Naruto: Shinobi Payday
Chapter 72: Zeldris Vs Deidara

Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Zeldris Vs Deidara

Deidara’s expression twisted with irritation, a far cry from his earlier indifference.

His eyes locked onto Uchiha Itachi, and within them flickered a flash of anger.

To Deidara, that cold, unreadable gaze, it was mockery. A silent insult to the art he cherished most.

Just then, Zeldris spoke, his voice casual, almost teasing.

"Hey, Itachi let’s not overdo it. He’s worth 200 million, after all."

A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he said it.

Itachi offered only a small nod in response. "Understood."

Their brief exchange made Deidara narrow his eyes. These guys—what the hell kind of attitude was that?

They spoke like they were handling a chore, not preparing for battle. Did they really think so little of him?

Deidara clenched his fists, his voice low and sharp. "Once you’ve seen my art, you’ll stop looking at me like that."

From beside Zeldris, Sasori shifted slightly and said, voice calm and detached, "You keep going on about ’art.’ What exactly do you mean?"

Before Sasori could finish, Deidara’s face lit up with excitement. His lips curled into a manic grin.

"What else could it be? Explosive art!"

He raised his hands, and two grotesque mouths opened on his palms. Taking a chunk of clay, the mouths began to chew eagerly.

"This clay—my creation—it embodies the only true art. A fleeting moment of beauty... a blast!"

His excitement mounted as he spoke, voice rising with emotion.

But Sasori only scoffed, his eyes narrowing with disdain.

"Art that disappears in an instant? That’s just destruction. True art is eternal—like my puppets."

Zeldris, however, remained calm. Watching Deidara, a thoughtful look crossed his face. Of course he knew Deidara’s temperament, the way he spoke with such conviction about his so-called "art."

It didn’t surprise him.

But it did intrigue him.

A talent like Deidara’s—volatile, powerful, unconventional—could be incredibly useful. His clay could serve missions that required more than brute force. And if Zeldris could recruit him...

His thoughts turned to Onoki. The old man had been willing to put up 200 million for this. If Deidara could be persuaded to come back willingly, Zeldris would fulfill the contract without a fight. But if not... things could get complicated.

Still, a shinobi like Deidara didn’t come around often.

While Zeldris considered his next move, Deidara acted.

With a sudden motion, he thrust his hands forward, and a massive clay centipede shot from the mouths on his palms. Under his control, it surged through the air, wrapping around Itachi like a living creature.

Deidara smirked. "Caught you."

He shook his head, chuckling. "Seriously, I thought you were supposed to be strong. You just let yourself get snared like that?"

Then he narrowed his eyes.

"And yet... you still wear that expression."

There it was again—that calm, unbothered face. That damn indifferent look that pissed him off more than anything.

"Tch! What is with you?! That look—like you’re above all this—it makes me sick!"

He raised his hand, forming the seal that would trigger the detonation.

But then—

"Don’t move. Look at yourself, boy."

The voice was cold, emotionless—and it wasn’t coming from behind the centipede.

It came from right in front of him.

Deidara blinked.

His eyes widened.

The centipede wasn’t wrapped around Itachi anymore.

It was wrapped around him.

"What the—?!"

If he had made the seal, he would’ve blown himself up right then and there.

His breath caught in his throat. How did this happen?

How—when—had it all reversed?

And Itachi... was still standing there, calm as ever. His crimson Sharingan eyes glowed faintly.

Deidara’s heart sank.

Illusion.

Genjutsu.

"That damn Sharingan...!"

He realized it too late. He’d been under an illusion since the very beginning. He remembered feeling something—an unease—when he first met Itachi’s eyes. But he had brushed it off.

Now he understood.

The illusion had already taken hold.

He hadn’t even noticed.

Sasori and Zeldris began walking over, their expressions unreadable.

Zeldris stopped a few steps away and gave a small laugh.

"Yo, Deidara. So this is your ’explosive art’?"

He tilted his head with mock curiosity. "What’s the final step? Blow yourself up?"

Deidara’s lips twitched, too embarrassed to speak.

Sasori folded his arms. "Some artist."

Deidara’s eyes widened as he realized what had just happened.

That centipede-like clay creature he created—he’d used it to trap himself?

And worse... he was about to detonate it?

Sasori’s eyes narrowed. He understood instantly.

Deidara had fallen into the Sharingan’s genjutsu.

Naive.

This kid still had a long way to go.

Sasori’s gaze shifted to the silent figure nearby—Uchiha Itachi.

Tch. Dealing with this guy is never simple. Those eyes... they’re just too dangerous.

Just then, Deidara’s face twisted in frustration. Zeldris had clearly said something that got under his skin.

"Shut the hell up, you bastard!" Deidara snapped, flustered. "I just let my guard down, that’s all!"

He turned back to glare at Itachi, gritting his teeth.

"Come on then! Try it again! Let’s see how far your eyes get you this time! I’ll show you the real power of my clay art!"

Itachi barely reacted. His expression was calm, almost indifferent.

"No matter how many times you try," he said coolly, "it won’t change the result. My eyes... won’t allow you to win."

The quiet confidence in Itachi’s voice made the air feel heavier.

Even Zeldris raised an eyebrow at that. Damn, he thought, this guy really knows how to make an entrance. Too good at acting cool for his own good.

A smirk tugged at the corners of Zeldris’s mouth. An idea flickered in his mind.

He turned his attention back to Deidara, just as the explosive artist was gearing up for another angry rant.

Before he could say a word, Zeldris chuckled lightly and said, "Alright. Sounds good."

"...Huh?"

The other three froze.

