This situation had the secondary benefit of preventing the friction with the Fire Daimyo from intensifying.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire was a master of the balancing act. Previously, due to certain internal issues, a group of radical factions had nearly sparked a world war before he managed to smooth things over. The high nobility had been suffering from the fallout, but because Konoha's reputation had plummeted in recent years, the Daimyo actually felt relieved. He saw it as an opportunity to recalibrate the various power factions and keep the shinobi in check.
For the Daimyo, this was a silver lining. However, Hiruko knew that letting these problems drag on was not an option. If the economic and social issues weren't addressed, the number of commoners starving to death would be catastrophic.
Let me think... what other ways are there to fix this?
In truth, the fastest way to scrub Konoha's reputation would be to throw money at the problem—vast, obscene amounts of it. Hiruko rubbed his temples; he had worked hard to build Konoha into a modern powerhouse, but the mission volume was already at a peak, and the subsidies and overhead were massive. The recent prolonged wars had saddled the village with a heavy burden, making it feel like a small beast struggling under a massive pack.
The second option was Danzo. While Danzo was undeniably dedicated to the village, his personal reputation was in the gutter. At this stage, the other Four Hidden Villages were busy digesting their gains from the war and had no desire to take the initiative; they were merely maintaining a wary vigilance. Danzo seemed to have lost his way; if he couldn't see how the era was changing, then he deserved whatever came his way.
As for Nagato, the situation was predictable. After giving Jiraiya and the others a thorough thrashing, he would likely lay low for a while. Therefore, the most pressing matters were: one, laundering Konoha's public image; and two, preparing for Nagato's next move. Knowing Nagato's personality, his next strike would likely involve recruiting powerful S-rank rogue ninjas. Konoha needed to be ready for a coordinated defense.
Actually, the quickest "reputation laundering" scheme would be for Konoha's number two, Danzo, to be kidnapped or imprisoned by another nation under trumped-up charges. Konoha and the Land of Fire were mutually dependent; a powerful Konoha was vital to the nation's pride. If a key figure from the village were treated with such disrespect, it would easily ignite the patriotic fervor of the Land of Fire's commoners. Coupled with a coordinated media campaign from shadow accounts, Konoha's previous scandals could be easily buried.
It was a perfect plan, except for one glaring problem: no one was brave enough to do it. The benefit of being powerful was that no one dared bully you, but the downside was that no one would give you a reason to play the victim. Even if Hiruko wanted to frame someone for kidnapping Danzo, no village would touch that hot potato unless they had a death wish. Holding Konoha's second-in-command hostage was a fast track to being obliterated by an army of angry Leaf shinobi.
The "General Peace Order" previously issued by the Fire Daimyo was still effective; the nations were effectively checking one another, leaving Hiruko without a convenient scapegoat. He would have to take the long view.
Hiruko stretched his limbs, ending his research for the day. He detached the monitoring wires and tubes from the test subjects before turning to Orochimaru. "Well? Any results?"
"Perhaps a sliver," Orochimaru replied smoothly. "But I need to further study the data we just gathered."
Hiruko felt Orochimaru was being perfunctory. "Orochimaru, let's be honest. Your research is stuck, isn't it?"
Orochimaru's lip twitched. "Dealing with such a novel organism that clearly isn't a standard biological species... it's natural for research to hit a bottleneck. However, I've had major breakthroughs in other areas. For instance, the Living Corpse Reincarnation. Are you interested, Hiruko?"
"I am," Hiruko replied. "In theory, we could switch bodies at will and live forever. But..." Hiruko paused. "On second thought, I'm not actually interested in changing bodies. Mine is the most suited for me. I'm not giving it up. Still, give me a copy of the data."
"Is this the same reincarnation technique from last time?" Hiruko asked.
"Yes, but I've perfected it. Combined with the Curse Mark, the synchronization is excellent," Orochimaru explained.
Hiruko mused, "Could we split the soul into two parts, like a Shadow Clone, during the reincarnation? That way, one consciousness could control two bodies. I'm going to go look into the Spirit Transformation Jutsu; there might be a shared principle there."
Orochimaru's eyes lit up at the suggestion.
"Orochimaru," Hiruko added as he prepared to leave, "your biggest mistake with reincarnation is the obsession with taking someone else's body. Why not just clone your own? You wouldn't even need to worry about rejection."
With that, Hiruko walked out, casually swiping the Reincarnation scroll from the table. It took a moment for Orochimaru to snap out of his contemplation. "You're right, Hiruko, but..." He realized the man was gone. "Why does he always just leave like that?"
