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"What do you think about Orochimaru's situation?"
Midorima's sudden question caught Itachi off guard as he was eating his ramen, and he looked at Midorima in surprise.
"He's dead," Itachi said.
"I know. And you? What's your plan? I recall your brother was taken by Orochimaru, right?" Midorima pressed.
Itachi sighed, nodding with a hint of dejection. Sasuke held a significant place in his heart.
"How about we work together?" Midorima asked.
"Work together on what?"
"Well, I also want to know the location of Orochimaru's secret base. But with him dead, that location's become even more mysterious. Sure, you can trust the masked guy—he promised he'd find Orochimaru's base for you—but teaming up with me doesn't interfere with his promise, does it?"
"Why do you want to go there?" Itachi asked, puzzled.
"For the money, obviously. You need a lot of cash for experiments. Plus, the stuff he was researching? That'd fetch a good price on the market." Midorima grinned.
Of course, he wasn't about to mention anything about Karin's cells.
"You seem to know a lot about Orochimaru," Itachi said, growing wary.
"You think I joined 'Akatsuki' for fun? Sasori couldn't track down Orochimaru. It was only after Orochimaru teamed up with Danzo that Sasori came to me. His original partner was Orochimaru, so why couldn't he find him? As Sasori's partner, I had to figure out why, right?" Midorima rubbed his thumb and index finger together. "I joined 'Akatsuki' for the money, but Sasori's such a spendthrift, I feel like even working 007 shifts wouldn't earn me a dime."
"007?" Itachi asked, confused.
"Uh, just think of it as working 24 hours a day." Midorima waved it off. "Don't sweat the small stuff."
Itachi fell silent.
He didn't buy Midorima's story.
With Midorima's skills, making money shouldn't be an issue unless he was worried about being hunted.
"Should I trust you?" Itachi asked.
"Up to you. But think about it: if you get the 'exact address' but can't make it there in time, wouldn't you want someone reliable to protect your brother?" Midorima countered.
"That makes sense, but why should I trust you?"
"Mutual interests! We share a goal, but our benefits don't overlap. Your aim is your brother; mine is Orochimaru's research. If I find the place first, I can keep your brother safe. If you get there before me, I don't need anything from you."
"Sounds like I'm getting the better deal," Itachi said with a faint smile.
"No choice—I can't exactly tell you which experiments are worth more, can I?" Midorima replied.
Itachi mulled over Midorima's words. They seemed almost too reasonable, but he couldn't pinpoint any real flaws.
"Alright... I'm in," Itachi nodded.
Midorima's lips curled into a smile.
Even if Nagato or Obito caught wind of their deal regarding Orochimaru, they'd only grumble privately at most—there was no real leverage to pin them down.
But time was tight. No one knew when Orochimaru might revive.
If they delayed too long, Sasuke could still be at risk of being possessed.
Just as Midorima sealed the partnership with Itachi, a voice spoke from behind: "So, you guys are here? Lord Pain wants you at the meeting."
Midorima whipped around to see Zetsu standing at the doorway. After a quick greeting, Zetsu vanished just as swiftly.
As expected...
Midorima wasn't sure how much Zetsu had overheard, but he and Itachi hadn't said anything too incriminating, so he wasn't worried about trouble.
The two hurriedly finished their ramen and headed to the meeting room, where only Konan, Kakuzu, and Hidan were present.
Konan stood with her arms crossed, her expression unreadable but her eyes sharp with focus. Kakuzu, seated, rubbed his forehead, his brows furrowed, a look of despair in his eyes.
"Four hundred million ryo... Do you know how many bounties I'd need to collect for that?" Kakuzu groaned.
"It's not four hundred million," Konan clarified. "That's just the initial estimate. If any of the injured die, it'll go up."
"No problem... but where's the money coming from?" Kakuzu asked.
Money was never the issue—the issue was having none.
Konan shook her head. "Amegakure's a small ninja village. And we haven't even had good days for long..."
"What about the money from before?"
"Spent."
"So what am I supposed to do?" Kakuzu said, dejected.
Konan didn't answer.
"Looks like we'll have to go after the tough targets," Hidan snickered.
Kakuzu picked up the thread: "Orochimaru and Danzo were both 'big heads'—worth a lot."
"Orochimaru's body is still here, but Danzo's is gone," Konan said, thinking. "Who else is a tough target?"
"Let me put it this way: in the black market, Amegakure's bounties total one hundred million ryo," Kakuzu said.
"That high?" Konan was taken aback.
"Yup. I recall Kirigakure's 'agent' Igawa Bu's head is worth fifty million ryo. Asachi Midorima's bounty is twenty-five million, Zabuza's ten million, and Hozuki Mangetsu's fifteen million—exactly one hundred million. Especially Igawa bU and Asachi Midorima—they're proper 'big heads.' Kirigakure's pretty stable now; killing Igawa shouldn't cause too much trouble. Then find Asachi Midorima, take them both out, and we'll solve our immediate cash problem." Kakuzu's eyes gleamed, his earlier gloom replaced by sharp focus.
Midorima's eyes widened. He hadn't expected to get dragged into the drama just by spectating.
Kakuzu was too much—after all this time, he was still hung up on him.
Itachi, meanwhile, perked up.
Back in Konoha, he'd promised Midorima he'd intervene in Kirigakure's crisis.
"Is that doable?" Konan asked, uncertain.
"Of course it is. You fatten a pig to slaughter it, right? We've 'raised' Igawa long enough—it's time he left the 'pen.' But I've got a suggestion."
"What?"
"Tell Igawa to raise the bounties on Midorima, Zabuza, and Mangetsu. You want more money, don't you?" Kakuzu's eyes narrowed.
Though half his face was covered by a scarf, Midorima was certain the old man was grinning ear to ear inside.
The bounty exchange had nearly forgotten Midorima, and now Kakuzu was dragging him back into the spotlight.
If he got the chance, Midorima swore he'd take this old geezer out.
As Kakuzu rambled on, Midorima mentally marked him as a target.
Sasori was the last to arrive, looking exhausted as he pulled up a chair. Sitting down, he glanced around. "Where's Lord Pain?"
"He's probably almost here," Konan said, looking toward the door.
As if on cue, the door swung open gently, and Pain's Deva Path stepped inside.