Naruto: Starting as a Defector in The Hidden Mist Village

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Throwing dice with Midorima had given Tsunade a great boost of confidence. 

After parting ways with Midorima, she immediately dragged Shizune into the casino and placed the exchanged chips on the betting table. 

Against all odds, Tsunade won three times in a row. 

Shizune was overjoyed. After following Tsunade for so long, she finally knew what it felt like to win money. 

But Tsunade frowned. 

To win this much… 

A sudden unease crept into her heart. 

Just then, the casino door burst open as two people rushed in, panting. 

"That was terrifying! How could there be a fight outside the village?" 

"I almost thought I was dead." 

"Those ninjas don't even care where they are… If the Konoha ninjas were here, they'd take care of them all." 

Ninjas? 

Tsunade immediately stopped what she was doing and turned to the newcomers. "Was the fight outside the village intense?" 

"The trees were destroyed, and the ground was blasted with craters—of course it was intense!" 

"Two against one, how shameless." 

"What did the person being ganged up on look like?" 

"Black hair, looks pretty young, fairly tall. Wearing gray clothes…" 

Before the man could finish, Tsunade bolted out the door. "Shizune, wait for me here!" 

From the description, Tsunade was almost certain the one being attacked was Midorima. 

They had only met yesterday, sharing nothing more than a meal, yet Tsunade had taken a strong liking to him. 

Moreover, Midorima carried many secrets—especially since, before leaving, he had mentioned knowing things about Konoha. 

For both personal and logical reasons, she didn't want anything to happen to him. 

Tsunade sprinted to the village entrance and scanned the surroundings. Sure enough, about two or three hundred meters away, she spotted two ninjas relentlessly attacking a single figure. 

The two assailants were gaining momentum, while the lone fighter was gradually being pushed into a disadvantage. 

Tsunade closed the distance to within a dozen meters before slamming her fist into the ground. A fissure split the earth, racing toward the combatants. 

The three immediately scattered to either side of the crack. 

Midorima was panting heavily, his clothes drenched in sweat. Most of his kunai and shuriken had been spent, and though he had managed to hold his own, he was already wounded in several places. 

Seeing Tsunade appear, Midorima was stunned. "What are you doing here?" 

"What's going on?" Tsunade glared at Kakuzu and his partner, her expression severe. 

"It's… complicated. You know I'm from Kirigakure, right?" Midorima wiped his sweat, using the moment to catch his breath. Meanwhile, his wounds were rapidly healing thanks to the effects of the [Catalysis Chamber]. 

Thankfully, Kakuzu's partner wasn't Hidan—otherwise, the blood he'd lost would have been enough for Hidan to kill him. 

In Naruto, Sarutobi Asuma had died precisely because of Hidan's ritual. 

"I know," Tsunade said grimly. 

"Kirigakure's Deputy Chief Igawa Bu, conspired with outsiders to control the Fourth Mizukage. I happened to witness it, so Igawa framed me as a 'traitor' to silence me. Otherwise, why would a medical ninja like me have a 25 million ryo bounty?" 

Tsunade wasn't the type to be swayed by money—she wouldn't betray him for the reward. 

Midorima glanced at her and suddenly noticed something odd in her gaze. 

"What's wrong?" he asked. 

"Nothing… I just didn't expect you to be worth so many 'chips.'" Tsunade coughed lightly. 

"…" 

Kakuzu stepped forward, his eyes locked onto Tsunade. "He's our prey." 

"Ah… I still have some questions for him. How about this—come back tomorrow, and I'll hand him over to you." Tsunade planted a hand on her hip. "Otherwise, you might not leave here alive." 

Kakuzu's partner lost his temper. "We know you're Tsunade, but who are you trying to scare?" 

"If you don't want to be scared, then try me." Tsunade clenched her fist. 

"Sorry," Kakuzu smirked, "but while you're one of the 'Legendary Sannin,' your strength lies in healing. In terms of combat ability, you're far weaker than Orochimaru or Jiraiya. You talk big, but you don't have the power to back it up." 

Tsunade's eyes narrowed, her grip tightening. 

Midorima quickly grabbed her wrist. "Don't fall for it." 

The three Sannin each had their own strengths. 

Among them, Jiraiya was the master of ninjutsu, excelling in both conventional techniques and sage arts. Orochimaru's prowess lay in research, but he was still far stronger than most elite jonin. 

By comparison, Tsunade's medical ninjutsu made her seem less threatening on the battlefield than her teammates. 

However, during the Second Shinobi World War, Tsunade had fought on the front lines alongside Jiraiya and Orochimaru, facing Hanzo of the Salamander. 

If she hadn't been strong enough, she would have died long ago. 

"Seems like I've been out of the game too long—people have started looking down on me." Tsunade's anger flared as she shook off Midorima's grip and lunged forward, throwing a punch. 

The strike seemed straightforward and slow, yet Kakuzu made no move to dodge. He took the blow head-on, skidding back several meters before steadying himself, his arm numb. 

"You okay?" his partner asked disdainfully. 

"Shut up!" Kakuzu roared, forming hand seals. His arms darkened as they hardened. 

Earth Release: Earth Spear! 

"Let's see who's stronger now!" Kakuzu charged at Tsunade. 

Seeing her prepare to engage, Midorima quickly formed his own seals. Several lightning orbs shot toward Kakuzu as Midorima intercepted him before Tsunade could. 

"What are you doing?" Tsunade demanded. 

"Big sis, you take care of the other guy. I'll hold off this one." Midorima didn't have time to explain further. As Kakuzu dodged the lightning orbs, Midorima closed in with a kunai, aiming for his head. 

Kakuzu caught the kunai mid-air and hurled Midorima aside. 

Midorima slid back several meters before regaining his footing. 

"I was planning to kill you later, but you're in a hurry to die!" Kakuzu sneered. "You were running for your life earlier." 

"Of course I ran when it was two against one. But one-on-one? I'm not afraid of you." Midorima grinned. 

Beating Kakuzu wasn't impossible, but the odds were slim. 

In a way, Kakuzu was beyond Midorima's current ability to handle alone—but he had his reasons for this move. 

If Kakuzu's partner had been Hidan, killing him would have been impossible, but Midorima could have exploited his knowledge of Hidan's abilities to outmaneuver him. 

Instead, Kakuzu's partner was a ninja Midorima had never seen before—an unknown factor with unpredictable techniques and abilities. 

Fighting him was like opening a blind box—who knew what kind of "surprise" awaited? 

But for Tsunade, facing either opponent would have been the same gamble. It was better for her to deal with Kakuzu's partner. 

As for Kakuzu, Midorima already knew what to expect. 

He just needed to stall Kakuzu long enough for Tsunade to defeat the other ninja. Once Kakuzu's abilities were exposed, they could team up to take him down.

*****

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