Deidara was very bright for his age. Creativity wise, at least. he was already making small sculptures and figurines before he began to train as a shinobi, and by the time he graduated the Academy at eight years old, he became the disciple of the Sandaime Tsuchikage.

Sasori kept himself hidden between the masses of thick green bamboo shoots as he observed a training session between Deidara and his sensei. The old man looked exasperated with the detonated ground and plantation around him, but the boy seemed to be pleased with his handiwork.

"I told you to not blow up the entire training grounds!"

"C'mon, it's not that bad, un."

"We used to have nice grass here, boy. A rarity if you haven't noticed. Now they're all up in the bamboo!" He sighed, "I shouldn't have given you those explosive tags..."

He gestured to the forestry that they were enclosed in. Onoki's eyes slowly moved up and caught a patch of black hidden a little ways away. An intruder? Observer? They didn't seem aggressive, but his old age and vast experiences taught him to be extra careful around those types.

"Next is your punishment," he said, glancing back at the little blonde.

"Sensei!"

"Quit that whining. Get to the rock—"

"I don't like that rock, hm! It's big and ugly and—"

"—I know. That's why you're going to balance yourself at the top and meditate."

"But, sensei!"

"Meditate."

Deidara pouted and trudged to the other side of the training grounds to that stupid rock. That unsymmetrical, gaudy, out of place... The Tsuchikage shook his head and placed his hands on his hips. That boy was going to be an excellent member of the Bakuha Butai one day and it was already showing. Annoyingly, though. Onoki made route to follow after.

::

Sasori drew an amused smile as he watched Deidara stalk off and grumble to himself. Some things never change, do they? He took a silent step back to leave the grounds when what felt like a kunai tip touched the base of his skull. His shoulders slumped.

"Dammit," he muttered.

"Akasuna no Sasori, is it? I've heard that name plenty. You killed the Sandaime Kazekage. He was a good friend of mine, and I didn't appreciate him being taken before his time," a lofty voice hummed. Sasori inclined his head slightly to see Onoki floating there, an arm extended without a care in the world. "So, what are you here for? Reconnaissance? Assassination?"

His eyes trailed down to the unfamiliar cloak.

"Then again, it's possible that you weren't after me."

The younger considered his options. He didn't want to attack or try to escape and cause an international incident, so keeping still was probably his best choice. He relaxed and dropped his guard. "You're right."

Sasori stood up slowly and kept his arms stretched out from his body. His palms were opened to show that he wasn't a threat, something Onoki could never recall a shinobi ever doing in his presence. The man turned around.

"I wasn't here for you," he conceded simply. The Tsuchikage raised an eyebrow. The action was completely unprecedented, though it did match up rather well with the missing-nin's cool and carefree attitude. "I'll be honest. I mean, you're not going to like it, but I'll tell you straight up." Onoki's eyebrow raised even higher as Sasori pointed a finger towards himself. "I'm an Akatsuki. A mercenary business, if you will. We've been looking for future members and keep tabs on the younger ones to see if they'll defect or not. Deidara's one of those on watch," he said. Onoki's hand twitched at the notion.

"You think he's going to betray the village?"

"Smart people tend to do questionable things," he mentioned, immediately thinking to a certain someone. "And people like Deidara? Free-flowing and irritated when they're restricted or forced into whatever it may be. Right? Tell me that I didn't hit it right on the mark."

Onoki let his hand fall and tucked his kunai away with a heavy sigh. There wasn't a single fault in this stranger's words. Deidara, although hot-headed and reckless, was of the intelligent sort among his peers. He knew the things he talked about and never made a decision without considering the outcomes even if he made the wrong choice. He eyed Sasori carefully.

"Then your reason for being here?"

"I don't want him to join the Akatsuki," he admitted. He stood by that belief in its purest sentiment. Deidara was young when he first joined the organization, merely fourteen years old, and was still just a brat. He had a sustainable future ahead of him if he hadn't left and become a terrorist for hire.

Onoki's eyes narrowed considerably. "I find that hard to believe."

"I don't blame you. Trust me or don't trust me, your choice. But I want to make sure that he doesn't go down the same path I did," Sasori said. His arms were still held out and he had on the most blunt face he'd ever given, both in this life and the last. The Tsuchikage was old enough to see who was lying and who was genuine. It was unusual for missing-nin to be the latter.

"Why?"

Why? Because Sakura told him that Deidara came to kill hundreds by bombing villages and medical units. Because he was constrained to a life that caused the Fourth Shinobi World War: seven years of bloodshed that ravaged the land. Because he succumbed to hatred and resentment, bitter about his loss to Itachi and to the position he upheld in the Akatsuki. Because if he left, he'd turn to suicide in attempt to destroy an enemy because he had nothing left to lose.

"Because..." Sasori suddenly looked very, very tired. "... He reminds me of a kid I knew."

::

Shino wasn't expecting much when he walked into the forests near the Academy. All he wanted to do was find some variation of a beetle already in his colony, as it was supposed to be more sensitive to chakra though less inclined to see and smell. They weren't the most practical to use on the battlefield, but they were good to alert the user of anyone nearby.

