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The Hidden Sound Village was bordered by the sea on one side and the Hidden Leaf Village on the other, making it a true to its name small shinobi village.
To be honest, this wasn't surprising. Given that Orochimaru was essentially a one-man show, expecting him to establish a moderately sized shinobi village was asking a bit too much.
After all, what a shinobi village needed most was people. But after years of war, the scarcest resource for any major shinobi village was manpower—let alone for a minor village like the Hidden Sound.
That said, the wars had also left countless people displaced. In that sense, the Hidden Sound Village at least provided a temporary refuge for some of these wanderers.
As Midorima scouted the village, a thought crossed his mind: Orochimaru was essentially the Otokage. But considering how weak the Hidden Sound was, he probably didn't have the face to officially claim the title.
For three days, Midorima observed the village from outside but found no trace of Orochimaru or the Sound Five. Even when he infiltrated the village at night, there were no leads.
Aside from its small size, the Hidden Sound wasn't much different from any other shinobi village.
After leaving, Midorima found himself at a loss again.
Do I really have to deal with the Akatsuki?
The Akatsuki's base was in the Hidden Rain Village—a godforsaken place where it rained 24/7. Pain had even cast the "Rain Tiger at Will Technique," infusing his chakra into the rain to sense anyone entering the village. That was how Jiraiya had been discovered.
If that were the only issue, it might still be manageable. The real problem was that once detected, you'd likely have to face the Six Paths of Pain—which was just downright unfair.
Six against one? Unless you were a cheat character like Naruto, no one had enough chakra to handle that, not even Midorima.
So, barging in headfirst wasn't a smart move.
Join the Akatsuki?
He had entertained the idea before, but only as a fleeting thought—because it was impossible. He had no connections to the Akatsuki. What reason did he have to join?
Because his looks?
But the Akatsuki also had ugly members like Kakuzu and Kisame, so looks clearly weren't a factor.
Recommend himself?
Wouldn't that just tip off Nagato that something was off about him?
If the Akatsuki route was blocked, the only remaining power-ups available to him were the Tailed Beasts.
As Midorima sat by the campfire, pondering his next move, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching from the darkness. A streak of white light flashed before his eyes as a massive metallic tail swung toward him.
Midorima immediately rolled away and performed an Earth Release jutsu, blocking the tail's next strike. Though he couldn't see his attacker in the dark, he already knew it was Hiruko's tail—and he smirked.
I was just about to start hunting Jinchūriki, and now Sasori shows up. Talk about perfect timing.
Still, the reason for his sudden appearance was worth pondering.
Did he figure out my true identity?
Midorima's mind raced, but Sasori gave him no time to think, accelerating his attacks. The enormous tail lashed out like a giant scythe, striking relentlessly.
Midorima knew the tail was laced with lethal poison.
Kankuro was nearly killed by this poison. If not for Sakura's timely intervention, he would've died. Later, Sakura and Chiyo were only able to hold their own against Sasori because they'd prepared an antidote in advance.
Because of this, Midorima avoided direct contact with the venom.
Forming hand seals, he punched the ground, causing it to fracture into fine sand that surged forward like a tidal wave, swallowing everything in its path.
Hiruko's assault finally halted, but Midorima remained on guard.
If Sasori suddenly uses "Senbon Storm" or "A Thousand Arms of Death" in this darkness, I'm screwed.
"Enough," Sasori's voice echoed from the shadows.
"Are you insane?" Midorima snapped.
"You're the insane one," Sasori retorted.
"Then why attack me out of nowhere?" Midorima scoffed.
"Give me a moment. My puppet's stuck."
"…"
"I need to clean it… Half an hour, maybe? Next time, could you not use Earth Release? It's a pain to clean. If sand jams the mechanisms, it'll be a disaster," Sasori grumbled.
"Then don't ambush me. Otherwise, I'll bury you and your precious puppet underground for good," Midorima shot back, rolling his eyes.
Did you warn me before attacking?
If he took Sasori at his word, the next puppet might be him.
These guys are all scheming bastards.
If Midorima hadn't read Naruto, he might've been fooled by this seemingly harmless-looking guy.
After about ten minutes, Sasori trudged through the loosened earth toward Midorima. "Long time no see."
"Yeah… Get to the point." Midorima remained wary.
If he suddenly whips out another puppet, I wouldn't be surprised. The guy's practically a machine himself.
"There is something. Since fate keeps bringing us together, you could say we're… friends, in a way?" Sasori forced a smile.
"Don't smile if you don't mean it. It's creepy." Midorima clicked his tongue. "I don't even know your name or where you're from. How are we friends? Actually, I bet you don't have any friends, do you?"
"…"
Sasori clenched his fists, mentally debating which parts of Midorima to modify if he decided to kill him.
"Can't handle a few words? Did you think about my feelings when you ambushed me?" Midorima shrugged.
"You didn't hold back either. Look at the state I'm in—thanks to you," Sasori said darkly.
Midorima decided not to push further. If he pissed Sasori off enough to kill him, the Akatsuki might mark him as a target.
Still, teasing him is kinda fun.
"Alright, out with it. Why attack me now?" Midorima asked.
"A test."
"Huh?" Midorima frowned.
"To see if you're qualified to join the Akatsuki."
"What?" Midorima's eye twitched.
If not for their earlier fight, he'd think he was dreaming.
Stay calm… Stay. Calm.
Though a grin tugged at his lips, Midorima kept his tone neutral. "The Akatsuki?"
"Correct."
"Never heard of them. Some small-time group?" Midorima waved a hand dismissively. "My goals are making big money and marrying beautiful women. Small organizations don't interest me."
Sasori took a deep breath, choosing his words carefully. "You misunderstand. The Akatsuki isn't small. On the contrary, we have a noble ideal and strive tirelessly for it. We're also not a minor group—just not widely known yet."
"So… still small-time," Midorima teased.
"Those are very different. Want to know how? Join us, and I'll tell you," Sasori said with a smile.
"Not interested." Midorima shook his head.
Instantly, Sasori's smile froze.