"As long as I complete that technique... I will become the perfect, immortal shinobi."
"These were the last words left behind by Hiruko before he blocked all attempts to track him."
"Orochimaru, I'm leaving Hiruko's capture to you."
Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his temples in frustration as he stared into the crystal ball.
Onscreen, Hiruko was conducting grotesque experiments on helpless civilians.
It was pure chance that Hiruzen had discovered it at all. Not long ago, Orochimaru had requested access to the Scroll of Seals and had casually brought up Hiruko during their discussion.
On a whim, Hiruzen decided to check in on the boy who once burned with the Will of Fire.
Jōnin in Konoha were appointed directly by the Hokage, and it had been Hiruzen himself who promoted Hiruko. He still remembered the young man's chakra nature clearly.
He had watched Hiruko grow up... and now, that same child had strayed down a dark path, all in pursuit of power.
"He was desperate to prove himself. To prove that he could overcome that weak, fragile body he was born with."
Orochimaru recalled the long conversation he'd once had with Hiruko.
Hiruko had been obsessed with a secret jutsu that would compensate for his congenital shortcomings—and from the looks of it, he had succeeded.
"Seems troublesome, Lord Hiruzen."
"Exactly why I'm assigning you. Anyone else might be fooled by Hiruko's harmless appearance."
"And you're his friend. Maybe... you can remind him of what the Will of Fire once meant."
"His technique doesn't seem complete yet. I'll handle it, Lord Hiruzen. If we bring Kaien along, his Mangekyō Sharingan's genjutsu should make this foolproof."
So this was the technique Hiruko had spoken of... Devouring others?
Now that was an interesting jutsu.
Orochimaru couldn't deny it—he was intrigued.
Was Hiruko attempting to absorb others to complete himself?
Would the technique grant him their chakra affinities? Their jutsu? Or perhaps even their bloodline limits?
...
"Orochimaru-sensei...?"
Uchiha Kaien rubbed his eyes, voice laced with sleepy irritation.
Anyone would be cranky after being pulled from bed in the middle of the night. Frankly, Kaien was holding back—if it had been White Zetsu interrupting his sleep, the clone would probably be lying in two pieces by now.
No need to reach for a weapon either. A single thought, and an ice blade would've done the job just fine.
It was past midnight already. Kaien didn't expect Orochimaru to show up at this hour.
"Urgent mission, Kaien. You can sleep when we get back," Orochimaru said patiently.
"Urgent mission? I'm in!"
Kaien perked up instantly, all signs of sleep gone. He wore the look of someone who took pride in being called upon.
Inwardly, though, he began analyzing: What major events are supposed to happen around this time?
"It's classified as an A-rank mission. Objective: apprehend a missing-nin."
As they moved through the forest, Orochimaru briefed Kaien.
"Target is Hiruko, a Konoha Jōnin. Unauthorized human experimentation, harming fellow shinobi. By the Hokage's orders—capture or eliminate."
Hiruko?
The one who used the Chimera Technique?
Kaien's memory spun rapidly, pulling up old intel.
The image of a white-haired loli popped into his head.
Wait—wasn't Hiruko almost fifty at the time?
That technique really was something else. A fifty-year-old man appearing as a white-haired, youthful girl? Sure, the lower half of the face was a bit of a mess, but the top half—objectively speaking—was gorgeous.
As they neared their destination, Kaien had more or less recalled the key details on Hiruko.
So this was the post-Chimera Technique transformation. Now he was actually curious what the current version of Hiruko looked like.
If he remembered right, Hiruko was once a close friend of the Sannin... His goal was to reach power equal to theirs?
A simple, almost childlike dream: to be acknowledged, to form bonds.
It was naive, sure—but oddly fitting with that loli form he'd later take.
Maybe there was an angle to work with here. If he could bring someone like Hiruko under his banner early, that would be valuable.
If the man wanted bonds, he could give them to him.
If the man wanted recognition, that could be arranged too.
Way more useful than vague, idealistic talk about the Will of Fire.
More importantly, Kaien thought to himself—he might finally get a sidekick with personality.
So far, all his pawns were sleeper agents he had hypnotized—nobodies like Motoi.
Having a real follower would be a nice change of pace.
Orochimaru didn't seem bothered by Kaien's silence. It was normal—after all, they were heading out to take down a fellow comrade. That kind of job needed mental preparation.
"We're here."
Orochimaru masked his presence and carefully suppressed his chakra as they approached Hiruko's residence. Kaien did the same, activating his Sharingan.
The Sharingan scanned the surroundings rapidly, filtering useful data from the noise.
"Orochimaru-sensei," Kaien whispered, "no need for stealth. The house has a barrier set up."
"..."
Orochimaru stopped suppressing his chakra and calmly knocked on the door like he was visiting an old friend.
...
Unsurprisingly, the door swung open—unlocked.
"Orochimaru-sensei. There's a Jōnin-level chakra signature below."
Kaien did his job, acting like the diligent student, and casually left a Flying Thunder God seal on the doorknob.
"Let's go. Time to say hello to an old friend."
Orochimaru drew a kunai and led the way. With Kaien's help, they soon found the hidden entrance in the floor.
The basement was pitch black.
The only visible lights were a pair of vertical gold pupils and a set of crimson Sharingan tomoe drifting through the gloom.
"Why's it always like this?"
Why were villains so obsessed with these creepy aesthetics?
Kaien sighed and formed a tiger seal. Flames erupted from the torch sconces, illuminating the walls.
"So the lights do work," Kaien muttered. "And there's even electricity."
He pointed to a warm glow coming through a window in the door up ahead.
Seriously, kerosene lamps in the hallway, but electric lighting in the room? Hiruko's interior design made no sense.
Creaaak—
The heavy door opened easily under Orochimaru's hand, flooding the hallway with light.
"So someone did come. The moment my barrier was triggered, I knew the Third had caught on," Hiruko said calmly.
He didn't look worried, despite the fact that one of Konoha's most dangerous shinobi had come for him.
"I figured as much," Orochimaru replied. "Your jutsu's... unconventional. A regular Jōnin wouldn't stand a chance. Naturally, I came myself."
"Is that boy your student?"
Hiruko was already forming hand seals mid-conversation.
"Indeed. My pride and joy."
There was unmistakable pride in Orochimaru's voice as he assessed which jutsu Hiruko was preparing.
"I wonder," Hiruko said slowly, "will the day come when your own student is the one who captures you, Orochimaru?"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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