Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 438 You Can't Prove Anything
boom! !

Just as Orochimaru was getting angry.

In the distance, a pillar of light, reaching to the heavens and the earth, like a divine punishment from a god in mythology, suddenly tore through the night sky and crashed straight down to the earth.

Even from such a great distance, the light that illuminated half the sky as if it were daytime, and the roar and tremors that followed, remained clear.

"That direction is...the border of the Land of Hot Springs?" Nara Shikaku and the others' expressions changed.

To be able to feel such a clear aftershock from such a great distance, the power of that attack is simply unimaginable. What level of attack was that?

Hinata Kumokawa had only been there a short time when this commotion occurred. Could this be a trap set by the Akatsuki for him?

Looking at the scene in the distance, the icy coldness that had been on Orochimaru's face instantly melted away, and a smile of complete control reappeared, even more intense than before.

He seemed to be enjoying a grand fireworks display that he had been eagerly anticipating.

"You're saying I'm jealous of Hyuga Kumokawa?" Orochimaru scoffed. "What is there for me to be jealous of?"

As soon as he finished speaking, his voice suddenly turned cold: "He will die soon."

"And I will attain immortality, becoming a unique ultimate being that transcends bloodlines, transcends life and death, and surpasses all forms of life!"

"What is his fleeting brilliance compared to my eternal life?"

"You..." Tobirama Senju wanted to say something, but Orochimaru didn't want to hear it anymore.

"Enough." Orochimaru coldly uttered two words, raised his hands to form hand seals, and commanded, "Subdue those four Jinchuriki and bring them to me."

As soon as he finished speaking, a strange scarlet color suddenly emerged from the depths of Tobirama Senju's right pupil, rapidly spreading and outlining the slowly rotating Mangekyou Sharingan pattern!
Tobirama Senju's body jolted violently out of control as a chilling power forcefully took over his control. His hands rose against his will, his fingers flying as he formed hand seals!

"Be careful……"

Tobirama Senju only had time to give a warning before taking a deep breath, his chest bulging visibly as his Water Release chakra, compressed to its limit, gathered in his mouth.

"Water Release·Water Breaking Wave!"

laugh! !

The next instant, a thin stream of water, as thin as a hair and moving faster than the visual reaction could perceive, shot out from Tobirama Senju's mouth, emitting a sharp screech that sent chills down one's spine!
Its target was none other than Nara Shikaku and the others, who were in a state of shock.

"Get out of the way!" At the critical moment, Nara Shikaku instinctively lunged to the side.

puff!

The water line almost grazed his back; he could even feel his vest being easily cut open. A sharp pain shot through his back, and blood gushed out instantly.

The two ninjas behind him were not so lucky.

They only had time to make a half-dodge maneuver before the pale blue water line, like a hot knife cutting through butter, silently pierced through their bodies.

A person was cleaved diagonally in two from the left shoulder to the right waist. The upper body slid down with a look of shock on its face, and internal organs and blood were splattered all over the ground.

The other person fared even worse; the water line passed right through his waist, severing him at the waist. His lower body continued to run forward for two steps before collapsing with a thud.

"Ah!" His upper body crashed to the ground, letting out a scream so shrill it was inhuman, before quickly fading away.

The water line continued its relentless flow, slicing fiercely into the city wall behind it with only a soft "snap" sound.

The city wall, which had been reinforced several times, now had a smooth, mirror-like cut. Half of the wall slid slowly down along the cut, crashing to the ground and kicking up clouds of dust.

Onoki was already airborne the moment Tobirama Senju raised his hand, narrowly avoiding the attack.

Mei Terumi suddenly fell backward, the water jets grazing her nose and cutting off a few strands of her flowing hair, causing her to break out in a cold sweat.

This level of mastery of water escape techniques...

Is this still Naruto?

Even the Mizukage of Kirigakure throughout history have never seen this.

Kisame, Killer Bee, Han, Yugito Nii, and the others also used their own methods, jumping or shifting to the side, to dodge the fatal blow in a sorry state.

