If you don't understand, you just don't understand.
The combo of Mufasa and Orochimaru didn't exactly scream "good guys."
Especially with Orochimaru lurking behind him, that snake-like grin twisting his pale face—it was pure nightmare fuel.
Hiruko's instincts screamed danger. So he made the first move.
He launched a lightning bolt straight at Mufasa, a jolt of powerful Storm Release chakra lighting up the cave.
But Mufasa didn't flinch.
The lightning cracked against his chest—and fizzled. It danced across his body with a loud hiss, but he stood there, calm as ever, taking a casual look around.
"Broken-down cave, wooden scaffolding, a weak seal matrix underfoot," he muttered. "How do you expect to conduct real research in a dump like this?"
Orochimaru chuckled behind him. "Insulting the enemy while taking no damage... classic."
Hiruko's face contorted with rage. He wasn't having it.
With a blur of motion, he vanished.
He activated Swift Release: Shadowless Flight and Steel Release: Impervious Armour simultaneously—his body shimmered like metal as he rocketed forward, faster than the eye could follow.
His claws gleamed like sharpened kunai.
He came at Mufasa with everything he had.
But Mufasa caught both claws effortlessly with one hand.
"Still don't get it, huh?"
Hiruko gritted his teeth, lightning crackling from his hands. But Mufasa's grip was immovable.
"You're the weak one! I'll show you what real power looks like! I am Hiruko!" he snarled.
Mufasa looked down at him, almost pitying. "You're just a kid who never grew up. Still chasing validation."
With a flick, he slammed Hiruko into the ground.
"Alright. Show me your best shot."
Hiruko leapt up and formed a string of hand seals. Dark clouds coiled above the cave.
"Storm Release Secret Technique: Demon Dragon Storm!"
Thunder boomed.
Outside, the clouds suddenly dipped, crashing downward like smoke made solid. Lightning burst through the sky, and the mountain trembled.
The others outside scrambled.
"What the hell?!" someone shouted. "Is he attacking the cave?! He's still in there!"
Yamato stared at the sky. "Is this suicide? Or a breakdown?"
Inside the cave, the barrage of lightning hammered down.
It hit Mufasa over and over.
His silhouette was swallowed in the light.
For a moment, everything was silent.
Then—
"Hahaha!" Hiruko laughed, chest heaving. "I did it... I finally—"
Orochimaru snorted.
Mufasa's voice echoed out from the blinding glow. "Thanks. You saved me the effort of charging."
Hiruko's expression shattered.
Mufasa stood unharmed, electricity arcing around him like armor.
He casually drew the current into his palm.
"Electricity? That's my thing. You're not hurting me—you're powering me."
Hiruko's knees wobbled.
"No... no, that's not... it's fake. All fake!"
He clawed at his face, tearing at his clothing.
The bandages unraveled.
Beneath, his body looked like a half-mummified science experiment.
"I've worked too hard... it can't all be pointless..."
Mufasa raised an eyebrow. "You need a serious detox. Mentally and physically. Good thing I'm loaded with positive energy."
Orochimaru calmly slipped on his sunglasses. "You might want to step back for this."
Mufasa extended his left hand toward Hiruko.
The lightning from earlier gathered into a blinding sphere in his right palm, humming with power.
"Positron Cannon—firing."
The positron cannon works by targeting the atoms of matter, using the annihilation principle between positive and negative particles.
It emits positrons that collide with the negatively charged electrons in the target, triggering annihilation.
This releases light, energy, and gamma rays, collapsing atomic structure and causing massive energy output.
It's designed for total destruction of the target.
That's why it's also called a positron gun.
This wasn't some jutsu out of a scroll.
It was an advanced scientific knowledge—a fusion of chakra and scientific theory, something even Iron Man or the Mass Effect crew would raise their eyebrows at.
A streak of blazing energy surged from Mufasa's left palm and shot toward Hiruko.
Hiruko instinctively raised his arm to absorb it.
Bad move.
The cannon was too big, too fast, too overloaded with raw positive charge.
He absorbed a sliver—but the rest hit him like a tsunami.
The positrons collided with the electrons in his body.
Light bloomed.
His twisted form lit up like a Christmas tree.
From terrifying villain to blinding beacon, Hiruko glowed like an overcharged Digimon.
Mufasa folded his arms. "Now that's the kind of glow-up I like to see."
...
After Hiruko was blasted by the Positron Cannon, his body began to fall apart at the molecular level. Positrons collided with the electrons in his cells, annihilating each other and releasing bursts of light and energy.
