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Orochimaru was utterly astonished upon learning that the Akatsuki needed only a sample of tailed beast chakra to achieve their goal. But at the same time, a deep sense of confusion gnawed at him.
"If what you're saying is true, then why has Pain been so insistent on capturing the jinchuriki themselves?" Orochimaru asked, his skepticism plain.
"That is a question I cannot answer either. After all, I am not Pain. But tell me—are you absolutely certain that everything the Akatsuki has done is truly Pain's will?" Midorima countered.
Orochimaru fell into deep, pensive silence for several long minutes. Then, his eyes abruptly brightened with sudden, sharp understanding. The cold, serpentine smile on his face grew even more frigid.
"Wait... Are you suggesting that someone has been pulling strings behind the scenes?" Orochimaru asked.
"I'm merely speculating... I can understand Pain's choices. After experiencing the successive deaths of those closest to him, it is all too easy for a person to become radicalized, to descend into extremism. But under those very same conditions, a person also becomes far more susceptible to manipulation."
"The reason this individual is using the Akatsuki... is it because he lacks the strength to oppose Pain directly?" Orochimaru pressed.
"That is certainly a possibility. However, rather than saying Pain himself is formidable, it would be more accurate to say that the Rinnegan is what makes him truly terrifying," Midorima explained.
The Uzumaki clan was by no means invincible. Take Karin, for instance. In terms of raw combat ability, she was far from exceptional among her peers. Ultimately, it was the Rinnegan that had fundamentally transformed Nagato into the force he had become.
"Beyond that, there is also another possible explanation. The individual manipulating Pain is hiding secrets that no one else is aware of," Midorima added. His thoughts drifted to Obito, and a dull, throbbing ache immediately began to pulse in his temples.
Madara Uchiha had used Obito as a pawn, his ultimate goal being his own resurrection. But what Madara had never anticipated was that Zetsu was not truly loyal to him. Likewise, he had failed to foresee that Obito himself harbored his own private, carefully concealed agenda. On the surface, Obito appeared to be faithfully executing Madara's will. But in truth, the web of deception and hidden motives ran far deeper than anyone could have imagined.
Orochimaru's long, serpentine tongue slithered out to moisten his lips. Midorima's words had clearly piqued his interest. "Regardless of that person's actual strength, however, if he truly manages to summon the Ten-Tails into existence, it will become an almost insurmountable catastrophe for the vast majority of people," Midorima said, his mind churning with thoughts of Sage Mode.
The mere thought of it was enough to make his head ache. Ordinary ninjutsu would be utterly useless against such an entity. The only viable avenues of attack would be taijutsu or senjutsu. As for taijutsu, their only realistic hope rested on Might Guy's current condition. Lee was still far too young, and at this point in time, he simply could not be relied upon. If Midorima wanted to maintain any semblance of control over the situation, he would have to depend on his own mastery of Sage Mode—whatever progress he had managed to make in these recent, grueling days.
After their brief exchange, Midorima decided to part ways with Orochimaru. Since this conflict now involved the Ten-Tails, it was destined to be a protracted, devastating affair. That being the case, they would undoubtedly need to recruit more powerful allies. Without question, the First Hokage was the most suitable candidate. The difficulty, of course, lay not in obtaining the First Hokage's cellular tissue—that was comparatively simple.
The real challenge was locating a suitable vessel for the Impure World Reanimation, one strong enough to allow the First Hokage to unleash his full, terrifying potential. Capturing a White Zetsu would be the ideal solution, and that was the formidable problem Orochimaru would have to solve on his own.
As Midorima watched Orochimaru's departing figure recede into the distance, he briefly considered calling him back. After all, the appearance of Zetsu on the battlefield was all but guaranteed. But the words died on his lips before he could utter them. He had no way to explain how he knew the things he knew.
After Orochimaru had gone, Midorima set off in the direction of the Hidden Mist Village. In the original timeline, Naruto had been able to return to the Hidden Leaf Village almost instantly because Fukasaku had conveniently been traveling near the village in search of food. That had allowed the use of the Reverse Summoning Technique to transport Naruto directly to the battlefield. Midorima enjoyed no such convenience. No one from Ryuchi Cave would be venturing anywhere near the Hidden Mist Village. The bond between Ryuchi Cave and the Mist was simply too weak. If he wanted to return, he would have to make the arduous journey himself.
