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Tayuya's sudden arrival at the Ryuchi Cave took Midorima completely by surprise. In the four months he had spent in this subterranean realm, the world outside had felt like a distant memory. To see a face from the surface—especially one so closely tied to the remnants of Orochimaru's forces—immediately signaled that the fragile peace they had known was over.
As Midorima made his way toward the main temple, he encountered Jugo. The two of them had seen little of each other over these past months; their training regimes were distinct and grueling. Jugo had spent most of his time being relentlessly pursued and pressured by two massive serpents, a trial designed to force him to harmonize his volatile nature with the natural energy surrounding him.
The fact that Jugo had endured this long was a testament to his growth. His physical stamina and mental fortitude had reached levels far beyond his previous capacity. Dealing with giant snakes required more than just raw power; it demanded tactical awareness and the ability to read an opponent's intent. From a quick glance, Midorima could tell that Jugo's combat experience had sharpened significantly.
"By the way," Midorima asked, glancing at his guides, "did Tayuya pass the trials?"
"Hardly," Ichikishimahime replied, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. "The first thing she said when she saw me was, 'Is Asachi Midorima here? If not, I'm leaving immediately.' She was quite insistent. Tell me, is she something special to you?"
Tagitsuhime also fixed Midorima with an alert, judging gaze, as if he were hiding some scandalous secret.
"My relationship with her isn't nearly as close as my relationship with you two," Midorima said, letting out a long yawn. "After all, we've been together for four months, haven't we?"
"Who has a relationship with you?" Tagitsuhime sneered, turning her nose up.
"Right, right... just make sure you show up when I use the Summoning Jutsu," Midorima quipped with a grin.
"Impossible," Tagitsuhime replied, looking away. "Many ninjas come to Ryuchi Cave to learn Senjutsu. Have you ever seen any of them actually summon us into battle?"
"True, but then again, I haven't seen many people survive long enough to inherit the Ryuchi Cave legacy at all," Midorima mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I've often wondered if the Cave simply eats everyone who comes seeking power. Just a guess, though."
"Get lost!" Tagitsuhime snapped, her face turning cold as she hurried forward to catch up with Ichikishimahime.
While the banter was light, Jugo's mood remained heavy. He walked with his head down, his voice low and solemn. "I don't think Tayuya coming all this way is a sign of good news, Midorima."
"I agree. But before we face whatever is coming—can you control your power now?" Midorima asked, his tone turning serious.
Jugo looked down at his palms. "If I go all out, it's still difficult. The rage is an innate part of my bloodline; it's natural energy reacting to my body. However, I can restrain the impulse now. I've also developed other methods of attack that don't rely solely on losing myself to the transformation."
Midorima nodded. As long as Jugo had made progress, they were in a better position than they were four months ago.
Inside the temple, the White Snake Sage remained reclined on her small couch, exhaling smoke from her pipe with an air of eternal boredom. Tayuya stood before her, looking incredibly small and out of place in the presence of such ancient power. She looked restless, her fingers twitching near her flute.
It wasn't until Midorima and Jugo entered the chamber that Tayuya seemed to find her breath. Her rigid posture slumped slightly, and as her eyes met Midorima's, they began to shimmer with unshed tears.
"Is she an acquaintance of yours?" the White Snake Sage asked lazily.
Midorima had initially intended to say they were merely associates who had crossed paths a few times, but the sheer desperation on Tayuya's face told him something catastrophic had occurred. He simply nodded and walked toward her.
"What happened?" Midorima asked.
Tayuya's lower lip trembled. "Kimimaro... he's dead..."
The moment the words left her mouth, she lost her composure entirely. The tough, foul-mouthed girl vanished, replaced by someone broken by grief. She broke out into a fit of uncontrolled sobbing.
Midorima opened his mouth to ask for details, but the atmosphere in the room suddenly shifted. A thick, white mist rose from the floor, obscuring the temple walls. Within seconds, the White Snake Sage and the architecture of Ryuchi Cave vanished. It was clear the Sage had no interest in the petty dramas of the human world and had sent them back to the entrance or a neutral space.
Midorima wasn't worried about the disappearance of the Cave. He knew that the Great Snakes, Shinya or the black serpent, could always use a Reverse Summoning Jutsu to bring him back if needed. His mind was focused entirely on Tayuya's news.
"Kimimaro is dead? How? Was it the illness?" Midorima pressed.
Logic told him the timeline was wrong. Kimimaro's illness was terminal, yes, but he should have had a few more years. In the original flow of events, even when pushed to the limit, he died from the physical strain of his body failing, not an abrupt assassination or a sudden collapse.
