"Lord Han! We're here to help you!"
In that critical moment, several Rock ninjas, panting heavily, charged onto the summit of Mount Sumeru. The sudden intrusion instantly shattered the razor-focused tension between the two parties.
"Ichigo? Uryu? Who told you to come up here? Get back! Now!"
The moment he saw them, Han's expression morphed into one of stark terror. He forcefully clamped shut Muu's giant maw, aborting the near-complete Tailed Beast Bomb at the last second.
"Oh crap… we messed up…"
The summit was shrouded in mist and the light was choked by thunderclouds. Only upon reaching the peak did the Rock ninjas grasp the full, horrifying picture.
This Han… actually cares if his men live or die?
Just as he'd been about to flee, Qianyu halted. A sharp opportunity glinted in the chaos. He seized it.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Qianyu dove. Chains erupted from within him. Snaked toward the earth. Toward Muu.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Hardened links crisscrossed the air, instantly tangling around Muu's hind leg as it tried to dodge. Like steel pythons, they coiled up the limbs, constricting the entire massive form!
A sealing technique of the Uzumaki?!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Shock hit Han. His men were forgotten. He willed Muu to rear up, muscles bulging with monstrous strength, trying to snap the chains.
They only tightened. A strange, suppressive power pulsed from the links, neutralizing his brute force.
"Lord Han!"
Their leader was bound. The Rock ninjas' eyes burned with rage. They attacked Qianyu, who was now an anchored, vulnerable target as he maintained the chains.
"Earth Style: Rock Gun!"
"Earth Style: Stone Pillar Spear!"
A small figure stepped in front of Qianyu.
"Second, Hell Release: Wicked Self-Destruction!"
Hiruko's hands flashed through seals. The earth-natured chakra from the attacks was sucked toward him, absorbed. In his palms, it morphed into a roaring torrent of raw chakra flame. It screamed toward the Rock ninjas.
"GAAAAAAHHH!"
Two ninjas were caught. The violent chakra scourged them. Their shrieks tore through the air.
Against these so-called "elite" Rock ninjas, Hiruko held absolute dominion.
"Ichigo! Uryu! Run! Get the others!"
His comrades fell. Muu thrashed wildly. The chains shrieked, links straining. A sudden, immense force nearly ripped Qianyu off his feet.
First, this beast was famous for its raw power, boosted by Boil Release. Second, man and beast were fighting in perfect sync, generating even more force than Gyūki had!
"Uncle! A little help?!"
Qianyu's face flushed red with effort. He called for backup.
He anchored the chains, fighting to hold Muu. But he was being dragged forward, boots carving deep, ugly furrows in the hard rock.
"Steady, nephew! Storm Release Secret Technique: Storm Ghost Dragon!"
Hiruko's voice was low. The ultimate Storm Release technique he'd been charging finally took form, dyeing the sky an inky black.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Silence. Then the thunderclouds erupted.
A thousand lightning serpents vomited from the clouds. The deafening roar of thunder shook the mountain. All of it, every single bolt, converged on the chained form of Muu below.
In this moment, Hiruko was the Lightning King. Any Kirin paled before the might of his ultimate art.
"Holy shit! Holy SHIT!"
The terrifying net of lightning descended. Qianyu's instinct screamed to let go. Then he remembered. His adamantine chains didn't conduct electricity.
"Lord HAAAAAAAAAN——!"
A Rock ninja's despairing howl was swallowed by the storm.
Hundreds of arm-thick thunderbolts slammed into Muu.
ZZZZZT—CRACKLE—ZZZZT—
Instant convulsions. The power surge was so immense Qianyu felt a tingle even through the insulating chains. Muu, the main recipient, took the full, unadulterated brunt.
Bound by Qianyu, it had no choice but to face-tank Hiruko's ultimate technique.
POOF!
A muffled sound. Muu's colossal form vanished. The Adamantine Chains, now empty, crashed to the ground with a metallic clatter.
All that remained was Han. His body charred black. His once-red armor scorched and smoking. He lay twitching on the ground, truly living up to his 'Dancing Emperor' moniker.
"There. Done, Qianyu. The nuisances are handled."
Hiruko walked over. The Rock ninjas who had climbed up were all dead. The bodies… cleaned up.
"Didn't expect that," Hiruko mused, looking at the twitching Han. "He seemed so arrogant, looking down on everyone. Yet he cared about a few ordinary lives. Compared to him, I feel like the villain."
You're not 'like' the villain, Uncle. You are the villain!
Qianyu shot Hiruko a side-eye before refocusing on the defeated man before him.
It felt surreal.