"Orochimaru! What exactly are you trying to do?" Nara Shikaku shouted. "What good will it do you to cooperate with those lunatics from Akatsuki and destroy the ninja world?"

Orochimaru merely glanced at the crowd without answering Nara Shikaku's question.

Some answers are meaningless to the dying, or to the fool who is destined to never understand his path.

He simply raised his head and smiled at his fire-style clone, saying, "I'll leave this place to you."

The fire-style clone responded with a disdainful snort, and once again unleashed a raging fire fan, sending towering waves of fire crashing down like a tsunami to suppress the allied ninjas attempting a counterattack.

Orochimaru turned and walked into the distance, step by step, heading towards the Eighth Division's medical support unit's base, the area where Tsunade and Hiruko fought.

The deal he made with Nagato was actually quite simple.

He will use his secret control over the Sand Village forces and his infiltration of intelligence into the Allied Forces to provide some information and ninjutsu, and help them capture the remaining tailed beasts.

One of the things the Akatsuki organization wanted to do was to kill Hyuga Kumokawa.

At the same time, Hiruko, who also fused with several bloodline limits, was delivered to him at the right moment.

------

On the outskirts of the capital of the Land of Fire, at the base of the 8th Division's medical support unit.

Compared to the command center area in the capital, medical tents were scattered across the open ground, brightly lit inside and out, with many people moving about.

With beads of sweat on her forehead, Shizune pressed her hands, covered in a gentle chakra, intently on the massive laceration on the chest of an Iwagakure ninja.

The edges of the wound were charred black, clearly caused by a fire jutsu or explosion. The wound was so deep that bone was visible, and even a faintly beating heart could be seen.

She carefully guided her chakra to stimulate cell regeneration, reconnect severed blood vessels, and used palm magic to suppress internal bleeding and potential infection.

Around her, several medical ninjas held down the wounded who were struggling in pain and handed them equipment under her command.

"Your blood pressure is still dropping! Another bag of type O blood! Quickly!"

"There is fluid in the lungs, prepare for puncture..."

Just then, a wary voice suddenly came from outside the tent: "Halt! What are you doing here?"

Jingyin paused in her actions, but did not stop the treatment. She simply raised her eyes slightly and peeked out through the gap in the tent flap.

At the entrance of the tent, two burly Akimichi ninjas stood, each holding a kotetsu rod in one hand and the other in the other, forming an "X" shape to block the entrance. Their faces were serious as they stared ahead.

In the darkness not far in front of them, two figures were supporting each other, staggering towards the tent.

They walked with a limp, seemingly suffering from serious injuries, with faint drops of blood dripping from their feet, leaving intermittent traces on the ground.

The two men did not respond to the Akimichi ninja's questioning. They kept their heads down, making indistinct sobs as they moved toward the tent.

"Stop! State your unit number!" The Akimichi ninja on the left frowned, asked again, gripped the iron rod in his hand tightly, and tensed all his muscles.

"It might be a throat injury," another Akimichi ninja whispered to his companion. "I'll go check it out."

As he spoke, he slightly loosened the crossed iron bars, preparing to step forward to investigate.

Inside the tent, silence reigned. His gaze swept over the bloodstains dripping from the two men's feet, then fell upon their stiff, unsteady gait. His keen observation instincts kicked in with alarm.

"No!" Shizune looked up abruptly and cried out, "Don't go near them! They are..."

boom! !

Before the words were finished, the barrier that had enveloped the entire capital suddenly disappeared, and an explosion came from the direction of the command post in the distance. It was an attack by Kakuzu's Fire Release ninja.

The two wounded men spewed out large amounts of dark purple pus and blood from their eyes, ears, mouths, and noses, and their bodies swelled up, losing their human form and turning into two huge fleshy balls covered with dark purple blood vessels!

“What…” The Akimichi ninja who stepped forward to investigate changed his expression.

boom! boom! !

