Draw the line

"Sigh... This is tiring. Hm."

"You said it. And I still have to go all the way back to the Hidden Sand from here to check on that Kazekage issue."

"Don't they usually discuss that sort of things with the Daimyō of their land?" 

"What if they do? We can destroy a country. What is a group of dusty old men going to do? They just happened to inherit or buy that land. In the end, power will decide things. That's why they're always financing ninja villages. They're expensive but necessary."

"So we're just going back to war eras. Hm."

"The more wars, the more we thrive as the Akatsuki."

"Hmm... Our leader went to the Hidden Cloud, so it might be safe to assume that the village is going to be ruined. With him controlling the Hidden Rain and you forcing a Hidden Sand rule, things are going to go our way..."

A brief silence, before an idea pops in Deidara's head. As he lays on his back, hands behind his head.

"Kage, huh... I wonder what it's like."

"You as a Tsushikage? That's rich."

"But it's not bad, is it ?"

"I don't know. Weren't your people usually the kind to take things slowly and not like change?"

"Ah, that's kinda right. Hm. It was an ill fit with me, who likes to settle things in one explosion. Good grief. We're kind of forgetting we're internationally wanted criminals."

"Isn't that fine? Aren't Kages the greatest Shinobis of their village? That's just a fancy term for their best murderer ?"

"You're right. We should be Kages. Hm."

"Now here's a question for you : Where do people draw the line ?"

"Just before turning people into puppets, for example."

"I am not going to be lectured by a terrorist."

"It's not terrorism. It's ART. Unlike you defiling bodies."

"What's the point in an art that's fleeting ? What's the point if it can't be beheld over generations?"

"You could never comprehend the beauty of the ephemeral moment. LIFE itself is an ephemeral moment." Deidara waves with his hands to better explain his ideas as he continues: "

"Your chase of the eternal is an insult to life itself...  And above all, it's because life is short that it's beautiful."

"You got good at talking, Deidara... But you forget an important thing. What of fables ? What of telltales ? Legends of great Ninjas ? Life is indeed fleeting, but when it reaches a certain point of beauty it's a shame to let it just die. It needs to be immortalized. Preserved at its peak. I heard the Hidden Leaf village carves busts of their Hokages. They lived and died like every Shinobi before them. But those faces, seen every day, up on the rock, unchanging. That's beauty. Undying tales of the third Raikage facing 10 000 men on his own. Hashirama against Madara in the warring states ages. The 3 Sannins. The never ending rain in Amegakure. Beauty is in the unchanging. Legacy is art. Being immortalized like this, is true ART."

"Ah... We just don't see eye to eye. Forever sounds like such a drag. Just like finding this damned Jinchuuriki."

"Right... This is taking forever. This damned land is too vast."

"So was yours. Hm."

"Right. But at least the Jinchuuriki there was the Kazekage. We didn't have to raze the entire region."

"Raze the region. Doesn't that sound magnificent?" Deidara says and doesn't wait for Sasori's answer, agreeing with himself instantly. "Hm.HM. Yes, that sounds like a wonderful idea." 

The impatient Deidara reveals one of his most potent bombs.

"Art...."

[C3]

"Good grief. Hope it's at least worth the hassle." Sasori throws in a few comments before C3 detonates.

"... is an explosion!"

Boom. A gigantic perimeter is blown, leaving only a crater of what once was vegetation and life. The impatient artists made their presence known. With the village under invasion and the land under attack, the locals will have no choice but to act.

"Surely the Raikage's brother will not ignore this. Hm."

"Do you even have enough clay for this festival? "

"It's going to take a while, so I'll take it slow, blowing a bit once at a time. But even if he shows up in an unfortunate timing. You're here, right ?"

"Right, right... I didn't even capture my assigned tailed beast yet. Was it the Eight-tails? "

"Nope. It was the Three-tails. I'm surprised you didn't even know which one was assigned to you."

"Doesn't matter. Whichever comes first will be captured first. I wish they would just come to me and make things easier."

"Things can't be easier than this. Don't you think ?"

