Upon hearing Danzō's question, Hiruko's body visibly trembled — partly from fear, but also because… the question Danzō had just asked perfectly matched the doubt lingering in Hiruko's own mind.
For shinobi of Hiruko's generation, it was a rather tragic era. When Hoshiyomi and the others first rose to fame, Hiruko hadn't even enrolled in the Academy yet, so there was never a chance to form any real ties with them.
By the time he finally entered the Academy, the halls were already filled with legendary tales of Hoshiyomi and his peers.
In any other period, people with talent like Hiruko's might have been praised as geniuses. But in this particular era, with the brilliance of Hoshiyomi and the others blazing ahead, his generation was fated to live in their shadow.
Among these peers, reactions varied — some accepted their fate and settled for mediocrity, while others recognized the gap and sincerely wished to fight alongside their idols.
Hiruko, however, was an outlier. He once had his own pride, but that pride was completely shattered after the rare chance to carry out a mission with the Sannin.
Though the Sannin had treated him warmly, he could clearly feel the gulf in talent between them. Convinced that he could never surpass the Sannin through conventional shinobi training, Hiruko chose a different path — one centered on cellular and genetic fusion.
His ideas were strikingly similar to Orochimaru's in the original timeline, though their goals differed. Orochimaru pursued such research to seek immortality and the ultimate truth of ninjutsu.
Hiruko's purpose was simpler — he merely wished to become a shinobi as strong as the Sannin, as strong as Hoshiyomi and the others… or even surpass them.
He firmly believed that one day, through his research, he could make himself their equal — or greater.
After sacrificing countless animal lives, Hiruko had laid the groundwork for his studies in cell and genetic theory, producing his first successful creation — that strange dog with feathered, chicken-like wings.
But when he tried to take his research further, he realized that with his own resources alone, completing such work would be nearly impossible.
That was when, by a twist of fate, one of Danzō's operatives discovered him and brought him here.
Now, looking at Danzō seated above him, Hiruko felt a mix of fear and… a restless spark of anticipation.
Years of intelligence work had sharpened Danzō's understanding of human nature. Watching Hiruko's hesitant demeanor, he instantly understood the type of man he was dealing with.
He sneered inwardly, then suddenly made a move.
With strength comparable to that of a Semi-Kage, he vanished in an instant, reappearing right in front of Hiruko the next moment.
Such speed was nothing compared to Hoshiyomi's, but to Hiruko—only a tokubetsu jōnin at this time—it was overwhelming. Besides, it had never crossed his mind that someone of Danzō's stature would suddenly strike at him, leaving him completely defenseless.
Danzō's hand clamped around Hiruko's throat and lifted him off the ground. His expression was cold as he looked at Hiruko and said, "Answer my question."
Regret surged through Hiruko's heart. He cursed himself for greedily agreeing to follow that Root operative here — and now, it seemed, he might lose his life for it.
Feeling Danzō's grip tighten around his throat, Hiruko realized this man wasn't bluffing. There was no time to conceal anything. Struggling to force out words, he rasped:
"If… if there were enough human test subjects, I could… try."
The moment those words left his mouth, Danzō's grip loosened.
The sensation of his feet touching the ground again felt almost blissful. Hiruko collapsed to the floor, gasping desperately for air.
Danzo looked down at the pathetic Hiruko and sneered internally. This kind of personality wouldn't cause any trouble. With a little coercion and persuasion, he wouldn't have to worry about him refusing to work for him.
After letting Hiruko catch his breath for a moment, Danzō's cold voice came again:
"There are two paths before you now—serve me… or die."
Hiruko's chest tightened at those words. The sound of a blade being drawn by the Root operative beside him made him jolt in terror. He quickly blurted:
"Hiruko has always served Konoha, the Third Hokage, and Danzō-sama!"
Danzo glanced at him, still with that icy, devilish expression.
"I said… serve me."
Those words chilled Hiruko to the bone. He understood the man before him a little better now — and also realized just how cornered he was.
He wasn't stupid. Danzō's tone made it clear that he had no intention of letting Hiruko leave unless he submitted.
There was no real choice here. After cursing inwardly, Hiruko gritted his teeth, then dropped to his knees and declared:
"Hiruko is willing to die for Danzo-sama!"
Hearing this, a faint smile finally appeared on Danzō's face.
"Very good. You are a smart person, and I admire smart people the most."
Danzō glanced at the trusted subordinate beside him. The man nodded in understanding, then suddenly grabbed Hiruko and, without a word, clamped his jaw.
"Danzo-sama... I'm willing to serve you."
Danzo sneered. "Of course I know. Don't worry, this is something everyone here has to go through."
With that, Danzō slit his own finger and Hiruko's tongue in one swift motion, then used his bloodied fingertip to draw a symbol directly on Hiruko's tongue.
It was his specialty — the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.
After completing it, Danzo took off a piece of Hiruko's clothing and left a Reverse Four Symbols Sealing on his body.
After doing all this, he said to the terrified Hiruko on the floor,
"Don't worry, these are just ways to prevent you from being captured and leaking information. The Cursed Tongue Seal will make you unable to say anything related to me, and as for the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing, I won't explain it further. You know what it means."
After the explanation, Danzo's mood seemed to have improved. He looked at Hiruko and laughed.
"Don't worry, I, Danzō, never mistreat my subordinates. From this day forward, you are a member of Root. From this day forward, anything you desire, tell me.
Lab equipment, research materials, a laboratory, even live test subjects — I can get them for you."
Although Hiruko was scared, he was also a little excited when he heard this. Even though he had been branded with these cursed things, he had also gotten what he wanted most.
He, of course, knew that all these things came at a price. Thinking of this, he calmed down a little. He was no longer panicking or excited, but simply asked, "Danzo-sama, what do you want me to research?"
Danzo gave him a smile and said four words: "Hashirama's cells."