Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

Deidara quickly formed hand seals, and a rock wall rose up, intercepting the flying boulder.

Rolling around on the ground all the time wasn't a very presentable sight, especially since he hadn't forgotten about old man Onoki and Kurotsuchi watching him like hawks. He couldn't afford to get entangled with that stubborn idiot Akatsuchi any longer; the focus needed to be on Onoki and Kurotsuchi, especially old man Onoki…

"You brainless idiot!!"

A roar resounded from the sky.

Suddenly, Onoki had flown directly overhead and was swooping down. If his fist, encased in thick rock, were to strike, it would surely cause a head to split open... Deidara, of course, recognized the old man's tricks.

Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique.

It's one of the old man's favorite methods.

only--

Compared to before, the old man seems much weaker now. His attacks are not as fierce and swift as before. However, upon closer inspection, it seems normal. After all, he is an old man, and weakness is an inevitable future.

"Tch! Old man, you're really getting old! With that kind of speed, who do you think you can take on?" Deidara leaped backward, showing his disdain for Onoki.

"Melting Escape: Lime Condensation Technique"

The black soil, which had been dormant for a long time, has finally moved.

Seizing the moment Deidara jumped, the black soil spewed out a large amount of lime, covering the surrounding land and completely obscuring Deidara's landing spot.

not good,

Deidara felt a chill run down his spine.

He might not know what new techniques Black Earth had acquired after he left the village, but he, as Black Earth's senior brother, knew perfectly well what Black Earth had mastered before that. Coincidentally, the Lime Condensation Technique was one of them, and if he didn't expect it, the Water Escape Technique would follow.

As Deidara expected,

In an instant, Kurotsuchi unleashed another water-style technique.

"Water Release: Water Horn Technique".

Just as Deidara stepped into the lime, the water surged over. Perhaps it was the special lime released by the Lava Release bloodline limit. In any case, when the water and lime met, they did not release heat to burn Deidara's legs. Instead, they formed fast-acting cement, which solidified instantly and firmly trapped Deidara in place.

"Kuroto, your spellcasting speed is getting faster and faster!"

Deidara said through gritted teeth.

"Thank you for the compliment, but... Deidara, instead of talking to me, you should think about how to deal with Grandpa!" Kurotsuchi replied with a smile. The girl who was once easily fooled by Yakushi Nonou is now a completely different person. She has learned to use that fox-like smile to cover up her true thoughts.

At least,

Deidara couldn't see through Kurotsuchi's thoughts, but it seemed he had never seen through them before; from beginning to end, his mind was only focused on the art of explosion.

"Old man, I..."

Seeing Onoki approaching, Deidara tried to make a last-ditch effort.

However,

Onoki doesn't follow the rules.

A punch came flying straight at Deidara, silencing all his words. The force was perfectly controlled, ensuring that Deidara wouldn't suffer any serious, incurable injuries, while letting him experience the power of his master's punch.

Bright red blood dripped from his nose.

Deidara felt excruciating pain in his face, yet he was powerless to resist, as Akatsuchi had already come up behind him and grabbed his arms. To be honest, just by looking at the difference in their physiques, it was clear that Deidara, being held so close, was completely unable to put up any effective resistance.

They could only passively accept the old man's teachings.

"Hmph, I'll let you off this time, you fool. But if you do it again, I promise I'll beat you to death with my own hands, you traitor."

Onoki stopped at the right time and finished with a harsh remark.

Deidara remained silent.

While he certainly has the resolve to dedicate himself to art, there's no need to lower myself to the level of this old geezer. Come to think of it, was that old man's previous sluggish attack just an act? This punch feels as hard as it did back then; it's really hurting me to death!!

"Black Earth, come here and treat this idiot."

Onoki coldly gave the order.

"okay!"

Kurotsuchi approached with a grin and used her not-so-skilled Healing Palm Technique to treat Deidara's facial injuries. Although she wasn't a professional medical ninja, Deidara's injuries weren't actually serious; they were all just skin and flesh wounds that looked scary.

Onoki, that old man, really knew exactly how to use his strength.

Not long after,

Deidara's facial injuries had healed by about three or four tenths, and at least the pain was less.

"Akatsuki, how did you end up with that group of dangerous individuals?"

Onoki asked a question.

