The Chimera Technique, a forbidden jutsu that uses chimera as a medium to devour and absorb other kekkei genkai into oneself—finally revealed its most magnificent form today.
With a surge of terrifying chakra from Hiruko's body, his clothing exploded in an instant. Countless bandages snapped apart, and densely packed chimera tendrils, like ravenous bloodthirsty serpents, instantly devoured the four sacrifices.
Seeing this, everyone present narrowed their eyes. Especially Obito—his single eye beneath the spiral mask transformed into a Mangekyō, locking tightly onto Hiruko's every move and transformation.
"AAAAAHHH!!!"
The terrified screams of the sacrifices lasted only a moment before they abruptly stopped. The chimera tendrils that had swallowed them writhed slightly, like a giant snake digesting its prey, twisting and shifting on the ground as they processed what they had consumed.
Seeing this, Hiruko, seated cross-legged at the center of the altar, let out a cold shout, and released all the chakra in his body without restraint, driving the chimera that had absorbed the sacrifices into his body.
The turbulent chakra stirred up fierce winds, causing the entire mountainside to warp and shift. Even the Akatsuki members—who had initially looked down on Hiruko—narrow their eyes and show solemn expressions.
He was supposed to be nothing more than an ordinary A-rank rogue ninja. A Konoha jōnin overlooked by his village. And yet, he had achieved this?
This level of chakra—no longer inferior to theirs. Perhaps… even stronger.
If he were to complete the entire ritual… just how powerful would Hiruko become?
"Excellent. This increase in power… it's excellent."
Obito's eyes sparkled with intensity as he stared closely.
Terrifying chakra continued to erupt from Hiruko's body. Soon, everyone present felt a strange sense of dread creeping into their hearts. Along with it came a sinister chill and an undercurrent of rage, fear, and bloodlust.
"So this is the power of dark chakra…"
Shinno couldn't help rubbing his hands together, his expression full of excitement.
He had spent over a decade chasing the power of dark chakra, hoping to use it as the cornerstone to revive the Sky Ninja.
But in public, his persona was always that of a low-profile medical ninja. He never truly unleashed this power. What Hiruko was doing today—this was the first time dark chakra had been mobilized on such a massive scale.
This power… was indeed overwhelming!
"Dark chakra is decent, but in terms of raw power, it still falls far short of Tailed Beast chakra," whispered Black Zetsu to Obito.
Obito nodded. "Tailed Beasts are, after all, the very embodiment of chakra in this world. Dark chakra can't compare. But as supplementary power… as a battery… it's not bad."
Dark chakra was formed from the darkness in human hearts—their negative emotions. Though it was weaker than Tailed Beast chakra in terms of raw intensity, the desires of the human heart were endless.
Which meant, in a sense… dark chakra too could be infinite.
As a power source, it was perfect.
—
On the altar.
Dark chakra surged continuously into Hiruko. But soon, a trace of urgency appeared on his face.
"Leader, help me!"
He wasn't Obito. Despite having collected dark chakra deliberately, the amount he had stored wasn't enough to complete the ritual. Now it was running dry, and the devouring of the four sacrifices was only halfway done.
With no other choice, Hiruko called for help—from Nagato.
Nagato didn't hesitate. As he pressed his hands together, he shot a glance toward the other Akatsuki members.
Shinno, Sasori, Konan, Deidara—even the Akatsuki affiliates—immediately understood. They all began channeling chakra, joining Nagato in pouring their strength into the instruments.
A vast amount of chakra was transmitted into Hiruko's body, like a whale swallowing the sea. With this surge of power, Hiruko's devouring process accelerated significantly.
As he continued to absorb the four individuals, Hiruko's aura grew stronger and stronger. And as that power hit a certain threshold… something peculiar began to emanate from his body.
"This aura is…"
Obito and Nagato's eyes narrowed at once. Even Black Zetsu's expression turned odd.
This aura was strange—faint but indescribable.
The oppressive pressure it emitted vanished almost instantly, but even Nagato—who had mastered Sage Mode—felt a momentary suppression from it.
"The power of All Things…"
Obito whispered softly.
He had sensed this power before—long ago, beneath the caverns, when he had stood beside the dying Madara Uchiha.
With the help of the Chimera Technique, Hiruko, a lowly, ordinary ninja, actually gained the power of All Things, a power that only an existence of the Sage of Six Paths' caliber could possess!
"Hiruko… you're truly a genius…"
As Nagato and the others continued to pour their chakra, Hiruko's devouring of the four people became faster and faster.
And along with this faint power of All Things, his seemingly ordinary eyes were suddenly dyed blood red. Three blood-red tomoe spun clearly in his pupils.
"That eye—!"
From a distance, Deidara cried out in shock. "Sharingan?! Don't tell me Hiruko-senpai is also from the Uchiha clan?!"
"Idiot. That's because one of the sacrifices he absorbed was an Uchiha."
Sasori stared intently at the changes happening to Hiruko.
"Transplanting kekkei genkai… an immortal, perfect shinobi… Hiruko, I acknowledge your art."
"He's already fused Uchiha blood…"
Obito gazed at the blood-red eyes in which the three tomoe were spinning violently.
He could clearly sense that with the help of the power of All Things, Hiruko's Sharingan was undergoing a delicate transformation.
It was a massive concentration of yin-release chakra.
The power of All Things was the final form of chakra. It could evolve into any nature. If not for this, even absorbing a Uchiha would only grant him a basic three-tomoe Sharingan.
