Hiruko

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Hiruko (卑留呼)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Konohagakure (formerly); later seen in Otogakure with Orochimaru 90 104
Occupation/Role	S-rank rogue ninja; developer of the forbidden Chimera Technique 90 93
Status	Alive; survives Naruto’s defeat and Three’s betrayal. Last seen in the Sound Village during the Ōtsutsuki invasion 93 104
First Appearance	Chapter 89, “Heir to the Will of Fire” 89

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Three absorbed kekkei genkai	89	Uses the Chimera Technique to acquire bloodline abilities from other shinobi. Steel Release and Storm Release are explicitly named during his fight with Gaara.
Four absorbed kekkei genkai	90	Possesses Steel, Swift, Dark, and Storm Release. His Chimera Technique is nearly perfected, but he still needs the Sharingan as a fifth bloodline to complete his intended immortal body.

Background / History

Hiruko was originally a Konoha ninja and a friend of Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya. Their superior talent—and their position as the Third Hokage’s disciples—left him tormented by the gap between them. To catch up, he began researching the forbidden Chimera Technique and experimenting on human bodies. When his research was discovered, Hiruzen decided to kill him, but Hiruko escaped 90 91.

More than a decade before his confrontation with Naruto, before Sasuke was born, Hiruko targeted Kakashi’s Sharingan and implanted an enslavement mark in his body. He continued refining his technique over the following years, seeking five kekkei genkai that he believed would make him immortal and the “most perfect life-form” 90 91.

Appearance

• Stature: Short 89.
• Hair: White 89.
• Clothing: White garments, with bandages covering his body 89.
• After Naruto’s attack: His clothes and belts are torn away, leaving his bandage-covered body exposed 92.

Personality

Hiruko’s ambition grows out of inferiority and a desire for acknowledgment. He treats the powers stolen through Chimera as the product of his own effort, becoming embarrassed and angry when Naruto points out that he also relies on other people’s strength 90 92.

His pursuit of perfection is ruthless. He kills bloodline-bearing shinobi, assembles an artificial body from murdered women, and teaches his subordinates that failure strips someone of their value to exist. Three eventually turns that lesson against him 89 93 99.

His confidence exceeds his preparation: he declares war before securing his fifth bloodline, lacks current intelligence about Kakashi’s eye, and initially dismisses the Nine-Tails’ power. After losing, he admits that he wanted acknowledgment and recognizes that he exposed himself too early. Orochimaru’s rescue visibly moves him, and he accepts his former friend’s invitation to work together 90 91 92 93.

Abilities & Skills

Chimera Technique

A forbidden fusion technique that combines bodies and allows Hiruko to steal kekkei genkai. Hiruko also calls it the Forbidden Fusion Technique 92 99.

• Bloodline acquisition: Absorbs other shinobi’s abilities; the Sunagakure victims investigated by Gaara are already dead when Hiruko is confronted 89.
• Chimera beasts: Produces enormous fused creatures. One attacks Shukaku with fire; another is destroyed by a single Nine-Tails Tailed Beast Bomb 89 92.
• Artificial humans: Creates Two by seamlessly fusing selected body parts from murdered women and placing an obedient soul into the resulting body 99.
• Limit: Cannot create life from nothing; Two’s body and soul both originate from existing people 99.
• Control of research: Keeps the complete forbidden technique from Orochimaru, who cannot independently explain Two’s construction after dissecting her 99.

Steel Release

Hardens Hiruko’s body beyond steel 89.

• Withstands Gaara and Shukaku’s sand-claw attack 89.
• Resists Naruto’s chakra-fox bite with little damage 92.
• Does not prevent his eventual defeat by Rasenshuriken 92.

Swift Release

Provides high-speed movement and evasion 91.

• Evades Naruto’s initial Rasengan 91.
• Attempts to create distance after Naruto activates Kurama Link Mode 91.
• Is outpaced by Naruto in that form 91.

Dark Release

Allows Hiruko to absorb ninjutsu; he also demonstrates the ability to redirect attacks during his confrontation with Gaara and Shukaku 89 92.

• Absorbs Shukaku’s Wind Release air bullet 89.
• Attempts to absorb Naruto’s Rasenshuriken through his hands 92.
• Limit: Cannot absorb that Rasenshuriken because rapidly spinning airflow surrounds the chakra and prevents him from reaching it 92.

