Chapter 116 – The Missing-nin Hiruko
"I'm not interested in trading ninjutsu. Thanks, but no thanks."
Hatake Yusuke's words were blunt as ever. Without another glance, he turned on his heel, arms full of dessert packages he'd just bought.
"Damn it! Hatake Yusuke! What do I have to do to make you teach me?!"
It seemed he had severely underestimated the obsession some women had with maintaining their figure.
"First off, you're a kunoichi from another village. Second, we don't even know each other. And even if we did... you still wouldn't be able to learn it," he replied flatly.
"You bastard! What makes you so sure I can't?!"
"Hah. I don't have the energy to argue. I've got other things to do. Later."
And with that, Yusuke vanished from sight. Terumi Mei narrowed her eyes sharply.
Was that... the Flying Thunder God Technique? The one used by the Fourth Hokage? she thought, shocked that a freak like Yusuke could master even that.
Of course, what Yusuke used wasn't Flying Thunder God—but a dimensional teleportation based on his own innate power. The power of Ao.
— — —
"Welcome back, Yusuke," Minato said, blinking as the boy suddenly appeared in the Hokage's office.
"Heh, nothing major. Just figured I'd come home for a bit. You know, I can jump back anytime I want," Yusuke grinned as he tossed a parcel onto the desk.
"Haah... You're unbelievably irresponsible sometimes," Minato sighed, rubbing his temples. "What if the Raikage suddenly launched another attack? You can't just vanish like that."
"Don't worry. The old man won't try anything stupid again. Oh, and here, souvenirs from the Land of Lightning. Their local dessert. Honestly, it's amazing. Give some to Kushina-nee, will you?"
"Well, thanks on her behalf," Minato said as he accepted the bundle. "But... what do you mean 'he won't try anything'?"
"Not important. By the way, has Tsunade finished her mission yet?"
"Not yet. This one's a bit tricky. She and Orochimaru are both involved."
Yusuke raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What kind of mission needs both of them?"
"It's about a missing-nin. Used to be a Jōnin from Konoha, same generation as Tsunade. Not exactly physically powerful, but his jutsu... is bizarre. And dangerous."
"What's his name?" Yusuke asked, brows furrowed.
"Hiruko."
"...So it is him," Yusuke muttered.
"You know him?" Minato looked surprised.
"Yeah. He used to be on the same team as Tsunade," Yusuke replied, his mind flashing back to one technique in particular—Puppet Curse.
Kakashi... the curse technique... Hiruko... His thoughts connected in a heartbeat. "Shit! Minato-nii, where is Hiruko now?"
"What's wrong, Yusuke? Did something happen with Kakashi?"
"Tell me where he is."
"Hiruko killed someone in Iwagakure. Orochimaru believes he's heading toward the Land of Lightning. Tsunade's already en route to intercept him."
Yusuke's eyes narrowed. "So that's it. His next targets are the kekkei genkai in that region... Storm Release, maybe even Scorch Release like Pakura's. All calculated."
"Alright. I'm heading out."
Before Minato could even respond, Yusuke vanished—teleporting to the closest location he could find near Kakashi's last known position.
— — —
"Kakashi, come with me. Now."
Kakashi blinked at his older brother. "Huh? What's wrong? You look really serious."
"I'll explain later. Just come."
Before they could move, a group of enemy shinobi ambushed them, casting powerful ninjutsu.
The attack surged toward them—until it abruptly stopped in midair, suspended unnaturally, as if time itself had frozen.
"Who the hell are you? Konoha shinobi?! Kill them!" one of the missing-nin roared.
"Disgusting," Yusuke muttered, still not turning to face them.
He casually raised one hand, gathering blazing red energy into his palm. A pulse of crushing force burst outward in a ring.
The enemy shinobi didn't even scream. Their bodies were torn apart—silently, bloodlessly—disintegrating into the void.
Kakashi's teammates were frozen in awe. They'd struggled so hard just to survive... and this man had annihilated the enemy without even facing them.
"Kakashi. Mission's over. Let your team handle cleanup," Yusuke said as he grabbed Kakashi's wrist and teleported again—this time to the Hatake residence.
— — —
"Start talking. What's going on?" Kakashi demanded. He rarely saw his brother this tense.
"Did you come into contact with Hiruko?" Yusuke asked directly.
"No... but I was chasing him. Why?"
Yusuke's eyes narrowed. He uncovered his right eye and activated his Rinnegan, gazing directly at Kakashi.
"Kakashi... stop. That eye makes me uncomfortable."
"Just as I thought," Yusuke muttered. "Hiruko... you bastard."
"What is it?!" Kakashi asked, exasperated.
"You've been cursed. Puppet Curse. The moment he activates it, you'll become a lifeless puppet, his slave."
"I've been... cursed? When?!"
Yusuke exhaled.
"Relax. It's low-level. Look into my eyes."
His Rinnegan flared. Pulses of ocular power flowed into Kakashi's body, erasing the lingering fragments of the curse.
"There. It's gone."
Yusuke turned to leave. "I'm heading for the Land of Lightning. Oh, and here."
He tossed a small pouch to Kakashi.
"…Wait, aren't you supposed to be leading a team? Why are you even back in Konoha? Weren't you just in Kumogakure?"
"Because of this," Yusuke said casually. "These desserts are incredible. Edamame cream flavor—unbelievable. I bought them just for you."
"You abandoned your mission... for dessert?" Kakashi asked, exhausted.
"Of course. This is important, okay? You've got no idea how good they are. Consider it a token of brotherly love," Yusuke said with a completely serious face before grinning again.
"What kind of love is that?! And didn't you raise me yourself?! You know I hate sweets!"
"…Huh? Oh. Hahaha, right. Forgot about that. My bad. In that case, I'll take it back."
Before Kakashi could react, Yusuke swiped the pouch back and disappeared.
"Damn it, Aniki! Couldn't you have just delivered it there instead?!" Kakashi shouted in frustration. He could've saved me hours of walking…
"…Guess I'll report to Minato-sensei first."
He wasn't too worried about his team—the enemies had already been wiped out by his brother's overwhelming power.
But that technique…
The Rinnegan... I'll need to ask him more about that next time.
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