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Midorima had initially thought Mei Terumī might be shy, but she showed no intention of hiding her feelings.
Unfortunately, this wasn't the time for conversation. The Six-Tails was still rampaging through Kirigakure, and for Midorima, every second counted.
Midorima set Mei Terumī down and turned to Makoto. "Ma'am, your enemy is the Mizukage. These villagers are victims, just like you. Please, you and the rebels, help them?"
Makoto thought for a moment, then nodded. "I'll listen to you. Anyone else, no matter who, couldn't make me agree."
With that, she turned and called out to the fleeing rebels.
"Look at you! Is this any way for men to act? All you know is running! Come back and take responsibility!"
Under Makoto's supervision, the retreating rebels began to return to the village, helping to organize the evacuation.
Mei Terumī stared in amazement.
The rebels that Zabuza couldn't command had listened to Midorima's words. It was as if he had never left Kirigakure, as if he was one of them.
"Why do they listen to you?" Mei Terumī asked.
"They don't listen to me," Midorima shook his head. "They listen to Makoto. I'm just a messenger."
Makoto...
Mei Terumī committed the name of this woman who commanded the rebels to memory, but she was also puzzled—what was the relationship between this woman named Makoto and Midorima?
"Jūgo." Midorima looked back.
"Here, sir." Jūgo stepped out from the crowd.
Midorima pointed at the Third Mizukage, who was locked in fierce battle with the Hōzuki brothers. "Go help them. Subdue that old man. Try not to hurt him."
His feelings towards the Third Mizukage were complex.
If not for pursuing him, Midorima might never have encountered the "Akatsuki" attacking the two Mizukage, and he wouldn't have left Kirigakure as a "rogue ninja." But at the same time, without the Third Mizukage, Midorima wouldn't have gained the ability to protect himself so quickly.
This, perhaps, was fate?
Seeing Jūgo join the fight, Midorima signaled Mei Terumī to leave.
"He's very strong..." Mei Terumī shook her head. "I can still fight."
"I know. But I hope you can give me some space. I'm also afraid of accidentally hurting you."
Leaving these words, Midorima leaped onto a rooftop.
One-third of the village had been affected by the Six-Tails. Countless were dead or injured.
The Six-Tails, the instigator, continued to spray acid indiscriminately in all directions.
A normal tailed beast would never act like this!
Even after being separated from its jinchūriki, a tailed beast wouldn't lose its sanity. When the Three-Tails left Rin Nohara, it didn't go berserk. Similarly, although Naruto often couldn't control the Nine-Tails, at those times, it was Naruto who lost control, not the Nine-Tails. Or rather, it was precisely because the Nine-Tails retained its sanity that things didn't get worse.
In the manga, a tailed beast going berserk happened only once—the "Nine-Tails Incident." And that incident occurred because Obito used his Sharingan to place the Nine-Tails under genjutsu.
It seemed Obito was using the same method, reenacting the tragedy that had happened in Konoha here in Kirigakure.
Thinking this, anger rose in Midorima's heart.
A tailed beast under genjutsu was much harder to awaken than a person.
During the "Nine-Tails Incident," Minato Namikaze was already the Hokage, yet he still paid with his life. And almost the entire village had mobilized to stop it.
In contrast, Kirigakure was already at its limit. The Third Mizukage was fighting the Hōzuki brothers. Yagura was nowhere to be seen. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen, the village's elite, were practically non-existent.
Kirigakure's remaining combat power couldn't possibly stop the Six-Tails.
Worse, lurking in the shadows was Obito Uchiha, the one manipulating everything.
These thoughts raced through Midorima's mind, and he felt the difficulty—almost insurmountable.
But no matter how hard, he had to press on.
Not just because this was Kirigakure, but because the "Akatsuki" had already begun targeting the major villages. He couldn't let the Six-Tails become Obito's prey.
So, as the Six-Tails turned its attention to him, Midorima began his own action.
Even if the Six-Tails was out of control, he had to find a way to stop it.
The Six-Tails slowly moved towards Midorima, but the corrosive liquid it secreted sprayed at him without restraint.
Unless he used "Susanoo," Midorima couldn't withstand the Six-Tails' frontal assault. And with Obito lurking in the shadows, he couldn't easily reveal Susanoo.
Besides, the massive Susanoo would only double the damage to Kirigakure.
As for summoning the or Garaga... they would be useless.
Midorima's only hope was to use speed to close the distance with the Six-Tails.
Gathering Lightning Release chakra in his legs, Midorima used "Lightning Charge," transforming into a bolt of lightning as he raced towards the Six-Tails. Just as acid was about to fall on him, a large tree suddenly sprouted from the ground, blocking the acid before rapidly withering.
Seizing this brief opening, Midorima reached the Six-Tails' vicinity.
Throughout his sprint, his hands never stopped forming seals. As he arrived beneath the Six-Tails, the surrounding trees move all over the place, as if trying to imprison it completely.
"Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!" Midorima declared.
Trees grew wildly. In an instant, a forest had sprouted around the Six-Tails, trapping it within.
Mei Terumī's mouth fell open. Her mind went blank. She pinched her cheek. It hurt. She wasn't dreaming.
Wood Release was also a type of Kekkei Genkai, usable only by a select few. Before Midorima left Kirigakure, he couldn't use Wood Release.
And now, he used it with ease.
Even more terrifying, using this technique required immense chakra. Ordinary people couldn't even muster the chakra for weak Wood Release technique.
Mei Terumī knew Midorima's displayed strength wasn't a given. He must have endured unimaginable hardship to reach this point.
What had Midorima experienced after leaving Kirigakure?
Soon, the growing trees concealed the Six-Tails' massive form.
Before Mei Terumī could sigh with relief, the trees imprisoning the Six-Tails began rapidly withering. Acid sprayed continuously from between the branches. In moments, the entire forest was reduced to withered debris.
"Can't trap you after all." Midorima pressed his palm to the ground. Intricate markings glowed bright red. A woman with a human upper body and a snake's tail materialized from thin air.
"Didn't I tell you not to summon me?" The woman stretched languidly, her expression displeased.
"You told me, but I never agreed." Midorima's lips curled. "I need your help this time, Tagitsuhime."