"You're right. The leaf is under turmoil while we're messing up things here. Ideally, they'll find the Eight-tails and send us to the Three-tails, then continue along that straight line back to the Hidden Sand."

"That would isolate the Hidden Leaf. Hm. Pretty good."

"Then again, maybe Itachi or Kisame could take care of it. That would save us some time."

"We should go for them instead."

"You... you're still not over that... ?"

"Absolutely not! I'll have my revenge on him one day."

"Honestly, just give up on that idea. That guy just feels... intangible."

"What does that even mean?"

"Just focus on restocking your clay for now. And think of something to do about his Genjutsu."

Deidara uncovers his left eye that was hidden behind his hair.

"I already have this." Deidara shows it off with pride.

"You damned clown. A clan known for their eyes and Genjutsu mastery, ocular jutsu. And you're planning to counter it with what ? A makeshift device ?"

"Eh... come on, Sasori master. It can't be that bad."

"The Uchiha's sharingan has different grades, you probably wouldn't even be able to handle a basic Illusion with that improvised... junk. And Itachi is a genius among geniuses, who resolves missions with his Genjutsu prowess alone. Get serious, you clown. Do you want to embarrass yourself again?"

"Then what do I do ? It's not like I can train against it when I'm clumped up with you. You don't use it, and you're probably immune to it."

"Well. Theoretically yes. But against someone of Itachi's caliber, I wouldn't be so sure."

"Could you stop sucking up to him, Sasori master? It's annoying. He can't be that good. Hm."

"You're definitely embarrassing yourself at least 69 times before you learn. But that fearless side of  you... I kind of like it. In any case, I'm simply telling you to be better prepared."

"Tsk."

"Using Genjutsu though... That's a pretty good idea. I'll think of a way to do it."

"Weapons, poison, smokes, puppets... If you add Genjutsu that would be seriously scary."

"Indeed... now that I think about it. Maybe it's time to test that thing."

"What thing?"

"The needle I implanted in the kid back in the land of fire. I'll try sending a simple instruction."

"I thought you could only seal memories..."

"It didn't work out too well, as you saw with that Kabuto incident. So I've upgraded the intensity a bit. It's going to be a little more forceful before the amnesia now."

"Heeh... Interesting. Hm."

"Land for a bit. Make some clay meanwhile. Last time in the land of wind I was close enough to send a signal effortlessly, but now the target is pretty far, so I'll have to amplify things."

Deidara complies. Sasori opens Hiruko's shell, revealing his main body. He then takes out a big needle, sticks it on a specific part of Hiruko to act as an antenna, then holds it with his left hand's thumb and middle finger, while his right hand is holding up two fingers. Eyes closed.

[Yin Release : Manipulative Sand Technique - Threadless Puppet] 

... Deidara kneads some clay while keeping an eye on Sasori, curious about the result.

...

Sasori then opens his eyes.

"I have a feeling nothing happened." 

"Ah... So much suspense for nothing."

"Well... I'm still testing things out. I'll try swapping the needles the other way arou-" Sasori suddenly stops in his tracks.

"You bunch keep complicating things. Look at me, just explo-"

"Shut up!"

"Huh ?" Deidara defiant, realizes Sasori is focused on something.

"I think I've got something." 

A...ma...

Sasori sits back down and attaches a chakra thread to the needle still in Hiruko.

... you ... don't have... this...

He infuses a bit more chakra into it, and keeps the input steady.

... it doesn't matter, Asuma-sensei left that child under my care....

"Asuma ? It's that brat's sensei, isn't it ?"

"Probably. He was the twelve guardians guy with a bounty on his head. Hidan and Kakuzu were about to get it, but the Leaf intervened."

"That's definitely him! This jutsu didn't work the way I wanted it but, that works well too.  I can hear bits of what that kid says and hears."

"For real, now ?" Deidara refocuses back on making his clay on his improvised pot. 

The artistic duo stays on the ground for a little while more before it resumes flying over the land of lighting, occasionally laying waste while its Hidden cloud village is assaulted by Pain.