The fleshy ball exploded with a roar, spraying out pus, blood, bits of flesh, bone fragments, and visible chakra in all directions!
The shockwave from the explosion violently ripped the ground apart, instantly tearing several nearby medical tents to shreds!
The Akimichi ninja who approached was reduced to a bloody mist and a bloody pulp before he could even let out a proper scream.

"Damn it!" Another Akimichi ninja roared, his eyes wide with rage, as his chakra exploded, "Partial Expansion Technique!"

His hands instantly swelled and grew larger, transforming into two giant hands comparable in size to a door panel, which crossed and overlapped, blocking the entrance to the medical tent!
boom!
The explosive force slammed into the Akimichi ninja's enormous hand, instantly tearing the skin and flesh apart, leaving it charred black.

The excruciating pain caused him to groan, his massive body slid backward from the impact, his feet carving two deep furrows in the ground, and the tent behind him shook violently in the shockwave.

"cough……"

Smoke and blood mist filled the air, obscuring the view. Akimichi Ninja endured the excruciating pain in his hands and used his enormous palm to forcefully swung it, creating a strong wind that dispersed the smoke and dust in front of him.

However, just as the smoke and dust began to dissipate... Whoosh!
A figure shot out from the still-lingering dust at a speed that exceeded the limits of his visual perception, leaving a clear afterimage in its place!

It was a figure whose entire body was wrapped in white bandages.

It is indeed Beiliu Hu!
He used Swift Escape to increase his normal movement speed to a level comparable to Body Flicker Technique.

Before the Akimichi ninja could even react, the bandage that Hiruko had been pulling out of his sleeve suddenly gleamed with a cold metallic sheen, its edges becoming as sharp as knives.

puff!

A soft sound, like a sharp blade slicing through paper.

The Akimichi ninja's head, with an expression of shock, anger, and frozen, flew into the sky.

Blood gushed out like a fountain from the severed neck. The headless body, still maintaining a defensive posture, swayed twice before crashing backward, staining the ground red with blood.

The attack came too fast and too suddenly, taking only two or three breaths.

Most of the medical ninjas inside the tent didn't even understand what was happening.

The figure, wrapped entirely in bandages, had already transformed into a gray-white afterimage that was difficult to detect with the naked eye. Carrying a strong sense of blood and killing intent, it charged into the medical tent!
"enemy……"

The medical chunin closest to the door only had time to utter half a syllable of warning before a bandage reinforced with steel release easily sliced ​​across his neck.

He didn't even feel pain; he only felt his vision suddenly rise and spin, seeing his headless body slowly fall down, and then sink into eternal darkness.

"Ugh!"

Slaughter erupted suddenly within the tent. Hiruko pushed his swift escape speed to the limit, leaving blurry afterimages in his wake.

Each flash was accompanied by the slashing of sharp bandages hardened by the Steel Release technique, piercing straight through the heart, sweeping across the waist and abdomen, and slashing past the throat!
Ding-ding-ding-ding!

Some quick-reacting ninjas instinctively threw out shuriken or kunai.

However, when it hits Hiruko's bandages or body covered with the luster of steel release, it can't penetrate them at all, except for a few sparks!
This is the effect of combining Steel Release and Swift Release. Most ordinary ninjas would be killed before they could even form hand seals, let alone these medical ninjas.

puff!puff!
One by one, heads filled with astonishment and fear were severed from the necks of the bandaged blades, like ears of wheat being cut by an invisible scythe, and were thrown to the ground.

One by one, the medical ninjas who had just been treating the wounded collapsed like harvested wheat, quickly losing their vitality.

Figures crisscrossed, cold light flashed, and blood was splattered.

The splattering sounds of blood coming together formed a series of sounds, and in just two or three breaths, the tent had become a scene of carnage.

Hiruko's figure flashed again, and several bandages shot towards the other medical ninjas who looked terrified, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound as they tore through the air.

"Don't think about it!"

Silently, she rushed out, her palms together, and pale green chakra extended from her palms, transforming into two chakra blades as thin as cicada wings, slashing at the middle of the several bandages that shot towards her.

scoff!

