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Midorima had never imagined he'd be paired with Kisame for a mission, but this time, he was separated from Sasori and assigned to work with Kisame.
Kisame might seem a bit dim-witted at first glance, but he was actually quite sharp. He had keen observational skills and a quick mind, always making decisions that benefited himself.
Being paired with him made Midorima wary, afraid that Kisame might spot some flaw in his disguise.
Since Akatsuki had assigned them to work together, Midorima had no choice but to proceed with Kisame. Their destination: Hozuki Castle.
One reason they were paired was that both were skilled in Water Release techniques, and their proficiency in Water Release was high enough to handle the turbulent waters surrounding Hozuki Castle.
Hozuki Castle was a unique place, not only in the Hidden Grass Village but in the entire ninja world, as it served as a prison housing rogue ninjas from various villages.
To put it bluntly, it was a jail.
Initially, Midorima thought it might resemble Impel Down from a certain manga, but after infiltrating Hozuki Castle, he found the environment far less restrictive.
While other Akatsuki members were causing chaos outside, Midorima and Kisame's infiltration of Hozuki Castle wasn't for leisure. According to Konan, their mission was to find "partners."
Who in their right mind would join Akatsuki?
So far, aside from Itachi, every member had a hefty bounty at the exchange office—even Midorima's alias, Yoshida Shin, was worth tens of millions.
Rumor had it that Hozuki Castle also housed a treasure called the "Box of Ultimate Bliss," which had once nearly elevated the Land of Grass to the status of a great nation, only for it to fall into decline soon after.
In a sense, the Box of Ultimate Bliss was a tool of immense power that could potentially backfire on its user.
Though it was hailed as the ultimate weapon of the Sage of the Six Paths, Midorima had little interest in it.
He had no desire to get caught up in danger due to some "divine artifact turning against its master."
Moreover, activating the Box of Ultimate Bliss required an enormous amount of chakra. Unlike Naruto, who had the Nine-Tails' near-infinite chakra reserves, Midorima's chakra was far more limited.
His chakra was precious.
"I heard… Kakuzu was once held here," Kisame said, sitting on the rooftop of a building, looking down at the dark landscape below.
Aside from a few patrolling "guards," Hozuki Castle was eerily empty.
"Is that so? We should've brought him along then… Who knows, he might still have some acquaintances here," Midorima said, touching the fox-like mask on his face.
The face of "Yoshida Shin" wasn't his true face. Even with the Transformation Technique, there was always a risk of it failing, so Midorima was extremely cautious with this disguise.
He treated it even more carefully than his real face.
"His enemies are long dead," Kisame said, baring his sharp teeth in a grin. "You don't think he's around our age, do you?"
"Is he that old?" Midorima feigned surprise.
Kakuzu was from the same era as Hashirama, making him well over eighty years old by now.
"He's probably older than 99% of ninjas," Kisame said, rubbing his neck. "We're short on people, but we could just recruit elite ninjas from other villages. There's no need for these sneaky moves."
"Are you looking down on Senior Kakuzu? He's a graduate of this place," Midorima said with a shrug.
"Tch." Kisame shot Midorima a glare.
Midorima yawned, unfazed, tilting his head. "The boss said we need to find 'partners.' But upright ninjas with clean backgrounds won't align with us. Only S-rank rogue ninjas with nowhere else to go might fully commit to Akatsuki."
"Even among Akatsuki members, not everyone is fully loyal or shares the boss's vision," Kisame said, glancing at Midorima. "After all, everyone has their own secrets, right?"
"Are you talking about yourself?" Midorima shot back.
"…" Kisame glared at him. "I'm talking about you. You came out of nowhere, always wearing that mask, and your strength doesn't seem like something a ninja from the Hidden Waterfall Village would have."
"Kisame, I'm warning you again. You can doubt me, but don't doubt Senior Kakuzu. He's done a lot for Akatsuki and deserves respect. If you keep badmouthing him, I'll make sure he slices you up," Midorima said, standing his ground.
Kisame's mind was filled with question marks. He hadn't even mentioned Kakuzu.
"I'm talking about you."
"No, you're talking about the Hidden Waterfall Village. Senior Kakuzu is from there."
"…"
Kisame's face darkened, realizing he'd forgotten that detail.
"Alright, what's our next move?" Kisame asked, changing the subject.
"Hmm. Konan said we should look for strong ninjas among the prisoners here. But there are so many inmates—who knows which one could be the next Senior Kakuzu? How about you check them one by one?" Midorima suggested.
Kisame snorted. "Looks like Pain didn't tell you everything."
"Huh? Did he say something else?"
"Of course. We're supposed to release all the prisoners in Hozuki Castle. The strong ones will stand out in the chaos. Plus, the others outside need these prisoners to blend into the Hidden Grass Village and stir up trouble, making it easier for us to operate," Kisame said, standing and preparing to jump off the roof. But Midorima grabbed his pants.
For a split second, Kisame thought his pants might rip, even imagining the faint sound of fabric tearing in his mind.
"What are you doing?" Kisame swatted Midorima's hand away.
"I'm thinking about something," Midorima said, resting his chin in his hand, staring at Kisame. "If this 'prison' holds powerful ninjas, even if they're not as strong as Senior Kakuzu, they shouldn't be confined by wooden or steel bars, let alone blocked by seawater. These bloodthirsty killers—how are they staying here so quietly?"
Midorima wasn't familiar with Hozuki Castle, but he knew its warden, Mui, who specialized in the Fire Release technique "Fire Heavenly Prison." It disrupted a ninja's chakra, preventing them from using ninjutsu.
"What do you suggest?" Kisame asked.
"We split up. You release the prisoners. If there's an ambush in Hozuki Castle, I'll take the chance to attack their leader."
"You mean you want me to be the bait?" Kisame's facial muscles twitched.
"I can go instead. But aren't you the senior here? This is your chance to shine," Midorima said, gesturing for Kisame to jump off the roof.
"…"
Kisame gritted his teeth but said nothing, leaping off the roof into the darkness.
Seeing Kisame vanish into the night, Midorima stood up as well.
Hozuki Castle was filled with hidden passages and traps, so they had to move cautiously.
The prisoners here were almost all guilty of murder and held little value in Midorima's eyes. He had no interest in judging their fates. If they survived, fine. But if they got in his way, he wouldn't hesitate to silenced them.