The next day.
Yorin's group left Kirigakure by sea, heading cheerfully toward the Land of Lightning.
When they departed, naturally a crowd came to see them off.
Most people were one thing, but everyone especially noticed the change in Konan.
The woman who'd always seemed a bit lifeless, bound by old bonds she couldn't break free from, now felt completely renewed. Her spirit and soul seemed whole in a way they hadn't before. She smiled gently, eyes soft and full of affection as she watched Uchiha Yorin getting ready to leave.
Even an idiot could tell: something had happened between her and Yorin.
"How nice… it really is nice," a certain Senju princess couldn't help murmuring when she saw this.
"Tch."
A certain resurrected Senju geezer couldn't help making that sound.
But for a couple in the first rush of love, this kind of background noise didn't matter.
Yorin and Konan shared one last quiet, tender look, then reluctantly parted ways under Tsunade's laser-like glare, and he stepped onto the path leading toward the Land of Lightning.
"You move fast, don't you… you bastard…"
"Jealous?"
"Hmph…"
"Come on, Tsunade-neechan, don't you think Konan's adorable? And as Nagato's 'little sister,' marrying her also benefits our cause, doesn't it?"
"Hmph hmph…"
Clearly, Tsunade had no interest in discussing this topic with him.
I really should just find a chance to finally sleep with Tsunade, Yorin thought to himself. Once I do that, maybe she'll stop overthinking everything.
That golden-retriever-loser aura rolling off her was actually pretty cute—but if that loser vibe upgraded into full-blown resentful-wife energy, then it wouldn't be as fun.
Yup. Decision made. Maybe I should just push her down on the ship and see if I can't get her to go full Ahegao Titanically.
Originally, that had been Yorin's plan. Pakura and Mei had picked up on the vibe and made space for Tsunade.
They'd been glued to Yorin for ages already, after all. If they didn't let their sister get a turn, they'd feel guilty. They weren't like a certain type of scumbag who jumps on the train and immediately welds the doors shut so no one else can board.
But Tsunade's luck was terrible.
She'd gotten herself ready with all kinds of awkward determination—"finishing move" lingerie, some makeup tips from Mei and Pakura, hair done, a little red wine and rose oil as props—
And then, like clockwork, the Titanic hit an iceberg.
"…You've got to be kidding me," Tsunade thought.
If she could, she really would've just screamed it out loud.
The ship going down didn't do much to actual ninja—after getting their bearings, Yorin simply used Flying Thunder God to teleport everyone off—but it vaporized the mood.
Her timing, her atmosphere, her courage… all of it wiped out in an instant.
Fine. Next time. We'll try again in the Land of Lightning, she thought bitterly.
And then Lightning—more specifically Kumogakure—came knocking.
"Here's the situation, Yorin-sama. We're looking for someone."
A Kumo ninja came stumbling up looking like a headless fly, panicked and disoriented. Once he recognized Yorin's squad, he instantly tensed up into a guard stance.
Then he remembered: the war was over. Uchiha Yorin wasn't the enemy anymore. In fact, he was the Raikage's advisor. His boss.
So, after hesitating a moment, he quickly explained:
"And it actually has to do with you, my lord."
"Oh? How so?" Yorin perked up. "What's got to do with me?"
"Kidnapping," the ninja said. "Some outsiders kidnapped Yugito-sama!"
Yorin: "…Excuse me?"
His first reaction was that the timeline had snapped back and canon Akatsuki had started collecting tailed beasts.
Then he remembered: I am Akatsuki.
"She might be a perfect Jinchūriki, but who the hell has that kind of ability?" Yorin grumbled. Then he turned toward an empty patch of ground. "You. Zetsu. Out. Explain."
Under the stunned gaze of the Kumo ninja, a stalk of carnivorous-plant grew out of the ground, and Black-and-White Zetsu appeared, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else.
"It was Hiruko," he said. "Hiruko took her. And a few other shinobi."
"Hiruko…?"
For all his ridiculous movie-verse portrayal, Hiruko had once been spoken of in the same breath as the Legendary Sannin. To Yorin, he was a top-tier elite jōnin. If his Chimera Technique got refined enough, he could easily rise to Kage-level.
If someone like that laid careful plans and struck from the shadows, even someone like Yugito could get snatched.
In the film, Hiruko had kidnapped one elite after another—including Pakura-level monsters.
…
But why Yugito? She's a Jinchūriki, not a bloodline user. The Chimera Technique was designed to devour "ninja beasts" and kekkei genkai… but tailed beasts…
Wait. Don't tell me this bastard thinks bijū are just another kind of "ninja beast," and he's planning to fuse the Two-Tails too?
Well, shit, Yorin thought. As stupid as it is, I can't completely rule it out.
