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After the first round of the selection matches concluded, there was a two-day break, giving Midorima a chance to catch his breath.
The wounds on his body had mostly healed, and in another two days, they would likely recover completely.
Based on the previous match schedule, his opponent in the second round wasn't particularly strong. Barring any surprises, he should smoothly advance to the third stage.
Becoming one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist didn't seem so bad. Though the designs of those ninja swords weren't exactly appealing.
Still, if he really did become one of the Seven, he wouldn't be picky.
At this thought, Midorima couldn't help but reflect. A year ago, he had been nothing more than a trainee medical ninja. Now, just a year later, he was within reach of a position among the Seven Swordsmen. In a way, his progress over the past year wasn't half bad.
The clatter of chopsticks against a plate snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked down—the two-pound sea fish had been completely devoured by The Third.
"Hey, you ate that way too fast!" Midorima complained.
The Third stood up, letting out a guttural growl.
"Hey… you're not about to go berserk, are you?" Midorima raised his head and saw The Third's eyes burning crimson, his face twisted into a snarl.
This wasn't good…
Midorima sensed danger.
The Third had been relatively stable lately, which had made Midorima careless. He'd almost forgotten that before they met, uncontrolled rampages had been The Third's default state.
"Lord Third, sit down!" Midorima stood and grabbed The Third's wrist.
But The Third didn't seem to hear him. He shook off Midorima's grip and lunged through the window, shattering the glass.
"Damn it!" Midorima cursed and, without hesitation, chased after him through the broken window.
The village's attitude toward The Third had always been ambiguous.
Some believed he deserved death, while others argued that everyone made mistakes and that the blame shouldn't fall solely on one person.
But regardless of which side they were on, no one could deny one fact—The Third had disappeared.
If he were to reappear now, the old debates would resurface.
Of course, there were established punishments for The Third's crimes, and Midorima believed that even those who had once condemned him might soften their stance if they saw the state he was in now.
There was no telling what an out-of-control The Third might do. But whatever it was, people would inevitably recall his past atrocities. And Midorima, having associated with him, wouldn't escape unscathed either.
The Third sprinted wildly ahead, and Midorima followed closely, not daring to relax. Surprisingly, The Third wasn't rampaging or attacking anyone—instead, he was making a beeline for the village entrance.
This didn't seem like a mindless frenzy. From the start, he appeared to have a clear destination in mind.
Midorima's tension eased slightly, but curiosity took its place. What had The Third sensed to trigger this reaction?
This wasn't a loss of control—it was more like he had been provoked or had remembered something.
Had the person who hurt him arrived?
The thought flashed through Midorima's mind, sending a chill down his spine.
"Who are you? Stop right there!" Ahead, a line of ninja guarded the village entrance, blocking The Third's path. At the front was Igawa.
The Third roared, and water-style chakra surged through the air. A massive water dragon erupted toward the guards.
Seeing the ferocious attack, Igawa didn't dare take it lightly. He formed hand signs and spat out a water serpent from his mouth, colliding with The Third's dragon. The two techniques shattered against each other in an explosion of water.
The Third charged through the falling droplets without hesitation, breaking past the village gates.
Igawa's blood ran cold when he recognized the shadowy figure as The Third. Then, another figure shot past overhead—Midorima.
Asachi Midorima?!
Why were these two together? Had they sensed Zetsu's presence?
This was bad.
Midorima was one thing, but if The Third—the Third Mizukage—ran into Zetsu and his group, wouldn't that just mean reinforcements for them?
They might be able to handle one Mizukage, but two? If they failed, even if the Mizukage didn't hold him accountable, Igawa wouldn't be able to deal with Zetsu and the others.
Damn it all!
That bastard Midorima—Igawa had planned to leave him alone for a while longer, but now he was forcing his hand!
Igawa's fury burned. No one took him seriously anymore—this couldn't stand!
"All of you, stay on high alert! I'm going after them!" Without waiting for the others' approval, he dashed out of the village after Midorima.
Midorima kept close behind The Third, trying to catch up, but The Third's speed was unnaturally fast—as if he feared something would disappear if he didn't hurry.
This only strengthened Midorima's suspicion—something related to The Third must have happened.
An enemy?
Midorima wasn't sure, but it never hurt to be cautious. The only problem was that he'd left in such a hurry that he hadn't brought a proper weapon.
Then again, if the opponent was someone who could drive The Third to this state, even a weapon would be useless.
Just then, The Third veered into a mountain path, leaping between tree branches like an ape.
It looked effortless, but navigating the branches with such precision in the dark was no easy feat.
Midorima lost focus for just a moment, and the distance between them widened. At the same time, an overwhelming surge of chakra erupted from ahead.
He had never felt such immense chakra before—compared to this, even The Third seemed weak.
Who was it?
Yagura? A tailed beast? Or…
The Akatsuki?!
The thought sent a cold shiver down Midorima's spine. A deep, gnawing dread settled in his chest.
Years ago, Kirigakure had fought a brutal war against Konoha.
In that battle, the Three-Tails—originally Kirigakure's tailed beast—had been sealed into Rin Nohara's body. The Mist ninja had even placed a cursed seal on her heart, ensuring that if she ever returned to Konoha, the Three-Tails would break free and destroy the village.
To prevent this tragedy, Rin had begged Kakashi to kill her—and Uchiha Obito, who had secretly loved her, had witnessed it all.
The mastermind behind everything was Uchiha Madara, but Obito didn't know that. Or rather, from the moment Rin died, the truth no longer mattered to him.
A world without Rin was meaningless—even the truth held no value.
And Kirigakure, the village that had harmed her, was now on Obito's list of enemies.
Controlling Yagura and deepening the horrors of the "Bloody Mist Village" might have been Obito's revenge.
Of course, Uchiha Madara was long dead. In the original story, Obito had taken Madara's name and, alongside the Akatsuki, launched an assault on Kirigakure.
Midorima had assumed that attack would come much later—he never expected it to happen so soon.
The Third charged ahead, his figure flickering in and out of sight in the darkness. Midorima struggled to keep up, fighting to maintain the distance between them.
Suddenly, The Third leaped—straight off the mountaintop.
Midorima rushed to the cliff's edge and looked down.
A massive tailed beast lay sprawled across the barren ground below, barely alive. Surrounding it were three figures—likely its attackers.
With a furious roar, The Third unleashed a water dragon straight at them from above.