The darkest and most shadowy place in Konoha—the Root.
Danzo sat on a chair in the middle of a suspended cross-shaped passage.
Standing before him was the squad he had carefully assembled.
Uchiha Shisui.
Aburame Ryoma.
] Pakura.
At this moment, Danzo, his face grim, finally opened his eyes.
"So, he's finally making his move—Hiruko."
There was no surprise in his gaze, only a hint of anticipation.
After all, sending Kakashi to monitor Hiruko had always been a deliberate move—to rattle the grass and startle the snake.
He wanted to make that eccentric genius, who had developed the Chimera Technique, expose some flaws.
At the same time, he could take advantage of Hiruko's status as a former student of the Hokage.
"In that case, it's time for you to move."
Danzo slowly stood up, leaning on his cane.
"It's about time I got active again. Otherwise, too many people will forget the name 'The Darkness of Shinobi'."
"Yes, sir!"
The three figures before him vanished in an instant.
---
On the other side, Hiruko was successfully executing his plan.
He had found the barrier squad ninja he was looking for.
"Hurry up and open the barrier."
Half of Hiruko's face was hidden beneath the collar of his coat, with only his eyes, glowing red, visible.
The barrier squad ninja was a middle-aged man.
There was a hint of fear in his gaze as he looked at Hiruko.
"Hiruko, leaving the village without permission is a serious crime!"
The middle-aged ninja stared at him, confirming his intention once more.
No Konoha ninja was allowed to leave the village without orders.
If he left now, he would be branded a rogue ninja.
Hiruko, however, only let out a mocking sneer.
"A serious crime? You've committed plenty of those yourself."
"As a barrier squad ninja, secretly letting people in and out of the village is a serious offense."
Hiruko's words immediately made the man's face turn pale.
"That… that was in the past…"
He could only give a weak defense.
But Hiruko had no intention of wasting time.
"Cut the crap. I'm in a hurry."
"If you don't open the barrier, I'll make sure everyone knows about the enemy spy you let escape two years ago."
Hiruko narrowed his eyes, his voice laced with menace.
If he hadn't caught this man's weakness two years ago, he wouldn't have found a way to leave the village so easily.
Under Hiruko's threat, the middle-aged ninja's face darkened, but he had no choice.
Some things, once set in motion, cannot be undone.
For Hiruko, this was one of them.
For him as well.
With a reluctant gesture, the ninja activated the seal, revealing intricate runes in the air.
A small opening, just large enough for a person to pass through, appeared—a hidden escape route.
"Hiruko, you promised me…"
"You said if I helped you this time, you wouldn't use this against me again!"
The middle-aged ninja asked uneasily for confirmation.
Hiruko simply smirked coldly.
"Of course."
The moment he finished speaking, a venomous snake slithered out from his sleeve and sank its fangs into the man's neck.
The deadly toxin surged through his arteries, spreading through his body in an instant.
In just a few seconds, the middle-aged ninja collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Before he hit the ground, he couldn't even utter a single word.
Hiruko glanced at the corpse with disdain, then turned away and stepped through the barrier.
Looking at the dense forest ahead, a wave of excitement surged within him.
Now that he had finally broken free from the village's restraints, he was about to enter a world of complete freedom.
The sky is vast, the ocean boundless—he could soar wherever he pleased!
No one could chain him down anymore!
No longer would he have to live in fear because of his forbidden experiments!
Just the thought of it sent a thrill through his entire being...
Hiruko didn't hesitate any longer and dashed into the forest.
However, the moment his foot touched a tree branch, a blade flashed like a bolt of lightning from the shadows!
Even though he instinctively dodged backward the instant he sensed danger, he still ended up with a deep cut across his waist.
Just a little more—just a tiny bit more, and he would've been sliced in half!
With a grim expression, Hiruko looked around as three masked figures emerged, surrounding him completely.
"You are…"
"The Root!"
Hiruko immediately recognized them.
This level of reaction speed—only the elite Root operatives, like those under Kakashi's command, could pull it off.
"How did you find me?"
He was baffled.
His movements had been incredibly discreet.
And Kakashi had only lost contact a short while ago, so how had they responded so quickly?
Of course, the three Earthly Branch operatives weren't going to reveal that it was Danzo's unique ability at play.
The squad leader, Aburame Ryoma, simply stated coldly:
"Lord Danzo's will is everywhere."
"Tch, Danzo again, huh?"
Hiruko's face darkened.
If it were anyone else, he might not have believed it.
But Danzo?
That man had pulled off so many impossible feats recently that it felt like there was nothing he couldn't do.
"What about that guy back there?"
The masked woman wearing the [ (Rabbit)] mask, Pakura, asked in an indifferent tone.
Though he had been poisoned by the snake, the fallen ninja still had a chance to be saved.