"...Someone came to me and asked if I wanted to join the Akatsuki." After Onoki shook his fist, Deidara reluctantly spoke, staring at the fist that hadn't fallen, and continued, "The one who invited me was the leader of the Akatsuki, a man who called himself Pain. I fought him, lost, and then joined the Akatsuki."

"Pain? I heard the leader of Akatsuki has the Rinnegan? Is that true?"

Onoki pressed for an answer.

He stared intently at Dilarda, this traitor, his breathing slowing down at that moment.

beside,

The smile on Heitu's face disappeared, replaced by a serious and solemn expression.

"real."

"······really?"

"What good would it do me to lie to you? If it weren't for those eyes, do you think I would have been defeated so easily? That guy... is an absolute monster. Even now, with all my preparations, to be honest, I have no confidence in defeating that monster," Deidara said, clearly dissatisfied.

"Although there's probably no chance of getting revenge."

Finally, he added one more sentence.

ring,

There was no response.

Leader Payne

They've probably already been dealt with by those ferocious Konoha ninjas! Especially that Sixth Hokage... he was ridiculously strong, his power seemed limitless. Losing to that monster, Pain's leader wasn't entirely wronged.

"So, the Sixth Hokage had the Rinnegan..."

"That's true too."

Deidara nodded decisively.

Since we've already talked it out, there's nothing left to hide, so we might as well just tell it all.

"I personally witnessed the Sixth Hokage use the same ability as Pain, and that thing can't be faked. However, judging from the result, the Sixth Hokage of Konoha seems to be an even more terrifying monster. Pain is finished, and when I saw that things were not going well, I quickly retreated. During this time, I couldn't find any other members of Akatsuki, so I wandered around alone, and then today... I was caught."

Onoki remained silent.

it turns out,

It's all true!

Although he had prepared himself mentally before coming, when he heard Deidara say that it was all true, he was still surprised by how heavy his heart was, because... the news was really depressing!

"So, Konoha now has two pairs of Rinnegan?"

Black Earth broke the deathly silence with his voice.

"do not know."

Deidara shook his head.

"How could I not know? Wasn't it you who said Pain was killed by the Sixth Hokage?" Onoki scolded irritably.

"That's right, but before I made my escape, Orochimaru, that sinister snake, made his move. Judging from his posture, he might have been preparing to snatch the spoils from the Sixth Hokage... I don't know the specific outcome, as I had already retreated by then."

Deidara made an explanation.

These words made Onoki want to curse. Couldn't he have read to the end?

However, there's no point in scolding Deidara at this point. Perhaps Deidara left just in time; if he had been any later, he might not have been able to escape, and even the information he had just gathered would have been nowhere to be found.

"So either both pairs of Rinnegan are in Konoha's hands, or Orochimaru stole the pair that belonged to the Akatsuki leader... Tsk! Konoha! Damn Konoha!"

Regardless of the outcome,

Konoha won't lose out anyway.

Even though they didn't manage to snatch the Rinnegan from the Akatsuki leader, they already possessed a pair of Rinnegan... Damn it, why does Konoha get all the good things? Why didn't the Rinnegan appear in their Iwagakure village?

Could it be that...

Is there really some connection between this Rinnegan and the Uchiha clan?

"What is your leader's relationship with the Uchiha clan?"

Ohnoki suddenly asked a question.

"Uchiha?"

Deidara paused for two seconds, then shook his head. "Chief Pain and the Uchiha... I don't think they have any connection. There is a rogue Uchiha ninja in the organization, Obito Uchiha, who once claimed to be Madara Uchiha, but he is a completely different person from Chief Pain."

Onoki frowned.

If Deidara's words are true, then the appearance of the Rinnegan in the Sixth Hokage was merely a coincidence, and has no direct connection to the Uchiha clan?

"never mind!"

Onoki shook his head.

There's no point in dwelling on this kind of question. He has no idea how the Rinnegan came to be, or why two pairs of Rinnegan would appear in this era... He has far too little information at his disposal, and guessing won't yield any results.

"Deidara, is the Akatsuki really planning to capture the nine tailed beasts to create the strongest tailed beast weapon?"

Heitu then asked another question.

Onoki's face showed a disdainful sneer. The boring lies that Konoha spread were only good for fooling children. However, he did not stop Kurotsuchi. It would be good to teach her a lesson. She shouldn't always be so naive and believe whatever others say.

however--

Deidara's answer, however, froze his smile on his face.

"it is true."