"How are you controlling the Hollows?"
Zetsu's voice was filled with disbelief as he looked at the two Hollows quietly standing beside Hiruko.
From what he knew, Hollows were chaotic creatures with no consciousness—driven purely by destruction.
Once they appeared, they brought nothing but death and devastation.
But now, these two Hollows stood calmly at Hiruko's side, as if they were following his commands.
Zetsu couldn't help but widen his eyes.
Could it be that Hollows could actually be controlled?
"I have my own methods," Hiruko said softly. "Not all Hollows can be controlled. Some have the ability to communicate… and possess a will of their own."
"I see," Zetsu nodded. In his view, the stronger Hiruko's power was, the better it would be for their plans.
Trying to take back the Rinnegan from Nagato with just Kirigakure's strength was uncertain.
But with the power of the Hollows added in, their odds of success would rise significantly.
"As long as we can retrieve the Rinnegan, your issue will be resolved," Zetsu assured Hiruko.
"Let's hope so," Hiruko replied.
At this point, the only one who might be able to help him was the legendary Madara.
Even if his own problem couldn't be solved, getting rid of that troublesome Orochimaru would still be worth it.
"Summoning a Hollow army will require a massive amount of chakra. That means we'll have to use the Tailed Beasts," Uchiha Setsuna narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Right now, the Land of Water has both the Three-Tails and Six-Tails. Among them, the Three-Tails doesn't even have a Jinchūriki yet."
"Wild-tailed beasts, huh?"
From beneath his bandages, Hiruko revealed a disturbing grin full of sharp teeth.
"I'll make arrangements to capture the Three-Tails and prepare for your summoning," Uchiha Setsuna said softly.
At present, the Third Mizukage of the Hidden Mist Village was still under his Mangekyō Sharingan's genjutsu.
Although he hadn't completely taken control of the Mist Village, it was still easy to issue certain commands and achieve specific goals through the Third Mizukage.
"Then I really appreciate it. Once the Three-Tails is secured, I can summon the Hollow Army at any time. Of course, it would be best if the Three-Tails could be placed somewhere near the Land of Rain," Hiruko reminded him.
"No problem."
Zetsu nodded.
He had never intended to use the tailed beasts to directly attack the Hidden Rain Village.
That would be nothing more than throwing meat buns at a dog—gone and never coming back.
Compared to the Mangekyō Sharingan, the Rinnegan had an even stronger suppressive effect on tailed beasts.
Land of Wind
"So you're saying that to deal real damage to Hollows, we first need to understand and control their power?"
Rasa had just received this expected answer from Kagetsu.
Ninjutsu and other shinobi techniques had very little effect on Hollows.
As a result, Sand Ninja were constantly at a disadvantage during battles against them, suffering unnecessary casualties.
"That's correct. Hollows are essentially spirits formed from reishi—the spirit particles—which differ significantly from chakra. Chakra is an incredibly versatile energy source, but when it comes to quality, it falls far short compared to what Hollows are made of.
From what we know, the Hollows you've encountered so far are just minor ones—low-class Hollows. Large Hollows, or Menos-class, are rarely seen at this stage. The smaller ones can still be handled with ninjutsu, but if it were a Menos Grande, the losses would be devastating."
Even the low-level Hollows—though mindless—possess strong hierro, rapid regeneration, and surprisingly powerful attacks.
Compared to most shinobi, they are far stronger.
Kagetsu spoke softly as he explained the situation to Rasa.
"To control a Hollow's power... do we need the Hollow mask?" Rasa asked cautiously.
As someone who had witnessed Hollows wreak havoc on the battlefield, he knew well—once the mask is worn, death is almost guaranteed.
"There's a better way," Kagetsu replied, noticing Rasa's unease. He reassured him, "Both Konoha and Kumogakure already have mature techniques to harness Hollowfication."
"But what will Sunagakure have to give in return?" Rasa asked calmly.
The fact that Hollowfication can now be used safely was good news for Sunagakure.
And judging from Kagetsu's attitude, Konoha didn't seem intent on keeping the technique to themselves—which was even better news.
Still, nothing comes free.
Surely, they wouldn't just hand over such power to the Sand Village for nothing, right?
Rasa wasn't naïve enough to believe in such kindness.
There was no denying it—the Ryūmyaku vein, now evolved into a reishi-rich spirit zone, was attracting more and more Hollows. That wasn't going to stop.
And since shinobi carry chakra, they naturally attract Hollows, becoming prey.
In other words, ninja and Hollows were natural enemies—hunter and hunted.
Under these conditions, Sunagakure had no choice. They needed to gain control over Hollowfication for themselves.
They couldn't afford to rely solely on Konoha or Kumogakure to protect their oasis.
If they did, then what purpose would Sunagakure even serve?
The Daimyō of the Land of Wind would likely take the opportunity to cut their military funding even further, and assign missions to the Leaf or Cloud instead.
"That's something the Kazekage can discuss with my teacher later," Kagetsu said, shaking his head. He didn't continue the topic.
After all, according to the plan he had made with Orochimaru, they didn't mind sharing the power of Hollowfication.
The wider it spread, the more it would benefit the future of Hueco Mundo.
If it could replace chakra, then it would be equivalent to the third major power system update in the ninja world.
Maybe by then, even ninjas—just like the samurai of the past—would gradually be phased out.
This was a long-term plan that needed time to develop and implement.
The technology of Hollowfication still needed much refinement before it could reach the widespread use chakra had achieved.
But before that, the ninja world first needed to recognize the threat of the Hollows—and reach a consensus about it.
Right now, the number of Hollows in Hueco Mundo was more than enough to make that happen.
"The training and mastery of Hollowfication powers can't be achieved overnight. So for now, Konoha can provide some support equipment that can help fight against the Hollows. It may not be very effective against the Menos-class Hollows, but with proper coordination, it's more than enough to handle the lesser ones."
Kagetsu continued speaking as he opened a storage scroll right in front of Rasa and the other Sand shinobi.
With a puff of white smoke, several pieces of equipment appeared before their eyes—swords, shuriken, and even a few bows.
Rasa's eyes flashed with surprise.
These weapons were engraved with densely packed seals, clearly different in both material and craftsmanship from ordinary ninja tools.
"These weapons can convert a certain amount of chakra and release it as Hollowfied energy," Kagetsu explained. "But they demand a lot from the user. For someone with little chakra, wielding them would be a serious burden."
"There's also a limit to how much they can convert. They're good for cleaning up weak Hollows, but when it comes to Menos-class Hollows... their effectiveness drops significantly."