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The battle began with a Water Dragon Jutsu, which took Midorima by surprise and made him realize just how determined Suigetsu was.
However, while the Water Dragon Jutsu was a B-rank technique, its power heavily depended on the user's skill and the surrounding environment.
With no nearby water source behind the mountain, the jutsu's effectiveness was greatly diminished. Moreover, Suigetsu's chakra reserves were nowhere near those of a fully trained shinobi. As a result, the attack looked intimidating but lacked the destructive force Midorima had expected.
Even so, Midorima didn't dare let his guard down.
Defeating Suigetsu would be easy, but forcing Mangetsu to reveal himself without seriously injuring Suigetsu was a far more difficult task.
Midorima wanted to fight Mangetsu—not give him a reason to kill him.
Thus, he used a Water Clone as a decoy while his real body moved behind Suigetsu, intending to restrain him. But the moment his hand clamped onto Suigetsu's shoulder, the boy's body turned into a puddle of water.
"Haha! I knew you'd try to ambush me from behind!" Suigetsu grinned triumphantly, as if he had outsmarted Midorima.
Hydrification Technique?!
Midorima was taken aback.
This was a secret jutsu of the Hōzuki clan—something most shinobi couldn't perform.
Considering Suigetsu's young age, Midorima hadn't anticipated him knowing it.
'Hydrification Technique. Rank: Secret. Analysis Success Rate: ?. Beginning analysis now…'
Since foreign chakra didn't linger long in his body, Midorima had programmed the Analysis Lab to automatically scan any unknown jutsu to maximize decryption efficiency.
Secret techniques like this were typically either bloodline-based or passed down in specific regions.
If it was the latter, there was a chance he could replicate it. But if it was the former, even if he deciphered it, it'd be useless to him.
Midorima wasn't particularly invested in cracking the Hydrification Technique. Instead, he hoped Suigetsu would use more new jutsu.
However, Suigetsu was still a child—his chakra reserves were nowhere near an adult's. After using four or five techniques in succession, he was already panting heavily.
"Hey, kid, is your brother coming or not?" Midorima smirked.
"A weakling like you? My brother could crush you with a single finger! You're not even worthy of fighting him! Just wait—once I catch you, I'll cut your head off!"
Though outmatched, Suigetsu refused to back down verbally, venting his frustration through insults.
Midorima wasn't offended.
Suigetsu had never been known for his manners—his epithet "Second Coming of the Demon" spoke volumes. Severing limbs was practically his trademark, though he probably hadn't reached that level of brutality yet.
"Kid, I'm not here to fight you. If your brother won't show up, I'm leaving."
Bullying a child wasn't entertaining. Midorima already knew all the standard Water Release techniques Suigetsu could use, and even if he decrypted the Hōzuki clan's secret jutsu, he likely wouldn't be able to replicate them.
If Mangetsu refused to appear, there was no point in wasting time.
As Midorima turned away, the Cell Lab sent a notification: "Hydrification Technique decryption complete."
"…"
Midorima didn't know how to feel.
Was the Hydrification Technique good?
Hell yes, it was.
But could he use it? No. So what was the point?
"Hey! Don't run! We're not done yet!" Seeing Midorima leave, Suigetsu panicked and charged at him at full speed.
Midorima's patience had run out. He turned, debating whether to teach the kid a lesson, when suddenly—Suigetsu crashed into his chest, catching him completely off guard.
"Hey, I'm only interested in your brother—get off—"
Suigetsu didn't respond.
Midorima quickly looked down and saw the boy's face twisted in pain, his eyes tightly shut, blood trickling from his mouth.
"Huh?"
For a moment, Midorima was confused.
"That bastard killed a Hōzuki! Don't let him escape!"
Someone in the crowd shouted, and like a stone thrown into calm water, the words sent ripples of panic through the onlookers. They immediately surrounded Midorima, blocking any escape routes, while someone ran off to alert the Hōzuki clan.
I've been set up.
The realization hit Midorima instantly.
If even he, standing right next to Suigetsu, couldn't tell whether the boy was dead, how could anyone else?
The sudden accusation had bypassed all logic, instantly painting Midorima as the murderer in the eyes of the crowd.
Midorima quickly examined Suigetsu's wound—a kunai buried deep in his back.
The priority now was treating the injury, but the chaotic environment made removing the kunai too risky.
Laying Suigetsu face-down on the ground, Midorima stood and scanned the crowd, searching for the instigator. But night had fallen, and the dim lighting made it impossible to pick out the culprit among the sea of shadows.
At this point, even if he tried to explain, no one would listen.
"Grab him! Hand him over to the Hōzuki!"
"Yeah, take him down!"
The mob inched forward, ready to seize him.
"Stop!" Midorima shouted, still focused on Suigetsu. "He's not dead yet! Give me space, and I can still save him. Any delay, and he will die!"
"Don't listen to him! He's just stalling to escape!" another voice rang out from the crowd.
Stalling? Right now, all I want is to find the guy talking and have a "long" chat with him.
Midorima's jaw clenched, but he knew time was running out. Without hesitation, he tore open Suigetsu's shirt and activated the Chakra Scalpel, beginning emergency surgery.
"He's harming Suigetsu! Stop him!"
Four or five men lunged at Midorima.
"Enough!" Midorima barked, not looking up from his work. "Suigetsu is only injured—not dead. I want to know who shouted earlier that I "killed" him. If he's still alive, why would someone claim otherwise? Was the attacker the one who yelled it?"
The charging men froze, glancing back at the crowd.
Silence fell over the scene.
Midorima had no time to hunt for the culprit—the kunai was poisoned, and Suigetsu's condition was worse than expected.
The best technique for this kind of injury was the Precise Extraction Jutsu, which could remove toxins from the body.
But Kirigakure didn't have such medical ninjutsu. The safest option was to rush Suigetsu to the hospital—but would he survive that long?
And even if they made it, could Shūsaku Shimomura guarantee the poison's extraction?
It wasn't that Midorima distrusted Shimomura. In "Naruto", when Kankurō was poisoned by Sasori, even Chiyo—a legendary medical-nin—couldn't save him. It took Sakura's intervention.
What hope did Shimomura have compared to Chiyo?
Taking a deep breath, Midorima steeled himself.
He had to save Suigetsu.