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Karin's legs gave way from fear, and she collapsed to the ground. Sasuke, enduring the pain wracking his body, pulled Karin away and was about to continue their escape when Kabuto stopped him.
"You can't leave yet," Kabuto said.
Tayuya knelt beside Jirōbō, softly calling his name. After confirming he wouldn't wake up, tears welled in her eyes. She wanted to cry out, but the sound was stuck in her throat, unable to emerge.
Just hours ago, he was alive and well, and now they were separated by life and death.
If she hadn't left the base without authorization, perhaps this wouldn't have happened.
Tayuya sniffled, pulled out her flute, and glared furiously at Obito. "Did you kill him?"
"Shut up!" Midorima cut off Tayuya. "This is beyond your level. He will kill you."
Tayuya bit her lip, picked up Jirōbō's body, and prepared to leave, only to find a person with a black and white face blocking her path.
"Hey, Madara, what are you doing?" Midorima stared at Obito.
Tayuya and Kabuto probably couldn't handle Zetsu. If that was the case, he had to focus his attention on Obito first.
"No, the question is, what are you doing? Why are you so interested in Sasuke?" Obito looked at Sasuke, saw his movements suddenly freeze, and curled his lips into a smile. "Or do you want to kill him?"
"No need for superfluous talk. Since Zetsu is here, you should know that Itachi and I once reached a 'cooperative intent.' Whether it's him or me, if we find Orochimaru's base, we must inform each other. His target is Sasuke; my target is Jūgo's blood. If I find Sasuke first, I'll take temporary care of him for Itachi. These actions don't violate Akatsuki's rules, do they?"
Obito played a pivotal role in the original Naruto storyline.
From Madara's revival to the arrival of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, the root cause lay with him.
Midorima certainly had no good feelings towards someone like that, especially since Obito had made him the scapegoat for Kirigakure's troubles.
However, confronting Obito head-on now wasn't a good choice either. After all, he wasn't certain he could definitely kill Obito. And if he failed, Akatsuki might very well kill him.
"Indeed, it doesn't violate the rules. But who knows what you're really thinking? He is from the Uchiha clan, possessing the Sharingan. What if you want the Sharingan too?" Obito said.
"Hey, hey, just attacking others with words, thinking you can convict someone just by throwing mud, without presenting a shred of evidence? That's just laughable. How about you take off that mask? Otherwise, I can't see your splendid 'facial expressions'," Midorima said with a smile.
"I'll kill you," Obito said coldly.
"They might take this chance to run away," Midorima pointed at Sasuke.
Tayuya's gaze shifted between Midorima and Obito. If these two weren't acting, it meant that Akatsuki's internal unity might not be solid.
Obito remained silent for a long time before speaking. "What do you suggest we do?"
"My idea is simple, of course: hand him over to Itachi." Midorima was also wary of Obito.
Come to think of it, in the original story, Obito was already keeping an eye on the brothers Itachi and Sasuke. He even told Sasuke about the grudge between Konoha and the Uchiha clan, and the "truth" behind Itachi's defection.
Now, with the Uchiha clan not massacred and Itachi having joined Akatsuki, why would Obito still be fixated on Sasuke?
After much thought, the only reason Midorima could come up with was still Sasuke's eyes.
Not the ordinary Sharingan, but the Mangekyō Sharingan.
And thinking even deeper, Itachi and Sasuke were one of the few brother pairs capable of producing the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. And after obtaining the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, combined with the First Hokage's cells, it was very likely to produce the "Rinnegan."
Obito alone was troublesome enough. If he were to obtain the Rinnegan as well, he would be like a smaller version of Madara Uchiha, making him even more difficult to handle.
This situation absolutely must not happen.
From Midorima's perspective, it was best if Sasuke's ocular powers stopped here and did not evolve into the Mangekyō Sharingan. That way, even if he had to face Konoha in the future, the pressure wouldn't be too great.
After quick consideration, Midorima reached a decision: he must not let Obito get his hands on Sasuke. Otherwise, how could he ever hope to defeat Obito in a future confrontation?
"Itachi?" Obito was taken aback, then shook his head.
"You object?" Midorima retorted.
"It's not that. Itachi is his brother—he should take him. But have you considered one problem? Itachi only joined Akatsuki to find Sasuke. Once we hand Sasuke over… does Itachi stay in Akatsuki?" Obito asked.
"If he's not, then he's not. What's that to me? It's not like I'm the one driving him out. If Pain couldn't keep him, isn't that Pain's responsibility? Besides, you're just a worker too; why worry about the boss's problems? Just do your own job well, isn't that enough?" Midorima spread his hands. "Don't tell me you don't want to be a worker; you want to be the boss?"
"..." Obito felt somewhat guilty and quickly changed the subject. "Do you know what the other members of Akatsuki say about you?"
"No."
"The Slacker. You're the biggest slacker in all of Akatsuki. But I never thought your loyalty to Akatsuki would be so mediocre either," Obito snorted coldly.
"Not my fault. Some members have a money-hoarding fetish—as long as they're stacking cash, they're happy, even if it's stolen. Others love killing, and Akatsuki lets them. Me? I like money too, but Akatsuki keeps bleeding funds and barely pays us. How am I supposed to be motivated? Instead of criticizing me, go convince Pain to pay the back wages. We're all adults—stop drawing pies in the sky, it's boring."
Obito stared at Midorima, but his mind was racing, planning his next move.
Killing Midorima wasn't a big problem, but what if those few people escaped during that time?
Continue the pursuit?
It was possible, but just too troublesome...
Just then, a clone of Zetsu emerged from behind Obito and whispered something in his ear.
Obito touched his mask and suddenly changed his tone: "Since our goals are the same, who looks after him now doesn't matter. But there's one thing I hope you consider clearly. If because of this, Itachi leaves Akatsuki, you will bear full responsibility."
"Wait, if it doesn't matter who looks after him, then why am I responsible? How about this: we both look after him together, and if anything happens, we share the responsibility."
"You really know how to slack off!" Obito hadn't expected Midorima to drag him into this too. Not giving Midorima a chance to explain further, he turned and left.
After Obito left, Midorima's mood was not light.
This was the first direct confrontation with Obito. Although they hadn't come to blows, the tension was palpable.
Under such circumstances, Obito still left so easily, which made Midorima feel uneasy.
It seemed he still had other schemes.