Jugo was equally stunned. His brain seemed to freeze as he stared at Tayuya, his best friend's name ringing in his ears like a death knell.
"He..." Tayuya choked out between sobs, "he died in the Hidden Leaf Village."
"The Hidden Leaf?" Midorima's eyes widened. "How is that possible!?"
Tsunade was the Hokage. Under her watch, such a thing shouldn't have happened. There was no medical ninja in the world more skilled than her; if anyone could have stabilized Kimimaro during a diplomatic mission, it was her.
"It's true... he died there," Tayuya said, her fists clenching so hard her knuckles turned white. "And it didn't stop there. The Hidden Sound Village was ambushed. It was the Leaf... their ninjas attacked us!"
"Where was Tsunade? Why would she let this happen?" Midorima asked, his mind racing.
Tsunade was many things, but she wasn't a warmonger. Since taking the mantle of Hokage, she had prioritized stability and healing the village's wounds. It was almost impossible to imagine her turning her sights on the remnants of the Sound Village, especially when they were seeking a peaceful resolution.
"She... she isn't the Hokage anymore," Tayuya whispered, her voice cracking. "The current Hokage is Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"What!?" Midorima felt a jolt of pure shock. He almost thought he had misheard her. "Hiruzen!?"
He was baffled. The Third Hokage was supposed to be dead, or at the very least, retired and superseded. How could he have returned to power? It was as if the political clock of the Leaf had been forcibly wound backward.
Tayuya didn't have an answer. She simply lowered her head, her tears dripping onto the cold ground.
"What do we do?" Jugo asked, turning to Midorima. He was lost, his anchor to sanity—Kimimaro—was gone, and he looked to Midorima for direction.
Midorima held up a hand to quiet him. He stepped closer to Tayuya, his expression hardening. "The last time we saw Kimimaro, he told us he wanted to form an alliance with the Leaf. How did it escalate to this? I want the full story, Tayuya. Tell me everything exactly as it happened. If I find out you're lying to manipulate us... I will kill you myself."
"I know," Tayuya said, taking a deep, shaky breath. She wiped her eyes, trying to regain a semblance of her usual composure. "You're right. In the beginning, we genuinely wanted the alliance. Kimimaro wanted a future for the people of the Sound that didn't involve being Orochimaru's pawns. And the Leaf—or at least the administration at the time—agreed to talk."
She paused, swallowing hard. "As you know, the Sound Village was built by Orochimaru. After he disappeared, Kimimaro naturally took over. He was desperate. He wanted to finalize the treaty before he became completely bedridden. He went to the Leaf personally to negotiate the terms."
Midorima nodded. So far, the story tracked with Kimimaro's character. He was a man of loyalty and duty, even as his life ebbed away.
"Tsunade took his condition into account," Tayuya continued. "She sent a delegation of ninjas to conduct the negotiations. But on the night they were supposed to sign the preliminary agreements, disaster struck. Of the ten Leaf ninjas in the delegation, nine were slaughtered. The only survivor was the captain of the guard, Kakashi Hatake. He was found outside the village walls, barely alive. But his left eye... it was gone."
"His left eye?" Midorima interrupted, his heart skipping a beat.
That was the Sharingan. The eye granted to him by Obito Uchiha.
"Who did it?" Midorima demanded.
Tayuya shook her head. "Nobody knows. One moment they were in a secure location, the next, there was a bloodbath."
"Was it your people?" Jugo asked, his voice trembling with a mix of grief and budding rage.
"How could it be us!?" Tayuya snapped, waving her hands frantically. "We were trying to avoid a conflict with the Leaf at all costs! Why would we bait a giant like that into destroying us? We aren't idiots. If we had the power to silently assassinate nine elite Leaf ninjas and cripple Kakashi Hatake without anyone noticing, would we be begging for an alliance?"
Midorima nodded slowly. Tayuya was right. If Orochimaru were still at the helm, such a surgical strike might be possible, but the current Sound Village lacked that kind of high-level firepower. For them to kill nine ninjas and let the most dangerous one survive—only to steal a single eye—made no sense as a political move. It felt like a setup.
The situation was far more convoluted than a simple broken treaty. With Hiruzen back in power, Tsunade gone, and a Sharingan stolen, the world Midorima thought he understood had been flipped upside down. The peace of Ryuchi Cave was over, and the stench of a deep conspiracy was rising from the Hidden Leaf.