Vision of Truth II: Shield and Sharingan (Naruto)

Acceptance

"Laugh and cry with me
Fly that high with me
See the sunset and the sunrise
The world looks so good through our eyes
Like the moon and stars at night

Rest your head, tell me your thoughts
Everything I have and call mine is all yours
Sail that ocean, find that sand
We know that divided we'll fall
So together we stand"

- "Together We Stand" by Ariana Greenblatt

Chapter 23: Acceptance

Hues of orange and pink mixed together and splattered across the sky as the sun dipped below the horizon. "It's beautiful," I said.

"The end of one thing and the beginning of another," Deidara said from behind me.

"Everything is always changing." That used to bother me, but now I found hope in the moment of potential.

"Are you ready?" I turned around to face him. He had unzipped his cloak to give him easier access to the pouches around his waist. He was nervous, which was a different look for him.

"Yes." Still, he hesitated. "It's alright, Deidara. I'll be fine. I'm not afraid of you. I trust you."

Deidara nodded. "Alright." He stuck both hands in his pouches to grab clay. When he opened his hands, I saw a tiny bird in each one. The birds took off flying above him. Then more birds joined them. Soon, there was a whole flock, dancing around each other. One bird took the lead and flew higher, the others following bellow in a spiral.

The first bird exploded, and I flinched from the disconnectedness of it. I quickly got over it as I marveled at the colors left in the bird's wake. It was almost like fireworks. The next bird exploded and then the one after that. Each bird in the spiral detonated, leaving a swirl of color in its wake that I found mesmerizing. Slowly, even the explosions themselves captivated me. When it was over, I continued to stare at the space where the birds had once been.

"Well?" Deidara said, drawing my attention back to him. He smiled slightly, and there was a hint of fear in his eyes.

I gave him a bright, reassuring smile. "That was amazing, Deidara! Can you show me more?" And I meant it. I was not easily impressed, but there was something captivating about what he had done.

His mouth fell open in surprise, but then he grinned. "Yeah, I can show you more! You haven't seen anything yet. Come here."

I hurried to stand beside him. He retrieved more clay, and this time, allowed his creations to leap from his hands to the ground. I gasped when I realized they were cats. More animals appeared. Foxes, wolves, and deer. They ran around each other in apparent chaos. When they were all tightly together, they jumped at the same time and exploded at once in a puff of smoke with colors shooting out all around.

"Wow," I said with a grin. "Your art is incredible."

"You really mean that?" Deidara said, hope in his eyes.

"Of course I do. I don't lie - even to spare someone's feelings. You're really talented, Deidara. You must have a lot of fans."

Deidara rubbed the back of his neck. "Actually, you'd be the first."

I looked at him in surprise. "What? That can't be right. What you just did was beautiful. How could others not see that?"

Deidara smiled ruefully. "No one cares about beauty. In this world, everyone cares about war. People are either afraid of my jutsu or appreciate it only for its destructive power."