The Happiness of Deidara in Naruto

Chapter 8: Ninja School

As the days went by, it was finally time for Deidara to start attending ninja school.

At this moment, Deidara felt invigorated. He had already learned everything he could from Ōnoki's scroll. Although he knew the materials taught at the school might not be as good as what was in that scroll, it would still serve as a way to validate his knowledge.

More importantly, attending ninja school would allow him to encounter more peers who could become rivals. Ninja training wasn't just about studying behind closed doors; it required battle experience, task execution, and even the thought processes involved in being a person.

He had already become proficient in the Body Flicker Technique. The Transformation Technique was fascinating to him—it was somewhat reminiscent of the Monkey King Sun Wukong's Seventy-two Transformations, even if it didn't quite compare. The Clone Technique was also intriguing; it felt strange to have two versions of himself, even if one was just an illusion.

Among the Body Flicker Techniques, the most challenging and powerful was undoubtedly the Substitution Technique. From Deidara's limited comic memories, it was clear how many lethal jutsu could be avoided using this technique. Unless an attack was executed so swiftly that there was no time to use the Substitution Technique, one could evade danger.

However, the Substitution Technique had its prerequisites. It could only be used the instant an attack was about to hit the body; in all other circumstances, it would either fail or be unexecutable.

The effectiveness of the Substitution Technique relied heavily on one's reaction time. Quick reflexes could allow a person to use it without injury, while slower individuals might sustain minor injuries even if they successfully utilized the technique.

This was a ninjutsu that tested battle intelligence.

It was worth mentioning that Deidara's physical skills were above average as well; though he hadn't surpassed many, he was still quite impressive.

As for other jutsu, Deidara felt he couldn't access them just yet—more accurately, he wouldn't find much use for them. High-level ninjutsu required a substantial amount of chakra, and with his current chakra reserves, he couldn't perform them at all.

The differences between him and ordinary genin lay primarily in three aspects: the amount of chakra, physical conditioning, and possessing a decisive trump card to overwhelm his opponents.

However, ninja school generally required six years of study. Over these six years, he was confident he could meet the standards for a genin—and even surpass them.

Such a goal might seem lacking in ambition. Compared to the original Deidara, the real Deidara had already attracted the attention of the Akatsuki organization at the age of twelve or thirteen, proving he had the strength to become a formal member.

And Akatsuki members were all S-class rogue ninjas, each possessing skills at least comparable to those of a shadow (kage). This implied that the original Deidara was already capable of defeating high-ranking ninjas in an instant.

Thinking along those lines made Deidara feel a bit despondent. It was inevitable, though! That particular Deidara possessed the ability to create clay explosives, which could easily annihilate even kage-level opponents if caught off-guard.

Some might find the 'Deidara' with mouths on his hands rather disgusting, but Deidara didn't think so at all. On the contrary, he found it quite cool, as it allowed him to mold clay according to his will, skipping the cumbersome steps of sculpting.

That was an impressive and convenient ability!

Deidara wished he could possess such a skill, but he had thoroughly searched every potential hiding place in his home for the scroll and found nothing.

Perhaps that ability wasn't a secret passed down from the 'Deidara' family? He could only comfort himself with that thought.

After getting dressed—differently from the outfit that the 'Deidara' wore and closer to his appearance during his time in the Akatsuki—he felt good about the styling. He found his hair a bit heavy in the back but didn't want to cut it, so he settled on the current look.

Arriving at the front gate of the ninja school, Deidara saw Kurotsuchi and her father, Kurotsuchi Yōshi, waiting for him. Ōnoki wouldn't be able to come as he was busy, but he couldn't ignore Deidara either, so he instructed his son Yōshi to accompany Deidara and Kurotsuchi for registration.

"Uncle Yōshi, sorry to keep you waiting!" Deidara greeted politely. "Good morning, Kurotsuchi!"

Yōshi nodded without saying much and led the two kids to the registration office.

Along the way, Kurotsuchi couldn't help but ask, "Deidara brother, did you take longer because of your hairstyle? Hmm, I must say, you look better like this!"

Deidara smiled at Kurotsuchi, saying, "You look very cute today too, sister!"

Kurotsuchi's face turned red again, and she fell silent for the rest of the journey.

"Alright, I'm leaving these two to you," Yōshi said to a teacher before reminding Deidara, "You both need to listen to your teacher and behave. Deidara, you're the big brother—make sure to look after your sister and protect her!"

Deidara stood straight and promised, "Don't worry, Uncle Yōshi! I will definitely take good care of Kurotsuchi."

Kurotsuchi's eyes flickered, as if she wanted to say something but held back.

Under the teacher's guidance, Deidara and Kurotsuchi quickly arrived at the classroom closest to the training ground, named Iwagakure Genin Training Class 1.

Seeing the name, Deidara couldn't help but think of a certain mediocre training school from his previous life…

"You two can go in and find a place to sit down," the teacher instructed before leaving. Deidara pulled Kurotsuchi into the classroom, which was nearly filled with students. He found a seat in the back and sat down, with Kurotsuchi naturally following him.

Ah, there's a familiar face. Deidara spotted Magu, the boy he had defeated the other day, and apparently Magu had been watching him since he entered.

After some thought, Deidara didn't do anything childish to provoke him. Instead, he smiled and nodded at Magu, believing this would maintain a higher level of decorum.

Magu was taken aback by Deidara's friendly gesture; he hadn't expected his rival to greet him like that. Reacting instinctively, he abruptly turned his head away, exposing the back of his head to Deidara.

This childish action amused Deidara, but Kurotsuchi, who had been observing, didn't find it funny at all. She thought Magu was ungrateful for acting that way after Deidara had shown him kindness. I must find a chance to teach him a lesson! Kurotsuchi, the little girl, silently vowed.

At that moment, a chubby boy wearing a headscarf entered the classroom, glancing around. Upon noticing the seat next to Deidara and Kurotsuchi, he walked over and sat down.

Deidara greeted him with a friendly smile. The chubby boy wasn't expecting such a welcome and was a little flustered.

"Um, I-I'm Akatsuchi. Please take care of me from now on!" he introduced himself shyly. "Nice to meet you, Akatsuchi. I'm Deidara, and this lovely girl is Kurotsuchi. Since we'll all be classmates, let's take care of each other!"

Kurotsuchi, acting unusually, initiated a greeting herself: "Hello! Akatsuchi!" Perhaps their similar names influenced her to feel a sense of closeness.

However, Deidara couldn't help but think of "eating dirt" when he heard 'Akatsuchi'…

With amused smiles, Deidara covered his mouth as he chuckled at the two of them.

To be continued…