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Midorima wasn't the least bit concerned about exposing his identity because the persona of Yoshida Shin wasn't meant to last.
After offending Akatsuki, it would be hard not to become a target. To temporarily divert Akatsuki's attention and ensure his own safety, Midorima had to shed this identity.
As for why he revealed it in front of Kimimaro—truthfully, Midorima wasn't that concerned about Kimimaro. After all, a terminally ill person who also had a grudge against Akatsuki wouldn't pose much of a problem even if he knew.
The key was Jūgo.
His inherent power was formidable, and his constitution was unique. Even in the world of Naruto, he was a very distinctive existence.
Moreover, while his relationship with Kimimaro was good, his relationship with Orochimaru wasn't. At the same time, because he was quite a reliable person when in control of his power—even if he went berserk, Midorima could handle the corresponding risks.
Judging from the manga's storyline, Jūgo losing control wasn't a frequent occurrence.
Cooperating with Jūgo might be more long-lasting than with Kimimaro.
Under these circumstances, Midorima wasn't too keen on using the "Yoshida Shin" identity anymore.
No disguise, no matter how good, beats being one's true self.
After recognizing Midorima, the stone weighing on Kimimaro's heart finally fell away.
Previously, no matter what guarantees "Yoshida Shin" made, Kimimaro always felt some resistance inwardly.
Anyone facing someone with an unknown background who remained mysterious would naturally be wary. Furthermore, when the time came to hand over Orochimaru's belongings to "Yoshida Shin," he would definitely hold some things back.
The reason—still distrust.
But after Midorima revealed his identity, Kimimaro felt relieved.
The two had interacted poorly before, but there was no substantial conflict. It was more Orochimaru's dissatisfaction with Midorima. After Midorima left, Kimimaro actually felt a sense of relief—no one else was "sharing" Orochimaru's attention with him anymore.
The minor grievances between him and Midorima were nothing compared to avenging Orochimaru.
Jūgo, however, was somewhat confused. It wasn't until Midorima removed his disguise, revealing his true appearance, that he suddenly understood.
"So this is what you look like?" Jūgo took a deep breath.
He had thought Kimimaro's appearance was already good, but Midorima was clearly more handsome than Kimimaro.
Perhaps this was also related to Kimimaro's long-term illness.
"How did you end up joining Akatsuki?" Kimimaro asked.
"You know about my past experiences, right?"
Kimimaro nodded. "Rogue ninja from Kirigakure."
"Exactly. The reason I ended up like this was almost entirely orchestrated by Akatsuki. Of course, I wanted revenge. But Akatsuki's identity was quite mysterious. To uncover their weaknesses, I disguised myself as 'Yoshida Shin' and became a member of Akatsuki." Midorima briefly explained the process.
"So that's why you didn't rescue Lord Orochimaru?" Kimimaro sneered.
"You might not believe it, but from my perspective, Orochimaru's actions were practically suicidal," Midorima shook his head.
"Nonsense," Kimimaro shot Midorima a disdainful look.
Orochimaru wasn't an idiot.
"He was originally a member of Akatsuki too. But for some reason, he suddenly attacked Akatsuki. If it had been any other time, his cooperation with Danzō might have actually succeeded. But he picked a day when Akatsuki members were gathered. The result was, even without my participation, he was dealt with. In terms of strength, Orochimaru and Danzō were definitely more powerful than me. If I had resisted Akatsuki on the spot, I would have been killed too. Then there would be no chance to avenge Orochimaru later."
Kimimaro remained silent.
Midorima wasn't wrong. He could understand Midorima's difficult position. It was just that after learning of Orochimaru's death, the depression in his heart never dissipated. Every time he thought of this fact, he always felt a sense of loss.
Jūgo twisted his neck and said, "This probably isn't the best place to talk, is it?"
"Right," Midorima nodded.
"I'm still buried here, you know," Jūgo reminded him.
Midorima gave a wry smile and punched the ground.
The surface layer of earth shattered. Jūgo struggled out of the dirt, brushing off the dust from his body. "Did you come here specifically for me?"
"That's right. Also, there's one more small thing," Kimimaro said.
"What is it?" Jūgo looked at Kimimaro in surprise.
"He needs a test tube of your blood," Kimimaro glanced at Midorima.
What Midorima needed were Jūgo's cells. Blood obviously fell into that category. Moreover, for experiments, blood, being renewable, was used more frequently. But for transplantation into a body, blood wasn't as good as muscle tissue.
Midorima nodded as well.
Whatever the cells were, getting them first was the priority.
The [Cell Laboratory] wasn't picky.
"Oh, that. Good thing you mentioned it here," Jūgo said.
"Why?"
"Nothing, it's just that there's equipment here for drawing blood," Jūgo turned and headed towards the human experimentation site.
Midorima followed behind, cradling his head, and whispered to Kimimaro, "Are the ninjutsu Orochimaru collected also here?"
"How could they be? Why would they be here? To be destroyed by these monsters?" Kimimaro glanced at the corpses on the ground and snorted.
Some of these corpses wore prisoner clothes, others were Orochimaru's subordinates. Almost all were dead. As for those not dead, when they saw Jūgo approaching, they immediately closed their eyes, held their breath, pretending to be already dead.
These small actions didn't escape Midorima and Kimimaro's notice, but neither spoke up. After all, they weren't the type to indiscriminately kill innocents either.
Jūgo entered a room that looked like a laboratory, looked around, and found a syringe from a drawer.
Midorima watched as Jūgo drew blood, injected it into a test tube, sealed it, and handed it to him. "Is this enough?"
"Plenty."
"What do you need the blood for?" Jūgo asked, puzzled.
"It has its uses." Midorima put away the test tube and asked again, "What about you next? Coming with us?"
Jūgo scratched his head, looking troubled. "Sometimes I can't control myself. I'm afraid I'll cause you trouble. I... I'd better stay here."
Midorima looked at Kimimaro again.
"Why look at me? Want me to stop him? I still want to live a couple more years, you know?" Kimimaro rolled his eyes. "If it were before, stopping him wouldn't be a problem. But now... any major battle is a heavy burden on my body."
"In that case, Jūgo, if you're willing to come with me, I can guarantee I'll step in to stop you if you lose control," Midorima said.
Jūgo looked at Kimimaro.
"You don't want to stay here either, do you?" Kimimaro looked around. "Staying here too long can make a person depressed."
Jūgo clenched his fists, contemplated for a while, and then bowed seriously to Midorima. "Big brother Asachi, from now on... I'll be in your care."
Midorima hadn't expected Jūgo to agree to follow him so readily, momentarily surprised.
But for such an ally, Midorima welcomed him from the bottom of his heart. "Welcome. From now on, we're friends."
The "Hebi" (Snake) team that made waves in the Naruto world... probably won't exist now, will it?