Deidara's eyes widened.
"What?! Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki were injured by him? …Well, I suppose that makes sense. I was knocked out before I even realized what happened."
Nagi spoke calmly.
"Deidara. Disciple of Ōnoki of IwagaShiranui Kūre. At nine years old, you were forced to leave the village proper due to repeated involvement in explosive incidents."
Deidara blinked.
"You know about me?"
"More or less. But I believe the real reason you left IwagaShiranui Kūre was that no one there understood your art."
Deidara nodded vigorously.
"Exactly! Especially that old man. He never understood my art. Yeah."
"Oh? That's unfortunate. I can relate to that feeling."
Nagi then turned to Sasori.
"Sasori of the Red Sand. Grandson of Chiyo, advisor of SunagaShiranui Kūre. Your parents were killed in action by Shiranui Kūmo Hatake—the White Fang of Konoha. That shock drove you to pursue eternity through puppetry."
"Tch. You've done your research."
"Ephemeral beauty. Eternal beauty. I must admit—you both possess extraordinary artistic talent."
He paused.
"That talent is precisely what I value."
Deidara burst into laughter.
"Ha! So someone finally understands my art. Yeah—you're not bad."
Sasori, however, remained composed.
"If you know this much about us, then you must also understand the Akatsuki well. You removed and sealed our rings to prevent the Leader from tracking us, didn't you?"
"Correct," Nagi replied evenly. "So until you accept my invitation, you'll remain here."
"Hmph. Sasori-danna and I will never betray the Akatsuki."
"I refuse as well," Sasori added calmly.
Nagi sighed.
"In that case…"
He tossed several books onto the table before them.
"Your chakra has been sealed. You're under constant surveillance. So while you're here, you might as well study."
"…Huh?"
Deidara looked down at the titles.
"The Microstructure of Natural Energy Particles"
"Chain Reactions in Chakra Micro-Particle Systems"
"Chakra Neutron Explosion Theory"
After flipping through a few pages, his pupils shrank.
"W-What is this?! Is this real? Does this kind of art actually exist?!"
"Of course. And if you doubt it, you're welcome to research and verify it yourself."
Sasori examined his own stack.
"The Ultimate Theory of Precision Mecha Engineering"
"On the Hypothesis of Living Puppets"
"Unparalleled Bioengineering"
"…Injecting life into puppets. Interesting."
Deidara scoffed.
"Don't think this will buy us over. I—"
"Relax. For now, just study. You may even guide others here. One day, I'll let you out."
"…Let us out?"
Deidara stared.
"Of course. I can't keep you locked up forever."
"When exactly would that be?"
Nagi answered solemnly,
"When I recruit your Leader."
"..."
Both fell silent.
Impressive.
If their Leader were recruited… wouldn't that just mean they had changed employers?
"Deidara," Nagi continued, "you'll focus on chakra molecular detonation and neutron explosion theory. Others will consult you."
"And Sasori—you and Orochimaru are both masters of bioengineering and mechanical systems. To prevent escape, you'll conduct joint research under his supervision."
"..."
At this point, what could they say?
They were prisoners.
And if Nagi truly succeeded in recruiting their Leader…
They would still end up working for him anyway.
Somewhere Within an Akatsuki Hideout
The Deva Path of Pain activated the Illusionary Projection Jutsu, manifesting the members' astral forms inside a cavern.
"Are we sealing the One-Tail already? Those two were fast," Hidan remarked.
"Negative," Deva Path replied calmly. "Zetsu reported that Deidara and Sasori were captured by the fox-masked Konoha proctor. Their status is currently unknown."
Hidan laughed.
"Hah! Captured? That's embarrassing. Leader, should we check on them?"
Kisame spoke next.
"So the explosive brat got caught? It's strangely quiet without him. Leader, perhaps Itachi-san and I could pay them a visit—and settle our score."
Deva Path answered indifferently,
"I can no longer sense the chakra within their rings. We will retrieve them if an opportunity arises. For now, the Tailed Beasts are the priority."
He continued,
"If SunagaShiranui Kūre has that proctor capable of rapid reinforcement, we will target other Jinchūriki first."
(Note: The Tailed Beasts do not need to be sealed in numerical order. The Seven-Tails had already been sealed prior to the One-Tail.)
"Understood."
[Deidara: Hey, Nagi—you're not actually planning to recruit our Leader, are you?]
[Shiranui Nagi: Of course. The Akatsuki contains many talented individuals. They've simply applied their abilities in the wrong direction. Wasting them on the Eye of the Moon Plan would be unfortunate.]
[Tsunade: Are you serious? What "talent" are we talking about?]
[Shiranui Nagi: The Akatsuki's pursuits are quite interesting. Art (Deidara), Eternity (Sasori), Faith (Hidan), Wealth (KaShiranui Kūzu), Dreams (Kisame), Friendship (Konan), Peace (Nagato). I believe they're worth recruiting.]
[Jiraiya: T-They have such noble pursuits?]
[Tsunade: They're terrorists, Nagi. Think carefully.]
[Ōnoki: Whether their pursuits are noble or not, I don't know. But the "Yellow, Gambling, and Poison" taught by Hiruzen's student is known to all.]
[Jiraiya: ...]
[Tsunade: ...]
[Orochimaru: ...]
[Deidara: Exactly. I pursue fleeting beauty—not your so-called vice trio. Yeah.]
[Kisame Hoshigaki: Dreams, huh? I didn't expect you to understand me so well.]
[Hidan: That's right! Lord Jashin is truth!]
[Shiranui Kūshina Uzumaki: Didn't you forget a few?]
[Shiranui Nagi: Indeed. Filial devotion (Itachi Uchiha), Love (Obito Uchiha), and… Family (Black Zetsu).]
[Itachi Uchiha: ...]
[Obito Uchiha: ...]
[Black Zetsu: ...]
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