Naruto: Starting as a Defector in The Hidden Mist Village

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As Shimomura, being Midorima's teacher, he too came under heavy scrutiny. 

In the dead of night, he was roughly dragged out of bed. First, he was questioned about his relationship with Midorima, and then he was taken away from his home. 

"What… what's going on?" Shimomura was utterly confused. 

"Midorima is a traitor. He conspired with outsiders to assassinate the Mizukage." 

"Huh? That can't be! Why would he do that? There's… there's no reason for it…" Shimomura instantly sobered up. 

The rise of the medical division's status was supposed to rely on Midorima. 

And now he was a rogue ninja? 

What was there to rely on, then? 

"Enough of your nonsense!" The leading ninja was furious. 

Being woken up in the middle of the night—who wouldn't be angry? 

"I… I'm not a rogue ninja." 

Shimomura was clear-headed. 

He had to sever all ties with Midorima immediately. Otherwise, he'd definitely end up in prison—or worse, dead. 

"Did I say you were?" 

"Then where are you taking me?" Shimomura was still lost. 

"To treat the Mizukage." 

"In the Land of Water, who could possibly hurt him?" 

Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage, had a tailed beast inside him. 

"Who said it's the Fourth? You're treating the Third." 

The Third? 

"Didn't he die?" The words slipped out before he could stop himself. 

The mist ninja sighed. "He didn't die, but his mind is broken." 

While Shimomura examined the Third, Igawa stood nearby, his heart pounding in his throat, ready to leap out at any moment. 

If that old bastard Shimomura noticed anything unusual and called in Ao to scan with his Byakugan, the genjutsu would be exposed instantly. 

After finishing his examination, Shimomura shook his head. 

"What's wrong with the Third?" Igawa asked quietly. 

"Sigh… His chakra is normal, no internal injuries either. I suspect he suffered some kind of extreme mental shock, which led to this state." Shimomura gazed at the Third's vacant eyes, overcome with emotion. 

Back in the day, the Third had been radiant. Now, he was reduced to this. Truly, fate was cruel. 

"Then… can he recover his memories?" Igawa was particularly interested in this answer. 

Even though the masked man had placed the Third under genjutsu, he still hoped the Third would remain a fool forever. 

"Who can say? The brain is the most complex organ in the body… It's hard to pinpoint the cause, let alone treat it." 

Igawa narrowed his eyes. That was exactly what he wanted to hear. 

He waved his hand, ordering the Anbu to escort Shimomura away and assigning guards to "keep an eye" on him. 

By dawn, the news that "Midorima is a traitor" had spread within certain circles. 

When Zabuza woke up early and prepared to leave, he found himself blocked—completely baffled—until he was informed that the Mizukage had been attacked and that Midorima was the "traitor." 

"What does him being a traitor have to do with me? If you post a bounty, I'll go kill him myself," Zabuza grumbled. 

The ninja guarding him didn't bother arguing, simply shoving him back inside and slamming the door shut. 

"If you cause any more trouble, you'll be charged as an accomplice." 

Zabuza gripped his sword, repeatedly tempted to unsheathe it and cut down the bastard outside. 

With his temper, when had he ever tolerated such humiliation? 

Back during the graduation exam, hadn't he slaughtered a hundred people without hesitation? 

But then again, Midorima had nearly been one of those "hundred" back then. For his sake, he'd endure it this once. 

That said… was that kid really a traitor? 

Zabuza spent the entire morning racking his brain but couldn't make sense of it. 

In truth, it wasn't just Mei, Shimomura, and Zabuza who were being monitored. Anyone who had ever interacted with Midorima—including Akimoto Ruri, Ringo Ameyuri—was under surveillance. Even Midorima's first opponent in the selection exams, Yusuke, wasn't overlooked. 

Lying in his hospital bed, Yusuke saw the two ninjas guarding his door and assumed they were bodyguards assigned by Igawa . He couldn't have been more pleased. 

--- 

For Igawa Bu, capturing Midorima was a matter of utmost importance. 

Moreover, he preferred to handle it personally—to eliminate Midorima himself and ensure no one discovered his collaboration with the masked man. 

After Shimomura finished examining the Third, Igawa instructed Yagura to keep watch over him. Then, he led dozens of Anbu members to search the area where Midorima had disappeared. 

Yet, even after scouring the area all morning—even diving underwater—they found neither hide nor hair of him. 

Had he escaped? 

Igawa recalled the battle that night. Midorima had been struck by two shockwaves and hit by the Third's water jutsu. 

No ordinary person could have survived that. 

But if Midorima wasn't dead nearby, where had he gone? 

Had someone taken his body? 

Who would bother collecting a corpse? 

After confirming Midorima was truly nowhere in the vicinity, Igawa expanded the search radius—still, no trace of him. 

"I refuse to believe you could've gotten away!" Igawa fumed. 

Midorima's death was non-negotiable. 

He returned to Kirigakure and had Yagura issue an S-rank bounty, offering a reward of 10 million ryo. 

Simultaneously, he shut down all ports on the island. 

He also had Yagura write a letter to the daimyo of the Land of Water, requesting an immediate blockade of all ports across the country. 

The letter was sent, but the daimyo wouldn't blindly obey the Mizukage's orders. 

After all, the Land of Water's economy relied heavily on maritime trade. A full blockade would devastate it. 

Still, it was worth a try. If they refused, he'd figure something else out. 

The bounty notice soon reached villages near Kirigakure. 

For an S-rank bounty, 10 million ryo was relatively low. But for these small villages, such a sum was unheard of—usually, bounties were handled by specialized exchange offices. 

The first day passed with no news of Midorima. Meanwhile, the daimyo's reply arrived, rejecting the request to seal all ports unless Kirigakure compensated for the losses. Instead, they agreed to tighten security and arrest Midorima on sight. 

Igawa let out a heavy sigh upon reading the response. 

Fine, if that's how it is… Kirigakure had no spare funds to cover such expenses anyway. 

Late that night, the Igawa residence was abruptly knocked. Igawa , seething, crawled out of bed and stormed into the living room, where a portly, well-dressed middle-aged man stood—someone he didn't recognize. 

Yet the man brought news that nearly made Igawa leap out of his skin. 

"I… know where your wanted man is." The man pulled out Midorima's bounty poster from his sleeve. "He treated my family during the day. I had my servants follow him…" 

"So he really is alive?!" Igawa 's first reaction wasn't relief but fury and dread. He immediately summoned his guards. "Mobilize the Anbu! Hunt down Midorima!"