deidara had shown such a submissive attitude toward Ōnoki, almost like a rebellious child returning home after being bullied.

However, instead of feeling pleased by Deidara's rare display of humility, Ōnoki frowned.

After landing beside Deidara, Ōnoki let out a cold snort and said, "Deidara, if your skills aren't up to par, don't show off. I'm not sure if I've told you, but there are more powerful ninjas in the world than you think."

Deidara nodded, feeling somewhat wronged, and said, "I understand, Ōnoki-sensei."

In the past, Deidara would have just agreed verbally to Ōnoki's scolding without taking it to heart but after encountering Konan during this mission, he finally realized how harsh the world could be.

There were indeed ninjas who could surpass him in the art of explosions—and crush him utterly in the process.

At that moment, Deidara noticed Byakuya not far away and curiously asked, "Ōnoki-sensei, why are you with him? Aren't they the enemies who invaded the village? Didn't you just capture him?"

Ōnoki's expression stiffened.

If he had managed to capture Byakuya, then Byakuya would indeed be the intruder. But since both sides were evenly matched, they could only be considered cooperative partners.

Wanting to maintain his image in front of his disciple, Ōnoki had no choice but to explain, "Byakuya, along with Konan, are my guests. When I heard that you escaped from the confinement room, I specifically asked them to give you a lesson—so you could understand the saying, 'There's always someone stronger, and the sky is higher than the ground.'"

(AN: Ah shit, here we go again.)

Deidara's eyes were wide with shock as he pointed at Ōnoki, "Ōnoki old man, how could you do this? I almost sacrificed myself for my art just now!"

Ōnoki stroked his beard, pretending to be wise, and said, "If I didn't do this, how could I teach you? Don't blame me, it's for your own good. Let's see if you'll still pursue your art after this lesson."

Deidara pondered for a moment, then seriously said, "My pursuit of explosion art will never stop. Today's battle with Konan-sensei made me understand what true explosive art is! I'll continue down this path."

Upon hearing this, Ōnoki's smile immediately froze, and he gave Deidara a sharp smack on the head.

"Deidara, go back and reflect on your mistakes! Still pursuing art? Look at Byakuya and Konan—both of them are only a few years older than you, yet they've already become some of the strongest ninjas in the world."

Deidara grumbled, "It's not my fault I didn't have enough clay. If I had, Konan definitely wouldn't have been my opponent. And that Byakuya guy too—if I had been fully prepared, he wouldn't have been my match either."

Upon hearing Byakuya's name, Ōnoki's expression turned serious.

"Deidara, even if you were fully prepared, you still wouldn't be a match for Byakuya. That guy's strength is unfathomable."

This was the first time Deidara had seen Ōnoki show such an expression, and he asked in confusion, "Ōnoki old man, is Byakuya really that strong?"

Ōnoki nodded and replied, "Extremely strong. Right now, his strength is on par with mine, and within the next few decades, he will undoubtedly grow into a ninja who will make the entire ninja world tremble."

After saying that, Ōnoki sighed lightly.

When he was young, he had encountered legends like the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha, ninjas who could shake the entire ninja world. Their mere existence was enough to suppress the ambitions of the Four Great Shinobi Villages.

He had thought that such powerful figures would never appear again.

But now, after reaching his later years, the ninja world had once again produced a monster like this. Although he might not reach the height of the First Hokage, his mere presence was enough to make Ōnoki feel a sense of fear.

Deidara didn't understand what Ōnoki was contemplating, but he remembered the look on his teacher's face and deeply engraved Byakuya's name in his mind.