Chapter 83: Hiruko's Chimera Technique
When Ritsu and his teacher Hiruko returned to the section of camp occupied by the Hyuga clan, dozens of clansmen awaited Ritsu with a welcoming reception. The pairs of pure white eyes looking over were filled with reverence and admiration. Especially when they saw Ritsu holding Ao's severed head high, the younger clan members couldn't help but cheer loudly.
"Haha, serves him right! Dared to call himself the Byakugan Killer—now he's just a head. Let's see who else you can kill now."
"The Main Family was incompetent, long live the Clan Head!"
"Clan Head, Clan Head, can I play with that head for a bit? I promise I won't break it."
The clansmen surrounded Ritsu, speaking all at once, their excitement overflowing.
Ritsu passed Ao's severed head out for everyone to examine. This behavior could greatly enhance his authority as clan head—naturally, there was no reason to refuse.
Ao's head passed through the clansmen's hands in a circle before returning to Ritsu.
At this moment—
Ritsu finally spoke: "Someone, hang Ao's head high so everyone can see what fate awaits those who dare offend our clan!"
"Yes, Clan Head."
The clansmen responded loudly.
Several jonin moved swiftly to find a long pole and white cloth strips. They wrote "Mist Ninja Ao's Severed Head" on them, then hung the cloth and head high—not only could the Hyuga clan see it, but most of the camp's Konoha ninja could view it as well.
"Alright, those with tasks, do your work. Those without, go rest. I still have urgent matters to discuss with my teacher. Everyone disperse!"
Ritsu sent away the clansmen lingering around him.
He entered the tent that had been vacant for many days with Hiruko. Though Ritsu's last stay had been over half a month ago, with clansmen cleaning daily, the interior remained spotless.
"Ritsu, stop being mysterious. Quickly show me this monster who inherited the Senju clan bloodline." Upon entering the tent, Hiruko expertly set up a barrier, then urged Ritsu to proceed.
"Teacher, just a moment."
Ritsu formed hand seals, bit his thumb, and performed the Summoning Jutsu. As white smoke dispersed, a white snake as thick as a water bucket appeared in the tent. It flicked its tongue and asked: "Hyuga Ritsu, what do you want?"
"Shirobai, help me bring over my prey!"
Ritsu stared at the white snake before him.
The ruler of Dragon Cave was the White Snake Sage. This white snake claimed to be the White Snake Sage's great-grandson. His grandfather was named Nibai, his father Sanbai, and by his generation, Shirobai—a clear line of succession.
"Fine, send them away quickly. You don't know how many snakes your prisoners have attracted in Dragon Cave, all watching hungrily. To prevent those humans from being eaten, I've been guarding them constantly."
"Alright, alright, I'll double the number of toads I promised!"
Ritsu increased the payment.
"Deal."
Shirobai agreed swiftly. From that snake face, one could actually see a hint of cunning success at raising the price temporarily. It said: "I'll return to Dragon Cave now. Summon me again in five seconds."
"Fine."
Ritsu agreed.
Then he saw the white snake turn into white smoke and disappear. Ritsu began counting from one to five, then bit his finger again to perform the Summoning Jutsu—no choice, the Regeneration superpower had strengthened again. Such minor wounds healed in the blink of an eye.
This time—
The white snake appeared in Ritsu and Hiruko's view, its body coiled around three humans and one White Zetsu. "Hyuga Ritsu, remember what you promised! Don't forget my payment."
"Relax, they're just toads. I'm at least a clan head—I can arrange for people to buy or catch them."
Ritsu dismissed the white snake.
At this moment—
Hiruko had already approached White Zetsu, examining it up and down with scrutinizing eyes. White Zetsu's limbs were all pierced and pinned by white bones, its mouth gagged, but it still struggled desperately like a fish just pulled ashore.
In comparison—
The other three humans were listless, in poor condition. With their chakra sealed, they had no strength to resist at all.
"Is this the monster who inherited the Senju clan bloodline you mentioned? What exactly is this thing? No sexual organs, no blood from wounds, yet it has human form..."
The more Hiruko looked, the more interested he became, his eyes practically radiating light.
"I'm also unclear what this thing is, but it seems capable of transformation, disguising itself as human. One of these things disguised itself as a Mist ninja and sealed the Three-Tails into Nohara Rin's body."
"Teacher, I think this affair might not just involve Danzo and the Mist ninja. There might be a third party force hidden here."
Ritsu crouched beside Hiruko, reaching out to poke White Zetsu.
"Third party force..."
Hiruko's eyebrows immediately shot up. He turned his head to look at his student beside him. "Ritsu, are you certain?"
"Otherwise there's no way to explain where this thing possessing Senju clan bloodline came from. It couldn't possibly be something Danzo secretly researched, right?"
"If you said Orochimaru researched it, I might believe you. But Danzo... that old guy doesn't have the capability." Hiruko shook his head, stating decisively, clearly looking down on Danzo's research level.
Ritsu blinked.
"So it seems there really is a third party... Tsk! Is it Cloud ninja, Rock ninja, or Sand ninja?" Hiruko speculated, though his speculation always circled within the great ninja villages, unable to escape that cage.
Regarding this—
Ritsu didn't intend to correct him.
Anyway, this question wasn't currently important. Just giving Teacher Hiruko a heads-up was enough. Like peeling an onion, they could gradually strip away Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu's veil in the future.
"Teacher, regardless of this third party force's true identity, as long as they still have schemes, sooner or later they'll reveal their tail. You should focus on whether to use this thing as material for your Chimera Technique!"
"You're right."
Hiruko nodded, no longer pondering which village had created such a marvelous thing as White Zetsu. He simply employed various methods to examine White Zetsu's condition. After a thorough examination, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"Very good. Powerful vitality, massive chakra—perfectly compensating for the shortcomings in my previous conception."
Hiruko's previous conception was Shikotsumyaku + Ice Style + Boil Style + Storm Style. Among these, Shikotsumyaku handled close combat, Ice Style controlled, Boil Style provided mobility, Storm Style attacked. The remaining fifth Kekkei Genkai hadn't been determined.
It wasn't that he hadn't considered the Senju clan bloodline before, but realistic conditions didn't allow him that consideration. The same reasoning applied to Byakugan and Sharingan—not planning to cut himself off from the village, he hadn't considered these aspects from the start.
But now his excellent student Ritsu had brought him White Zetsu—such a pleasant surprise!
White Zetsu's powerful vitality and massive chakra perfectly compensated for the deficiencies in his conception, completely perfecting his Chimera Technique construction. As long as he could successfully perform the Chimera Technique according to this conception, Hiruko would transform into a hexagonal warrior without weaknesses.
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