Deidara's Strength Improvement

As Onoki's words continued to come, Deidara couldn't help but turn around. A trace of moisture flickered in his eyes, but he stubbornly forced it back. It was already inappropriate for a disciple not to show filial respect to his teacher, but he had become a rogue ninja.

Even until now, his teacher had never minded. Deidara was well aware that although he was an S-rank rogue ninja on the surface, no Iwagakure ninja had ever attacked him in all these years. It was evident that only the person in front of him had the authority to command the Iwagakure ninja. And now, he was not only not holding his actions against him but also teaching him Dust Release.

If he claimed that he wasn't moved, that would be a lie. Just from the fact that Deidara had come back, willing to put aside his pride to seek revenge for Kakuzu, Hidan, and Sasori, it was evident that he valued loyalty and bonds.

Although he often joked and teased Onoki, just like with Kurotsuchi, Deidara respected Onoki from the bottom of his heart, just like Kurotsuchi respected Onoki. However, because he was a rogue ninja, he dared not return, nor did he dare to let people know that his teacher was Onoki. He didn't want people to know that the Tsuchikage had a rogue ninja as his disciple.

"Old man, though you are quite old, you haven't reached the point of being in a coffin yet. Why do you say such things?" Deidara's voice choked slightly. He didn't regret pursuing his art and leaving Iwagakure. What he regretted was that he had been too impulsive back then. In fact, there was another way to pursue his art without becoming a rogue ninja, but the young Deidara was too headstrong and radical towards those who opposed him. The situation got out of hand, and yet, even though he was a rogue ninja on the surface, Onoki had always treated him as a member of Iwagakure. The fact that no Iwagakure ninja attacked him after he defected was the best proof.

"Hahaha, old man? Though I'm quite old, I'm not that talkative yet. You really aren't obedient, just like Kurotsuchi. Neither of you knows how to take care of old people," Onoki's temper was really peculiar.

"Alright, I'm getting a bit long-winded. Now, I'm going to ask you, do you want to learn Dust Release?" Although Onoki intended to teach Dust Release to Deidara, who knows if this extremely determined and persistent guy, who pursued his art to the extreme, would accept it.

"I...I promise you," Deidara squirmed his mouth and finally said three words with great solemnity, nodding his head to accept. Onoki showed a relieved smile. His genius disciple would finally inherit his Dust Release. For these days, he had been sparring with Deidara, helping him make up for the deficiencies that were not taught after he defected as a young man. 

After days of learning and making up for his shortcomings, Deidara's actual combat power had improved significantly. If he were to fight against Sasuke now, even in the situation where he was originally at a disadvantage, he would be able to push Sasuke to exhaustion. In fact, regarding the result of the battle in the original work, it would be more accurate to say that Deidara chose to self-destruct rather than being defeated. Currently, if Deidara were to fight against Sasuke, his chances of winning would be even higher.

However, it was clear that Deidara had no intention of leaving yet. Sasuke also had the intention of dragging things out. Moreover, without the presence of Orochimaru, it would be even more challenging for Sasuke to find Itachi. Therefore, they were spending more time than in the original story, and as of now, they hadn't clashed yet. However, Deidara had already made up his mind. After learning Dust Release, his first priority would be to take care of Sasuke.

One, he wanted to see what skills the person who took his target, Orochimaru, had. Second, of course, was to test his progress after following Onoki's training.

As days went by, after dealing with Sasuke, Deidara would go find Itachi and defeat him with his Explosive Clay. In the meantime, he would also search for a way to counter the Hiraishin, even if it was just for a short time. Once all of this was done, he would go find Ryoha.

As time passed, Konoha received the news of Orochimaru's death. Jiraiya was a bit surprised but mostly saddened because Orochimaru had been one of his closest friends and also his former comrade in battles. Jiraiya was not surprised by Orochimaru's death, as he had long understood Sasuke's character.

Jiraiya also knew that Orochimaru's weakness, caused by his frequent use of the Reincarnation Jutsu, combined with the fact that the technique ignored the difference in strength, led to his defeat by Sasuke's Sharingan. So, Jiraiya was just a bit surprised by the news but also relieved in a way, knowing that Naruto would definitely go after Sasuke.

For Naruto, Orochimaru's death was not the important part; what mattered was that he finally found information about Sasuke, whom he had been unable to locate until now. With his continuously improving strength, he was confident that he could handle Sasuke just like he did in the past.

Naruto believed he could bring Sasuke back. However, the task of finding Sasuke was complicated. Kakashi and Jiraiya had already discussed the best method, which was through the members of Akatsuki. Kakashi had also said that Sasuke would definitely go after Itachi. Using Konoha's intelligence capabilities, along with the deployment of the 12 Rookies, it would not be a problem to find him.

Therefore, the mission to search for Sasuke was once again taken up because of Naruto's request. Jiraiya didn't mind, as it was an opportunity to further train Naruto, broaden his horizons, and make him stronger. It was also a chance to train the 12 Rookies. Jiraiya saw them all as the future of Konoha, precious gems that needed a little more polishing. Having them complete more missions would be beneficial for their growth.

Jiraiya approved the mission, and sent the best team among the 12 Rookies. The team, including Naruto, Kakashi, Yamato, Shino, Kiba, Neji, Sakura, and Shikamaru, set off together. Although it was slightly different from the original storyline when they went to find Sasuke, it was close enough.

"It's time. I've been here for quite some time. My prime target, Sasuke, I hope you won't disappoint me. I hope you'll give me a full test of what I've learned."

After following Onoki for a while and mastering Dust Release, Deidara put on the clothes prepared by Onoki. Those clothes had the same meaning as the coat that Naruto was wearing at the moment. Only those destined to become the next generation of Kage could wear them. However, Deidara's attire was similar to Onoki's rather than the Hokage's coat, and he also put on the cloak of the Akatsuki.

This action conveyed to Onoki that, although he was outwardly wearing the Akatsuki cloak and appeared to be a member of Akatsuki, deep inside, he was wearing Onoki's clothes. Perhaps he was a rogue ninja now, but in his heart, he would forever be Onoki's disciple. After living for so long, Onoki understood his disciple well, so how could he not know the meaning behind Deidara's small gesture?