About halfway into the forest, he saw someone hanging upside down like a sloth on one of the branches. They were slowly crawling towards a hornet's nest hanging precariously at the end. Shino squinted at the person through his darkened glasses, recognizing them almost immediately.

"Haruno Sakura?"

Sakura cast a glance down at him and smiled in greeting before inching a bit closer to the nest. "Oh, hey. Didn't think anyone'd be here. You out to do something too?" she asked. He didn't answer right away and stared at the nest a little longer.

"Those hornet stings dissolve tissue," he said. He was surprised when she nodded in assent and closed even more of the distance between her and the hornets. He was starting to get worried about what might happen next.

"I know. That means I can make a really good poison! If I can get some of the hornets and extract the venom..."

She lowered her voice to a whisper as she edged closer. Shino took a step forward with a slightly raised hand. "The Aburame can't control these bugs. They're very angry all the time and they spray a phre-remone that—"

Sakura yelped when dozens of hornets flew out at her. She pushed herself off the branch and landed on the ground with a quiet thud. She make a hasty retreat out of the forest, grabbing the sleeve of Shino's jacket and tugging him out of the forest with her. His eyes went wide at the sudden movement but kept his mouth shut at the sight of angry hornets heading his way and ran.

Eventually, they dove for cover inside the weapon's shop Sakura frequented most. The man behind the counter looked over with unmasked amusement and flipped to another page of his newspaper as he laughed. "Trouble again, little lady?"

"Nothing too bad, oji-san," she answered. Sakura sprung back onto her feet and helped Shino to his.

"You've even brought a friend along. Need to use the back door?" he asked. He laughed once more at the innocent smile she gave and jabbed a thumb at the doorway behind him, "Go on, go on. And don't cause trouble you can't handle, y'hear?"

"No promises. Thanks for the help!"

Sakura gestured for Shino to follow, both of them walking around the counter they could just barely see over and exiting into a dimmed alleyway. She placed her hands on her hips as she looked from left to right. Right, she decided. It would lead towards the middle-class districts and kept far from the denser forests.

"Sorry for dragging you around like this," she apologized. "I didn't think the hornets would be like that."

Shino shook his head and adjusted his crooked glasses. "It's fine."

"Let me make it up to you."

"You don—"

"Look! A candy stall! Pick what you want, my treat," she exclaimed. That large smile was back on her face as she turned to look at him. Shino stayed quiet for a bit. He never really talked to her before, and he didn't think that would ever change. The only people she'd talk to in class were Sasuke, Chouji, and Naruto, maybe even Hinata on occasion. She was openly friendly with anyone that didn't tease Chouji or Naruto, which weren't a lot of students, and wouldn't stand it if the teacher openly showed his bias. She even stood up in front of the whole class and yelled at him.

But... there was something Shino didn't think was quite right with her. Sakura was nice and all, but maybe she was a little too nice? She was always smiling and stuff, and it made him wonder if she ever got sad. Ever. Shino's eyes trailed through the selection of sweets, his previous thoughts receding to the back of his head.

"... winter melon."

"Okay! One bag of winter melon candy and one bag of dried pineapples," she said, walking up to the vendor. He missed the quick glance she threw to the side. "And a bag of lychee gummies, please."

"Shino and Sakura? What're you guys doing here?"

Shikamaru strolled up to them with his hands stuffed in his pockets and a small pouch at his side. Shino twisted his head to the left.

"Running," he replied. Shikamaru scrunched up his nose. Running took way too much energy and he definitely didn't have the willpower for it. Sakura paced over to them and handed the winter melon candy over to Shino and the lychee to Shikamaru, who took the red bag with surprise.

"Oh. Thanks," he said. It must've been some weird coincidence because he really liked lychee gummies and he couldn't recall ever telling her that. Maybe Chouji told her? As he opened the bag, one of the things he planned on doing popped into his head.

"Hey, Sakura..."

She drew a pineapple into her mouth. "Hm?"

"Chouji told me 'bout what happened at detention. An' why he did it. He says it's 'cause you guys are friends that even beat up the bullies," he began. A thoughtful look formed on his face. "He's not good at making friends 'cause he's shy and doesn't like talking to no one. But I didn't think he'd ever do something like that. Even for Naruto."

Shino silently chewed on his candy while looking between the two of them.

"I just wanna say I'm happy that you're his friend. He smiles more."

Sakura waved her hand and ate another pineapple. "Chouji's really nice. Sasuke and Naruto like him too, so we're still gonna hang out a lot," she assured. He scratched the back of his head, his expression melting into one that was happily relieved. Shino turned his head to look down the street he and Sakura came from and grew alarmed. He shoved his candy into his jacket and lightly pushed the other two in the other direction.

"Shin—?"

"Hornets. Run. Now."

"Wha—?!"

"NOW."

::

Bakuha Butai: Explosion Corps

::

EDITED 1/30/18