"Hmph. I didn't notice you just now, but this little pit is hardly going to stop me!"
The woman didn't care, and her words angered Shino.
"Am I really that invisible? But you've already failed. Want to know why? Insect Sphere!"
A rustling sound echoed in the woman's ears. She turned back in terror, only to see the black walls of the pit moving. Looking closer, she realized it wasn't the walls—it was thousands of tiny insects, crawling densely, giving off a truly terrifying sight.
"Ahhhh!!!"
Under Shino's control, the insects immediately swarmed onto the woman, biting into her body with their small but sharp mandibles.
The pain made her scream, yet she could not escape the cage of insects.
...
Meanwhile, Kiyosuke, with Naruto and Neji, was blocked by another opponent on their path.
The yin-yang-headed man flicked his hand, and snake-like creatures burst from his arms, lunging toward them.
"Oh? Interesting. Shadow Snake Hands!"
Kiyosuke flicked a group of snakes toward him, engaging in combat. But the snakes he summoned weren't strong enough—after a few exchanges, all of them were bitten to death.
"Hmm, forget it. I won't bother with this guy. Neji, this one's yours."
"Got it."
Neji nodded and, along with Lee and Tenten, engaged the yin-yang-headed man. Kiyosuke continued moving forward.
...
As they advanced, they finally reached the summit of Mount Shumisen. At the top stood a massive palace, clearly a huge construction. If not for the constant fog covering the Golden Wheel Range, it would have been discovered long ago.
It was because of this fog that Hiruko had remained hidden until now.
"That's… Kakashi!"
Sasuke's sharp eyes spotted Kakashi swaying as he walked. Upon hearing this, Naruto immediately sprinted toward him.
At that moment, the palace gates opened, and a short, white-haired boy emerged. Seeing Kakashi, his eyes filled with satisfaction.
"Come on, Kakashi. Once I have your Sharingan, I'll have the perfect body and become the strongest ninja, gaining immortality!"
He used a puppet curse to control Kakashi and marched him toward the palace.
"Give Kakashi-sensei back!" Naruto shouted, rushing forward first. Using Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, a group of Narutos charged ahead.
Hiruko formed hand signs, and lightning crackled around him.
"Storm Release!!"
A black cloud rose from the ground, crackling with lightning. Any contact with Naruto's clones obliterated them, and even his real body took damage.
"Bastard!!!"
Sakura descended from above, her fist brimming with powerful force.
Hiruko's body flashed at an incredible speed and vanished. Sakura's attack shattered the ground, causing the earth to collapse.
"Where did he go?"
Sakura froze, only to find Hiruko suddenly at her side. He said,
"Swift Release grants me the fastest movement speed in this world. Perfect for dealing with fools who only use brute force!"
Bang!
He punched Sakura away, the thunderous roar filling her ears. Sasuke appeared, forming Chidori, preparing to speak directly to him.
"Dark Release!"
The bandages on his hand loosened, revealing a diamond-shaped seal in his palm. A strong suction pulled Sasuke's Chidori away.
Sasuke's heart skipped a beat. Reacting quickly, he drew the Kusanagi sword and slashed at Hiruko.
"Steel Release!"
Hiruko's skin instantly turned jet black. When the Kusanagi struck his neck, a crisp clang rang out.
"Chidori!"
The absorbed Chidori reappeared in Hiruko's hand, palm sharp like a dagger, thrusting toward Sasuke.
At that moment, a figure dashed in—Kiyosuke. He grabbed Sasuke's clothes, pulling him back, and smiled, unsettling Hiruko.
Bang!
Hiruko took a punch to the face and flew backward.
His body left a huge hole in the palace. Kiyosuke waved his hand.
"Pretty tough. So this is Steel Release? Defense is still strong."
Hiruko lay on the ground, palace debris on him, muttering,
"What immense power. Is this the strongest of Konoha?"
He stood and looked up, softly murmuring,
"There's still some time."
He left the palace and appeared before Kiyosuke.
"Asakawa Kiyosuke, I've long desired your power."
"Oh? Like you want Kakashi? You're not the first to drool over me. By the way, the last one who did is already dead. The grass on his grave must be tall, if he even had one."
"You have a sense of humor. Besides a body invulnerable to Water Release, I do want it." Hiruko's eyes gleamed with desire.
Sasuke recognized that look—it was the same gaze Orochimaru had once given him.
Of course, Orochimaru had also shown that gaze toward Kiyosuke before.
"Enough talk! Give Kakashi-sensei back!" Naruto shouted.
"Heh heh heh. Kakashi will not return. He's key to my plan. I need his Sharingan. Of course, if you hand over this Uchiha boy beside you, I might consider returning Kakashi."
Hiruko was also interested in Sasuke. After all, Kakashi only had one Sharingan, while Sasuke had two.
Initially, he preferred the safer choice of Kakashi, fearing the Uchiha would be wiped out, but now, the Uchiha themselves were more valuable—and time was running out.
To achieve his perfect body, he needed to fulfill the conditions of Heaven, Earth, and Man to use the Chimera Technique.
Heaven: The upcoming annular solar eclipse.
Earth: Mount Shumisen beneath his feet.
Man: Five Kekkei Genkai ninja.
The Earth and Man conditions were ready. Only the solar eclipse remained. Miss it, and he'd have to wait years.
"Foolish dream!" Sasuke snorted, looking down on Hiruko.
"If you've got the guts, come take it!"
His black hair lengthened, turning deep blue. His skin darkened to gray, black cross-shaped markings appeared on his face, and two massive, wing-like hands spread from his back.
Knowing he couldn't withstand Hiruko normally, Sasuke immediately activated Curse Mark second level.
Naruto and Sakura, seeing Sasuke in this form for the first time, were startled. After confirming he was unharmed, they exhaled in relief.
"Arrogant, even at such a young age! Can't deny you're truly an Uchiha!"