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-Splendid
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"You're truly ruthless, even willing to abandon your own comrades!" Katsuramaru spat blood from his mouth.
Akizaki sneered. "Like you said, the Anbu will sacrifice anything to complete a mission. Besides, killing you is important to me. Even if it were a little girl—no, even my own father—I wouldn't hesitate."
"But you've forgotten one thing… there's still someone else here." Katsuramaru also grinned, though blood-flecked foam flew from his lips.
"Only one person will walk out of here alive. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Akizaki laughed.
"You're vicious… but your opponent won't just surrender…"
Just as Akizaki was about to mock Katsuramaru, rapid footsteps suddenly reached his ears. He whirled around—only for Midorima to crash into him with full force.
The longsword slipped from Akizaki's grasp as he was sent sprawling onto the ground.
Midorima snatched up the blade, scooped Terumi Mei into his arms, and dashed into the darkness. By the time Akizaki staggered to his feet, the mist had thickened once more.
"Come out, and I might spare your life!" Akizaki gripped his sword, scanning the surroundings.
Midorima gently laid Terumi Mei behind a boulder, making no sound.
The "Typhoon Passing" technique had dispersed large swathes of the mist, but given their proximity to the sea, the moisture was abundant. The cleared area was limited, and dense fog still shrouded the distance.
"Those damn brats…" Akizaki clenched his teeth.
But whether it was Midorima or Terumi Mei, he had no intention of letting either escape.
Terumi Mei clutched her abdomen with one hand while gripping Midorima's sleeve with the other, shaking her head weakly.
"Go… now…"
Blood bubbled from her lips.
Midorima pressed both hands against her wound, channeling healing chakra.
"Remember what I told you? You're destined to become the Mizukage… Now isn't the time for you to rest."
"I don't like your dream," Terumi Mei turned her head away.
Midorima managed a faint smile.
Perhaps becoming the Mizukage wasn't her greatest aspiration.
If Yagura hadn't fallen under genjutsu, the title of Mizukage might never have been within her reach.
After all, once Yagura was ensnared, the Seven Swordsmen had all fled, leaving behind only a handful of elites.
Could they stop Obito?
Against Obito alone, they might stand a chance. But there was also the Akatsuki.
Should he warn Yagura?
What if he was mistaken for Obito's spy? How could he explain himself?
No… There was no explanation.
"If you don't like it, then change it yourself," Midorima whispered. "So live. Trust me—you can."
Though Terumi Mei had been ambushed by Akizaki, she hadn't sustained major injuries in the earlier battles, and her chakra reserves were still ample.
Despite the sword piercing her abdomen, the wound wasn't fatal.
If he could stop the bleeding and treat her properly, she would survive.
But Akizaki was nearby, and it was only a matter of time before he found them.
In these conditions, Midorima didn't have enough time to fully heal her. His only option was to staunch the bleeding and hide her somewhere relatively safe.
Terumi Mei, however, refused his plan.
If both were unharmed, working together to defeat—or even kill—Akizaki wouldn't be impossible. But now, Midorima facing Akizaki alone was suicide.
Before Midorima could persuade her further, hurried footsteps closed in. He sighed.
There wasn't even time to find her a hiding spot.
The only thing he could do now was draw Akizaki away.
Just then, Terumi Mei seized his hand and pressed an explosive tag into his palm.
…
Most Anbu were experts in assassination, and the Hidden Mist Jutsu was their perfect concealment technique.
Akizaki darted swiftly through the fog, his sharp eyes scanning ahead without hesitation.
Suddenly, a surge of chakra erupted from a hidden spot in front of him. Akizaki halted mid-step, swinging his blade in a vicious slash.
A kunai was knocked aside, and Midorima was sent flying by the force of the strike.
He barely rolled to his feet before Akizaki closed the distance.
"Brat, die!"
The sword thrust toward Midorima's throat.
Midorima rolled aside just in time, then lashed out with a "rabbit kicks eagle" maneuver, striking Akizaki's wrist and forcing him to drop the blade.
Seizing the opening, Midorima put distance between them.
"Senior Akizaki, even if your sword hadn't stabbed Terumi Mei, you still had a chance to kill Katsuramaru… We've done nothing to provoke you. Why target us?" Midorima demanded.
"Why?" Akizaki scoffed. "Seems you don't understand how important this mission is to me. This was supposed to be my mission alone, but the Mizukage forced you two onto me. Do you know how that made me feel? Disgusted! And even if there was a chance to kill Katsuramaru, why take risks when there's a surefire method?"
So those words from Omaguro were Akizaki's true feelings.
Now Midorima understood.
"Without us, you wouldn't have been able to kill Katsuramaru either! He was far stronger than you!"
"You all have no skills, yet you've mastered arrogance! You're no different from that useless sensor-nin! If that idiot hadn't tailed me like a lost dog, would I have been injured? Without him, I'd have killed Katsuramaru last time!"
Hearing this, Midorima recalled the sensor-nin's dying words: Be careful.
He must have meant Akizaki.
"So, the sensor-nin's death… was your doing?" Midorima asked.
"I killed him."
The casual admission left Midorima breathless.
"He was your comrade! Without him, you'd never have found this place!" Midorima shouted.
Mid-sentence, Akizaki lunged from the mist, blade descending.
Midorima barely dodged, the sword grazing the tip of his nose.
A fraction slower, and he would've lost it.
Cold sweat drenched his back.
"You think I needed him to find Katsuramaru's hideout? Or to track you? I'm a sensor myself! That fool ruined everything—he led Katsuramaru straight to me!" Akizaki's voice twisted with fury.
"What's so special about this mission? Why is it so important?" Midorima retreated further, the fog obscuring his path.
"You really know nothing… Fine. You'll die anyway, so I'll tell you. In the last battle with Konoha, four of the Seven Swordsmen died. That means four vacancies. To qualify, I need achievements.
"The Seven serve directly under the Mizukage—they must operate solo. If I can't even handle a rogue ninja, what right do I have to compete? I schemed for this chance, and you ruined it!"
"But you agreed to let us come."
"Better to use you as shields than kill you outright. Thanks to Terumi Mei, Katsuramaru never saw me coming."
"So no matter what, Mei and I were doomed? Either Katsuramaru killed us, or you would."
Finally, Midorima saw the full picture.
The mission's eerie undertones made sense now.
The Anbu had secretly assigned this to Akizaki, but for some reason, the Mizukage was unaware and approved Terumi Mei's request.
The Anbu must have negotiated afterward, but in the end, they obeyed the Mizukage's orders.
That was likely the root of Akizaki's resentment.
Yet Midorima still wondered—why did the Anbu favor Akizaki so much?
"Enough talk. Terumi Mei should be dead soon. Now it's your turn. You can't escape me in this mist."
"Don't be so sure." Midorima forced a smile.
Though Akizaki's injuries were healed, his chakra had been heavily drained.
Midorima was betting that after continuous battles, Akizaki's reserves were lower than they seemed. The evidence? He'd stopped using ninjutsu.