He was literally turning into a glowing human-shaped lamp.
As his electrons disappeared, so did his physical form.
Hiruko didn't understand what was happening—but he didn't stop to think.
He immediately summoned his most powerful summon beast.
It was a monstrous fusion—part Cerberus, part roc, and part hydra. Towering and terrifying.
The twin snake heads regenerated constantly, hissing with rage.
Hiruko slammed his hands together, weaving chakra signs.
"Final Chimera Technique!"
His body merged into the monstrous fusion beast, aiming to use its sheer size and power to fight the Positron Cannon's light.
The moment the beast appeared, it shook the mountain and tore open the cave around it.
The dark cloud left behind by Lanturn, a creature from a previous battle, vanished as the fusion beast roared.
But there was no sound. Only silence.
It looked massive. Fearsome.
But it was hollow.
Mufasa narrowed his eyes. "What the hell?"
He glanced back at Orochimaru. "Have you collected all the corpses?"
Orochimaru nodded, calm as ever.
"I've got Gō from Iwagakure, Kirisame from Suna, Shīn from Kiri, and Enmo from Kumo. All accounted for."
In his arms, he carried Kakashi, still unconscious.
"I released the puppet curse," Orochimaru added.
Mufasa gave a satisfied nod. "Alright. Mission complete."
He jumped high and landed on the fusion beast's head, right above where Hiruko's consciousness sat.
Mufasa pressed his palm down.
"Electromagnetic Release: Brainwave Override."
A pulse of invisible energy surged into Hiruko's mind, scrambling his thoughts.
His jutsu fizzled. The Final Chimera Technique collapsed.
Mufasa pulled him out of the beast's head like yanking a plug from a socket.
"Positive energy is nice," he muttered, "but don't get greedy."
The massive beast instantly disintegrated—reduced to light, gamma rays, and nothing else.
Not even a trace of DNA remained.
The Positron Cannon was unforgiving.
A pillar of light shot skyward and vanished.
As the brightness faded, the group blinked against the afterglow.
Mufasa stood in the center, smiling casually, walking back toward the team.
"Alright, let's wrap this up."
He tossed the limp Hiruko toward Jin.
"Take him to Sand Prison."
Paralyzed from the positron surge, Hiruko couldn't even twitch.
Jin caught him with a nod. "Yes, sir."
Mufasa turned again and tossed Kakashi gently through the air.
Naruto caught him. "Kakashi-sensei!"
The genuine shout from Naruto stirred Kakashi from his stupor.
He blinked. "Huh...? Hiruko...?"
Jin gave Hiruko's unconscious form a little shake. "Handled. Courtesy of our Kazekage."
Kakashi froze. "Oh. Right... I was ready to sacrifice myself back there..."
Mufasa grinned. "Kakashi, stop trying to be a martyr every other mission. You're good at playing the sad puppy, but learn to chill."
Kakashi gave him a deadpan stare. "...Is that supposed to be comforting?"
Still, it was over.
The bad guys had been vaporized by the cannon of justice.
Everyone who needed saving was safe.
Mission accomplished.
The only one left out of the action was Naruto—but he didn't seem to mind.
All that mattered was Kakashi was okay.
Naruto, Kakashi, and Shikamaru started the walk back on foot.
Mufasa, Orochimaru, and Yongfeng returned in the sleek Blackbird fighter jet.
Back at base, Jin handed Hiruko over to Kabuto.
The Positron Cannon had aftereffects—Mufasa didn't want his subordinates coughing blood every morning.
Kabuto could fix him up.
Tsunade called in as soon as she got the update.
"Mufasa, seriously, thank you for everything."
"Eh, it was nothing," Mufasa replied with a chuckle.
"If you hadn't acted, Konoha would've been in real danger."
Mufasa sighed. "Come on, it's just Hiruko. You Konoha folks can swat down a dozen of him with one Chuunin squad. You don't have to play the helpless bunny."
Tsunade: "...Helpless bunny?"
Mufasa: "Fluffy meatball bunny."
Tsunade groaned.
"Anyway," she continued, "what's the plan for Hiruko?"
"Life sentence. Forced labor in the Sand Prison."
Tsunade agreed without complaint.
"Also, the defense project you helped us with? It's almost ready. You should come for the ribbon-cutting."
Mufasa shook his head. "Too busy."
"With what?"
"Spreading the gospel of pain. I've had some new insights into it lately."
Tsunade stared at him through the comm screen.
"What kind of person just studies pain for fun? Are you part of some cult now?"
Mufasa just grinned.