Naruto: Starting as a Defector in The Hidden Mist Village

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Midorima tensed up at the sight of the masked monster. 

Compared to a real ninja, this thing was still lacking—after all, it had no mind of its own and was entirely controlled by Kakuzu. 

That said, Midorima was already struggling against Kakuzu alone. Now that Kakuzu had a helper, things were getting even trickier. 

The mask had red-painted lips, while the back was covered in writhing black tentacles, densely packed in a way that would make anyone with trypophobia shudder. 

Midorima remembered that the red mask represented Fire Release, meaning Kakuzu still had four elemental hearts left. 

Once Kakuzu resolved to kill Midorima, his assault became relentless. The black tendrils sprouting from his back intertwined, forming massive arms that lunged toward Midorima from a distance. 

The black monster, coordinating with Kakuzu, continuously spat fireballs from its mouth. 

Forget counterattacking—just dodging those black tentacles was exhausting enough. 

"Need help?!" Tsunade shouted, unable to stand by as Midorima kept narrowly escaping danger. 

"No need…" Midorima barely avoided a fireball, flipping back to his feet. He tried closing in on Kakuzu, only to be intercepted by the black tendrils, forcing him to dodge again. 

With Kakuzu's current onslaught, even if Tsunade joined, the best they could hope for was a stalemate. Actually overpowering him head-on? That was far from guaranteed. 

"Rather than helping me, focus on finishing your own opponent first!" Midorima yelled. 

Tsunade nodded, knowing he was right. 

Kakuzu's abilities were still a mystery, whereas her current opponent—though seemingly invincible the more he was hit—at least had a discernible weakness. It just required some strategy. 

In a life-or-death battle, it all came down to who had more cards to play. 

Her opponent's gimmick was that the more he was beaten, the stronger he became. But once she found his weak spot, one decisive strike would be enough. 

Kakuzu, on the other hand, was already formidable—and likely still hiding more tricks. 

So, the best course of action was to take down the brute in front of her first, then assist Midorima. With that in mind, Tsunade launched another attack. 

Kakuzu stole a glance at his partner, Ugo, who was locked in a fierce battle with Tsunade. He breathed a small sigh of relief. 

Against any other ninja—even Jiraiya—Ugo wouldn't have hesitated. But Tsunade was his worst nightmare. 

The only reason Ugo was holding his own now was that Tsunade hadn't yet figured out his secret. Once she did, his fate would be sealed. 

Kakuzu needed to kill Midorima quickly, take his heart, then team up with Ugo to eliminate Tsunade. That would net him another hefty bounty! 

With renewed determination, Kakuzu intensified his assault. 

Flames erupted from the mask's mouth, engulfing the battlefield in a sea of fire. 

Midorima swiftly formed hand seals, gathering Water Release chakra in his throat. As the inferno closed in, he leapt high and unleashed "Exploding Water Collision Wave." 

A torrent of water surged from his mouth, crashing against the flames. 

In an instant, the fire was extinguished where the water touched. 

Landing, Midorima remained on guard. He slapped the water's surface, sending five shark-shaped bombs gliding toward Kakuzu. 

The black tendrils struck the sharks repeatedly, but each time they were destroyed, they regenerated, still homing in on Kakuzu. 

"Damn it, how annoying!" Kakuzu activated Earth Release, causing the ground to heave. A massive earthen dragon burst through the water, charging at Midorima. 

At the same time, four water sharks shot out of the flood, arcing through the air before diving straight for Kakuzu. 

A wall of earth rose, blocking the sharks. 

Then—Midorima suddenly appeared right in front of the mask. 

The mask's black tentacles shot out like steel needles, aiming to impale him. 

"Die!" 

Midorima's fist smashed into the mask—and in that instant, his body turned pitch-black. The tendrils failed to pierce his skin. 

"Earth Spear?!" 

Kakuzu's eyes widened briefly in surprise before filling with undisguised glee. 

Midorima had already demonstrated four chakra natures. Now, he'd shown a fifth. 

This meant that if Kakuzu claimed this heart, even with just one life left, he could wield its full power. 

"I'm growing fonder of you by the minute," Kakuzu sneered, unfazed by losing a heart. 

"Sorry, but I won't let you have your way. Besides, even if you took my heart, you might not unlock its full potential," Midorima shot back with a grin. 

His ability to use different chakra natures came from his Cell Laboratory—meaning even if Kakuzu stole his heart, he'd probably only gain Water Release. 

Kakuzu scoffed, assuming Midorima was bluffing. His back bulged ominously as an overwhelming chakra presence engulfed the area. One after another, masked monsters emerged from his body. 

Midorima counted them—three in total. 

Finally, Kakuzu had revealed his full hand. 

But instead of relief, Midorima felt the pressure mounting. 

His chakra reserves weren't infinite. The relentless barrage of jutsu had drained him significantly. 

Now, facing three masks plus Kakuzu's main body, exhaustion was a real threat. 

"Tsunade, how's it going over there?" Midorima glanced toward her. 

His earlier Exploding Water Collision Wave had disrupted both Kakuzu and Tsunade's fight with Ugo. Now, the two were gearing up for another clash—but Ugo seemed to have the upper hand. 

"I've figured out how to beat him," Tsunade wiped dirt from her face, smiling. "His actual skill is just average jonin-level. He's relying on an obscure secret technique—the more you attack him, the stronger he gets. Unless you decapitate him before he powers up, he becomes nearly unstoppable once he absorbs enough chakra. You've probably used this trick to kill plenty of ninja stronger than you, huh? Hell, even a jinchūriki wouldn't stand a chance. But today, you picked the wrong opponent." 

Ugo's face twisted in panic. 

"You think I'll fall for that? You're just bluffing!" he roared. 

"I'm the best medical ninja in the Land of Fire—you can't deny that. Attack jutsu don't work on you; the stronger they are, the more you benefit. But what about healing jutsu? Can your body handle regeneration?" Tsunade raised her hand, white chakra swirling around it. "I've never tried dissecting a live subject with a chakra scalpel before." 

"Kakuzu, switch targets!" Ugo bolted toward Kakuzu in desperation. 

An ordinary medical ninja wouldn't be a threat, but someone of Tsunade's caliber could actually kill him. 

Tsunade moved to intercept, but a masked monster cut her off. 

When Ugo reached Midorima, his expression relaxed as if he'd been granted a second life. 

"Hey… since you accepted the bounty, you must know my background, right?" Midorima rubbed his nose. "Actually, I'm a medical ninja too."

*****

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