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Midorima and Jūgo's journey had been quite troublesome.
First, all ships heading to Kirigakure had ceased operations. Even when Midorima offered high prices, no one was willing to take the job.
The reason? Previously, some people, tempted by money, risked their lives to ferry people to Kirigakure.
So, they "got what they asked for." Those boatmen were caught and killed by Kirigakure ninja.
Moreover, this didn't happen just once or twice.
Gradually, no one was willing to do it anymore.
Under these circumstances, Midorima could only spend a large sum to purchase a fishing boat. Then, he and Jūgo set out to sea on their own.
Midorima was from Kirigakure; swimming and sailing were second nature to him. But he forgot that even when fishing, he operated in coastal waters, never losing sight of the shore.
Now, with the coastline out of sight and nothing but endless sea around them, he was immediately overwhelmed because they couldn't determine their direction.
In the end, they finally made landfall by following the sun's trajectory. By then, they had been adrift for four days.
Fortunately, once ashore, Midorima found everything on the island familiar. They immediately headed for Kirigakure, only to encounter Hidan and Kakuzu outside the village.
As for who they intended to kill, Midorima wasn't entirely sure. But he knew that if they could eliminate Kakuzu and Hidan here, it would save a lot of trouble later when dealing with the Akatsuki. So, Midorima didn't mind eliminating these two here and now.
Kakuzu jumped down from the tree, looking excitedly at Midorima. "Do you know how long I've been waiting for you?"
"But I haven't missed you at all," Midorima's gaze never left Hidan. In his eyes, Hidan was more dangerous than Kakuzu.
Not just because of Hidan's immortality, but also because of his "Curse Technique," which allowed him to kill opponents by injuring himself.
In the original timeline, Yugito Nii, Chiriku, and Asuma Sarutobi were all defeated, even killed, by Hidan's curse technique.
However, based on Kakuzu's description in the original work, Hidan had to lie on the ground for at least 30 minutes after performing the curse ritual, or it would be disrespectful to his god.
Earlier, Hidan had already performed the "Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood." Midorima didn't know if Hidan would need to lie down for half an hour afterward.
If so, Midorima intended to dig a very, very deep pit in those thirty minutes and then throw Hidan in, burying him alive.
Just like Shikamaru did.
Hidan stared at Midorima, his face dark.
Originally, just one more strike, and he could have killed Makoto. After resting for half an hour, he'd be back in full fighting form. But now he was interrupted.
What frustrated him even more was that before completing his "rest," he couldn't kill Midorima either.
This left him feeling extremely dejected.
"Hey, Kakuzu, can you buy me some time?"
After the curse pattern on the ground was destroyed, the markings on Hidan's body returned to normal.
"Shouldn't be a problem..." Kakuzu licked his lips. "But after I kill him, his heart is mine."
"Whatever... I need to rest now." Hidan turned and began walking towards Kakuzu.
"Don't worry, watch me kill him." Kakuzu narrowed his eyes.
"Jūgo, I leave this faceless guy to you. He has five lives. You'll need to kill him five times," Midorima reminded.
"Five lives? What kind of monster is that?" Jūgo asked, astonished.
"Just treat him as a monster. No need to hold back. Kill him directly." Midorima smiled.
After his "training" at Ryūchi Cave, Jūgo's strength had improved significantly. But exactly how much was anyone's guess.
Kakuzu was a decent "testing stone."
As for Hidan, Midorima really didn't dare leave him to Jūgo.
It wasn't that Hidan was overwhelmingly powerful, but without understanding Hidan's abilities, anyone could easily fall victim to Hidan's "first-encounter kill."
Jūgo clenched his fists, excited. "Leave him to me!"
Kakuzu's mouth twitched, glaring angrily at Midorima. "You think you can run?"
"No, I want to deal with that gray-haired guy first." Midorima grinned.
"As if! With me here, no one can touch him!" Kakuzu waved his hand, tearing off his shirt. Various parts of his body were stitched together.
Just as Kakuzu was about to continue speaking, Jūgo was already in front of him.
Before Kakuzu could react, his chest was struck hard by a fist. He was sent flying instantly, crashing into a nearby tree.
The tree snapped instantly.
As Kakuzu tried to get up after landing, Jūgo leaped high into the air, aiming a powerful blow at him.
Kakuzu hastily rolled aside, barely dodging the attack, but the ground where he had been was blasted into a half-meter deep crater.
"You're not simple either." Kakuzu scrambled to his feet, looking nervously at Jūgo. "So, are you interested in joining the Akatsuki?"
Midorima raised an eyebrow. He really couldn't fathom how Kakuzu dared to try poaching someone right in front of him.
"By the way, Kakuzu, I want to ask something. Was Kimimaro's death related to the 'Akatsuki'?" Midorima asked.
"What?" Kakuzu was taken aback.
"Don't play dumb. Besides you guys, I can't think of anyone else who'd do something so despicable." Midorima kept his eyes on Hidan, who was moving away from his line of sight. He was getting anxious.
After all, the light was poor, and the fog was thick. His vision was severely impaired, meaning "Shunkan" would be heavily affected in these conditions.
He had to hurry and catch up with Hidan.
Jūgo, whose fighting spirit was already high, now heard Midorima mention "Kimimaro." Kakuzu instantly became his prey.
Having reached this point, Kakuzu no longer hid his strength. His back arched high as a black monster wearing a white mask erupted from it.
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
A high-pressure air stream erupted from the black creature's mouth, forming a swirling vortex storm. Objects around them were swept away by the fierce currents.
Jūgo's body was sent flying backward. The rotating air currents acted like sharp daggers, relentlessly scraping against his body.
Under these conditions, forget attacking Kakuzu; Jūgo was doing well just to keep his eyes open.
Moreover, the high-speed swirling vortex also sucked away the surrounding air. Jūgo felt a suffocating sensation.
Suddenly, a two-meter-high ice wall erupted from the ground, shielding Jūgo and providing a brief barrier against the vortex. Jūgo used that momentary respite to gasp for air twice, finally catching his breath.
The thick ice wall then shattered into pieces. Jūgo retreated two or three steps, steadied himself, and forcefully withstood the remaining air currents.
"Are you alright?" Makoto, seeing the large man withstand the blast, felt a slight relief in her anxious heart.
"Thank you for that just now." Jūgo didn't look for Makoto's position because another black monster had emerged from behind Kakuzu.
"Don't mention it. Without you, I'd be dead already." Makoto managed a weak smile.
"By the way, can you get away from here? As far as you can, go now." Jūgo took a deep breath. "Staying here any longer, you might get hurt."