Chapter 105: A Difficult Choice
"Oh no!"
Hiruko quickly lowered his gaze, his hands forming seals at lightning speed. His entire body vanished from the spot in an instant, leaving only an afterimage in the air, as if his whole form had merged with the wind.
"Swift Release: Sprint!"
The next moment, his figure appeared behind Uchiha Yasushi. His right leg swept horizontally, tearing through the air with the force of wind and thunder.
Yasushi dodged to the side, evading the attack. With a wave of his hand, he drew his short blade, which gleamed with cold light in the sun like lightning, slashing straight down toward Hiruko's right leg.
"Laughable!"
"Showing off speed before an Uchiha!"
"No matter how fast you are, you can't escape my eyes!"
"Hmph!" Hiruko snorted coldly. His leg suddenly took on a metallic luster. He twisted mid-air and met the steel blade head-on in a direct collision.
Clang! A loud ring erupted as the steel blade struck his right leg, producing a crisp sound.
"What?" In Yasushi's surprised gaze, that blade of tempered steel shattered inch by inch. Steel blade colliding with flesh—and it was the steel that broke!
Hiruko's right leg followed through with the momentum, striking heavily against Yasushi's chest and sending him flying.
Yasushi's body shot through the air like a cannonball, arcing through space before slamming heavily into the courtyard wall.
The bluestone wall first developed spiderweb-like cracks, then suddenly collapsed, raising clouds of dust.
Broken stones fell like rain, burying Yasushi's body in the rubble. He couldn't get up for a long while.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Orochimaru rushed over to help. His hands spread wide, and his sleeves opened like gateways to another dimension. Thousands upon thousands of snakes surged out, charging toward Hiruko.
Wherever the snake swarm passed, the grass on the ground instantly withered.
"Hmph, trivial tricks!"
Hiruko snorted disdainfully. His hands formed seals rapidly, then slapped the ground. Rune-like markings formed instantly.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
With a puff of white smoke, two massive metal claws first emerged, followed by an armored body gleaming with cold light.
A summoning beast several meters tall suddenly appeared before Hiruko. The moment it landed, the entire ground trembled.
This summoning beast had clearly been modified. Its entire body seemed encased in steel armor, its surface covered with intricate patterns. Its joints contained complex hydraulic devices, and its back bore rows of neat energy conduits through which blue chakra could faintly be seen flowing.
The thing looked extremely technological, completely different from the crude cold-weapon feel of modern shinobi tools.
Hiruko stood atop the summoning beast, pointing forward. The creature opened its massive maw and a huge torrent of flame gushed forth, sweeping across everything before it as the beast's head rotated.
Where the flames passed, the ground was scorched into glass-like crystals. Those ordinary pythons couldn't withstand it—burned by the great fire, they immediately turned to charcoal, unable to even approach Hiruko.
Soon, charred snake corpses piled into small mountains. The air filled with various burnt odors that made people want to vomit.
Hiruko stomped his foot and his figure vanished again, appearing behind Orochimaru. With a single kick, he sent Orochimaru flying as well.
He stood in place, watching his enemies slowly rise, head held high in pride as he laughed heartily.
"Orochimaru, you don't think I'm still the same Hiruko from back then, do you?"
"You geniuses, born with powerful bodies and multiple chakra natures, can easily achieve what others can never reach no matter how hard they try!"
"But now everything is different!"
"My self-created Chimera Technique allows me to steal others' Kekkei Genkai, giving me the same talents as you geniuses!"
"No—with the Chimera Technique, I can possess multiple Kekkei Genkai. That's far more powerful than your single bloodline limits!"
"Unfortunately, my plan isn't complete yet. Currently I only possess two Kekkei Genkai: Steel Release and Swift Release."
"But it doesn't matter. With just these two bloodline limits, I can move freely throughout the shinobi world!"
"Once I gather five Kekkei Genkai and become the perfect shinobi, I'll stand at the very pinnacle of the shinobi world, invincible under heaven!"
"Then I'll declare war on the Five Great Shinobi Villages, utterly destroying them all and ending this mistaken world!"
"What your Akatsuki organization needs many people to accomplish, I can do alone!"
"Who would want to join your shitty organization!"
Yasushi and Orochimaru stood at a distance, watching Hiruko fight the Kirigakure shinobi who'd rushed over to maintain order. He killed those unfortunate fools clean, then stood there spouting his grand delusions.
Orochimaru glanced at Yasushi, his eyes holding several traces of wariness.
"Does the Mangekyo Sharingan amplify genjutsu ability that much?"
"Hiruko had almost no reaction before falling victim."
Yasushi shrugged and smiled cheerfully. "Well, it's not that strong really!"
"The main thing is he didn't know I was an Uchiha. He let his guard down, which let my genjutsu control him."
"This isn't even a genjutsu-type eye technique. Ultimately it still requires eye contact to take effect. Next time we fight, as long as he doesn't look at my eyes, he'll naturally be fine."
"Is that so..." Orochimaru nodded noncommittally, lightly moving past the topic. He turned to look at Hiruko, who was still attacking wildly.
"Looks like what we're seeing now is the extent of his current abilities."
"Steel Release, Swift Release, plus a decent summoning beast—that's enough qualification to join the organization."
"And his Chimera Technique has a very high ceiling. In its incomplete state it's already like this—his future prospects are immeasurable!"
"Exactly!" Yasushi replied with a grin. "I'm also curious. If he really manages to balance all five elements in his body, could he truly become the perfect shinobi?"
"Guess who Hiruko chose as the fifth person to absorb?"
"Hm?" Orochimaru's gaze shifted. "Could it be he chose me? No, that's not right—I'm not a Kekkei Genkai user."
"Mmm... Seeing you smile like that, it must be related to the Uchiha."
"Could it be Itachi?"
"No, it's Kakashi!" Yasushi's face practically bloomed like a flower. "Kakashi is Obito's beloved friend, his brother in all but blood!"
"In that great battle at Konoha, so many people died, but Kakashi didn't."
"Obito couldn't bear to kill him!"
"I happen to know that Hiruko has had his eye on Kakashi for a long time. He wants to absorb Kakashi."
"So tell me, should I help him or not?"
"Oh my, this is so difficult!"
Yasushi covered his face with both hands, twisting his body back and forth, putting on an act of being torn by this difficult choice.
"If I don't help him, Hiruko's Chimera Technique won't achieve its perfect effect!"
"But if I do help him, Obito will be unhappy again!"
"Ah, will the Leader say I'm causing internal strife again this time?"
"But this conflict is between Hiruko and Obito—it has nothing to do with me!"
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