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"How are you?" Sasori turned around, looking directly at Midorima.
"It doesn't affect normal movement." Midorima spread his hands.
During the time Midorima had been traveling, his injuries had been continuously healing, thanks to the function of the [Catalysis Chamber]. Moreover, after the emergence of [Ecology], the effects of the [Catalysis Chamber] had also improved.
After all, he wasn't frequently injured, so the perception wasn't particularly obvious.
"Didn't you say it affected your movement?" Kisame retorted.
"Yes, but I've recovered quite a bit already. Hey, what's with that look? In the Akatsuki, there are people who can't be killed, what's one more who recovers quickly?" Midorima shot back.
Kisame blinked, utterly unable to come up with a response.
Itachi approached Midorima and carefully examined his wound, expressing surprise, "It's Kakashi."
Midorima nodded.
"Chidori" was a ninjutsu created by Kakashi himself; there was no other user.
"Then you're really lucky to be alive. The power of that technique is immense," Itachi remarked.
"Yeah, I was ambushed by Kakashi. At the time, my attention was entirely on that ninja who uses insects, and then Kakashi suddenly emerged from the swarm to attack me. Speaking of which, Kisame shares some responsibility for me getting injured," Midorima said, looking discontentedly at Kisame.
Kisame's eyebrow twitched several times, and he said coldly, "What does you getting beaten up have to do with me?"
"Weren't you the one who said you'd take on two by yourself? How did you let Kakashi slip through?" Midorima asked.
Kisame helplessly spread his hands, wanting to retort. The words were right at the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back down and defended himself, "I originally intended to help you, but that bushy-browed guy is genuinely quite skilled in hand-to-hand combat."
"Bushy-browed?" Itachi was momentarily stunned, clearly thinking of Guy.
In Konoha, there weren't many ninjas marked by "bushy eyebrows." Considering this ninja was also skilled in taijutsu, his name was practically on the verge of being spoken.
"You know him?" Kisame asked.
"You could say he's my senior. I recall your own taijutsu isn't bad either."
"Of course," Kisame chuckled.
Midorima rolled his eyes.
Compared to Guy, Kisame's skills in that area really didn't amount to much.
The only areas where Kisame surpassed Guy were his physical constitution and chakra reserves, with the latter being heavily related to Samehada.
"Those aren't excuses. I thought you were going to handle that bushy-browed guy, but instead, you let Kakashi through, and he successfully ambushed me," Midorima said teasingly, repeating Kisame's own line, "Are you looking down on me?" Kisame immediately felt embarrassed.
"Why were they here?" Sasori asked.
"What else could it be? Of course, it's because Akatsuki is here," Midorima glanced at the corpse on the ground and patted Sasori's shoulder. "Hurry up and make your pick. If Konoha really has its sights set on us, then you won't have much time left to collect bodies."
Sasori's face showed clear displeasure, but unlike other members of Akatsuki, his main combat power lay in his puppets, and puppets were consumable items.
"What about the new members you were looking for?" Itachi asked.
"Zetsu conveyed the Leader's message—the Leader has already chosen a candidate, so we had to come back. By the way, where is the Leader?" Midorima looked around but didn't see Pain.
Sasori pointed towards the room, "He's inside negotiating the next steps of cooperation with the 'Grass Flower' faction. But I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he decided to kill everyone here."
Midorima scratched his head; Pain's choices were sometimes truly hard to predict.
…
"Yoku, look at what you've done? You've killed all the ninja in the village who opposed you... What will become of Kusagakure now? Kusagakure doesn't have enough ninja anymore!" A one-armed ninja knelt before an old man, weeping bitterly. "Didn't you also oppose the war? Why go this far?"
"No, I simply detest that kind of indiscriminate, destructive war." The old man stroked his goatee, looking down at the ninja on the ground. "Therefore, the occurrence of short, limited wars isn't necessarily a bad thing. You know, whether it's money or power, to obtain these things, there must be opportunities, and war is the catalyst. As for 'opposing war'... that's naïve. It's precisely because of people like you that Kusagakure is so weak... and chaotic. 'Supporting war' or 'opposing war' are just labels, used for categorization. Those who oppose war can become members of 'Grass Fruit, and likewise, those who favor war can join 'Grass Flower'."
The old man narrowed his eyes.
"You're one of the latter?"
"Of course not, I just like money and status. Whichever side offers more, that's the side I'm on. Before, I was a devout 'anti-war faction' member, but now, I'm a devout 'peace faction' member. I, Yoku, from this moment on, everything I do is for the peace of Kusagakure. So, rest in peace, alright?" Yoku looked up at Pain and Konan. "Please take care of him."
"You—"
Before the man could finish speaking, a paper shuriken pierced his throat.
"I have no interest in your conflicts. Don't forget the 100 million Ryo," Pain said.
"I'll give you 120 million Ryo." Yoku held up one finger and two fingers on each hand respectively. "But, you must help me eliminate a few more people."
"Who?"
Yoku pulled a photo from his chest pocket. It was a group photo with four people, one of whom was Yoku himself.
"What? Weren't they your allies?" Konan asked, puzzled.
"No, they were the anti-war faction. I am now the peace faction. It's different." Yokuku straightened his clothes.
Konan's gaze towards Yoku held a trace of contempt.
To be allies during cooperation, and then turn around and kill them afterwards—this kind of 'burning the bridge after crossing it' tactic was truly despicable.
"However, before that, I also need you to attack me. It's best if I sustain some injuries, but don't kill me," Yoku said.
Just as Pain was about to speak, Zetsu appeared behind him, whispered a few words in his ear, and then gradually sank down, disappearing into the floor.
"I just received news—Konoha ninja have already entered Kusagakure's territory. We don't want to confront them directly yet," Pain stated.
"So, the reason I asked you to attack me was precisely to deal with Konoha," Yoku revealed a smile.
"Understood," Pain nodded. "You need to be careful to protect yourself."
Midorima was chatting with Itachi and Sasori when, without any warning, a building not far away suddenly collapsed. The four unprepared individuals were startled, and then they saw Konan and Pain each carrying a large box, emerging from the ruins.
"I thought you'd been ambushed for a second there!" Midorima took the box Konan tossed to him.
"Kusagakure doesn't have anyone capable of that," Konan shook her head. "Next, we have three more people to deal with, and then we leave Kusagakure directly. Don't get caught by Konoha's ninja."