Sasori looked at Zeldris, completely thrown off. "The hell are you talking about?"

Didn’t we already finish the job?

Knowing Zeldris, he should be collecting the payment by now. Why the sudden change of heart?

Itachi, meanwhile, narrowed his gaze, as if he’d caught the subtle shift in Zeldris’s tone. Something wasn’t adding up.

Deidara perked up immediately. "See?! Your boss agrees! Let’s go, Itachi! Round two!"

But Zeldris raised a hand, stopping him cold.

"You misunderstood, Deidara."

He stepped forward, his voice calm and firm.

"I didn’t say he would fight you."

He looked Deidara dead in the eye.

"I said I would."

That made Deidara pause.

He stared at Zeldris, sizing him up. After a moment, he gave a sharp grin.

"Tch. Doesn’t matter who steps up. You’ll both end up the same—blown to pieces. I’ll show you the true beauty of art. Hmm!"

Zeldris only smiled and tilted his head.

"This is getting dull," he said. "Let’s make it more interesting. How about a little wager?"

All three looked at him, puzzled.

Before they could ask, Zeldris continued:

"If I win, you drop this act and come with us. No fuss."

He paused, and a slow grin formed on his lips.

"—And you join my ninja mercenary organization."

That hit like a lightning bolt.

Itachi’s eyes sharpened. So that’s his true goal... This wasn’t about the mission at all.

Sasori frowned. "Oi, Zeldris. We were hired to bring him in. What the hell are you doing?"

"Don’t tell me you’re backing out on the commission."

He glanced sideways at Deidara, unimpressed.

"Besides... why the hell would you want someone like him? His brain’s wired like a minefield."

Zeldris shrugged, still calm. "Did I say I didn’t want the commission?"

He looked at Deidara with a spark of amusement in his eyes.

"Don’t you think he’s... interesting?"

Deidara, still trying to piece everything together, finally spoke.

"Wait—aren’t you guys working for that old fossil, the Tsuchikage? Here to drag me back like some prisoner?"

"And now you’re asking me to join you?"

He narrowed his eyes.

"Okay, fine. What do I get if you lose?"

Zeldris didn’t miss a beat.

He stared Deidara down, that signature smirk never leaving his face.

"I won’t lose."

"...What?"

"There is no if," Zeldris said flatly. "Because I never lose."

Deidara blinked... then let out a low laugh.

"...Heh. You’re a cocky one, aren’t you?"

"You’re starting to get interesting too."

He cracked his knuckles, eyes glinting with excitement.

"Alright then. Let’s see what you’ve got, white-hair."

At that moment, both Sasori and Uchiha Itachi instinctively stepped back, putting distance between themselves and the two combatants.

After all, the intel they had received from the Tsuchikage was clear—Deidara’s abilities were not to be underestimated. Getting too close would almost certainly risk getting caught in the chaos.

Deidara specialized in using explosive clay—living art that detonated with devastating force.

Neither Itachi nor Sasori had seen it up close before, but that didn’t mean they were naïve. They weren’t the type to take an opponent lightly, especially someone as unpredictable as Deidara.

However... Zeldris was a different story.

Unlike them, he didn’t seem the least bit cautious.

Just as that thought crossed their minds, Deidara grinned, lifting a small lump of clay in his palm.

"Let me show you art... real art," he declared with a crazed gleam in his eye.

With a flick of his wrist, the clay launched forward, aimed straight at Zeldris.

From the sidelines, Itachi’s Sharingan spun to life, not just to track the clay—but to observe Zeldris. He already knew Deidara wasn’t going to win this fight. His interest was purely in understanding what this strange, unreadable man was truly capable of.

As the clay flew through the air, it shifted—morphing mid-flight into a white pigeon, wings flapping rapidly as it darted toward Zeldris like a living missile.

It was fast.

Precise.

And deadly.

Deidara, still grinning, watched closely. This was a test—to measure Zeldris’s reflexes, his reaction time, his judgment. He didn’t expect to win yet. Just to see.

But what happened next wasn’t what he expected at all.

Zeldris didn’t move.

Instead, with an almost lazy calm, he lifted his right hand as the clay bird neared him.

Deidara blinked.

"What the hell is he doing?" he muttered.

Was this guy out of his mind?

That was a live clay bomb—and he was going to catch it?!

From the sidelines, Sasori and Itachi remained still, unfazed. They’d seen enough to know Zeldris wasn’t careless. Reckless, maybe. But not stupid.

And then it happened.

With the same ease one would use to catch a paper crane, Zeldris reached up and caught the clay bird mid-flight—his fingers closing around it gently.

Deidara’s smile froze.

"...What?"

Zeldris brought the bird closer to his face, inspecting it like a man admiring a trinket. Then, he glanced over at the stunned Deidara and smirked.

"I’ve got to admit," he said with a cool tone, "your little pigeon looks pretty damn realistic."

"...Huh?!"

Deidara stared in disbelief.

What kind of comment was that?!

Was he seriously admiring the craftsmanship of a bomb?!

For a second, Deidara was at a loss. Then, regaining his composure, he sneered.

"So you’re just all talk, huh?"

"Let’s see how realistic that pigeon looks when it blows your arm off!"

With that, he quickly formed a seal with one hand—triggering the detonation.

Or... he tried to.

Nothing happened.

The bird stayed intact, unmoving in Zeldris’s palm.

"...What?"

Deidara’s eyes widened. He tried again—faster, more desperate—but still, the clay refused to explode.

Zeldris tilted his head, amused.

"Hmm," he said calmly, looking down at the pigeon, then back at Deidara. "Looks like your little masterpiece..."

"...was a dud."

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