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After joining the Akatsuki, Midorima was given a new codename: "Ao" (Blue).
In the original story, this codename belonged to Deidara. Now, Midorima had taken it over.
As for whether Deidara would still join the Akatsuki in the future—no one could say for sure. However, given how much the current lineup had already diverged from the manga, there might still be a chance for him later.
Members of the Akatsuki were also supposed to receive a ring, but Midorima would only get his after meeting Pain.
For now, his status was more like that of an "intern."
After all, even though the Akatsuki was an "underground" organization, they wouldn't just let him become a full-fledged member overnight. There had to be an evaluation period. Besides, Zetsu—or one of his clones—was probably watching him from somewhere.
In other words, until he officially received his ring, he couldn't afford to slack off.
Gritting his teeth, he completed two missions alongside Sasori, killing over sixty people—all shinobi from minor nations.
Sasori was exhilarated because he found a few among them who were suitable for turning into puppets. Midorima, on the other hand, had a headache. He didn't like spending too much time around corpses.
Especially when Sasori was in the middle of puppet-making—the process was gruesome.
Whenever Midorima shot him a disgusted look, Sasori would gleefully raise a puppet component—sometimes a mechanism, sometimes a hidden weapon embedded inside.
Creating puppets was an expensive hobby. The corpses had to undergo special treatment, and the internal mechanisms had to be custom-made. Sometimes, just polishing a single part could take half a day.
And during the puppet-making process, the portion of the mission reward that should have gone to Midorima was swallowed up by Sasori, who needed the money to buy materials. More often than not, he was barely breaking even.
This displeased Midorima—at least on the surface. After all, his persona, Yoshida Shin, was that of a greedy shinobi.
"This is my new puppet—Yoshida No. 1," Sasori said, pointing at a long-haired puppet. "It's loaded with 120 explosive tags. After detonation, it'll release 500 senbon needles—like a human explosion."
The way Sasori looked at "Yoshida No. 1" was practically feverish, as if he wanted to melt the puppet with his gaze.
"Wasn't this puppet made a long time ago?" Midorima stared at "Yoshida No. 1," puzzled.
It was just an ordinary wooden puppet, completely different from Sasori's humanoid puppets. It was probably one of his early practice pieces.
After acquiring new "materials," Sasori had decided to upgrade his collection.
"But the name is new," Sasori said, quite pleased with himself.
"So there'll be a No. 2 and No. 3 later?" Midorima blinked.
"Exactly." Sasori nodded.
"But if it's packed with explosive tags, won't it just blow up?" Midorima said coldly.
"That's the whole point—Yoshida goes boom! Doesn't that sound satisfying?" Sasori grinned.
"...I see. You're the vindictive type." Midorima wanted to curse at him, but then he remembered that Yoshida Shin was indeed a scumbag—and he wasn't Yoshida Shin. So, this puppet had nothing to do with him.
"No, I just believe in returning favors in kind… Aren't you angry?"
"There are plenty of people with the surname Yoshida. Doesn't have to be me." Midorima smirked.
Sasori thought for a moment and conceded the point. "Then… how about Yoshida Shin No. 1?"
"..."
Sasori took out a kimono and dressed the puppet in it, then meticulously styled its hair.
From the back, it truly looked like a beautiful woman—enough to stir the imagination. But the front…
"What's the point of this?" Midorima asked.
"Do you know what our next mission is?" Sasori countered.
"Intercepting a support squad from a minor nation, I think?" Midorima recalled.
"Right."
"But if it's a support squad, why would they be lured by this?"
"...Shut up." Sasori glared at him. "You know Water Release, don't you? There's something I need you to do."
"As long as I don't have to kill anyone myself, I'm fine with it."
"Deal." Sasori agreed instantly.
After partnering on two missions, he had realized that his new teammate was highly capable but had a habit of damaging enemy corpses—which interfered with his "material gathering."
So, for tasks he could handle alone, he preferred Midorima to stay out of it.
---
The air was thick with mist, so dense that one could barely see their own hand.
"It was clear just a moment ago. Why did this fog suddenly appear?" one of the shinobi muttered.
"Not sure, but we should stay alert."
"Ugh… We're already being careful, but if we slow down any further, the young master might not last until we arrive."
"Then move as fast as possible without compromising safety! If we fail to protect the young master, we might as well be dead."
"Yes, sir!"
The fifty-man squad had set out with unwavering resolve, prepared to die if necessary.
Despite the blinding fog, they didn't slow their pace.
As experienced shinobi, they knew the sudden mist was unnatural—but they had no choice but to press forward. Taking another route would mean failing their mission.
This was the shortcut—their only chance to make it in time.
"Captain, there's someone up ahead."
"Up ahead" was a relative term. With visibility so poor, the figure was only about two meters away.
Without hesitation, the captain drew his sword and focused on the silhouette—just as a blinding flash of light erupted, followed by a massive shockwave. Then, everything went black.
A split second later, a series of deafening explosions rocked the riverside, accompanied by agonized screams.
"Boom—Yoshida Shin No. 1 and No. 2 have exploded." Hidden inside Hiruko, Sasori grinned in delight.
The detonation of the "Yoshida" puppets thrilled him more than killing the enemy shinobi.
Midorima clenched his fists, then relaxed them when he remembered that punching Hiruko would be pointless.
"Aren't you going to step in? They're about to escape."
"Not so fast… Oh, can you disperse the fog? Shouldn't be hard for you, right?" Sasori said.
"Don't forget my payment." Midorima quickly formed hand signs and unleashed "Great Wind Technique," sweeping away the "Hidden Mist Jutsu."
The support squad was thrown into chaos.
"Keep watch—don't let any escape!" Sasori hopped out from his hiding spot, Hiruko's mechanical limbs clanking.
Thanks to the two exploding puppets, over twenty shinobi had already been incapacitated. The remaining twenty-plus immediately surrounded Hiruko.
"Who are you?"
"Who sent you?"
"What's your goal?!"
"Who I am doesn't matter. All you need to know is that your young master is already dead. I'm just here to send you after him." Sasori chuckled.
Hiruko's massive metal tail lashed out, instantly crushing three shinobi.
Though the squad had the numbers, their advantage quickly evaporated in the face of overwhelming power.
Midorima pursed his lips. He had hoped to see Sasori's true strength, but these opponents were no match for him.
One by one, the shinobi fell. Soon, only about ten remained.
Even the most determined warriors felt despair when faced with an invincible enemy.
Hiruko's mouth snapped open, unleashing a barrage of senbon. The six shinobi at the front collapsed instantly. The survivors exchanged glances—then scattered in all directions.
"Shin! Don't let them get away!" Sasori shouted at Midorima.
The next moment, a roaring tidal wave surged forth, engulfing everyone—including Hiruko. Sasori didn't even have time to escape before swallowing several mouthfuls of water.
"When it comes to work, I take it seriously." Midorima smiled as he watched the waterlogged Sasori coughing violently.