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When Zetsu found Midorima, Midorima was sitting on the rooftop, watching the show.
The criminals affected by the "Fire Release: Heavenly Prison" began to spontaneously combust once they moved a certain distance away from Mui.
In a way, this was an incredibly powerful restraining technique. Even Naruto, with the Nine-Tails' chakra, would struggle to use ninjutsu for long after being hit by it.
These people burning themselves while trying to escape beyond the maximum distance were clearly not Midorima's targets. Similarly, those still trapped in Hozuki Castle were ninjas without much strength. Otherwise, they wouldn't be unable to escape even as the flames engulfed everything and their lives hung by a thread.
"None of these guys qualify," Midorima grumbled.
At that moment, a black shadow flashed by, and Zetsu appeared before him.
"Lord Pain says we've found a suitable candidate. You and Kisame leave immediately."
"Who is it?" Midorima asked, stunned.
A fitting Akatsuki member, found so easily?
"You'll know soon enough. But for now, we've only identified the candidate; we haven't convinced him yet. If you encounter any exceptionally strong ninjas, go easy on them—they might be the one." With that, Zetsu vanished.
'Are there really powerful ninjas in Hozuki Castle?' Midorima's head was full of question marks. Then, an image suddenly popped into his mind. 'It couldn't be Mui, could it?'
Midorima couldn't fathom Pain's intentions.
The current developments had already deviated significantly from the manga. However, judging from Pain's actions, he must have realized that Akatsuki's manpower wasn't sufficient to support the "Ten-Tails" plan.
After Zetsu relayed Pain's orders, Midorima stood up to leave, but Kisame was nowhere in sight.
Just as Midorima thought Kisame might have fallen into some pit, Kisame appeared, moving swiftly across the rooftops under the cover of night.
"What's up?" Midorima asked, staring at the sweat-drenched Kisame with curiosity.
Kisame pointed to the backpack on his back. "I scoured the entire Hozuki Castle."
No need to explain—the bag was filled with either money or treasures.
"…" Midorima blinked. "You're really 'dedicated' to your work."
"Of course. Love what you do," Kisame grinned. "By the way, did we find a suitable candidate?"
Midorima relayed Zetsu's message to Kisame and added, "I'm guessing it's the warden of Hozuki Castle."
"No way. Why would he join Akatsuki?" Kisame scoffed at the idea.
"Just a hunch," Midorima said, tapping his forehead.
Recruiting from prisons wasn't unheard of in other stories. Besides, Akatsuki wasn't exactly a righteous organization in any sense. To achieve their goals, they'd use any underhanded means necessary.
Kisame shook his head, still unconvinced.
"There's no reason to stick around here. Let's rendezvous with Sasori and the others," Midorima said, turning and leaping to another rooftop. Kisame followed closely.
Hozuki Castle was the largest structure in the area, and its blazing inferno lit up the sky, easily attracting ninjas from nearby.
The two weren't afraid of Hidden Grass ninjas but were wary of encountering those from other villages, so they didn't linger.
Since he wasn't very familiar with Kisame and feared being recognized, Midorima stayed silent and focused on hurrying. Suddenly, a faint sound reached his ears. He instinctively glanced at Kisame, who was looking back at him.
"Someone's here," Midorima said, instinctively speeding up to create distance.
Kisame kept pace, but his brow remained furrowed.
He could tell they were being tailed.
"Three people," Midorima whispered.
"I know."
As soon as Kisame spoke, a black "gust" swept past them, blocking their path.
At the same time, the three pursuers caught up, forming a triangular formation that surrounded the two.
Midorima quickly scanned the three ninjas. The leader was Hatake Kakashi. The one who used the black "wind" was Aburame Shibi from the Aburame clan—Aburame Shino's father, a master of insect techniques. The last was Might Guy.
Seeing this lineup gave Midorima a headache.
Kakashi and Shibi were strong, but he didn't find them particularly troublesome. Win or lose aside, if he wanted to escape, neither could stop him.
But Might Guy was a different story.
During the Third Great Ninja War, his father had fought a life-or-death battle against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, pulling off an extreme 1-for-4 exchange that turned the tide of the war.
Might Guy was equally formidable, with the potential to take on "Six Paths Mode" Uchiha Madara in single combat.
In other words, Guy's ceiling was extraordinarily high, and Midorima happened to be weak in taijutsu. Fighting Guy would put him at a clear disadvantage.
"You're Leaf ninjas?" Midorima asked.
"That's right. You're from Akatsuki, aren't you?" Kakashi replied.
Midorima glanced at his own clothes.
The black cloak embroidered with red clouds had practically become Akatsuki's trademark. It was only natural for Kakashi to recognize it.
"If you say so," Midorima shrugged.
"Why are you here?" Kakashi pressed.
"The Hidden Leaf Village is supposed to be the strongest ninja village—don't be so hypocritical. You're here too, so you must have a reason, right?" Midorima waved his hand dismissively.
Kakashi's expression turned awkward, but Guy, with his short temper, pointed at the distant, flame-engulfed Hozuki Castle. "Did you start that fire?"
"No," Midorima shook his head.
Telling the truth in front of these people would be foolish.
"No? Then why are you here?" Guy demanded.
"We're not Leaf ninjas. Why should we tell you?" Midorima spread his hands. "If there's nothing else, we'll be going. You must be busy too, right? We won't bother you."
Guy was fired up. Seeing Midorima turn to leave, he suddenly lunged, kicking toward Midorima's neck.
Midorima had been covertly watching Guy's movements. The moment the attack came, he dodged.
Even with an immediate reaction, he was a fraction too slow.
Guy's kick grazed Midorima's mask, the air pressure nearly convincing him it had cracked. He quickly retreated behind Kisame and checked the mask. Relieved to find it intact, he let out a small breath.
Kisame had brute strength and abundant chakra—he was the perfect counter for Guy.
Otherwise, if Guy shattered the mask, Midorima's true face might be exposed.
"Hey, a sneak attack? That's not playing fair!" Midorima pointed at Guy.
Guy realized the sneak attack was wrong and quickly apologized: "Sorry, I didn't mean to—it's just that I'm a bit anxious. But… you still can't leave!"
"Why not?" Kisame stared at Guy.
Guy took a deep breath. "Why is Akatsuki here?"
"Making money, doing missions," Midorima said, eyeing Guy. "Just like you. Don't tell me the Hidden Leaf Village has never done the same."