In the original, Hiruko said five kekkei genkai would grant him immortality—but that Technique was his own invention, so who knows what really works or doesn't. He says it only eats bloodlines, but what if combining tailed beasts turned out to be more effective?
Thinking that, Yorin's tone sharpened. "Any idea where he is?"
It was a dumb question; if they knew, they wouldn't be out here this panicked.
But it didn't matter. He had a better locator than any sensor ninja:
Black Zetsu.
And even better than Zetsu, he had Flying Thunder God.
He'd tagged Yugito with a FTG mark, after all.
He'd been vehemently against Minato scattering FTG markers everywhere. He'd even suspected Minato of marking him just in case.
What happens if he's in the middle of something with his wife and Minato just blinks into the room? Hardly ideal.
Even after Minato swore up and down he'd never do something like that, Yorin didn't fully relax until he'd learned FTG himself and triple-checked.
Then, of course, he went full hypocrite.
He wouldn't let Minato do it—but for his own girlfriends? Everybody got their own marker. Very convenient for zipping around the continent and "visiting."
Of course FTG markers had other uses. Like right now.
Yorin used his mark on Yugito to get a lock, then turned to the women.
"Stay here. Don't move. I'm just going out to buy some oranges."
They all knew he was talking nonsense, but they had no proof.
Then again, when they thought about it, Yorin was always taking liberties with them. This was hardly new.
…
One FTG flash later, Yorin arrived in a remote, near-unfindable spot in the Land of Lightning.
Hanging from restraints near a cliffside altar were several bound shinobi. Staring up at them, Hiruko was laughing hysterically.
Pale skin, washed-out hair, his whole body like a nutrient-starved lab rat. Compared to Orochimaru, he looked even more unhinged and sickly.
Some depictions made him handsome or even delicate, but that was just gacha-banner polishing. The real Hiruko was much more monster than man.
Anyone with a normal sense of aesthetics would feel unsettled just looking at him—even trained shinobi.
Especially when he laughed.
His cackling didn't have Uchiha-style wildness; it was thinner, nastier—more back-alley mad scientist than battlefield monster. Exactly the kind of guy who would do unspeakable shit in the dark.
"Keheheh… keheheh… ahahahahaha! My research… it's finally borne fruit!"
He laughed, raising his voice triumphantly.
"Once I perfect my work, Uchiha or Akatsuki or whoever—you'll all be beneath me! You'll all be my stepping stones, keheheh…!"
"Big talk. Truth is, you're just scared out of your mind."
Even while she was strung up, Yugito's mouth was sharp as ever.
"You see a power you can't reach, and instead of accepting it, you hide behind this Chimera nonsense. Tweak yourself, ingest bloodlines, patch your weaknesses—all so you can pretend you're a god.
But in front of true strength, all that crooked trickery is meaningless. That's why you ended up so twisted… right?"
She'd been listening, in fragments, to his ranting for days now and had pieced together enough.
Hiruko's grin vanished.
Lies don't hurt; truth does.
He'd convinced himself that once his Chimera Technique allowed him to devour five kekkei genkai, he'd be immortal and unstoppable.
Then he watched the broadcast: Yorin vs. Lin Yang. And nearly pissed himself.
Even with "five bloodlines and immortality," what could he do against that?
He could see it: standing in front of a being like that, he'd definitely be killed—instantly, without suspense.
Just knowing a monster like that was alive under the same sky made his skin crawl.
So he ran—straight to the Land of Lightning. And in that terror, his "inspiration" exploded into something even more deranged.
Originally, Chimera was limited to ninja beasts and bloodline wielders. But while panicking, he had a thought:
If I fuse tailed beasts instead… wouldn't I become truly invincible?
And somehow, he'd actually managed to accomplish something.
"Yes, that's right. I used to tremble before that kind of power. But that was the old me." Hiruko raised his voice again. "The new me stands above all things!
Once I've taken in the power of a tailed beast, even Uchiha Yorin won't be my match! Ahahahaha!!"
"You want me to remind you?" Yugito said coldly. "Uchiha Yorin became famous for defeating Yagura—the perfect Jinchūriki, and you think one beast inside you makes a difference?
Even if you do steal my bijū, you still won't beat him."
At that, Hiruko's smile collapsed, twisting into something full of rage, humiliation, and envy.
"Then I'll take more," he hissed. "There are nine tailed beasts in total. I'll put all nine into myself. Then I'll see who can stand against me!!"
From atop the rock, Uchiha Yorin let out a low whistle. "You hear that, Zetsu? He wants to snatch your mom's bijū."
Black Zetsu's gaze toward Hiruko was pure killing intent.
And as Hiruko finally noticed Yorin, his grin slowly died.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 70 Chapters Ahead of Others!