Chapter 38

Hiruko finally snapped. "Storm Release Secret Art: Storm Dragon!"

The sky suddenly darkened. A massive vortex of thunderclouds exploded overhead, lightning flickering wildly as an absurdly thick bolt of lightning came crashing down. "Ha ha! Uchiha Yi, this is my strongest attack! It's countless times stronger than that Lightning Release of yours! You're dead!"

Uchiha Yi sighed, too lazy even to raise his eyelids. "As expected, ignorance is ignorance."

Boom!

The sky abruptly exploded.

A pitch-black streak of lightning shot into the heavens, gathering in midair into a colossal black kirin.

Lightning Release: Black Kirin!

The Black Kirin opened its mouth and swallowed the massive bolt of lightning whole.

Yes, swallowed it.

Then the Black Kirin plunged headfirst into the thunderclouds overhead.

Rumble!

After the earth-shaking blast, the sky cleared and the clouds dispersed.

Uchiha Yi tilted his head, his teasing gaze falling on Hiruko. "Well? Got any other acts? Please, continue your performance."

Unexpectedly, Hiruko had calmed down instead.

He raised his head, his voice hoarse. "Uchiha Yi, you really are just as Orochimaru said—both surprising and delightful."

"Originally, I hadn't planned to use this move. After all, your eyes are what I want most."

A trace of regret flashed through Hiruko's eyes, but madness outweighed it. "But now, I have no choice but to take this step. Uchiha Yi, you should feel honored. I'll let you witness the true Chimera Technique."

As his words fell, an unidentified object suddenly emerged before Hiruko.

It looked like a lump of flesh.

He swallowed it in one gulp.

The next instant, Hiruko's body began to change violently—a terrifying surge of vitality erupted.

The lightning spears pinning him down were instantly blasted away and dispersed.

Then Hiruko's aura skyrocketed, as though he had become a completely different person.

Uchiha Yi swept him with his senses, his pupils narrowing slightly.

Previously, this guy had only barely qualified as Kage-level.

But now, both his aura and chakra reserves had reached the threshold of Super Kage-level.

The true Chimera Technique?

Uchiha Yi's thoughts raced—could this guy have already devoured five bloodline limits and fused them all together?

Was that lump of flesh the last one?

And...

Uchiha Yi raised a brow. Within Hiruko's chakra, he sensed a familiar fluctuation.

Hiruko stared at the power surging from his arm, his eyes glowing. "This feeling... isn't bad!"

He grinned, his voice full of excitement. "Orochimaru really has some skills. He even managed to get his hands on this kind of bloodline limit. This trip wasn't for nothing!"

Most of the bandages wrapped around him had shattered, exposing the pale white skin of his upper body.

The first thought that sprang to Uchiha Yi's mind when he saw that color was—White Zetsu.

This guy... had fused with it pretty thoroughly?

Seeing that flicker of surprise on Uchiha Yi's face, Hiruko felt even more pleased. "Ha ha, Uchiha Yi, were you shocked? Scared?"

As he spoke, his tone carried unconcealed superiority. "I won't hide it from you. What I swallowed just now was cultivated from the First Hokage's cells. Now I possess a power that specifically counters your Uchiha Clan!"

"Counters us Uchiha?"

Uchiha Yi paused. "That's right!" Hiruko laughed wildly. "The First's signature ability—Wood Release!"

He stepped forward, wearing the posture of a victor. "Your Uchiha Clan's Sharingan fears Wood Release most. Everyone knows that! Don't you know how Madara Uchiha lost to the First back then?"

"Running into me today is your fate."

"It was destined that you'd fall into my hands!"

Uchiha Yi: "..."

The corner of his mouth twitched.

He nearly failed to hold back a curse.

Since when had Wood Release become the Sharingan's natural enemy?

How was it that he, an Uchiha clansman, knew absolutely nothing about that?

But seeing Hiruko's utterly confident expression, Uchiha Yi decided to keep quiet.

How did that saying go again—

Never try to reason with an idiot. He'll drag you down to his level, then beat you to death with his extensive experience at being an idiot.

When Hiruko saw Uchiha Yi remain silent, he immediately decided that his opponent had chickened out.

The smugness on his face deepened. "Uchiha Yi, surrender obediently!"

Wood Release: Great Forest Technique!

He raised his right hand, and several wooden vines shot violently from his sleeve. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Uchiha Yi opened his mouth and launched a fireball straight at him. It collided head-on, burning the wooden vines to ash in midair. "Hmph, still refusing to give up?"

Hiruko sneered. "Fine, then I'll broaden your horizons and let you personally experience how the First Hokage suppressed your Uchiha Clan back then—"

"Falling into my hands is your fate."

"It was destined that you would lose to me!"

Uchiha Yi's mouth twitched.

The words caught in his throat, and he simply could not say them.

Since when had Wood Release become the Sharingan's natural enemy?

He had never even heard of such a thing.

But looking at Hiruko's supremely confident face, Uchiha Yi decided to shut up.

There was a saying that was right: don't waste your breath arguing with fools.

