"It's still quite a bit short, but it's more than enough to block them."
Orochimaru controlled the Adamantine Sealing Chains in battle while observing Hiruko's performance. He had only taken notice of his old classmate in the past couple of years. Hiruko had been researching and perfecting a Forbidden Jutsu.
It had been developed by the Second Hokage, but, like Impure World Reincarnation, it had been sealed away by the First Hokage and left incomplete.
Hiruko had nearly perfected it. The jutsu let him assimilate other people's bodies into his own and gain their full Bloodline Power.
Orochimaru was very interested in the Forbidden Jutsu, so he got involved. He used Jiraiya's cells to grow a clone, then transplanted the heart taken from Jiraiya's body into it to strengthen it.
Afterward, he also found several Kekkei Genkai Ninja to assist with the transplant. The results were decent.
Unfortunately, Hiruko's natural talent was too poor for him to reach Kage Level. He could only manage to become an Elite Jonin.
That meant he could only assimilate targets who were at the Elite Jonin level. Jiraiya's clone had already reached the limit.
Still, it could be considered strong. It was more than enough to hold off one enemy.
"Fire!"
At that moment, a shower of giant crossbow bolts flew from behind them. High-quality Explosive Tags covered the bolts.
Some of the tags were aimed at the tree bridge, but most were aimed at the river.
Explosions rumbled one after another. The heat quickly vaporized the river water, sending clouds of vapor billowing into the air.
Black Zetsu controlled Storm Axe and Raijin's Hammer as they shot upward. The two weapons spun rapidly, forming a huge electromagnetic field that drew the clouds into a vortex. The friction generated a tremendous amount of electricity.