Boom!!
In the forest, a figure shot backward as if struck by a freight train. His limbs twisted wildly as he spun through the air like a broken windmill before smashing through several trees and slamming hard into a trunk.
"…"
Hyūga Kumokawa's body radiated a flame-like azure aura. Rainwater hissed and evaporated into white steam the instant it touched his scorching skin.
As he watched the distant figure he had sent flying with a single punch after opening the Gate of Life, an exasperated thought crossed his mind.
Was this guy some kind of clown?
The shadow clone had already run out of chakra, yet the man kept standing far away running his mouth. That was why the real body had slipped over unnoticed, hidden beneath the shadow robe.
I expected someone impressive.
But this is it?
"Your kekkei genkai is Steel Release?" Hyūga Kumokawa asked outright. "Who gave you the nerve to stand before the Hyūga clan armed with nothing but half-baked Steel Release?"
Crack! Crack!
In the distance, Hiruko braced both hands against the trunk and wrenched himself free.
A metallic dark sheen covered his body, but his left side had caved in noticeably—internal organs crushed by the penetrating force.
He had only survived because he dodged at the last second; otherwise the blow would have shattered his heart.
Hearing Hyūga Kumokawa's mocking words, the already insecure and sensitive Hiruko felt a rush of bitter rage surge up his throat. His heavy breaths carried the sharp tang of blood.
"Damn it! I knew that bastard Orochimaru wouldn't make it easy!"
That single exchange told Hiruko the boy in front of him was nothing like the pushover Orochimaru had described.
The Chimera Technique was his own forbidden jutsu, one that let him fuse other shinobi or summons into his body and even steal the chakra of kekkei genkai users to claim their bloodline limits.
Right now he possessed Steel Release and Swift Release. His physical defense could shrug off blades and swords, and his normal speed already matched the Body Flicker Technique. Ordinary taijutsu users stood no chance against him.
But the one standing before him was no ordinary Hyūga.
Hiruko had once been a Konoha shinobi himself and knew the Hyūga clan well. He had deliberately kept his distance—outside what should have been their attack range—yet this kid had still unleashed Gentle Fist from afar.
He could feel his stomach, intestines, and liver had been pulverized. His stolen Steel Release had proven laughably useless against that penetrating strike.
This was no "lucky waste" Orochimaru had mentioned. This was a genuine freak of the Hyūga clan.
"Hm?"
Hearing Orochimaru's name, Hyūga Kumokawa raised an eyebrow and smiled. "I see. So Lord Orochimaru is still alive. I assumed he'd slithered off and died in some dark corner like the snake he is."
The man's distinctive appearance made his identity obvious.
Hiruko—Konoha A-rank missing-nin, childhood friend of the Legendary Sannin. His talent had never matched theirs, and the resulting jealousy and self-loathing had driven him to conduct secret human experiments in pursuit of the Chimera Technique, hoping to compensate for his natural shortcomings.
The Third Hokage had discovered the truth and sent the Sannin after him, but Hiruko escaped.
Hyūga Kumokawa hadn't expected any connection between Hiruko and Orochimaru, but now that he thought about it, their research directions overlapped perfectly. It wasn't surprising they would cross paths.
In his early days Orochimaru had focused on the physical body. Only after breaking into the forbidden scroll vault and reading the Scroll of Seals had he turned his attention to the soul.
"Is Lord Orochimaru doing well these days?" Hyūga Kumokawa asked with a smile.
"…"
Hiruko narrowed his eyes but said nothing, his gaze sweeping over the boy.
He had assumed Orochimaru's monstrous new appearance was the Third Hokage's doing.
But recalling the venomous hatred in Orochimaru's voice whenever he mentioned this brat, it seemed far more likely that this kid was the real reason Orochimaru had become that inhuman monstrosity.
But why?
Was it just because of the boy's Byakugan?
No… it had to be more than that…
At that thought, Hiruko glanced toward the direction the main body had come from.
He didn't know it was the real Hyūga Kumokawa, but even from dozens of kilometers away he could still feel the bone-chilling, monstrous aura that had made his skin crawl.
As someone who had spent years hiding like a rat, he knew the scent of a top-tier predator all too well. That was why he had abandoned his original target without hesitation and come after this one instead.
"If I could possess power like that, the Sannin and the Five Kage would all kneel at my feet," Hiruko thought, greed flashing in his eyes.
Hiruko's personality had always been twisted. He envied the Sannin while drowning in his own insecurity and sensitivity.
When someone became his obsession, he dressed them in glory and elevated them to godlike status.
That was why his behavior always came across as so theatrical and over-the-top—including the day he perfected the Chimera Technique and publicly declared he would start the Fourth Great Ninja War in broad daylight.
To outsiders it looked utterly idiotic.
But if he hadn't acted that way, he wouldn't have been Hiruko, and he never would have created a technique like the Chimera Technique.
Greed was etched into human bones. It was desire and greed that allowed humanity to survive in a cruel world.
The Chimera Technique's true nature was endless devouring—a perfect reflection of the hunger buried deep inside Hiruko's heart.
What he craved was presence. Recognition. Importance. Only those things could bury the self-loathing inside him.
Even when he announced his plan to ignite the Fourth Great Ninja War, he still called himself "Hiruko, shinobi of the Konoha."
"Those powers do not belong to you."
Hyūga Kumokawa's Byakugan was active. He stared at the murky chakra swirling inside Hiruko and spoke in a flat, indifferent tone.
The words made Hiruko whip his head around. After a brief pause, a savage expression twisted across his pale face.
"This is my power!" His features contorted with rage. "It belongs to Hiruko!"
"No," Hyūga Kumokawa replied calmly. "It's power you stole."
Boom!!
"You're dead!"
The furious roar had barely reached his ears when Hiruko vanished from his original spot, leaving behind an almost invisible afterimage and a sharp sonic boom.
The ground where Hiruko had stood shattered. Stone fragments sprayed into the air as dust bloomed outward like a flower.
Kekkei genkai—Swift Release.
Hyūga Kumokawa had already extended his palm, as if grasping at something. A black orb began to condense in his hand.
***
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