Seeing that he said nothing, Hiruko assumed he was afraid. The smugness on his face grew even stronger. "Uchiha Yi, if you know what's good for you, surrender on your own!"

Wood Release: Great Forest Technique!

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!

The fireball struck head-on, burning the wooden vines extending from Hiruko's right hand clean away. "Hmph, still refusing to give up? Fine, I'll let you see the First Hokage's strongest Wood Release!"

Hiruko let out a roar. "Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"

The ground abruptly split apart, and countless thick tree roots burst forth, growing into a vast forest in the blink of an eye.

Uchiha Yi could only shake his head at the sight.

This could be called the First's strongest technique?

"Hiruko, are you done playing with this pathetic junk? I'm already sick of looking at it."

"Almighty Push!"

He raised his hand and waved it.

This time, he was not playing around. He poured in an abundance of chakra.

Boom!

A massive repulsive force erupted.

The ground was smashed into a huge crater, with collapse marks stretching a thousand meters in every direction.

Not even a scrap of that forest remained.

Whoosh.

Uchiha Yi moved, appearing at a spot within the crater.

He lowered his head and looked at Hiruko sprawled on the ground. The sight was utterly miserable.

That Almighty Push had directly cracked Hiruko's body.

Uchiha Yi understood now.

This guy had not properly fused the First's cells at all. Orochimaru had most likely tampered with something and only barely helped him suppress them.

But after taking that blow, all the drawbacks had been exposed.

Hiruko's body had already begun to collapse. "No... impossible! How could I die here?"

Hiruko struggled to turn his head, his face full of unwillingness. "Damn it... just one step away... just one more step, and I could have taken everything from you..."

Before he could finish, his head tilted to the side, and he breathed his last.

Uchiha Yi curled his lip. "Boring."

Too lazy to even look at him again, he turned and vanished in a flash.

Quite some time later.

A small snake crawled out from a crack between the rocks.

It opened its mouth and spat out a person.

Yakushi Kabuto.

He adjusted his glasses, but his fingers were trembling.

The scene before him made it impossible for him to maintain his feigned calm. "Uchiha Yi... he's actually this strong."

"Hiruko was too useless. He didn't even leave a scratch on him, so I couldn't get any blood."

"But... this data is still useful. The Chimera Technique can continue to be developed."

"At least there was some gain. Lord Orochimaru probably won't be too disappointed."

Yakushi Kabuto swiftly gathered what he needed, then turned and left.

Elsewhere.

Uchiha Yi had already returned to the Land of Snow. "Are you all right?"

When Koyuki saw him return, the worry hanging over her heart finally eased. "Heh, what could possibly happen? With your man's strength, if he hadn't wanted to test his new abilities, he could've dealt with that kind of trash with a blink."

Uchiha Yi's boasting was outrageous, but he truly had the confidence to back it up.

This time, he had mainly acted to test whether the Rinnegan was useful.

In the end, Hiruko had not even put up a decent resistance before one Almighty Push sent him packing.

Honestly, Uchiha Yi was somewhat disappointed.

Inside the queen's bedchamber at the Daimyo's Palace in the Land of Snow.

After finishing a round of "serious business," Uchiha Yi lay there lost in thought.

Koyuki had been so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open, but seeing his expression, she could not help asking, "What's wrong? What are you thinking about?"

"Do you want to become a ninja?"

Uchiha Yi turned his head to look at her. "A ninja?"

Koyuki froze. "Why did you suddenly think of that?"

"You're afraid something might happen to me, right?"

She was not stupid. After what had happened during the day, she immediately understood what Uchiha Yi was worried about. "Yeah."

Uchiha Yi answered softly. He truly could not stop worrying.

Koyuki was an ordinary person who had never even touched chakra.

At her age, it was certainly too late to start training from scratch.

But for Uchiha Yi, that was not a problem at all.

He happened to have five familiar slots. He only needed to take Koyuki in.

Once she became one of his people, he could choose one of his abilities and give it to her.

The question was—which one would be suitable?

Uchiha Yi scratched his head.

The Sharingan was definitely out, but he could give her any of his abilities, such as Lightning Release, Fire Release, or Flying Raijin.

The key was that the ability bestowed would only be one tier below his own.

And if he himself became stronger, the abilities passed on to his familiars would rise as well.

Uchiha Yi did not hide any of this and explained it all to Koyuki.

Naturally, he did not mention the system. He only said that he possessed a special method.

Unexpectedly, Koyuki shook her head right away. "Your abilities really are powerful, but I'm not a ninja. Even if I had ninjutsu, would I be able to use it?"

Well, that question stumped him.

Uchiha Yi was briefly embarrassed. Only then did he realize that he had overlooked that.

But her words also reminded him—Koyuki was an ordinary person, and if she was going to become his familiar, the most suitable thing to give her was actually the Eight Gates.

That technique strengthened the body, allowing someone to train themselves into the most perfect state from the inside out.

Training? It was certainly too late for that now.

But Uchiha Yi did not take that to heart at all.

He held five familiar slots in his hand. As long as he took Koyuki in, he could give her one of his own abilities.

The question was—which one?