Naruto: Starting as a Defector in The Hidden Mist Village

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You can read 30 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.

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(just replace the "@" with "a")

ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!

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Igawa Bu led his team of ninjas in searching every fishing boat in the harbor. But not only was there no sign of Midorima—there wasn't even a single suspicious person in sight. 

Furious, Igawa stomped around, muttering to himself, "How could he just disappear?" 

The ninjas accompanying him urged him to calm down, reminding him that this wasn't Kirigakure. 

Igawa's facial muscles twitched. 

Did he really need these idiots to tell him that? 

"Move out. We're heading to the passenger ship dock," Igawa ordered. 

The ninjas' expressions darkened. 

There were fewer passenger ships than fishing boats, but the number of people on them was far greater. 

A single ship could carry hundreds of passengers. Checking every individual would take over an hour per vessel—and there were so many of them. If they inspected every ship, they'd be at it until dawn. 

"But there are so many people—" 

"Search them!" Igawa snarled through gritted teeth. 

Of course, this wasn't the only port in the Land of Water. But since they were already here, they had to see it through. 

There was another crucial reason: Suiyou Town was the largest port in the Land of Water, with the highest number of ships sailing to any country across the sea. 

If Midorima wanted to escape, this would be the place. 

That was why Igawa was willing to gamble on it. 

The ninjas under his command sighed inwardly, screaming in their minds: 'Midorima, where the hell are you?! Just show yourself already!' 

--- 

Midorima stood by the shore, waiting for the passenger ship to dock. 

Igawa was somewhere in this town. Every second spent here increased the danger. But aside from waiting, Midorima had no other options. 

As time dragged on, Midorima grew increasingly restless, pacing back and forth along the waterfront. 

Only one small passenger ship was moored at the dock. 

"Small" was a relative term—while it was indeed smaller than the approaching vessel, its exterior was far more luxurious than an ordinary passenger ship. It was clearly a private yacht. 

Whoever owned this ship had to be extremely wealthy—perhaps even on the level of a small nation. 

However, everyone on board seemed tense. A woman in a kimono was nearly running, her usual composed demeanor as a maid completely gone. The wooden clogs on her feet thudded heavily against the deck. 

Then, in her haste, she stumbled. The copper basin in her hands clattered to the ground as she fell forward. Scrambling up, she grabbed the basin and hurried off, looking like she was on the verge of tears. 

Had something happened on the ship? 

Just as Midorima's mind wandered, chaos suddenly erupted at the dock. 

"Why won't you let us leave? My wife is about to give birth—I need to get to the hospital! Why do we have to wait for inspection?" 

"Do you have any idea how much money I'm losing every day I'm delayed? Millions of ryo! Are you going to compensate me for that?" 

"Who the hell are you people? Is this any way to treat civilians? Get your superior out here!" 

Midorima's heart tightened. Igawa's men are here. Am I about to run into them? 

If he was discovered, he'd have no choice but to fight Igawa head-on. But with his injuries still healing, he'd be at a severe disadvantage. 

Uneasy, Midorima glanced back at the small yacht—just in time to see a crew member rushing down the gangway. 

"Go! Find the best doctor in this town!" A young man in formal attire barked at the crewman. 

"Y-yes, sir!" The crewman's voice trembled with panic. 

Hearing this, Midorima's eyes lit up. He quickly stepped forward and grabbed the crewman's arm. 

"What are you—? Let go!" The crewman tried to shake him off but failed. 

"I'm a doctor," Midorima said. 

"You?" The crewman eyed him suspiciously, unsure if he was telling the truth. 

The young man on the ship noticed the commotion and snapped, "What's going on down there?" 

"Young Master, this man… he claims to know medicine," the crewman called back. 

"Medicine? What does he know about medicine?" The young man scoffed angrily. 

What were the odds that some random person on the dock would be a doctor? Did he think this was some kind of movie? 

"How about this?" Midorima suggested. "Let him keep looking for a doctor, and I'll take a look at the patient in the meantime. If I can't help, it won't make a difference. But if I can, you'll save precious time. What do you say?" 

The young man studied Midorima with skepticism but hesitated for only a few seconds before waving him aboard. He then ordered the crewman to continue searching for a local doctor. 

Midorima gave a slight nod. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the protesters at the dock had been subdued. Igawa's men had begun inspecting passengers. It was only a matter of time before they reached him. 

The young man gestured for Midorima to board. 

The crewman turned and sprinted off to continue his search. 

"What's the patient's condition?" Midorima asked as they walked. 

"I don't know," the young man admitted. "We're merchants from the Land of Fire. We heard the shell crafts here were exquisite, so we stopped to buy some souvenirs. Just as we were about to leave, my father suddenly fell ill. Our ship's doctor couldn't figure out what was wrong. He prescribed some medicine, but there's been no improvement. Our family is pressuring us to return, but we can't leave him like this. We can't treat him properly on the ship, and we don't have many options right now." 

Midorima nodded. 

The young man hadn't given any useful details about the illness itself, but he'd revealed plenty of other information. 

The Land of Fire? 

Not bad. Maybe he could hitch a ride on this ship. 

Igawa's men were focusing on the passenger vessels, but a private merchant ship might slip through. 

If they were willing to take him willingly, great. If not, he could always stow away. 

--- 

Midorima gathered his thoughts as the young man led him into a cabin. An elderly man lay unconscious on the bed, his eyes tightly shut. Four servants stood on either side, bowing deeply as the young man entered. 

A medic mixing herbs near the bed looked up in surprise. "Young Master, who is this—?" 

"A doctor I found," the young man said, motioning for the medic to step aside. "Please, uh…" 

"Call me Yoshida," Midorima said, borrowing the name from his forged documents. 

"Please, Dr. Yoshida, examine him." 

Most medical ninjas—or doctors, for that matter—could heal injuries but couldn't reverse organ failure caused by aging. To replace a heart at will, like Kakuzu, was beyond the abilities of ordinary medical ninjas. 

Midorima didn't consider himself above average. The medical ninjutsu of Kirigakure had its limits—it could mend wounds but couldn't cheat death. 

So when he approached the unconscious old man, he did so with caution. But as soon as he channeled chakra into the man's body to diagnose him, the answer became clear. 

Poison. 

And not something recently ingested. The toxins had accumulated over time, damaging his organs and draining his energy, which was why he had collapsed. His internal organs were already showing signs of failure. 

"Well?" the young man asked anxiously as Midorima withdrew his hand. 

"I know what's wrong," Midorima said. 

"Doctor, please save my father!" The young man dropped to his knees. 

"I can try—but only if you agree to a few conditions," Midorima said. 

"Name them!" 

Before the young man could say more, loud voices erupted outside, followed by urgent knocking. 

"What now?" The young man stood, his demeanor shifting from desperation to irritation. 

"Young Master, there are people demanding to search our ship!" a crewman called from outside. 

Midorima lowered his head slightly, adjusting his glasses. 

Igawa's here.