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"You don't think the Akatsuki is behind this, do you?" Midorima suddenly asked.
"You don't think so?" Tsunade was surprised.
"Alright, let me share my view first. I believe the series of events—including the attack on the Leaf ninja in the Sound Village, the incidents within the Leaf Village, even Kimimaro's death and Itachi's betrayal—are all closely related to the Akatsuki. They might even be the masterminds behind the scenes. It's just that they've been so... 'thorough' in their actions that you haven't discovered any leads," Midorima explained.
"Huh?" Tsunade was taken aback, somewhat surprised. "You can be sure of that just from hearing this much?"
"Of course not. I've been thinking about Kakashi's missing eye on the journey as well. And after all, I was once a member of the Akatsuki, so I have some understanding of them." Midorima lightly tapped the table twice. "Perhaps this sounds boastful, but I am someone who survived a confrontation with 'Madara Uchiha.'"
"What? You've fought Madara Uchiha?" Tsunade exclaimed in astonishment. "How was it? His strength..."
"Fake." Midorima narrowed his eyes. "That 'Madara Uchiha' was an imposter. Someone who couldn't even kill me couldn't possibly be the real Madara Uchiha."
"So that's how it is..." Tsunade let out a slow breath, her tense nerves finally relaxing, before a new confusion set in. "If he's not Madara Uchiha, then who is he?"
"That, I'm not sure about. It's possible this person is still within the Leaf Village, also maintaining the identity of 'Madara Uchiha.' Or perhaps, he left the Leaf Village under some other guise," Midorima explained.
Tsunade frowned, biting her finger. "The Leaf Village is already in turmoil. If we reveal this matter now, the conflict between the Leaf and the Uchiha clan will become utterly irreconcilable."
Midorima rolled his eyes. Whether the Leaf was in chaos or not had little to do with him.
"What I want to say is, why did Kakashi lose his left eye? What's so special about his left eye? Even if his eye is a Mangekyō Sharingan, would it be worth killing so many people just to dig out one of his eyes?"
"You mean... someone in the Akatsuki wants Kakashi's eye?" Tsunade quickly asked.
"I don't know. But I do know that having only one Mangekyō Sharingan greatly reduces its effectiveness. For example, Danzō once possessed one of Shisui's eyes, but he couldn't unleash the true power of the Mangekyō. That's why I thought... Kakashi isn't a ninja from the Uchiha clan. Where did his Sharingan come from?"
"Impossible," Tsunade shook her head. "The person who gave him the Sharingan is already dead."
"Is that so?" Seeing Tsunade's stance, Midorima didn't press the point.
After all, he had no way to make her believe that Obito was still alive.
"However, even if we set aside the Sound Village incident, Kimimaro's death should also be heavily linked to the Akatsuki. Back then, the Akatsuki was very eager for Itachi to join because he truly was a genius of the Uchiha clan. But Itachi is also a very sensible person; he wouldn't easily do anything to harm the Leaf Village. If he killed Kimimaro, it means he must have been faced with a 'choice,'" Midorima explained.
"I understand. But even if you say that, there's no evidence," Tsunade shook her head.
"I know," Midorima nodded. "And I don't intend to make you believe me."
"No... I do believe you. I just can't make the Leaf Village accept it," Tsunade explained.
Midorima didn't expect the ninja villages to believe him either.
"So, what do you plan to do next?" Tsunade asked.
"Wait."
"Wait? Do nothing?" Tsunade was surprised.
"What can I do alone? The Stone and Cloud villages are fighting. You're not the Hokage anymore and probably have no interest in targeting the Akatsuki. Aside from waiting for these major ninja villages to become aware of the Akatsuki's existence and cooperate, there seems to be no other way. You surely don't expect me to go pick a fight with the Akatsuki, do you? Even Jiraiya is no match for them."
Tsunade bit her lip, her mind in turmoil. "But... besides waiting for other villages to discover the Akatsuki, is there really no other way?"
"To say there's absolutely none isn't quite right either," Midorima shook his head. "Do you know what 'stepping on the gas' means?"
"What do you mean?"
"Take the current situation. If we do nothing and let the Akatsuki conserve their strength and complete all their preparations, then everything is finished. Neither you nor I have the authority or prestige; others won't listen to our advice. We can do nothing but wait for bad things to happen. Since we can't stop the Akatsuki's movements, we 'help' the Akatsuki, to make people notice their existence."
"How do we 'help'?" Tsunade asked curiously.
"Among the Five Great Ninja Villages now, the Leaf and Sand villages are not involved in conflict, which is the only positive. The Cloud and Stone villages are at war; it's not convenient for us to intervene, or we might easily drag the Leaf into it too. Therefore, the Hidden Mist Village, which is in a state of isolation, is the best point of entry. If we can break the Fourth Mizukage's genjutsu, it might make the other villages notice the Akatsuki as well," Midorima explained.
Tsunade seriously considered Midorima's suggestion and suddenly clapped her hands. "Let's do it! I'll help you."
"No, this is my matter." Midorima waved his hand, rejecting Tsunade's offer. "The charge the Mist Village pinned on me is 'colluding with an outside village.' If you get involved, it might be hard for me to explain."
Tsunade was about to speak when her gaze met Midorima's. Seeing the determination in his eyes, she knew his mind was made up. She sighed helplessly. "I understand."
Seeing Midorima stand up, Tayuya hurriedly called out to him.
"Wait, what about Kimimaro's matter..." Tayuya said urgently.
"I know. But I'll say it again: asking me to become an enemy of the Leaf Village... Don't you think? If I really had that kind of power, would I still be branded a rogue ninja by the Mist Village? I would have dealt with the Mist Village long ago. As for Itachi, what I'm doing now is also to lure the Akatsuki out. After that, you can seek revenge on 'Itachi.'" Midorima patted Tayuya on the head.
Tayuya knocked his hand away. "You promise?"
"You don't have to believe me."
"Tch." Tayuya shot Midorima a glare. "Fine, I know. I'll return to the Sound Village now and relay your speculations to Sakon and the others."
"By the way, you're still in conflict with the Leaf, right?"
Tayuya gave Tsunade and Shizune a complicated look. "That depends on the Leaf Village's stance. But I'll state this upfront: we're not in the wrong. If the Leaf doesn't cease hostilities, we'll fight to the end."
Tsunade closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'll try... Prolonging this conflict isn't in the Leaf's best interest either."
"That settles it." Midorima stretched and looked at Jūgo, who had also stood up. "Care to accompany me to the Mist Village?"