This was the Five-Tails Jinchūriki. A perfect host. And he'd just… taken him down?
And the fully-formed Tailed Beast he'd coveted for so long… was just lying there? Ripe for the taking?
"Feeling… excited, nephew?" Hiruko stood on his toes, grinning as he slung an arm around Qianyu. "Me too! Someone as mediocre as me… actually bringing down a legend of the shinobi world. This feeling… it's intoxicating!"
Qianyu nodded. He took a deep breath, forcing calm. "Exactly, Uncle. See the power of bonds now?"
"Mhm! Absolutely!"
After Qianyu's relentless brainwashing and "sincere" performances, Hiruko was utterly smitten. His nephew said it, he believed it.
If his nephew told him to go kick Hiruzen Sarutobi in the nuts, he'd sprint to Konoha and drop his pants right then!
"Such a hard fight… but finally, the harvest time…"
Shedding the surreal feeling, excitement surged. This gamble had paid off beyond his wildest dreams.
First, the system rewards!
[Storm Release: Compensates for lightning's inherent lack of control, transforming it into a freely manipulated "laser." A Kekkei Genkai combining the advantages of Water and Lightning natures!]
Meaning Qianyu wasn't just a now-all-nature shinobi, but had also gained a new Kekkei Genkai. Hiruko truly hadn't let him down.
And even richer than the system reward… was the complete Tailed Beast inside Han.
"Uncle, you can't control a full Tailed Beast either, right? I want the Five-Tails. I can leave Han himself for you—his Boil Release is also a Kekkei Genkai power."
Qianyu looked at Hiruko, testing the waters.
"Y-yes! That works!" A flash of delight crossed Hiruko's face. "His Boil Release far surpasses Pakura's Scorch Release. It could create a five-element cycle within me."
Under Qianyu's masterful orchestration, both entered the loot-splitting phase, mutually satisfied.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Qianyu brutally tore open the seal on Han. Chains shot forth once more, spearing directly into the man's body, plunging deep into the seal space, and latching onto the Five-Tails, Muu.
"OUT!"
Qianyu roared. The chains went taut. With a wrenching pull, the resisting Muu was forcibly ripped from Han's body. Once extracted, Han's convulsions only worsened.
"Uncle, I'll seal the beast. The man is yours."
"Good. Demonic Corpse Reincarnation Technique!"
Hiruko formed seals. His body swelled into a fleshy orb once more—a grotesque placenta that engulfed Han completely and began its slow, digestive work.
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
Han's life force and will were already faint. Hiruko's assimilation met little resistance.
Qianyu, however, faced fierce defiance from the Five-Tails. It refused to be drawn into him.
Made sense. He'd just made it watch its partner get eaten. It was like making Boyikao into a meat pie right in front of Jifa…
"Uncle! Help me! Take as much of its chakra as you can swallow!"
Frustration boiled over. Qianyu called for backup. He never intended to 'understand' the beast. He just wanted its power.
Can't have your heart? Fine. I'll take your body. The forcibly plucked melon doesn't need to be sweet—it just needs to quench the thirst!
"Coming, Qianyu."
At his nephew's request, Hiruko reverted to his normal form and scurried over, eagerly helping to shoulder the immense pressure.
"Eight Trigrams Sealing, LOCK!"
With Hiruko's aid, Qianyu finally forced the massive Five-Tails into his own body. Success. He'd stolen Iwa's nuclear weapon and changed the passcode.
"I, Qianyu, am now the Five-Tails Jinchūriki!"
Feeling the torrent of power welling up from within, his heart swelled. He'd finally joined the ranks of the world's top-tier powerhouses!
"From a rookie medic-nin to one of the world's strongest… look at all the hard work I've put in!" He marveled internally. "Right, System?"
[System: …]
"Qianyu," Hiruko said, jumping up to pat his shoulder while he was mentally teasing the system. "Even though the witnesses are gone… your mission is technically a failure now, right?"
"Don't… don't go back to Konoha, Qianyu. Come with me."
Hiruko's expression turned serious. "You carry too many secrets. Even more than I do. You might hide them once or twice, but they'll come out eventually. Konoha has no place for people like us. Like you and me."
"I know, Uncle." Qianyu shook his head. Images flashed in his mind: Tsunade. Nonō. Nawaki… "But I still have some bonds in Konoha. The kind you can't just pack up and take with you."
"So, Uncle," Qianyu's lips curled into a slight smile as he looked at Hiruko. "I have a little idea. A half-baked one."
"If Konoha won't have us… why don't we just find a way to make Konoha ours?"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Read up to (100+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on
Visit us here: patreon.com/BingeInk
Happy reading, everyone!