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Due to the chaos caused by Orochimaru and Danzo's intrusion, large swathes of Amegakure's buildings lay in ruins, and the casualties from collapsing structures were not insignificant.
Rebuilding the village and covering burial costs for the deceased would demand a hefty sum.
But those were matters for Pain and Kakuzu to worry about—not Midorima's concern.
With so many homes destroyed, Amegakure was short on living quarters, forcing Midorima to share a room with Sasori. This made it impossible to study the First's cells he'd acquired from Danzo.
Even so, he found a moment to slip the "flesh" into the [Cell Lab]. Lacking a petri dish, he couldn't preserve it for long, so handing it over to the [Cell Lab] was the best option.
After that, he lay on the tatami mat for a brief nap.
When he woke, Sasori was still tinkering with the Kazekage puppet.
If this battle had losers, aside from the already-dead Danzo and Orochimaru, Sasori was definitely among them.
Each puppet was a precision-crafted "weapon." Even though Sasori was a master at creating and maintaining them, repairs, adjustments, and part replacements all required substantial funds—those countless poison needles didn't just materialize out of thin air, after all.
But Amegakure, fresh off a devastating battle, was in dire need of funds. For the foreseeable future, "Akatsuki" would likely be strapped for cash.
This meant Sasori probably wouldn't have the resources to craft new puppets.
Though he had plenty of puppets, only a few—like Hiruko and the Kazekage—were truly reliable.
Now, with Hiruko gone and the Kazekage puppet slightly damaged, Sasori's combat strength had noticeably dipped.
"How's your injury?" Sasori asked offhandedly, hearing movement, his focus still on the Kazekage puppet.
"Injury?" Midorima touched the wound.
When he'd decided to join the fight against Danzo, he'd started healing himself. By now, he was mostly recovered.
Under normal circumstances, without medical ninjutsu, healing this fast would be impossible. But no one seemed to know how bad his injuries had been initially, so even claiming a full recovery likely wouldn't raise suspicion.
"It's alright. Hurt like hell at first, but it's much better now."
"Good to know." Sasori said casually.
"Akatsuki" was a den of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, each member wielding bizarre ninjutsu. Even if Midorima were unkillable, Sasori wouldn't bat an eye—especially since "Akatsuki" already had members who couldn't die.
Midorima watched the busy Sasori for a moment before speaking up. "Let's talk business."
"Go ahead."
"Well... if you're fixing or making new puppets, can you not ask me for cash? I've been with 'Akatsuki' this long and haven't seen a single coin." Midorima spread his hands, looking pitiful.
"..." Sasori blinked, feeling a headache coming on.
Because Midorima was voicing exactly what he'd been planning.
His funds alone weren't enough to craft another puppet of Hiruko's caliber.
"We'll talk about it after we leave Amegakure." Sasori took a deep breath.
"Deal." Midorima nodded.
He knew Sasori was thinking of their old plan—robbing some rich merchant.
"Knock knock..."
The door sounded. Midorima opened it to find a young ninja, barely ten years old.
"What's up?"
"Lord Pain says if the adults are awake, they can head to the meeting room to find them." The boy was polite and well-mannered.
"I haven't eaten yet." Midorima rubbed his stomach.
The boy didn't respond, bowing deeply before turning to leave.
"He... he just left?" Midorima asked Sasori, baffled. "What about dinner?"
"Don't look at me—I don't have time to think about that." Sasori held back a laugh.
"Oh, you heading to the bathroom?" Midorima asked.
Sasori froze mid-motion. After five or six seconds, he snapped, "Get out!"
Midorima didn't "get out"—he strolled out confidently, not to the meeting room but to a street stall.
From experience, most meetings—especially "Akatsuki's"—rarely started on time. The organization was so loose that members might not see each other for months.
Not that he blamed Pain.
After all, "Akatsuki's" members were bound by a mishmash of motives. Midorima, for instance, was here to gather intel, enjoy the drama, and—if possible—snag the "Rinnegan." But Orochimaru and Danzo's fates were a stark reminder: Pain and Obito were formidable. Even if he had designs on the "Rinnegan," he'd better not act on them.
With members from all corners, driven by bizarre reasons and quirky personalities, it'd be a miracle if they showed up on time.
"One bowl of ramen!" Midorima raised a hand to the stall's owner.
The owner nodded, and soon enough, the ramen was served.
He glanced at Midorima's cloak, hesitated, then said, "Is Lord Pain... alright?"
"Hm?"
Midorima looked up at the owner, noting his deferential expression. Glancing at his own "Akatsuki" cloak, he realized the man had pegged his identity.
"He's a 'god,' right?" Midorima grinned.
"Exactly, a god." The owner's brow relaxed, the tension on his face easing. "This meal's on me, sir. Hope you enjoy it."
Midorima watched the owner head back to the kitchen, then took a bite of the ramen.
Pain might be ruthless to outsiders, but he treated Amegakure well.
In the manga, when Jiraiya captured two ninjas to extract info about Amegakure, their reactions made that clear.
Midorima added some miso seasoning and slurped a couple of bites. Itachi appeared beside him, ordering a bowl of ramen too.
"Thanks." Itachi's first word after sitting was gratitude.
"Thank me for what?"
"If you hadn't stepped in, I'd be dead."
"Not necessarily. I just acted before you could react. Even without me, you'd have handled it."
Itachi shook his head.
"Back then, I had almost no chakra left. Even if I dodged that hit, I couldn't have escaped the battlefield."
"If you really want to thank me, how about some cash? Ten million ryo—I think you're worth that much."
"When I've got the money, I'll pay you."
Itachi made the promise, but Midorima caught a "next time, for sure" vibe and rolled his eyes in mock frustration.
"We've met before, haven't we?" Itachi said.
"Does it matter?" Midorima countered.
This was Amegakure—who knew if Zetsu was lurking nearby?
"Fair point." Itachi nodded. If Midorima said that, they'd definitely crossed paths.
Unless they laid everything bare, there'd be secrets. But this wasn't the place for that.