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For Konoha Village, the "Nine-Tails Incident" was an indelible mark on its history. However, that chaos occurred on the outskirts of the village, not in its heart like what happened today in Kirigakure. Consequently, the "Six-Tails Incident" inflicted far greater damage on Kirigakure, both in terms of destruction to the village and the number of casualties, far exceeding the impact of the Nine-Tails' rampage.
The Hōzuki brothers, working in tandem with Jūgo, managed to subdue the Third Mizukage. During the fierce struggle, in the heat of unrestrained combat, Jūgo accidentally knocked out the Mizukage's front teeth. When Midorima saw the Third Mizukage with that gap-toothed grin, he was momentarily struck speechless.
Although the Third Mizukage had lost his self-awareness and his actions were beyond his control, as an accomplice to Igawa Bu's schemes, even if he survived this ordeal, it seemed unlikely he would ever know freedom again.
If the "Six-Tails Incident" brought any benefit worth mentioning, it was perhaps that rebels, led by Makoto, joined the efforts to treat and aid the villagers of Kirigakure. This act helped ease the tension between the rebels and the Kirigakure shinobi, providing a much-needed buffer. The rebels, despite their fierce attacks, had primarily clashed with the ninja and hadn't managed to penetrate deep into the village proper, let alone harm the civilian population. Therefore, the villagers held no resentment towards them—most were completely unaware of the rebels' true objective that day.
The Hōzuki brothers, Zabuza, and the others were crouched near some trees, tending to their bandages. When they noticed Midorima approaching, they could only manage a faint, weary smile. They had countless questions burning in their minds, but in their current exhausted state, it wasn't the right time to ask.
Meanwhile, Mei Terumī, clutching a wound on her side, was directing the efforts of all available Kirigakure ninja in the rescue and recovery operations. Turning to survey the devastation that was once her home, a deep sorrow clouded her beautiful features. Midorima handed the child he had been carrying to a passing Kirigakure ninja and walked over to her.
Mei's emotions churned like a rack of neatly arranged spices, each one distinct yet overwhelming. Finally, she took a deep breath, forcing the corners of her mouth upwards in an attempt at a smile, but her traitorous tears spilled over instead. Every time she tried to speak, a lump formed in her throat, choking her words. Eventually, she turned away, secretly wiping her tears, struggling to compose herself.
Seeing Mei's tear-streaked face, Midorima was a little taken aback. He cleared his throat softly. "An old friend returns, isn't this a good thing?"
"I... I never said it wasn't a good thing. I'm just... sad seeing the village destroyed. It has nothing to do with you." Mei's reply was stubborn, defensive.
"I see... Ahem, well, I was just taking a look around. Looks like there's nothing left for me to intervene here. And honestly, it seems like I'm not exactly welcome. Maybe I should just go?"
"Don't you dare!" Mei spun around instantly, only to find Midorima smiling gently at her. Embarrassed, she gave him a light kick, which immediately pulled at her wound, making her wince in pain.
"Lie down. Let me treat that injury," Midorima said with a resigned sigh.
Mei pouted but this time didn't argue. She obediently lay down on the ground. Midorima channeled his chakra into her body, assessed the extent of the damage, and began using chakra scalpels to carefully tend to the wound.
"By the way, how is Shimomura-sensei?" Midorima asked while working.
"Him? I think he's still in confinement..." Mei wasn't entirely sure.
"You should send someone to release him, He could help treat the wounded."
Mei secretly clutched the hem of Midorima's shirt, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I'm sorry."
"Hmm?"
"For you being falsely accused... I couldn't do anything. And now, it's the same. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even have been able to communicate with the rebels." Mei's voice was thick with guilt and self-reproach.
"It's not your fault. After all, without being the Mizukage yourself, there are many areas where your hands are tied." Midorima finished with the chakra scalpels and began using the Mystical Palm Technique on her wound. Once he was satisfied it was properly healed, he gently ruffled her hair. "The future of Kirigakure depends on people like you."
"Won't you stay? You just subdued the rampaging Six-Tails. You saved the village. If you wanted to... I think you could even become the Mizukage." Mei leaned back against the tree, hugging her knees tightly to her chest.
"Don't be ridiculous." Midorima scoffed lightly. "On what basis? Because I was wrongly accused? Every ninja village has people in my situation. Did they all become Kage? Don't joke around."
The thought of becoming Mizukage held no appeal for Midorima whatsoever. He had no real foundation or deep-rooted ties within Kirigakure. Why on earth would the position ever fall to him? Besides, the village, having just endured the "Blood Mist" era and now the devastating "Six-Tails Incident," was practically in ruins. Half of it lay destroyed. The sheer amount of work required to rebuild was staggering.
This included, but was far from limited to: resolving conflicts between various powerful factions, negotiating with the rebel forces, reconstructing the countless destroyed buildings, and tending to the massive number of injured.
And those were just the immediate, most pressing issues.
Looking ahead, there were even more complex problems: distributing compensation and pensions to the families of the deceased, revitalizing Kirigakure's shattered economy and commerce, re-establishing diplomatic ties and cooperative agreements with other hidden villages, and explaining the entire "Blood Mist" situation to the Land of Water's feudal lord... These were all incredibly intricate, politically charged, and difficult tasks to manage.
Among all these challenges, the most fundamental and hardest to solve was undoubtedly the issue of money. You couldn't just conjure funds out of thin air. Midorima had absolutely no desire to sink his time and energy into wading through that bureaucratic and financial quagmire.
Seeing his resolute expression, Mei's face fell again. "What are you going to do next, then?"
"For now, I can't stay in Kirigakure for an extended period. But before I go, could you possibly help me get that 'Missing-nin' status revoked? It has an awful ring to it." Midorima frowned, as if the thought itself was distasteful.
"..."
Mei shot him a dry look but didn't answer his question directly. Instead, she asked another. "You've been through a lot all these years. Is there anything you can tell me about it?"
"There is. Quite a bit, actually. Like who was really controlling the Third and Fourth Mizukage, and what their goals were. I've investigated all of that... Oh, speaking of which, what happened to the Fourth Mizukage?" Midorima realized he hadn't seen Yagura since arriving in the village.
"Him? He was taken away by that masked man."
"What!?" Midorima's mouth fell open. For a long moment, he couldn't utter a single word.
After all that effort, all that planning, Obito had still managed to take a jinchūriki and their tailed beast.
...
"Tch!"
Obito spat on the ground in disgust. Seeing Black Zetsu rapidly approaching him, he quickly pulled his mask back into place.
"What's that?" Obito asked, eyeing the object Zetsu was carrying.
"Kakuzu's head. This thing is worth a fortune at the bounty exchange. Here..." Zetsu held out the grisly trophy.
"Keep it." Obito didn't even reach for it. "Where did you find him?"
"In the forest over there. All five of his hearts were destroyed. A pretty gruesome end." Zetsu shook his head solemnly.
"What about Hidan?"
"Him? I couldn't find his body. Is he dead too?" Zetsu asked, sounding surprised.
Obito shook his head. "I just heard he was killed. Anyway... the Six-Tails was intercepted. Our plan didn't go as intended. Also, do you know Yoshida Shin?"
"Yes, I know him. What about him?" Zetsu was curious.
"He's actually Asachi Midorima, a missing-nin from Kirigakure. He infiltrated the Akatsuki and gathered a massive amount of intelligence on us. Once I get back, I'm going to kill him. No matter what it takes." Obito clenched his fist, his voice seething with cold rage.
Zetsu turned his gaze back towards the distant, damaged village of Kirigakure and nodded firmly in agreement.