Outside Konohagakure
The forest was lush and green, with a few large yellow, withered trees scattered among the vibrant woods.
"Master Patriarch, look—there are obvious traces of Earth Release ninjutsu here. These trees clearly surfaced after the ground was violently shaken and then replanted artificially," Uchiha Saburo pointed out.
"And there wasn't a slope here before, but now there's a raised area. We can still detect lingering traces of chakra."
Naraku stepped forward, tapped the earth with his fingers, closed his eyes, and focused.
"This chakra feels familiar... I've sensed it before."
He frowned, thoughts flashing through his mind. The faint chakra residue gave Naraku an unmistakable sense of déjà vu.
"This isn't a coincidence," he muttered. As a jōnin, Naraku wouldn't mistake such a feeling.
"Who is it?"
He mentally sifted through every ninja he had encountered, comparing the chakra signatures.
"Damn it... How could I forget him?"
Naraku's eyes snapped open. He formed a rapid set of hand seals.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Poof!
A small explosion of smoke and a calico cat with twin daggers strapped to its back appeared.
"Kozoumaru, has Hiruko—the one you were monitoring—ever left his residence recently?" Naraku asked sternly.
"Meow... Lord Naraku, the white-haired Hiruko hasn't shown any strange behavior. He's only gone to Ichiraku Ramen, the yakiniku place, and the ninja tool shop, meow. Most of the time, he stays home," the ninja cat reported.
Naraku narrowed his eyes.
How can Chakra appear outside the village if he stays home all day?
Clearly, Hiruko had discovered he was being watched by animals and wild cats and had worked out a way to confuse the surveillance. He must have slipped out in disguise or used some other jutsu.
"I can't believe I made the same mistake I once criticized my father Sanzō for—underestimating Konoha shinobi."
Naraku's tone turned colder. He was aware of Hiruko's experiments, but not the extent of their progress.
"I know who the culprit is. We're heading back to Konoha!"
Naraku turned without hesitation, his shinobi cat and Uchiha Saburo following alongside.
"I didn't expect Hiruko to be bold enough to abduct shinobi near Konoha... His experiments must be nearing a critical phase, and he needs more test subjects. Now's our best chance to catch him."
Naraku raced forward in the typical shinobi style, his mind already planning the next moves.
---
Konohagakure – Hiruko's Residence
The two-story house on the village outskirts was Hiruko's official residence.
Naraku led four guards and Uchiha Saburo as they silently infiltrated and searched the home.
"Master Patriarch, there's no one here," one of the guards whispered.
"Meow... I just saw him this morning. He was inside and never came out," Kozoumaru added.
Naraku frowned, already dismissing the cat's information. The wild cats had clearly been misled. Hiruko had fed them false behaviour patterns.
"Search for a basement or hidden compartment!"
"Yes, sir!"
The group scattered, combing the area.
"Shosonmaru, I suspect Hiruko has a hidden base outside the village. Did your surveillance detect him leaving the village at any point?"
"Meow... Obito left the village twice. I followed him using sensory ninjutsu, and he didn't notice me... nyan."
Click!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A trap was triggered, launching kunai and shuriken from hidden slots. Fortunately, Naraku's team was experienced and dodged the attack.
Sssshhh... Boom!
A detonating tag exploded in one room. Naraku's expression darkened. Hiruko had clearly booby-trapped the home.
"He's already fled."
Minutes later, the guards regrouped.
Though the house wasn't extravagant, as befitting a jōnin's residence, it was fairly spacious—a standalone villa.
"Kozoumaru, take us to Hiruko's base outside the village."
"Meow."
The ninja cat dashed ahead, and the team followed.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Naraku created a clone and left it in the house to monitor for Hiruko's return.
Hiruko had mastered the art of capturing shinobi. With no reports of his defection, his public face remained intact. This house was only a front.
He must have dug out a secret laboratory beyond the village boundaries for his forbidden jutsus.
Naraku clenched his fists in frustration. Underestimating Hiruko was a costly oversight.
They reached a weak point in the village's outer barrier. Naraku used a special seal to silently breach it, and the team disappeared into the forest.
---
Outside the Village – Underground Base
In a hidden underground laboratory, a young man lay unconscious on a test bench. His body was riddled with grotesque grey-black tumours that pulsed and burrowed into his flesh.
On top of the tumours, a massive centipede several meters long was fused into the mass, half of its body already merged with the host.
Hiruko stood nearby, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Hahaha! It worked! The fusion with the Ghost Budō Jutsu is successful!"
"Now, to observe the results... I must evaluate how much power this grants me after absorption!"
"Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunade... Your so-called title of 'Sannin' is nothing but a privilege born from having the right teacher! I, Hiruko, am the true genius!"
The fusion process was proceeding smoothly. Hiruko trembled with excitement, muttering to himself like a madman.
His resentment was not baseless. Among his generation, Hiruko had been second only to the Sannin. But while they had the guidance of the Professor—Hiruzen Sarutobi—Hiruko had to explore everything on his own.
The Sannin had access to infinite scrolls and advanced techniques. Hiruko had to complete A-rank missions, even risking his life on S-rank ones, just to get access to new ninjutsu.
He had no special lineage, no powerful bloodline. Only hard work and pain.
After being severely injured in the Second Great Ninja War, Hiruko returned to the village—physically healed but spiritually scarred.
He had witnessed the terrifying abilities of kekkei genkai users across the battlefield and realized the limits of his own natural talent.
In his frustration and envy, he had conceived of a new path: the Chimera Jutsu—the art of absorbing and fusing other bloodline abilities.
The early experiments had failed. But each failure brought insights.
Now, at last, those insights were manifesting.
He needed more test subjects—and where better than Konoha?
---