For safety's sake, Kakashi directly revealed the Sharingan beneath his mask.
A crimson glow emanated from the eyeholes of the mask, appearing ghostly in the darkness.
Following Pakkun's lead, he entered the dark, gloomy tunnel ahead.
"Kakashi, be careful. There's a strange smell in here."
Pakkun sniffed the air, his expression a mix of disgust and confusion.
The disgust came from the foul, nauseating stench.
The confusion arose because he had never encountered such a complex odor before—so complex that he couldn't even find the right words to describe it.
"Understood."
Kakashi trusted Pakkun completely.
He immediately heightened his alertness and began to cautiously explore further inside.
Suddenly, Pakkun's expression turned serious.
"Watch out, Kakashi! Something strange is coming!"
Kakashi instantly became alert. A kunai was drawn from his tool pouch and held firmly in his hand.
In the next moment, a massive shadow blocked the entire passageway.
Feeling the overwhelming pressure, Kakashi didn't hesitate and immediately discarded the kunai in his hand.
This kind of monster was not something a kunai could penetrate.
Streaks of lightning began to surge from his palm, and the sharp chirping of birds echoed through the tunnel.
With the help of the lightning, Kakashi finally got a clear look at the enormous creature before him.
It was an indescribable monster.
It somewhat resembled a giant centipede, but all its legs had been replaced with human arms.
Moreover, these arms were holding various weapons, making the sight even more bizarre.
But Kakashi didn't have time to dwell on these details. Once his Sharingan locked onto the enemy, he immediately unleashed his fastest speed!
His figure shot forward like a bolt of lightning, and the concentrated lightning in his hand pierced through the monster's head in an instant.
As Kakashi mercilessly drove his arm into the monster's skull, the creature didn't even have time to let out a scream before it collapsed to the ground.
The lightning faded, and the tunnel returned to silence.
Looking at the grotesque monster before him, Kakashi couldn't help but feel a chill.
"What on earth has this guy been researching?"
Kakashi's expression grew serious.
"It seems like he's found a way to fuse a centipede with other creatures," Pakkun speculated, sniffing the monster's corpse.
"No wonder Lord Danzo sent me to investigate this guy. He's conducting such horrifying experiments right inside the village."
Kakashi scanned the area and, with Pakkun, stepped over the monster's corpse, finally arriving at the underground laboratory.
The place was filled with various jars and containers, each holding embryos that had not yet fully developed.
On the other side were all sorts of experimental materials.
Insects, beasts, birds—you name it.
And, of course, humans.
Specifically, half-human, half-beast hybrids!
They were curled up inside test tubes, waiting for the day they would be awakened.
Seeing this, Kakashi's heart sank once more.
Although he had witnessed the darkness of the ninja world before, this scene still pushed the limits of what he could accept.
What exactly was Hiruko researching?
Just then, Pakkun suddenly turned his head toward a shadowy corner.
"Kakashi, watch out—"
Before he could finish, a giant worm shot out from the shadows at incredible speed, striking Pakkun and sending him flying!
Kakashi reacted instantly, drawing a kunai and infusing it with chakra to slice through the worm's body. He then assumed a combat stance, facing the direction of the attack.
"Well, well, I didn't expect you to find this place so quickly. I thought I had hidden it quite well."
A figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
It was the white-haired ninja—Hiruko.
He was draped in a white coat, with half of his face covered in white bandages, giving him an eerie appearance.
"You didn't leave after all. Was it a shadow clone? It seems my tracking wasn't as stealthy as I thought."
Kakashi was somewhat surprised, as he had believed his disguise was flawless.
Hiruko smiled faintly.
"You were tracking a person, but you overlooked the other creatures around you."
"Other creatures?"
Looking at the various monsters in the test tubes around him, Kakashi began to understand.
It seemed that Hiruko's abilities and experiments were closely tied to these creatures.
If that was the case, creating some small, specialized monsters to keep an eye on him wouldn't have been difficult.
"Kakashi, now's not the time to ponder."
Pakkun suddenly interrupted Kakashi's thoughts.
Because before them, Orochimaru had raised his hands.
"Since you're here, why not help me test the results of my research?"
As he lifted his hands, the test tubes around them began to tremble violently.
Finally, as if struck by some terrifying sonic wave, they all shattered simultaneously!
Various colored liquids spilled onto the ground, and the monstrous creatures inside were finally awakened.
"Roar..."
"Keke..."
"Ooooh..."
