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Tayuya stood there in a daze, unable to utter a single word for a long moment.
Midorima nodded again. "That's right. The Cursed Seal of Heaven is gone. So coming to me won't do you any good."
"Then we'll just have to find someone else." Seeing that Midorima truly didn't appear to be lying, Tayuya turned to leave.
"Yes, and although it's hardly my place to lecture you, I'm still going to say a couple more things. Last night, the Hidden Leaf Village was invaded by an outside enemy. Right now, everyone is on extreme high alert. If you actually make a move against a Leaf shinobi and get caught, the village will very likely classify you as accomplices of the Akatsuki. At that point, you won't just be facing the Hidden Leaf—you'll be up against the combined might of all Five Great Shinobi Nations."
Tayuya halted in her tracks, turned back around, and stared at Midorima in shock. "Are you threatening me?"
"Ha?" Midorima hadn't expected her to interpret it that way. "Do I even need to threaten you? If I were truly concerned about Orochimaru, wouldn't it be simpler to just kill you outright? Why would I waste all this breath? Surely you're not blind to what the Leaf Village has become right now? If another Leaf shinobi turns up dead under mysterious circumstances, who do you think they'll suspect first? Yes, Orochimaru is formidable, but even he can't wage war against all five great villages. Not to mention the fact that he was originally a member of the Akatsuki."
Tayuya's brow furrowed deeply.
She and Kabuto had infiltrated the village through the shadows. She knew very well what state the Leaf was in. Midorima's blunt, uncompromising words snapped her back to her senses. She let out a heavy sigh, biting down on her lower lip without another word.
"And you," Midorima said, shifting his gaze to Kabuto. "How is Nonō Yakushi doing?"
"She's alright. Her body is still recovering," Kabuto replied.
"You don't want to drag her into this, do you?" Midorima cautioned. "The shinobi of the Leaf Village are duty-bound to protect its safety. If they sense a threat, regardless of whether that threat turns out to be real, the choice they make will almost always be to nip it in the bud. They'll snuff out any sprout of 'possibility.' The Leaf Village is entirely capable of doing that, and you should know it."
Kabuto's face immediately changed. He glanced back at Tayuya, his mouth opening slightly. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "I'm giving this up... I can't involve her in this."
Tayuya's face turned deathly pale. "You... what have you done!"
"I'm only warning you both," Midorima said. "I know you hold Orochimaru in high regard. And he truly does have qualities worthy of admiration. But you also have to consider the risks, especially under these circumstances. Don't drag innocent people into this."
"But the most we'd be doing is borrowing the Cursed Seal of Heaven. We wouldn't necessarily have to kill anyone," she argued.
"Can you talk Orochimaru into playing along?" Midorima countered.
Tayuya bit her lip and looked over at Kabuto, who merely spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness. In his heart, Nonō Yakushi would always come first.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going," Midorima said, waving farewell to the two of them. Yet even as he walked away, his mind was weighing the pros and cons of reviving Orochimaru.
From his personal standpoint, bringing Orochimaru back offered him no direct benefit. However, in the coming fight against the Akatsuki—and potentially Madara Uchiha himself—Orochimaru might genuinely be able to contribute. After all, he was still one of the Legendary Sannin, and his strength was not to be underestimated.
Just as he was hesitating, Tayuya called out to him again. She knelt before Midorima and said, "I know this is asking too much, but if we truly need Lord Orochimaru, please, help us just this once."
Midorima scratched his head and replied, "I can give it a try. But if Orochimaru insists on going his own way, I'll kill him. Don't hold it against me if that happens."
"Absolutely," Tayuya said, nodding fervently, her eyes locked firmly on Midorima.
"I told you already, my Cursed Seal of Heaven is gone, so don't get your hopes up. But just to be certain—you definitely know the method to revive Orochimaru, right?" Midorima asked Kabuto.
Kabuto nodded.
"And have you prepared the necessary materials?" Midorima questioned further, his tone skeptical.
The Evil Releasing Method wasn't something one could simply perform on a whim. Beyond mastering the corresponding jutsu, it also required a very specific component. In the manga, when Sasuke resurrected Orochimaru, he had taken a piece of Kabuto's flesh. At that time, Kabuto had essentially become the culmination of Orochimaru's jutsu and had even achieved Sage Mode himself, so his body already contained Orochimaru's energy. The Kabuto standing before him now was nowhere near that level, so the question was whether there was anything else that could serve as a substitute.
"I have Lord Orochimaru's cellular tissue," Kabuto said.
"Orochimaru's cells?" Midorima was mildly surprised; he hadn't expected Kabuto to have gotten his hands on those. It seemed he really had made thorough preparations ahead of time.
"Didn't you just say we couldn't make a move against the Leaf shinobi?" Tayuya recalled Midorima's earlier words, a trace of resentment creeping into her voice. He forbade others from doing it, yet he was about to do it himself?
"That's correct. I can't make a move against a Leaf shinobi. I have no desire to become an enemy of the Leaf Village either," Midorima confirmed.
"Then what do you plan to do?" Tayuya asked, thoroughly confused.
"Ask for a favor."
"Ask for a favor?"
Tayuya and Kabuto spoke almost in unison, utterly unable to fathom what Midorima intended.
Without further explanation, Midorima led them directly to the medical unit.
Tsunade had been working tirelessly all day and had only just handed over her duties to the other medical staff, preparing to get some rest. Shizune placed a cup of tea in front of her.
"You should get some rest early too," Tsunade said, her heart aching at the sight of Shizune's exhaustion.
Shizune shook her head. "I'm not tired yet."
Just then, a shinobi gave a light knock on the door and announced, "Lady Tsunade, Lord Asachi wishes to see you."
"Him? Let him in," Tsunade said quickly.
As soon as the words left her mouth, Midorima stepped into the room.
"What brings you here?" Tsunade asked with a smile.
"There's something I'd like to ask of you... No, to be precise, I'd like to ask it of Shizune. But I need your permission first," Midorima said, getting straight to the point.
"What is it?" Tsunade asked, puzzled, as she studied his face.
"I'm planning to resurrect Orochimaru," Midorima stated.
"What?!" Tsunade's eyes went wide with utter shock. "Do you have any idea what you're saying?"
She, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru had known one another since childhood. They were intimately familiar with each other's character. When she had learned of Orochimaru's death, she had felt a faint, lingering regret, but she had never once considered bringing him back. Orochimaru was simply far too dangerous.
"I know exactly what I'm saying," Midorima said with a nod.
"The reason—I want to know your reason for doing this," Tsunade demanded.
"We need as many capable allies as we can possibly get," Midorima replied.
"That may be true, but it doesn't have to be Orochimaru," Tsunade said, shaking her head.
"You're right. In the war that's coming, no single person is irreplaceable. But if resurrecting Orochimaru can reduce the casualties among the Leaf shinobi, I believe that's a price worth bearing."
"If that's how you see it, then go ahead and do it. Why come to us?"
"I need Shizune's help... Resurrecting Orochimaru requires the Cursed Seal of Heaven," Midorima explained.
Shizune froze. Instinctively, her hand rose to touch her neck, and a terrible feeling began to surge within her.