Chapter 183 - Finding Hiruko
A brown carriage, driven by a cloaked figure hidden beneath a gray hood, rolled slowly into a quiet, secluded valley.
Once the carriage stopped, the cloaked driver respectfully stood by the side of the vehicle, awaiting the emergence of the important person inside.
Clack. Clack.
The curtain covering the front of the carriage was lifted, and another cloaked figure stepped out.
As he descended, he gazed at the familiar landscape of the valley, then pulled back his hood—revealing a head of snow-white hair and a youthful face.
"Five years have passed, and I'm back in the Land of Fire. I wonder if old friends will still welcome me—haha, hahaha!"
His voice was full of excitement, tinged with a little nervousness—but above all, joy at returning to his homeland.
This man was none other than Hiruko, the person Kazane had been searching for all along.
Hiruko was a war orphan who had grown up relying on village stipends and the help of Tsunade and the others.
He grew up alongside Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya. Though they weren't related by blood, their bond was like that of real siblings.
However, as time passed, the differences between them grew.
Especially after the trio was dubbed the Legendary Sannin, renowned across the ninja world, Hiruko remained an ordinary Jōnin.
That disparity made him feel left behind.
Unwilling to accept his fate, Hiruko knew his innate talent was lacking. Even if he trained for a lifetime, he'd never catch up to Orochimaru and the others. So, he sought a shortcut.
To overcome his natural limitations, Hiruko secretly developed a forbidden fusion jutsu: Guenjō-Rō (鬼芽羅).
This forbidden technique allowed him to fuse with other ninjas or summoned beasts, absorbing their abilities—even kekkei genkai.
Just when Hiruko was reveling in his "success," convinced that he'd rewritten his destiny and could surpass Orochimaru and the others, disaster struck.
Sarutobi Hiruzen discovered his forbidden research. At the time, such practices were highly taboo—not only in Konoha, but throughout the ninja world.
Hiruzen issued a kill-on-sight order for Hiruko and sent the Three Sannin to carry it out.
Fortunately, Orochimaru and the others still held a sliver of compassion for their childhood comrade and secretly let him escape. That act allowed Hiruko to preserve his life, though he had to flee Konoha and go into exile across various nations.
In the years of exile, Hiruko endured countless hardships and narrowly escaped death multiple times. But upon hearing that Orochimaru had become Hokage, he nurtured a flicker of hope—and returned to the Land of Fire.
Now, five years later, setting foot once more on this familiar soil stirred deep emotions within him.
He knelt and scooped up a handful of earth, letting the sand trickle through his fingers as he looked in the direction of Konoha.
"Konoha… I will return."
Behind him, the cloaked driver also removed her hood—revealing a stunningly beautiful woman, her captivating eyes fixed firmly on Hiruko's back.
"Lord Hiruko, I will never let you leave me again!"
---
Konoha Village
As usual, Kazane went to ANBU after his morning training to mooch some breakfast. Ever since Kakashi left, he'd grown increasingly unwilling to cook for himself.
"Mmm, delicious!"
Jiriku sat beside Kazane, shoving piping-hot buns into his mouth nonstop. One bite released a burst of scalding juice that dribbled down the corners of his mouth.
Whoosh!
A masked ANBU agent appeared beside Kazane, respectfully awaiting orders.
Kazane waved his hand, signaling for him to speak.
"Commander Kazane, the person you asked us to find has been spotted near the eastern district of Old Town."
As he spoke, he handed over a report.
Kazane put down his bun and took the report, glancing at the sketch of a white-haired young man. A satisfied smile curled his lips.
Hiruko—found you at last.
After breakfast, Kazane strolled down Konoha's busiest street with Jiriku, hoping to spot Kurenai Yuhi.
"Boss, you really don't need me to come with you this time?"
"Just look at these muscles! Having me behind you would be so impressive!"
Jiriku trailed behind Kazane, a little aggrieved that he wasn't being taken along on the mission. He darted ahead and started flexing in exaggerated poses, showing off his bulked-up physique.
Thud!
(▼皿▼#)
"So gross!"
Watching this greasy, muscle-bound man contorting and flaunting his body right in front of him, Kazane was utterly disgusted. With a solid punch, he smashed Jiriku straight to the ground.
The fragile pavement beneath cracked like a spiderweb beneath the blow.
The loud crash drew curious stares from pedestrians all around.
In the "safest" village of the ninja world, such commotion usually prompted someone to report to the Police Force—if it hadn't been Kazane throwing the punch.
"Boss, that hurt!"
With everyone watching, Jiriku bounced right back up with an energetic kip-up.
Kazane's punches packed a punch, sure, but after daily sparring with Guy and Might Duy, Jiriku's durability far exceeded that of ordinary people.
Blows like this looked dramatic but did no real damage.
Still, Jiriku often wondered—why did Kazane's punches hurt so much more than anyone else's, even with the same strength?
The crowd, seeing Jiriku unharmed, quickly lost interest and dispersed.
Kazane ignored Jiriku's clowning and continued his leisurely wandering.
After strolling past dessert shops, barbecue joints, and toy stores, Kazane was surprised to find that today, Anko wasn't dragging Kurenai around town.
Where could they have gone?
Kazane closed his eyes and used his Observation Haki to search for Kurenai's chakra signature.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes, puzzled.
Where is she?
Kurenai's not in the village?
He expanded his search across the entire village—but there was still no trace of her.
So he shifted targets and locked onto Anko's presence.
---
"What? Uncle Shinkō took Kurenai out of the village on a mission?"
Following Anko's trail to the Senju residence, Kazane found Tsunade—who, as usual, had a bottle of liquor in hand. It was she who delivered the surprising news.
"No way. Isn't Uncle Shinkō only assigned to weed-pulling missions?"
The revelation stunned Kazane. In his memory, Kurenai's team never did anything more exciting than pulling weeds or catching cats.
"Heh… maybe because everyone kept saying that," Tsunade mused, clearly amused by the thought. She even felt a pang of pity for Shinkō.
As an elite Jōnin, he should have been someone respected by the entire village.
Yet for three whole years, he'd led a team that did nothing but D-rank missions—farming, weed removal, cat-chasing… even Genin were doing C-rank tasks while his squad stayed in the kiddie pool.
The new generation of ninja openly questioned how he even became a Jōnin.
Someone as proud as Yuhi Shinkō couldn't take that forever.
And now, he finally snapped—accepted an A-rank mission and took his team out of the village.