White smoke burst from the scroll.
A tall, lean figure emerged from it—
Gen Takuya.
He had long since placed multiple summoning scrolls in both his home and his laboratory. When he needed one, all his crow had to do was open it.
As for why he didn't have the crow carry the scrolls around?
Because a crow with a scroll that large would scream "summon" from a kilometer away.
And frankly—
That scroll was nearly as large as the one Jiraiya carried.
No crow could haul it.
Gen Takuya wanted to go straight to his laboratory, but Konoha was always covered by its barrier.
Even if it looked useless at times, it still existed.
And even if Gen Takuya knew the passcodes for entry and exit—
Using summoning to "teleport" through the barrier without identity verification was asking to be labeled a spy.
So even when he used summoning to travel, he would never do it inside Konoha's barrier.
Hiruko's base, on the other hand?
That was inside the barrier, naturally.
Gen Takuya unsealed the copied scrolls and stared at the pile of research records detailing the Chimera Technique.
The corner of his mouth slowly lifted.
Then he pressed a hand to his forehead…
And burst into laughter.
"Heh… hahahaha!"
"Finally… I've finally reached this point! Chimera Technique!"
It was fortunate no one lived nearby.
Otherwise his shouting would've jolted the neighborhood awake.
When the laughter finally died, he stared at the scrolls with red-rimmed eyes.
It was late, but sleep was impossible now.
He might as well devour the knowledge while his mind burned hot.
Meanwhile…
In Hiruko's laboratory, Hiruko returned with excitement written across his face.
For years, he had experimented—again and again—yet could never see the path to surpassing the Legendary Sannin.
Now?
Not only had Kakashi's Sharingan given him the inspiration he needed…
He had successfully placed a puppet curse on Kakashi.
All that remained was to wait for the perfect chance.
Hiruko smiled again, unable to hide it.
The slight increase in humidity?
He didn't even notice.
He didn't check his research notes either.
As Hiruko calmed, he began planning his future.
Kakashi's Sharingan didn't need to be taken immediately.
A two-tomoe Sharingan wasn't enough.
To truly unleash its power, it needed to mature to three tomoe.
So next—
He needed other kekkei genkai.
Hiruko frowned, weighing what he could obtain.
Besides the Sharingan, Konoha also had the Byakugan…
But before his thoughts could settle, word spread—
Hatake Kakashi had been attacked.
Kakashi was Konoha's hero.
To assault him while he was recovering?
That crossed a line even the Hokage couldn't tolerate.
So three people—three names Hiruko knew all too well—were dispatched.
They followed Hiruko's traces straight toward the hidden base.
But none of that mattered to Gen Takuya anymore.
…
Back in the shabby house.
Days passed without a sound, as if no one lived there.
But inside—
Someone sat like stone.
Gen Takuya had been motionless for an absurd length of time, clutching the Chimera Technique research records.
Stubble had grown on his jaw.
Bloodshot veins webbed across his eyes.
Yet his physical exhaustion didn't dull the fever in his mind.
His pupils remained bright.
He was still tearing into the technique, line by line.
During those days, he used clairvoyance to monitor Hiruko's base.
As expected, Hiruko never noticed him.
Not long after, Gen Takuya saw them—
The Legendary Sannin.
And he could guess what had happened.
Kakashi's side had discovered the attack.
For safety, Gen Takuya even forced himself to pause his studies, ordering the crows to watch from afar.
Only after confirming the Sannin were focused solely on Hiruko did he finally relax.
He truly hadn't wanted their attention.
Even if he had an escape route, being exposed would destroy his long-term plans.
But the sight also confirmed something—
Hiruko had been prepared to leave Konoha the moment he struck Kakashi.
Whether he escaped because the Sannin held back…
Or because his method was genuinely solid…
Gen Takuya didn't care.
He had already won.
Once he was sure of that, he withdrew the crows and poured every ounce of himself into the Chimera Technique.
Days later…
Gen Takuya stared at the final records and the blank space beyond them.
He closed his eyes.
Then opened them again.
Inside was excitement—
And regret.
Excitement because the Chimera Technique could now be used, at least barely.
Regret because it clearly had limits.
In the original tale, Hiruko claimed that by fusing five kekkei genkai, he would achieve immortality.
Gen Takuya didn't believe that for a second.
As far as he knew, true immortality belonged only to Ōtsutsuki Kaguya—
So absolute that she could only be sealed, not killed.
Hiruko thought five kekkei genkai would make him immortal?
Ridiculous.
Even a kekkei tōta wouldn't reach that.
And in the end, Hiruko never actually achieved a five-kekkei-genkai fusion—he only dreamed of it.
So the "immortality" claim was even more absurd.
Gen Takuya knew what was coming in the future—
monsters walking in human skin.
Even Uchiha Obito and Uchiha Madara, wielding Six Paths bodies, couldn't claim true immortality.
So how could Chimera Technique do it?
But none of that mattered.
First—
Gen Takuya wouldn't waste his fusion "slots" on mediocre bloodlines the way Hiruko would.
With his "Heavenly Eye," even Chimera Technique alone would take him far beyond Hiruko's limits.
Second—
Gen Takuya's mouth curved into a smile.
He'd already considered what came after obtaining the technique.
He stood, stretched, and listened to his bones crack in protest.
He hadn't slept in days.
His body screamed for rest.
But his stomach was empty too.
Before he slept, he would eat.
He finally pushed open the door that hadn't moved in days.
He was too exhausted to care about anything else.
Chakra gathered under his feet, and he formed a quick seal.
"Body Flicker Technique!"
His figure vanished.
Not long after, he returned—
And without even washing, he collapsed onto the bed and fell into deep sleep.
Bathing could wait.
He was beyond his limit.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
https://patreon.com/Inkveil_?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink