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The blond ninja was caught completely off guard, his wrist tightly gripped by Kimimaro. He tried to break free but found it impossible no matter how he struggled.
The next moment, Kimimaro suddenly stepped forward. A sharp bone protruded from his other elbow, piercing through the blond ninja's heart.
Midorima raised an eyebrow. Kimimaro was even more ruthless than he had imagined.
The reason Kimimaro appeared "calm" when with him was because Kimimaro was well aware he was no match for Midorima. Otherwise, his fate wouldn't be much different from these men's.
An invalid?
Hah, anyone who truly treats Kimimaro as an invalid will learn what a "corpse" really is.
The other four ninja, seeing their companion die horribly, drew kunai and explosive tags, and one even began forming hand seals to perform a ninjutsu.
Kimimaro's eyes also filled with a fierce glint as he prepared to kill these men with his "Shikotsumyaku."
Just then, a black shadow shot out from the cliffside. Moving at a speed almost too fast for the eye to follow, it left behind a series of intricate trajectories through the crowd. Then, piercing screams echoed in the air, and blood splattered everywhere.
In the blink of an eye, living ninja were now headless corpses.
Immediately, the black shadow changed direction, charging swiftly towards Midorima.
Midorima didn't dare be careless in the slightest. As the shadow was about to reach him, he leaned back quickly while simultaneously kicking out, striking the shadow's body.
While the shadow was still in mid-air, Midorima slammed both hands on the ground. An earthen pillar erupted, colliding with the black shadow.
Instantly, the earthen pillar shattered into pieces.
After landing, the shadow showed no hesitation. Like a bolt of black lightning, it swiftly reached Midorima, incessantly muttering, "Kill... kill... kill..."
"Kill!"
The shadow's fist smashed through Midorima's body, but a vine sprouted from the ground, attempting to ensnare him.
The shadow roared, swinging its arm and shattering the vine to pieces. At the same time, its entire body suddenly sank into the earth.
The more it struggled, the deeper it sank.
Soon, only a head remained exposed above ground.
Roars continuously reverberated through the air, as if venting inner fury. But no matter how violently the shadow raged, it couldn't break free from the earth's grip.
Initially, seeing the shadow engage Midorima, Kimimaro was slightly surprised. But his gaze was quickly drawn to the clash between the two.
When he saw Midorima get smashed to pieces, he was startled. But then it occurred to him that Midorima's strength shouldn't be that weak. Immediately after, a piece of debris landed in front of him.
He looked down, picked it up, and found it was a piece of wood. His interest piqued, and when he looked up again, the shadow was already deeply embedded in the ground.
"I thought you were dead for a moment," Kimimaro said in surprise.
Midorima's series of "maneuvers" just now had been dizzying. He hadn't even noticed how the shadow got trapped in the ground.
"Tch, I thought you might lend a hand," Midorima, now standing beside the shadow, looked back at Kimimaro.
"I'm a patient," Kimimaro explained.
"You didn't think about being a patient when you were killing someone earlier?" Midorima retorted.
"They made the first move," Kimimaro defended himself. Seeing Midorima's gaze still fixed on him, he helplessly spread his hands. "Alright, I was afraid they might hurt me."
"Afraid someone might hurt you, so you eliminate them first. Not bad," Midorima mocked.
"Hehe..."
"Aren't you supposed to be dying? Why so scared? Besides, bones keep 'popping' out from all over your body. Even if you don't die from illness, you'll kill yourself playing around. By the way, is it fun?"
"..."
Kimimaro didn't want to talk.
Midorima turned his head, staring at the shadow buried in the ground—a dark-skinned, ferocious-looking person.
He remembered this guy had a pair of fleshy wings on his back, which were probably also buried in the dirt now.
The guy kept roaring, trying to get out of the ground. Midorima gave him two slaps, signaling him to be quiet, then beckoned for Kimimaro to come over.
"Is this guy Jūgo?"
"Yes," Kimimaro said, walking over slowly.
Midorima breathed a sigh of relief. At least the trip wasn't wasted. He took a step back, making space for Kimimaro. "He's all yours."
If Jūgo had any close friend, that person was undoubtedly Kimimaro.
Kimimaro walked to Jūgo's side, knelt on the ground, cupped his face with both hands, and pressed his forehead against Jūgo's.
"Snap out of it! Jūgo!"
"Roar... roar... roar..."
"I need your help... Don't be willful anymore. There's no one here you need to kill, no one you can kill. Come back to me? I, Kimimaro, need you..." Kimimaro whispered in Jūgo's ear.
Midorima scratched his head.
This current Jūgo was fully berserk, much more powerful than in his semi-berserk state.
If Kimimaro could make Jūgo abandon his killing intent in this state, how should he describe their relationship?
Friendship? Familial bond? Or something else...
Midorima stared at Jūgo. Kimimaro kept murmuring in Jūgo's ear. Astonishingly, Jūgo actually gradually regained consciousness. The dark skin faded, returning to a normal human appearance.
"Kimimaro... is it really you?" Jūgo asked.
"Yes," Kimimaro nodded.
"How did I... did I kill someone just now?" Jūgo's face showed remorse.
He was aware of everything that had just happened, but his inner craving had overpowered his reason, driving him to continuously kill anyone who appeared before him, regardless of who they were, until everyone in sight was dead.
"Did you stop me?"
"No. He did." Kimimaro stood up, making way for Midorima.
"You are..."
"My name isn't important. Orochimaru is dead. You're free," Midorima said.
Hearing Orochimaru was dead, a light flashed in Jūgo's eyes, then his expression fell again.
"I can't leave this place. If I go out, I won't be able to stop myself from wanting to kill."
"After Orochimaru's death, this stronghold will be abandoned. If you stay here, you'll starve to death," Midorima said.
Jūgo licked his lips. "Kimimaro, can I come with you?"
"What?" Kimimaro was taken aback.
"You're the only one who can stop me..." Jūgo said quietly.
There were many who could stop him, but among Orochimaru's subordinates, only Kimimaro could prevent his rampages without harming him.
"But he managed it too, didn't he?" Kimimaro looked at Midorima.
Jūgo's gaze followed Kimimaro's, shifting to Midorima.
"You are..."
Midorima touched his nose. "My name is Yoshida Shin. I was once a member of 'Akatsuki' and witnessed Orochimaru's death. Now, I probably can't go back to Akatsuki either. But I have another name. You can also call me Midorima... Asachi Midorima."
Hearing this name, Kimimaro trembled all over, immediately looking at Midorima with an expression of utter disbelief. But soon, a smile appeared on his face.
"So it's you... You must have used the 'Face Copying Technique,' right?" Kimimaro let out a long sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Then he suddenly threw a punch at Midorima, but his fist was firmly caught.
"Why didn't you save him!?"
"Because I couldn't. If I had tried, I would have died there too. Akatsuki... is just that terrifying an organization," Midorima said.