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Midorima had every reason to be angry.
His relationship with Zabuza had never been good. Ever since Zabuza had cut him down, the two hadn't seen each other again.
Apologies? Visiting him in the hospital?
Forget about it—Zabuza wasn't the type to bother with such delicate gestures.
When Midorima learned that it was Zabuza who had brought him and Mei Terumī back, he couldn't quite figure out the reason behind it.
Still, coming back alive was a good thing.
Thanks to the existence of the [Catalysis Chamber] and the [Final Defense Line], as long as he didn't suffer fatal injuries in quick succession, Midorima could usually survive, and his recovery speed was relatively fast.
When he was brought in, both of his arms had been badly injured, especially his shoulders—nearly pierced through by Mizukage's longsword. So, the medical-nin had bandaged him up.
As for the splints…
That had been Shūsaku's decision.
Just as Midorima asked Mei to remove the splints, Shūsaku walked into the ward.
"What are you two doing?" Shūsaku frowned.
"Exactly what it looks like," Midorima said, flexing his arm. "Captain, my injuries aren't that serious."
"But I need to rule out any possible causes for your coma," Shūsaku replied, leaning in to inspect the wound on Midorima's shoulder. "Seems I was right—once the injury healed, you woke up."
"…"
'Are you a quack doctor or something? I passed out from running out of chakra.'
Midorima glanced at Shūsaku, noticed him smirking, and sighed, rubbing his forehead.
After seeing Mei off, Shūsaku pulled up a chair and sat across from Midorima.
"So?" Shūsaku grinned, nudging him with his elbow.
"So… what?"
Midorima had never seen Shūsaku smile so creepily before. He scooted his chair back, trying to put some distance between them.
"Don't play dumb, kid. At your age, I was already married." Shūsaku stroked his goatee, as if lost in nostalgia. "Sigh… as shinobi, who knows when we'll die? Don't you want to settle things while you can?"
Midorima straightened up. "Sensei, some things can't be rushed. I'd rather wait until I'm an adult before considering marriage."
If he wanted to slack off, he certainly could—for a long time. But as long as Obito was active, there was always the risk of Madara's revival.
If that happened, and Madara unleashed the 'Infinite Tsukuyomi', what would Midorima do?
Even if he crawled into a rat hole, he'd still be caught in the genjutsu.
Was he supposed to just wait for Naruto and Sasuke to save him?
Entrusting his fate to others was beyond foolish.
And what if Naruto and Sasuke 'lost' to Madara?
What if his presence in this world caused a 'butterfly effect', altering their fates from the original story? That would be disastrous.
If he wanted to survive in this world, he needed strength—real strength.
Besides, he hadn't even left Kirigakure yet. He hadn't seen the world outside.
Thinking about marriage now was way too early.
Shūsaku had only brought it up because he noticed Midorima and Mei seemed close. Hearing Midorima's reasoning, he nodded slightly.
"Fair enough. Now, onto business. The Mizukage wants to see you once you've recovered. Killing Katsuramaru was no small feat, and you two played an irreplaceable role in it. You deserve recognition."
Midorima forced a nod.
Just as he had advised Mei, it was better not to expose the fact that Akizaki had tried to kill them. As infuriating as it was, avoiding the truth would save them a lot of trouble.
Especially since his father was the deputy commander of the Anbu.
If he found out that Akizaki had fought Midorima before dying, he might just decide to eliminate him.
Being targeted by the Anbu's second-in-command while still in the 'newbie stage'? That would crank the difficulty to maximum right from the start.
So, no matter how unsatisfied he was, he had to endure—for now.
"Oh, one more thing," Shūsaku said, pausing at the door. "Are you attending Akizaki's funeral?"
"When is it? Can I skip it?"
Midorima wanted nothing more to do with Mizukage.
"The burial is the day after tomorrow… but I doubt you can refuse."
"…"
'Then why even ask?'
Midorima mentally facepalmed.
Shinobi recognized as "heroes" were given formal funeral rites, and at the very least, those closely connected to the deceased were expected to attend.
Mizukage's last mission had been with Midorima and Mei. By protocol, he had to go.
In stark contrast, the funeral of the sensor-nin Akizaki had killed was far more subdued. The irony was almost laughable.
Since Midorima had been "injured," Shūsaku granted him a rare two-day leave.
During that time, he'd have to meet Akizaki and attend a funeral.
After some discussion, they settled on the following morning.
Once home, Midorima locked the door, double-checked the windows for drafts, and hurried into his room.
This mission had nearly killed him—but every coin had two sides.
For all the bad, there was also good.
As the saying went, 'the greater the risk, the greater the reward.'
Just like last time, at the brink of death, he had unlocked the [Cell Lab]'s hidden condition: [Overload]. As the name suggested, it allowed him to 'borrow' chakra.
Midorima had a theory: the [Overload] chakra might come from reserves stored within the [Cell Lab] itself.
Once depleted, the [Cell Lab] needed time to replenish, which would explain why he couldn't refine chakra for 24 hours afterward.
Of course, this was just speculation.
Even after over a year with this "cheat ability," much of the [Cell Lab] remained unexplored.
With [Overload] unlocked, a new functional area had opened up.
Midorima remembered, just before losing consciousness, a line of text flashing before his eyes:
"'Analysis Lab' unlocked… Analyzing 'Exploding Water Collision Wave'…"'
The [Analysis Lab]—this had to be the new feature.
Pulling up the [Cell Lab]'s structural diagram, Midorima immediately spotted it. His heartbeat quickened as he skimmed the description.
The [Analysis Lab] analyzed and deciphered residual chakra left in the body. Once decoded, the user could replicate the corresponding jutsu.
The excitement that surged through Midorima at this revelation was indescribable.
Compared to his peers, his chakra reserves were already impressive—even Mei couldn't match him. What he lacked was jutsu.
Assigned to the medical team, he had no access to combat techniques. In dangerous situations, he was limited to basics like 'Gale Palm' and 'Great Breakthrough'.
It had been his biggest headache.
But now, with this function… could he finally learn other jutsu?
As thrilled as he was, the [Analysis Lab] came with caveats.
To fully grasp its mechanics, Midorima carefully read through every note.