Fortunately, by utilizing the Levitation technique, Midorima could keep his body suspended in the air. And with his Instant Movement ability, he could teleport himself to any location within his direct line of sight in the blink of an eye. This was exponentially faster than relying on his own two feet. Under conditions of clear, unobstructed visibility, a single instantaneous leap could cover over ten kilometers. The only drawback was the immense chakra consumption. To sustain such rapid, repeated teleportation, Midorima was forced to activate his Tailed Beast Mode and draw upon the Six-Tails' vast chakra reserves.
"Has the situation truly become that urgent?" the Six-Tails suddenly spoke up as Midorima raced across the landscape.
"Yes. This war will determine whether you and I live or die... If we fail, the entire future of the shinobi world may be irrevocably altered," Midorima replied, his voice heavy with the weight of the stakes.
'The Infinite Tsukuyomi...' he thought grimly. If Obito succeeded in casting that technique, there would be no escape for anyone.
"I have no interest in saving your precious shinobi world," the Six-Tails retorted coldly.
Midorima was not surprised by the response. It was only natural. Most living creatures craved freedom above all else, not imprisonment within a shinobi's body. That was precisely why the number of jinchuriki who had ever achieved true, mutual understanding with their tailed beasts could be counted on one hand. While the Six-Tails had indeed reached an accord with Midorima—one of complete, unguarded trust between man and beast—that did not mean it had suddenly developed faith in humanity as a whole. The creature had existed for millennia and had encountered countless shinobi. It understood all too well how vast the differences between individual humans could be. Its reconciliation with Midorima would not change its fundamental attitude towards the rest of mankind.
"Everyone wants to keep on living, don't they?" Midorima countered.
The Six-Tails responded with a dismissive snort and fell silent.
The Hidden Mist Village was an island nation, separated from the mainland by the sea. To reach it, Midorima would have to contend not only with the seemingly endless expanse of ocean but also with the dense, impenetrable sea fog that perpetually shrouded the waters. And that fog was absolutely lethal to his Instant Movement technique. Without a clear line of sight, teleportation was impossible. The idea of using Instant Movement to leap across the sea and reach the Hidden Mist Village was, quite simply, out of the question.
Since the Allied Shinobi Forces had blockaded the ports, ordinary merchant vessels were forbidden from setting sail. Left with no other option, Midorima approached the Allied Forces directly. After identifying himself, a shinobi from the Hidden Leaf recognized Midorima. The man's first words were an earnest plea for Midorima to stay as far away from the Hidden Mist Village as possible.
"I understand how you must be feeling right now, but you are precisely the person the Akatsuki is hunting for. For you to go there at a time like this... it just doesn't seem appropriate," the Leaf shinobi stated, his tone polite but firm. "Furthermore, the Kage-level shinobi from all five of the Great Shinobi Villages have already been deployed. There is simply no conceivable way the Akatsuki could prevail against them. You can rest assured."
As he finished speaking, the shinobi straightened his back and puffed out his chest, his face radiating unshakable confidence. Yet his eyes never once strayed from Midorima. Seeing this, Midorima chose not to argue the point. The boat belonged to someone else, and they had every right to refuse him passage.
"Can you really stomach that kind of treatment?" The Six-Tails voiced its displeasure as Midorima turned and walked away.
"What would you have me do? Kill him? That's hardly necessary. Besides, he isn't a bad person," Midorima explained.
The full, combined might of the Five Great Shinobi Villages had been mobilized. By any rational, conventional analysis, no shinobi organization on earth could hope to withstand such overwhelming force. But the Akatsuki was not an organization that could be understood through conventional logic. The true mastermind behind this entire conflict was not Pain, not Nagato, not even Obito or Madara. It was Kaguya Otsutsuki.
"So how exactly do you plan on reaching the Hidden Mist Village?" the Six-Tails asked.
"There is more than one road that leads to the Mist," Midorima replied with a shrug.