Hiruko's hands blurred as he wove a rapid sequence of signs. With a soft exhale, a sealing technique manifested; a localized gale enveloped Sakura, binding her in a shimmering cocoon of invisible force. He stepped forward and hoisted her over his shoulder in one fluid, practiced motion.
"We need a place to digest our spoils and lie low for a while," Hiruko mused. "It's time to truly scout this world. While I'm fairly certain this is the Shippuden timeline, there's no guarantee the plot follows my memories exactly."
Was this the TV anime continuity? The original manga? A video game universe? Or perhaps a chaotic hybrid—a fanfiction-derivative world where logic was thrown out the window?
The discrepancy between the movies and the main series was already vast enough. For all he knew, some "god-tier" transmigrator with a broken system was lurking in the shadows. Despite his outward arrogance in his home world, Hiruko remained a cautious old fox at his core. He decided to stick to the "Gou" (low-profile) strategy for now.
Hell, the 'Main God Space' might even exist here, he thought.
As for the massive Wood Style disturbance he had caused earlier? As long as no one saw him cast it, it wasn't him. He could deny it until the sun died. He was also morbidly curious: did this world have its own Hiruko?
He entertained the idea of an experiment. Like the movie The One, he wondered if he could devour his interdimensional counterpart's origin. If he could absorb the "Hiruko" of this timeline, he might collapse his own existence into a singular, multiversal point of power—ascending beyond the constraints of the shinobi world entirely.
However, his cells and soul were already fundamentally different from any native human. The probability of a perfect merger was low. Still, he craved the other Hiruko's "Chimera Technique" (Kimerage). He wondered what kind of reaction would occur if his version fused with the movie version's variant.
In the original manga, Hiruko didn't even exist. In the movies, he hunted specific bloodline limits like Swift Release. Yet in the manga's Edo Tensei logic, someone like Pakura had a completely different fate. Fixed impressions were a death trap; to assume he knew everything was the height of arrogance.
Leading by a step was wisdom; leading by a mile was a death sentence.
On another part of the battlefield, Deidara had been busy taunting the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and the "Mr. Worldwide" of the Leaf, Kakashi Hatake.
The engagement had been disastrous for the artist. During the clash with Team Guy, Deidara's arm had been severed. To make matters worse for the Leaf, they had retrieved Gaara—only to find a cold corpse.
The death of his friend sent Naruto into a feral rage. Vermilion chakra erupted, tails forming as he mindlessly attacked everything in sight, including Kakashi. Fortunately, Kakashi used a seal taught to him by Jiraiya to suppress the cloak, allowing Naruto to regain his senses.
Deidara had tried to flee, only to run headlong into Team Guy. Backed into a corner, he offered a final demonstration of his "Ultimate Art"—a self-detonating suicide blast. Just as the explosion threatened to incinerate the forest, Kakashi utilized Kamui, warping the blast into the spatial dimension.
Obito should be glad he wasn't there. If he had stepped out of Kamui at that exact moment, Kakashi's "firework show" would have ended him instantly.
Ultimately, Deidara used the distraction to slip away. But his tragedy was far from over. He was a man whose "art" was destined to clash with the Uchiha destiny. First, he was humiliated by Itachi's charisma; now, he'd lost an arm to Kakashi's (Obito's) eye. When Sasuke eventually stepped onto the stage, Deidara would likely find himself serving as yet another stepping stone for the protagonist's growth.
Sasori walked calmly, leading the "captured" Lady Chiyo (sealed in a scroll), while Hiruko trudged along behind him, Sakura draped over his shoulder like a sack of flour. He occasionally gave her a casual pat as they navigated the dunes.
In this timeline, no one was left to give Gaara a new life. The Fifth Kazekage was truly, permanently dead.
News of Sakura and Chiyo's "disappearance" reached the exhausted Leaf squad shortly after the funeral. The cumulative trauma pushed Naruto over the edge again. The Nine-Tails chakra flooded out, his claws tearing through rock and earth with a force that would liquefy an ordinary human on contact.