It was precisely because of this unique chakra that Hiruko's eyes were still changing.
"Hiruko's Chimera Technique has no flaws. If a weakling like him can reach this level, then I—with the fusion of Senju and Uchiha power—will have no problem at all."
Obito thought silently, eyes locked on Hiruko's every change.
But devouring the bloodlines was only the first phase of the ritual. With sufficient chakra to maintain the process, the real challenge was stabilizing and fusing the bloodlines afterward.
Hiruko had already awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan, and possibly even the Mangekyō. But Obito, ever perceptive, noticed that the chakra fusion within his body wasn't as stable as it appeared.
And sure enough—
As Hiruko's Sharingan spun rapidly, beginning to morph into the Mangekyō, his expression suddenly twisted in agony. He grabbed his head and collapsed to his knees with a thud, his face contorted in pain.
"Hn?!"
"Is he failing?"
"Trying to become the ultimate shinobi through these means… it was always a pipe dream, Hiruko."
Below the altar, Shinno—who had contributed part of his chakra—raised an eyebrow.
The Chimera Technique was certainly a stroke of genius, but in Shinno's eyes, it wasn't practical.
The body was the foundation. Hiruko's physique was weak. Without strengthening his body first, trying to forcibly assimilate kekkei genkai through Chimera was suicide.
In his opinion, the correct path was: first enhance the body, then fuse the chakra, and finally pursue further techniques. Hiruko's approach was too reckless.
"Sasori-san, looks like Hiruko-senpai's gonna blow it! You think he'll go boom and give us a glorious artistic finale? mm!"
Deidara smacked his lips in anticipation.
Sasori shot him a speechless look. Everyone else was focused on the Chimera Technique, and here he was—excited about whether Hiruko would explode artistically.
But then again, considering the massive chakra involved… if Hiruko failed, a catastrophic explosion was indeed possible.
Everyone wore different expressions. Only Nagato remained expressionless, calmly watching the suffering Hiruko.
Under his gaze, Hiruko's body began mutating rapidly. His flesh boiled, turned bright red, steaming hot, and even started emitting smoke.
The chimera tendrils that had fused into his body began to rupture. Some even escaped from his body entirely—morphing into twisted, screaming faces.
The faces of the very sacrifices Hiruko had devoured.
"No! Don't!"
"I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"
"You'll never devour me—AAAH!"
Screams came from the chimera faces, but they were quickly covered by even more mournful sounds.
The four distorted visages floated around Hiruko, wailing as if protesting their fate—demanding the return of their body. It was as if they were trying to reclaim ownership of his flesh.
The bizarre sight made everyone present frown.
Obito's brows furrowed deeply.
Magnet Release, Swift Release, Steel Release, Dark Release… and Sharingan.
These five kekkei genkai weren't merging as smoothly as expected. Besides the chakra fusion, he noticed another critical oversight on Hiruko's part:
The soul.
Chakra could be forcefully stabilized through sheer quantity. kekkei genkai could be fused gradually using the chimera.
But the soul… that was the ritual's greatest flaw.
Clearly, Hiruko hadn't taken this into account. He'd neglected the fact that while fusing the kekkei genkai and chakra, the souls of the four sacrifices would also merge into him—and begin to resist.
Perhaps when Hiruko first assimilated the Swift Release user, that soul had been too weak or disintegrated on contact. So he subconsciously ignored the issue. But now, it had become a fatal vulnerability.
"How am I supposed to resolve the soul conflict in kekkei genkai fusion?"
Obito's brows creased into a deep furrow. The more he thought, the more he realized—he had no method to handle souls.
Use the Sharingan to shatter their consciousness?
No… the soul and the mind are two entirely different forces. Even if they were related, facing five souls at once—he might not be able to manage it.
"No…"
A pained cry escaped Hiruko's lips. Now overwhelmed in the soul battle, he was falling fast into despair.
He collapsed at the center of the altar, writhing in agony. His limbs were melting into a pile of deformed sludge. His entire body cracked and dissolved, leaving only a twisted face, soaked in tears and mucus.
Hiruko's eyes desperately sought out Nagato in the crowd—eyes full of unwillingness and pleading. His chakra-ravaged throat strained to make even a single sound:
"Lea…der… he…help me…"
Leader?!
Even in this situation, the faint call was startling. And it jolted Obito to his core. He instantly turned his gaze to the ever-expressionless Nagato.
When it came to handling souls… besides the Yuki Yoru and the Shinigami… who else was more adept than the wielder of the Rinnegan?
Before everyone's eyes, Nagato stepped forward.
In a flash, he appeared above Hiruko, the pale purple Rinnegan looking down at him—like a god staring at a twisted, filthy insect.
"Lea…der…"
"You weren't prepared enough, Hiruko."
Nagato slowly raised his hand. As the Rinnegan's power surged, a phantom of the King of Hell emerged behind him.
"But your ambition—I acknowledge it."
The King of Hell's long tongue lashed out, grabbing multiple souls within Hiruko's body and stuffing them into its mouth.
The four souls that had been waging war inside him—each filled with hatred, trying to tear his own soul apart—were instantly devoured.
Hiruko's somewhat dazed eyes returned to clarity after a few breaths.
Even more astonishingly, his melted, broken flesh began to reform—slowly regenerating into a new body.
Hiruko, who had been teetering on the brink of failure, began to evolve once more—thanks to Nagato's power.