"Suigintou?"
Deidara's voice was clearly on par with Naruto's at times. The golden-haired rogue ninja, dressed in a casual kimono, excitedly ate the dango on the plate in front of him, mumbling: "We're not lying~ That Orochimaru guy seems to have teamed up with the Sand Ninja and is planning to do something bad to Konoha yo~ Hmm~"
As two of the main technical Professionals at the Land of Waves Figure Factory, Deidara and Sasori were clearly interested in seeing how Akihabara was developing. After all, this area would be the biggest platform for the figure industry in the future, and the maximum promotion of figures couldn't be achieved without this area.
Unlike their previous gathering in the Land of Waves, this time, to avoid being noticed by the Konoha ninjas in the area, Deidara and Sasori had both discreetly changed into ordinary household kimonos, giving off quite the vibe of an Akatsuki members' post-work dinner.
"I see, but I really didn't expect that Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, was a former Akatsuki member, and even planned to destroy Konoha."
Hinata naturally wouldn't risk exposing her plot knowledge. Instead, she still reacted seriously to the information Deidara revealed. Moreover, what she needed to consider wasn't Orochimaru's impending attack on Konoha, but Pain's intention in instructing Deidara to reveal this information to her.
"We have no good feelings for Konoha village, but the important film crew is here, after all. If they suffer losses, our business will also be affected."
Sasori's Hiruko was too conspicuous, so he uncharacteristically used his true body. The red-haired youth, reclining on a cushion, spoke in a tone devoid of emotion: "So, Pein told us to inform you that if you're worried about suffering losses, you need to make a decision soon."
Konan, sitting beside Hinata, subtly turned her gaze. Clearly, Pein's so-called 'making a decision soon' was quite pointed. After all, Akatsuki was not an organization that hoped to coexist peacefully with other ninja villages. As a villainous organization aspiring to rule the ninja world, its goal was simply to crush other ninja villages and gain its own interests.
And since Hinata was a collaborator with Akatsuki, she would have to make a choice between Konoha village and Akatsuki.
"Don't worry, the Konoha Publishing Factory is located in the long-abandoned Uchiha old site; not many people live there. Even if someone wanted to cause damage, they wouldn't gain much. Besides... Although Orochimaru is a senior ninja, to destroy Konoha, begging your pardon, I'm afraid he still won't do it."
Picking up the cup of sake, Hinata took a small sip of the bland liquor. For her, she clearly wasn't worried about Orochimaru causing any trouble. In the original story, he couldn't destroy Konoha even when he had a decisive advantage, let alone now.
"Hmm~~ Little Suigintou means that Orochimaru won't pose any threat to our industry? So confident~ Hmm~"
Deidara raised his eyes slightly. Clearly, he liked Hinata's confident demeanor and tone. After all, for an artist, confidence is basically the most important trait. If one isn't confident in their own work, they probably can't become an artist at all.
"If I didn't even have this much confidence, I wouldn't have made it this far, would I?"
Hinata chuckled, completely unconcerned by Deidara's praise.
For the Akatsuki organization, they value only the strong.
Not just the strong in power, but the strong in all aspects.
A strong mind, a strong vision, strong power, and most importantly—a strong heart.
If one is timid or weak, they naturally deserve to be ridiculed.
"But confidence can also be a double-edged sword. It can make you relentlessly follow your own path, or it can make you step into a trap of destiny without looking back."
Konan, by the window, spoke softly. Her tone was not forced, but like a cool breeze blowing over mountains and fields, making one involuntarily stop and feel it.
"Heh~~ That's certainly true, so~~ it seems I also need to take some necessary measures."
Hinata just shook her head slightly at Konan's words: Poor people~ She and Nagato clearly don't know, and neither does the entire Akatsuki organization, that they are single-mindedly stepping into a trap of destiny, supported by their confidence, without looking back. These words shouldn't be said by her to Hinata, but rather by Hinata to her.
"So~ all in all, if Little Suigintou needs anything, we'll definitely help~ Those are Boss Pain's exact words, we won't say anything more~ Seeing Akihabara so prosperous, I'm in an exceptionally good mood~ Hmm!"
Deidara nodded vigorously. As an artist, nothing was more important than seeing his art circulate in this world, so the explosion fanatic was quite satisfied.
"Aren't you pursuing childish explosions? Why are you satisfied now?"
Sasori looked at Deidara with ill-will, his tone clearly sharp. This only made the golden-haired rogue ninja lift his head slightly: "No~ I don't pursue explosions~ but 'instantaneous art' including explosions! So, my figures are an act of recording the most beautiful aspect of everything, in an instant~ That's why Sasori-danna's figures won't be able to surpass mine in sales, yo~"
Saying that, Deidara boastfully took out a new figure, it was of Lin's previous life, the figure of the Reverse-Blade Swordsman, Sasarin.
It was clear that the figure captured the moment a swordsman was swinging his sword, even reproducing the slight blur of the blade in the air due to high speed. It truly gave a sense of 'explosive' visual sensation, which is to say, art that records an instant.
"I see, whether it's 'creating an instant' or 'recording an instant,' in short~ this is the art you like, right?"
Hinata responded swiftly and nodded slightly. No wonder this explosion fanatic from the original story quietly made figures. It turns out what he pursued was far beyond superficial explosions; it was the transient beauty of all things.
"Hmph~ What biased and one-sided art. Although your figures certainly sell the most, it seems all the highest-priced figures were made by me, right?"
Sasori was clearly not taking Deidara's boasting lying down. Indeed, in terms of quantity, Deidara's clay figures outnumbered Sasori's articulated figures by 35%. However, the overall sales profit for both was neck and neck.
This was because, while Deidara gained widespread recognition among otaku creatures with his 'instantaneous aesthetics,' Sasori's meticulousness and detail also made his figures far superior in exquisiteness and playability compared to static clay figures. So, although his sales volume was lower than Deidara's, Sasori's figures were priced at least one-third higher than comparable clay figures.
"Hmph~ Doesn't that just mean far fewer people appreciate Sasori-danna's art?"
"Baka~ You don't need too many people to truly appreciate art. Compared to those ignorant fools, recognition from truly valuable individuals is enough~"
Watching Sasori and Deidara's debate, Hinata merely smiled. The differences in art were meaningless; what mattered was how to ensure the compatibility and balance of different arts.
Regardless, at this moment, both their art and power were at her disposal.
So, what she needed to consider now was probably... how to have an interesting Chūnin Exams.