Kakashi tried to intervene, but the strain of overusing his Mangekyo had left him "kidney-deficient" and physically shattered. He collapsed, unable to weave a single seal.
"Get Kakashi and Neji out of here! I'll hold Naruto back!" Guy roared, entrusting his rival to Lee.
"Guy-sensei!" Lee hoisted Kakashi onto his back, his eyes burning with a mix of hot-blooded spirit and cold dread.
"Go!" Kakashi gritted out. He knew it was the only way.
Tenten watched with worry. Guy was exhausted from his previous fight; his stamina was flagging. But the Power of Youth was a flame that burned brightest in the dark. Guy flashed a thumbs-up and a sparkling grin, though fat beads of sweat rolled down his face.
Protecting his comrades was the sole reason he refined the Eight Inner Gates. If he had to fight, he would.
"Sixth Gate: Gate of Joy—OPEN!"
Green steam erupted, mingling with a white aura of pure physical force. Guy charged the three-tailed Naruto, beginning a grueling slugfest between two monsters of pure instinct. Guy didn't know sealing jutsu, so he used the "stupid" method: beating Naruto until the boy ran out of energy. It was a battle of attrition between two iron-blooded men.
Meanwhile, Hiruko and Sasori had already crossed the border into the ruins of Roran.
Sakura finally stirred. Regaining consciousness on Hiruko's shoulder, she immediately began to thrash. "Let me go, you bastard! Put me down!"
Even with her chakra sealed, she was a bundle of violent energy. Hiruko could feel her struggling against his back, her constant screaming grating on his nerves.
"Too noisy!" Hiruko muttered. He actually liked "energetic" ninjas, but Sakura's shrill tone was a bridge too far. He maintained a bright, insincere smile and gave her backside two sharp, heavy swats.
SPANK-SPANK!
"Ah!" Sakura's face exploded into a brilliant red. She froze, her mind reeling with shame.
Without her chakra-enhanced strength, she was just a teenage girl. To Hiruko, her struggling was like being tickled. But the noise had to stop.
"Be quiet, little girl!" He swatted her again. When she continued to curse him, Hiruko sighed and channeled Lightning Style, sending a jolt directly into her nervous system.
He forgot, however, that he was still in Sage Mode. The low-level paralysis he intended was amplified tenfold. The current crackled, smelling of ozone. Sakura's hair singed at the tips and her body went rigid, vibrating uncontrollably.
"Aaaagh!"
Hiruko suddenly felt a warm, wet sensation soaking into his shoulder and down his trousers. He froze, uttering a string of curses.
Sakura wanted to bury herself in the sand. Being shocked into losing bladder control was an ultimate, soul-crushing humiliation. Terrified of further "punishment," she finally went silent, though the warmth of her damp clothes was a continuous psychological blow.
BOOM!
Before she could process her rage, Hiruko frowned and literally "planted" her head-first into a sand dune. "Damn it, you peed on my pants!"
Sakura sputtered, coughing up a mouthful of grit as she was pulled from the sand.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to go that far," Hiruko said, squatting down to offer a beaming, apologetic smile.
To Sakura, it was the smile of a demon—a cocktail of mockery, lingering amusement, and pure malice. It was the most punchable face she had ever seen. But facing his overwhelming power, she could only lower her head in a broken, tearful silence.
A week passed.
In the heart of the desert, a towering altar once again pierced the sky. The ruins of Roran had been refurbished with uncanny speed. Inside the towers, puppets connected to the Dragon Vein functioned with eerie precision.
In that week, Hiruko had mapped the world. He had used the Yamanaka techniques to scour the minds of four Suna captives and several informants. The world seemed "normal"—no other transmigrators, no "System" users, no "Reincarnation Spaces."
The only major deviation was the permanent death of Gaara, leaving Suna leaderless. It was a perfect opening for the next phase of his plan.
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