Storm Release

One of Hiruko’s four acquired bloodlines 90.

• Uses it while attacking Gaara, but the attack fails to penetrate Gaara’s protective quicksand 89.

Enslavement Mark

A mark implanted in Kakashi more than a decade before Hiruko’s immortality attempt 91.

• Remains on Kakashi’s neck when Naruto rescues him 93.
• Is destroyed by Kurama’s immense chakra 93.

Immortality Ritual

Hiruko’s intended transformation requires five kekkei genkai and the alignment of heaven, earth, and man 90 91.

Element	Requirement
Heaven	A golden-ringed solar eclipse 91
Earth	Mount Sumeru 91
Man	Kakashi, selected for his presumed Sharingan 91

• Avoids targeting the Uchiha directly because the clan has become too powerful 90.
• Does not know that Kakashi has already returned his Sharingan to Obito 90.
• Never completes the intended transformation before Naruto defeats him 92.

Bandage Manipulation

Uses the bandages extending from his sleeves as tentacle-like weapons 91 92.

• Binds Kankurō’s fingers, preventing him from controlling his puppets 91.
• Sends bandages through the ground to attack Naruto 92.
• Cannot catch Naruto once he uses Kurama Link Mode 92.

Relationships

• Orochimaru — Former Konoha friend and later collaborator. Hiruko’s human experimentation partly influences Orochimaru’s own research path. Orochimaru kills Three to save him, then invites him to pursue bodily perfection together 90 91 93 99.
• Tsunade and Jiraiya — Former friends whose exceptional talent contributes to his feelings of inferiority 90.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi — Former village leader who orders his death after discovering his forbidden research; Hiruko escapes 90.
• Kakashi Hatake — Intended final fusion victim. Hiruko marks him years in advance but never learns that he has lost the Sharingan 90 91.
• Naruto Uzumaki — Defeats him, challenges his reliance on stolen bloodlines, and questions the timing of his declaration of war 91 92.
• Gaara and Shukaku — Opponents during the investigation into missing Sunagakure bloodline users. Their unsuccessful confrontation leads Gaara to seek Sasuke’s help 89 90.
• Kankurō and Temari — Captives held to draw Gaara back. Hiruko eventually orders their deaths 90 91.
• One — Subordinate later devoured by Three 89 93.
• Two — Artificial subordinate assembled through Chimera; guards and tortures the captives before Orochimaru captures her for research 90 91 99.
• Three — Subordinate who attempts to absorb Hiruko after his defeat, invoking Hiruko’s own teaching that failure makes a person worthless 93.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Missing Bloodline Users

Gaara, Temari, and Kankurō investigate disappearances of Sunagakure shinobi with special kekkei genkai and find Hiruko’s group in palace ruins near the Konoha–Sunagakure border. The black-stone surroundings leave Gaara with little available sand. Hiruko’s hardened body, ninjutsu absorption, and giant stitched beast force Gaara and Shukaku to retreat 89.

Declaration of War

With four bloodlines acquired, Hiruko projects his image above the villages and declares war on the entire ninja world. He intends to complete his immortal body, launch the Fourth Great Ninja War, and rule all life. His origins as a Konoha rogue ninja create diplomatic pressure on Tsunade, prompting the Fire Daimyō to demand a resolution within one week 90.

Defeat and Rescue

Kakashi plans to let Hiruko absorb him and trigger a curse mark that would kill them both, avoiding civilian casualties from a larger battle. Naruto instead comes to rescue his teacher. His Kurama Link Mode outpaces Swift Release, destroys Hiruko’s chimera beast, and defeats him with a Rasenshuriken that Dark Release cannot absorb 91 92.

Three then tries to fuse with the defeated Hiruko. Orochimaru interrupts by stabbing Three with a Kusanagi sword and helps Hiruko to his feet. The two leave together; their later discussion of Two’s construction confirms their continued research contact. Both are subsequently seen in the Sound Village during the Ōtsutsuki invasion 93 99 104.

Notable Quotes

“I only wanted to be acknowledged...” 92

“The Chimera Technique is powerful, but no matter how powerful it is, it can't create life out of thin air.” 99

Trivia

• Not Sasori’s puppet: The “Hiruko” that Sasori enters after speaking to Kakashi is a separate entity from the rogue ninja introduced with three subordinates 74 89.