Strange cries filled the air.
Among Hiruko's experimental subjects were winged tigers, spiders with human arms and demonic faces, and burly minotaurs...
In short, there was a bit of everything.
"These are all monsters I created using the Kekkei Genkai Absorption Technique. Now, enjoy the feast."
At Hiruko's command, the dozens of monsters lunged forward all at once.
The three-tomoe Sharingan spun wildly beneath Kakashi's mask, and the lightning in his hand flared up once more.
There was no other choice. If Kakashi didn't use his Lightning Release chakra to stimulate his body, he wouldn't be able to handle so many attacks at once.
Even with the Sharingan's assistance, he could see the attacks coming, but his body couldn't keep up.
Once again activating his Raikiri, Kakashi charged through the horde of monsters.
He didn't intend to kill all of them in one go.
He knew that the best way to deal with these creatures was to take down their master.
So, after swiftly dispatching several monsters, he shot through the battlefield like a bolt of lightning, heading straight for Hiruko.
Faced with Kakashi's fierce assault, Hiruko showed no fear.
His pale red eyes were calm and composed.
Slowly, he raised his hand, using his bare flesh to block Kakashi's Raikiri.
Strangely, the lightning chakra surging from Kakashi's palm dissipated rapidly upon touching the two red diamond-shaped marks on Hiruko's palm.
No.
To be more precise, it was being absorbed!
Kakashi's eyes widened in shock.
He had only seen this kind of ability to absorb ninjutsu in Danzo before!
Despite his young age, Kakashi was already an experienced jonin.
The moment he realized something was wrong, he immediately tried to retreat.
But Hiruko wasn't about to let him go.
The instant the Raikiri was absorbed, countless bolts of lightning erupted from Hiruko's hand, striking Kakashi at close range.
The paralyzing effect of the lightning left Kakashi momentarily immobilized.
Seizing the opportunity, Hiruko stepped forward, his arm swelling up to resemble the thick limb of a black bear.
He wrapped his powerful arm around Kakashi's body, the immense force causing Kakashi's bones to creak.
Then, a scorpion's tail emerged from beneath Hiruko's white coat, its venomous stinger piercing Kakashi in an instant.
As the venom entered his body, Kakashi's consciousness quickly faded, and he collapsed to the ground.
Pakkun tried to come to his aid, but Hiruko casually swatted him away, causing him to dissipate into smoke.
Looking down at the incapacitated Kakashi, Hiruko let out a sigh.
"What a pity. It's not the right time yet."
The Sharingan was the final piece he needed to complete his Kekkei Genkai Absorption Technique, and its importance was self-evident.
Unfortunately, the conditions for absorbing this last bloodline limit were extremely stringent, requiring the right time, place, and person.
The right time referred to the golden ring eclipse.
The right place was Mount Shumisen.
And the right person, naturally, was Kakashi, who possessed the Sharingan.
This was why Hiruko felt it was such a shame.
Based on his observations, the next golden ring eclipse wouldn't occur for another decade or more.
In other words, even if he took Kakashi's Sharingan now, it would be useless.
Not to mention, he had only absorbed one bloodline limit so far.
He was still a long way from acquiring the fifth.
Thus, he made a decision.
He would place a puppet curse on Kakashi now, and when the time came, Kakashi would be compelled to seek him out under the curse's control!
"That should do it."
Hiruko nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the curse mark on Kakashi's forehead.
He then turned around, narrowing his eyes.
"Now that I've attracted the attention of the Root, I can't stay in Konoha much longer."
As a member of the Hidden Leaf, he was well aware of how terrifying the Root, led by Danzo, could be.
Once the Root had their eyes on him, they would never let him go.
Therefore, he had to leave the village before the Root could react!
Fortunately, he had long known that the village would never tolerate such forbidden experiments, and he knew he couldn't hide forever.
So, he had already prepared an escape plan and route for himself.
Now was the time to put that plan into action.
First, he carried Kakashi out of the research facility.
Then, he ordered all the monsters inside to destroy the underground laboratory.
After burying all the evidence and traces, he finally left Kakashi behind and made his way out of the village at top speed.
He had already bribed a member of the Barrier Team.
All he needed now was for that ninja to quietly open a gap in the village's barrier.
This way, he could slip out of Konoha unnoticed.
By the time the Root discovered the unconscious Kakashi, it would be too late.
Unfortunately for him.
This genius, second only to Hiruko, was being closely watched by Danzo from kilometers away.
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