Despite the abrupt exit, Orochimaru's mind was racing. Hiruko's cloning tech combined with his soul research was the missing link.
Returning to his private quarters, Hiruko began studying the S-rank Spirit Transformation Jutsu. He'd acquired it a while ago but had ignored it because of its fatal flaw: the user's physical body becomes an immobile, defenseless target. To someone who valued his original shell as much as Hiruko, "going AFK" during a fight was unacceptable.
But with his new ideas on soul-splitting and reincarnation, he saw a path. Spirit Transformation required the highest mastery of Yin Release of any known jutsu. Fortunately, Hiruko's Kurama-bloodline Genjutsu was the pinnacle of Yin Release. Coupled with the sensory training he'd done for the Flying Thunder God, his control over his consciousness was surgical.
He began to weave the signs: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Boar...
As the jutsu took hold, Hiruko felt his consciousness peel away from his flesh. He was suddenly airborne, floating above the room. Looking down, he saw his body maintained its seated posture. His soul state felt incredibly light and liberated. Interestingly, he found that with chakra manipulation, his spirit could even "carry" items.
He began testing his spiritual state. He still had access to chakra and could use jutsu, but only those he had mastered to the point of instinct. Complex techniques requiring precise physical molding were out of reach for now—likely due to the lack of a physical nervous system.
He moved through the air with frightening speed. Testing his offensive power, he unleashed a Lightning Style: Earth Flash at the wall. A deep, scorched trench appeared instantly. Satisfied, he ended the jutsu and merged back into his body.
The transition felt heavy, like being shoved into a suit of lead. Compared to the spirit, the body felt sluggish. Still, Spirit Transformation was a niche tool, much like the Reaper Death Seal. It was devastating in a 1v1 surprise attack, but if the enemy dodged the initial soul-lunge, the caster was essentially a sitting duck.
Next, I just need to see when the reincarnation research finishes, Hiruko thought. He didn't fully trust Orochimaru's scrolls; he would have to verify everything personally.
As Hiruko stepped out of his meditation room, Rin Nohara, sensing the movement, hurried over. "Hiruko-sensei, are you finished with your training?"
"Yeah. Sorry, Rin. I haven't spent much time with you lately. The village has been chaotic," Hiruko said.
Rin shook her head, offering a sweet smile. "It's okay! You're an important figure in Konoha; you're doing it for everyone. I'm just happy you take the time to teach me at all."
"Rin is so good," Hiruko smiled, reaching out to pat her auburn hair. Rin leaned into his palm like a contented kitten.
"Rin, the village isn't entirely safe yet. During my last mission, I found a lead on the mastermind who tried to seal the Tailed Beast inside you," Hiruko said after a pause. He decided to tell her, but he tweaked the truth. He framed Black Zetsu as the sole culprit, keeping Obito's survival a secret for now. Since Zetsu was definitely watching during the Rain mission, it wasn't exactly a lie.
"Wait a little longer. Once the village finishes the investigation, you'll be able to walk the streets freely again."
Rin's face lit up. Hiding in the shadows meant she could never be with Hiruko openly. True freedom was her only path to a real life. Getting dressed up in Hiruko's disguises every time she wanted to see the sun was stifling.
"Thank you, Lord Hiruko," she said gratefully.
"It's nothing," Hiruko waved it off. He knew that if Obito found out Rin was alive now, the boy might come crawling back for forgiveness, which would make it socially awkward for Hiruko to kill him. He needed Obito to commit more unforgivable sins so that even if the truth came out later, there would be no path back to the Leaf. Hiruko wasn't a "Saint"; he didn't have much mercy to spare for rivals.
Excited to see him, Rin took Hiruko's hand, her face flushing. "Lord Hiruko... would you like me to give you a massage? We talked about it last time, but you had to rush off for village business."
"Ah, I remember," Hiruko said. "I'll take you up on that, Rin."
"I've been studying some new techniques from a book lately," Rin added, her blush deepening. She led him to the lounge area and patted the bed. "Please, lay face down, Lord Hiruko."
Rin had read in certain "specialized" texts that sitting on the recipient's back provided a much better massage experience and deeper relaxation. She had read those books alone at night, her face turning crimson. She'd thought about throwing them away but couldn't help but finish them from behind peeked fingers.
Lord Hiruko gave me those books... was he hinting at something? she wondered. Over the last few months, her memories of Kakashi and others had been filed away, replaced by the warmth of Hiruko's presence.
She took a deep breath, steeling her nerves, and sat directly on Hiruko's lower back.
"Oh!"
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