Boom!!
In the forest, a figure was sent flying as if hit by a train, limbs twisted as he spun through the air like a pinwheel. He smashed through several trees before being embedded in a trunk, bark and wood exploding around him. The impact echoed through the rain-soaked woods.
"…"
Ryuji Hyuga's body gave off a flame-like, pale glow, and the rain was boiled away by his heated skin into white steam. He looked toward the distant figure he had just blown away with a single punch after opening the Gate of Life. An unspoken thought surfaced in his mind.
Was that guy some kind of clown?
This Shadow Clone had already run out of Chakra, yet the man kept talking from afar. The real body had simply slipped over in a Shadow Cloak to get close. He had expected someone impressive, but this was all there was.
"Your Kekkei Genkai is Steel Release?" Ryuji Hyuga asked bluntly. "Who gave you the nerve to stand in front of the Hyuga Clan with nothing but half-baked Steel Release?"
Crack, crack!
In the distance, Hiruko braced his hands on both sides and pulled himself out of the tree trunk. His body carried a dark metallic sheen, but his side was clearly caved in, the flesh inside destroyed from within. He had dodged by instinct, or his heart would already be gone.
Hearing Ryuji Hyuga's mockery, the already insecure and sensitive Hiruko was driven into rage. A sweet, bloody taste surged up his throat, and even his heavy breathing carried the stench of blood. His face twisted as anger took hold.
"Damn it! I knew that bastard Orochimaru would never be that kind!"
From just that single blow, Hiruko realized the opponent was nothing like the easy target Orochimaru had described. The Chimera Technique was his own secret art, allowing him to fuse ninjas or Summoning Beast with his body. It could even merge the Chakra of those with Bloodline Inheritance and steal their Kekkei Genkai.
He currently possessed Steel Release and Swift Release. His physical defense could easily shrug off blades, and his normal speed rivaled that of Body Flicker, making ordinary Taijutsu specialists no match for him. Yet the man in front of him felt nothing like a normal member of the Hyuga Clan.
Hiruko had once been part of the Konoha Ninja, so he knew a fair bit about the Hyuga Clan of Konoha. He had been standing outside the attack range, yet this man had somehow released Gentle Fist from afar. The punch had shattered his stomach, intestines, and liver, turning his fused Steel Release into a joke.
This was no lucky piece of trash like Orochimaru had claimed. This was a monster of the Hyuga Clan.
"Hm?"
Hearing Hiruko mention Orochimaru, Ryuji Hyuga raised an eyebrow and smiled. "So he is still alive. I thought he had died like a dead snake in some dark corner."
With that distinctive appearance, Ryuji Hyuga naturally recognized who he was facing. Hiruko, an A-rank missing-nin of Konoha, once a childhood companion of the Sannin, yet far less gifted than them. Driven by inferiority, resentment, and jealousy, he had secretly carried out human experiments to research the Ninjutsu known as Chimera Technique.
He was discovered by Hiruzen Sarutobi, who sent the Sannin to hunt him down, but Hiruko managed to escape. What surprised Ryuji Hyuga was his connection to Orochimaru, though on reflection their research paths were indeed similar. Orochimaru had also focused on the body early on before turning to the soul after stealing into the forbidden archives and reading the Book of Seals.
"How is Lord Orochimaru doing these days?" Ryuji Hyuga asked with a smile.
"…"
Hiruko narrowed his eyes without answering, his gaze sweeping over Ryuji Hyuga. He had thought Orochimaru's twisted state was caused by the Third Hokage. Now, recalling the venomous hatred Orochimaru showed whenever he mentioned this boy, it seemed more likely that this boy was the true cause.
But why? Was it just because of that Byakugan?
"No, that can't be it. At the very least…"
At that thought, Hiruko looked instinctively toward the distance, the direction from which Ryuji Hyuga's true body had come. He did not know it was the same person, but he could feel that chilling aura that inspired fear even from dozens of miles away. As a rat forced to hide and flee, he was far too familiar with the presence of a top predator.
Without hesitation, he abandoned his original target and chose to chase Ryuji Hyuga. If he could obtain that kind of power, even the Sannin and the Five Kage would kneel before him. Greed took root deep in his heart.
Hiruko's personality was deeply twisted. While he envied Orochimaru and the others, he could not hide his own insecurity and sensitivity. When someone becomes another person's obsession, that person is dressed in splendor and even worshiped like a god.
That was why Hiruko's actions were so flamboyant and exaggerated. Even after perfecting Chimera Technique, he chose not to hide and grow quietly, but to openly declare in broad daylight that he would start the Fourth Ninja World War against Konoha. To outsiders, it looked unbelievably foolish.
But if he did not act that way, he would not be Hiruko, nor could he have created Chimera Technique. Greed was etched into human bones, and desire was the reason people survived in harsh environments. The essence of Chimera Technique was endless consumption, a reflection of the desires buried in his heart.
What he wanted was a sense of existence, the recognition and attention of others, all to cover up his inferiority. Even when declaring the Fourth Ninja World War, he still called himself "the ninja Hiruko of the Konoha Ninja Village." That alone said everything.
"Those powers do not belong to you."
Ryuji Hyuga had already activated his Byakugan. Looking at the muddled Chakra inside Hiruko's body, he narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke in a calm tone. The words landed with quiet certainty.
Hiruko snapped his head around, stunned for a moment before a savage expression spread across his pale face. "This is my power!" he roared, his features contorting. "It is the power of me, Hiruko!"
"No," Ryuji Hyuga replied evenly. "It is power you stole."
Boom!!
"You're asking to die!"
The enraged shout had barely reached his ears when Hiruko vanished from where he stood. Only an almost invisible afterimage remained, along with a shrill sonic boom tearing through the air. The ground where he had been standing cracked apart, shattered stone spraying upward as dust bloomed.
Kekkei Genkai·Swift Release.
Ryuji Hyuga extended his palm as if grasping something unseen. A black sphere began to gather in his hand, dense and silent, waiting to be released.