However, Ryoma immediately dismissed it:
"He was scum anyway. If he dies, so be it."
Root had long been aware of this traitor in Konoha.
They had only let him be, hoping he would lure out bigger prey.
Now that he was exposed, there was no reason to keep him alive.
"Understood."
Pakura didn't argue.
She was just a newcomer, after all.
If Ryoma said it didn't matter, then there was no need for her to dwell on it.
Realizing he was being completely ignored, Hiruko's expression grew even darker.
Again…
It's always like this!
Ever since I was a child, I was always the one being overlooked!
Why?!
Why should someone's entire future be determined by the talents they were born with?!
It was precisely this belief that had driven Hiruko to develop the forbidden technique Chimera.
And today—he would prove that he was second to none!
Under the watchful eyes of the three Root operatives, Hiruko'a body suddenly swelled.
His muscles expanded, bulging grotesquely, making him at least three times his original size!
A centipede-like tail, lined with sharp spikes, extended from his back.
His hands transformed into beastly claws, the razor-sharp talons gleaming in the air.
Two demonic horns sprouted from his forehead.
His mouth filled with jagged fangs.
And from his back, a pair of bat-like wings unfurled—making him look like a creature straight out of a nightmare.
"What the hell… is this monster?!"
Even the usually cold and composed Pakura couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark.
Hiruko's transformation was simply too bizarre…
He looked like a grotesque chimera, stitched together from various animals.
Hearing Pakura's voice, Hiruko's blood-red eyes flickered.
With hooves like a stag, he stomped heavily on the ground.
His massive body suddenly burst forward at an astonishing speed—
In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Pakura, swinging a powerful punch!
Fortunately, Pakura's reflexes were sharp—she dodged just in time.
BOOM!
The enormous tree behind her was obliterated by Hiruko's fist.
The massive trunk shattered into splinters, sending wood fragments flying in all directions.
Seeing this, Shisui and Ryoma wasted no time.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
From the vents of his mask, Shisui unleashed a massive fireball, causing a fiery explosion in the forest.
Thick smoke billowed, and just as Hiruko charged out of the blackened haze—
His legs suddenly went numb.
A swarm of black kikaichū had already been set in place.
Clearly, this was Aburame Ryoma's handiwork.
"Damn Aburame ninja!"
Hiruko cursed, immediately releasing crackling lightning arcs from his feet.
This was the Lightning Release chakra he had absorbed from Kakashi earlier.
But before the kikaichū could be paralyzed—
They began to expand at a visible rate.
The next moment, they exploded!
BOOM!!
A thunderous detonation shook the forest, and an immense wave of white steam engulfed the area.
Because what had just burst out of the kikaichū wasn't fire—it was superheated steam!
That's right—this was a new variant Ryoma had created after absorbing chakra from the Five-Tails:
[Steam Kikaichū]!
The technique involved feeding Boil Release chakra to a specific breed of kikaichū, allowing them to store and later release it as a devastating steam explosion.
And as it turned out, the blast radius and destructive power were quite remarkable.
The sudden outburst of steam created a high-temperature shockwave, reducing the surrounding trees to ashes.
At the center of the explosion, Hiruko was not only blasted backward, but his entire body was also severely scalded.
Although the attack didn't finish him off, it had certainly put him in a dire situation.
"Damn it… This is Boil Release?!"
Hiruko's body was steaming, his skin completely scorched—his appearance now ghastly.
If not for his fusion with various beast traits, he would have already been boiled alive.
But even so, the three Root operatives showed no sign of letting up.
The "Body Flicker" Shisui, appeared next to Hiruko in an instant, launching a relentless assault.
Pakura supported him with a barrage of Scorch Release attacks.
Meanwhile, Ryoma's kikaichū continued to harass and restrict Hiruko's movements.
Within moments, Hiruko had fallen into complete disadvantage.
His face contorted with unwillingness.
He had only managed to absorb a single kekkei genkai!
If only he had more time—
If he could just absorb a few more bloodline limits,
Then when his Chimera Technique reached its full potential—
These guys wouldn't even be a threat to him!
But—
It was already too late.
---
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
Danzo, leaning on his cane, observed the battle through his Byakugan as he strode toward the Hokage Tower.
"Lord Danzo, the Hokage is currently in a meeting."
Two shinobi stepped forward, attempting to block his path.
"Get out of my way!"
Danzo barked coldly.
The sheer pressure radiating from him forced them back.
Without hesitation, he marched up to the Hokage's office—
And kicked the door open.
Inside, Hiruzen Sarutobi, his two advisors, and several Jonin turned toward him.
Danzo raised his fist—
And slammed it down onto Hiruzen's desk.
"You'd better give me a damn good explanation for this, Sarutobi Hiruzen!"
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