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After being left alone with the young man, Midorima told him about the old man's poisoning—partly to warn him to be wary of those around him, and partly to avoid exposing himself to the perpetrator's attention.
After all, Igawa hadn't gone far yet. If the poisoner decided to go down fighting and revealed Midorima's presence to Igawa, wouldn't that be a huge loss for him?
As for why someone would poison the old man, the answer was obvious with just a little thought.
Either it was for money, or because the old man was too healthy and showed no signs of dying anytime soon, while the person waiting to inherit his position had grown impatient. Hence, this underhanded scheme.
Who did it and why didn't matter to Midorima. He just wanted to lay low.
The young man frowned deeply. Clearly, in his eyes, this matter was more troublesome than dealing with Igawa.
After about three or four minutes of silence, the young man took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm.
"What you said is one possibility, but I have no reason to trust you."
Midorima shrugged.
They had only met once. It was normal for the young man not to believe him.
"Unless… you can cure him."
Midorima glanced at the old man, who already looked half-dead. "You sure you didn't poison him yourself?"
The young man clenched his fists.
If Midorima weren't his father's only hope, he would've punched him already.
"No."
"Good. I can try to save him, but you'll have to agree to three conditions."
"What conditions?" The young man instantly grew wary.
"First, I'm starving. Before treating him, I need a proper meal. I'm not making excuses—it's just that curing his poison will take a lot of energy. If I collapse before even starting, it'll be a waste." Midorima rubbed his stomach. The five bowls of ramen he'd eaten earlier were long gone.
The young man understood the logic and nodded solemnly.
"Second, no outsiders can be present during the treatment. You can stay, but once you enter, you can't leave, and no one else can come in."
Some confidentiality measures were necessary.
The young man agreed without hesitation.
"Third, since I'm treating your father, it's only fair you tell me your name."
"Fine, but you'll have to give me your real name too."
"What do you mean?" Midorima played dumb.
"Those people earlier were after you, weren't they? The only reason I went against Kirigakure's ninjas was because you might be able to save my father. I don't want to hand you over. Don't worry—I have no interest in Kirigakure's affairs. In fact, from my perspective, the more chaos in Kirigakure, the better." The young man extended his hand. "I'm Iwasaki Kazuichi, eldest son of the Iwasaki family in the Land of Fire."
The Iwasaki family?
Naruto's lore didn't delve much into the Land of Fire's noble families, so Midorima had never heard of them.
The young man had guessed Midorima was using a fake identity, likely due to a merchant's intuition. But claiming he knew Igawa had boarded the ship specifically for Midorima? That was pure bluff. At best, it was a gamble.
Merchants' words were only half-trustworthy.
"Or should I call those people back?" Midorima spread his hands. "I don't care—worst case, I'll be interrogated for a few days. But can your father wait that long?"
Iwasaki Kazuichi clicked his tongue in frustration. There really was nothing he could do about Midorima.
"Let's focus on treating your father first. Oh, and make sure there's plenty of meat." Midorima smoothly avoided the name issue.
Iwasaki nodded, opened the door to instruct a maid to prepare food, then closed it again and sat down in a chair.
"Aren't you going after the poisoner?" Midorima asked curiously.
"Even if what you said is true, now isn't the best time to hunt them down. Once the ship leaves the port, the culprit won't be able to escape." A faint smirk curled on Iwasaki's lips.
"Aren't you afraid they'll drill a hole in the ship and sink us all?" Midorima raised an eyebrow.
Not that it mattered to him—he could just swim to shore, though it'd take some time. But Iwasaki and the old man? They'd be in trouble.
Iwasaki's face paled. It took him over a minute to recover. "You should go into business with me. It's a waste of talent for you to stay where you are."
Midorima stared at Iwasaki. The man had a fair complexion, but his mind was always scheming for profit.
"If I went into business, your father wouldn't have a doctor." Midorima politely declined.
"That's fine. We have Tsunade-hime. Once we return to the Land of Fire, I won't be in a hurry anymore." Iwasaki smirked.
"You know her?" Midorima was surprised.
"How could I not? Every time we seek her help, we pay her a fortune… Though, come to think of it, despite all the money we've given her, she never seems to save any. Logically, she should've been financially free long ago." Iwasaki rubbed his chin.
"…"
Midorima broke out in a cold sweat. So Tsunade the "Legendary Sucker" was being funded by these guys?
"Let's… discuss this another time." Midorima still had his own problems to deal with.
First, he needed to find a way to clear his name.
The best method to extract the poison was the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique, a B-rank medical ninjutsu used by Sakura in Naruto to save a poisoned Kankuro
It wasn't overly complex, but since it was a Konoha technique—passed down from Tsunade to Sakura—Midorima, lacking such connections, couldn't openly use it.
Still, he wasn't completely helpless.
Back when Hōzuki Suigetsu was poisoned, Midorima had used Chakra Scalpel combined with the Power Chamber's activation ability to extract the toxins, gaining valuable experience in the process.
Right now, what Midorima needed more than anything was food.
Before long, the maid brought in the meal—four 20cm-long grilled fish, among other dishes—which Midorima devoured like a storm.
When the maid came to clear the plates, she was shocked. Midorima had eaten enough for five people and still seemed only barely satisfied.
Iwasaki's expression also turned uneasy.
He'd seen Tsunade-hime work before, but she'd never eaten like this.
Was this guy just a glutton?
Soon, Midorima's performance dispelled his doubts.
Iwasaki ordered guards to stand outside the bedroom while he stayed inside, watching as Midorima treated his father.
When Midorima used Chakra Scalpel to extract the poison from the old man's body, Iwasaki's eyes filled with admiration.
But when Midorima announced that the first phase of treatment was complete, Iwasaki grew visibly agitated, muttering curses under his breath about "traitors."
Midorima had no interest in getting dragged into the Iwasaki family's messy drama. He had enough problems of his own—no time to meddle in others' affairs.
Besides, while ninjas did need money—tools like kunai, shuriken, and explosive tags weren't free—those with real skill never struggled financially.
Take Tsunade-hime. She'd gambled all her life, earning the nickname "The Legendary Sucker," yet she'd never starved.
Of course, Tsunade's medical skills were unmatched, and as one of the Sannin, earning a fortune through healing was effortless for her.
Making big money through expertise—that was one of Midorima's goals too.
*****
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