The incredibly tough bandage, hardened by steel-based techniques, was severed the moment it came into contact with the chakra scalpel.

As she severed the bandages, Shizune's sleeve twitched, revealing a hidden weapon—a needle-shaped projectile—on her forearm.

Several hair-thin needles shot out from it. Hiruko raised his arms to block in front of him, the metallic luster flowing again, intending to use his Steel Release to withstand the attack.

However, the next moment, his movements faltered slightly.

Puff puff!
Several thousand sticks actually pierced through his bandages reinforced with Steel Release, deeply embedding themselves in his arms and body. Although they didn't penetrate deep into his flesh, they did indeed break through his defenses.

Moreover, a tingling and sluggish sensation quickly spread along the wound.

"Poisonous?" Hiruko's expression hardened, and he retreated quickly, instantly creating a distance of several meters between himself and Shizune. He looked down at the several senbon needles embedded in his flesh on his arm.

The muscles and skin of his arm twitched, and the few sage sticks were forcibly squeezed out of the wound, falling to the ground with a clatter, and the toxins in his body were also forced out.

"interesting."

Hiruko shook his arm as if he had only been bitten by a few mosquitoes, then looked at Shizune and raised his head, saying, "You're Tsunade's disciple, aren't you?"

"They were able to break through my defenses. These senbon needles were made by polishing Nagato's black rods?"

Shizune didn't answer, but stared intently at Hiruko, shielding the Iwagakure wounded soldier who had just escaped death, as well as several medical ninjas behind him, behind her.

“Leave them from the back,” she said without turning her head.

The wounded rock-dwelling soldier struggled to sit up, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something.

But after glancing at the few medical ninjas around him who were almost powerless, and feeling his own still weak body, he finally said, "Be careful."

Then, without further hesitation, he led the group back toward the opening behind the tent.

Hiruko stood quietly in place, neither pursuing nor obstructing, but simply watching the scene indifferently, as if admiring the futile struggle of a group of ants.

Only after those people disappeared from sight did he ask, "Where is Tsunade?"

Silent did not answer, slowly adjusting her breathing, her chakra flowing silently within her body.

“Hiruko…” she slowly uttered the name, “I know you.”

"To be precise, I heard about you from Tsunade-sama's occasional memories. You were once a friend of Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama, and Orochimaru, right?"

"You are sensitive and insecure, feeling that you are mediocre, so you gradually distanced yourself from them and began to secretly conduct inhumane human experiments. After being exposed, you defected."

"Now, you've returned, with the immense power you see in yourself..."

Shizune smiled with a mixture of mockery and pity: "You want to prove something to Tsunade and the others, whom you could only look up to in the past."

"Look, that loser you used to despise and abandon has become stronger, even stronger than you, hasn't he?"

Hiruko's eyes narrowed, and the pity in his silent smile grew stronger and more glaring.

"However, unfortunately, Hiruko."

She smiled slightly and said, "I want to tell you everything you're so attached to, everything you believe has been looked down upon and abandoned, everything you yearn to prove yourself..."

"From beginning to end, it was all just wishful thinking and misunderstanding caused by your pathetic jealousy and prejudice."

"Neither Lady Tsunade nor Lady Jiraiya ever truly looked down on or despised their companions because of differences in talent or strength."

"Because, Jiraiya-sama was also a 'bottom of the class' back then, but Jiraiya-sama didn't wallow in self-pity like you."

"Through his own efforts and perseverance, he took one step at a time and became a legendary ninja who saved Konoha and trained the Fourth Hokage."

"And you, Hiruko..."

The voice was soft, but every word was piercing: "Your development of the forbidden technique to plunder the bloodline limit of others only proves the bottomless greed and jealousy in your heart."

"Besides this, you can't prove anything else."

"You are just a pathetic wretch who hides in the gutter, manipulating corpses and living people, stealing the power of others, out of cowardice and jealousy."

"Now, they're nothing more than vassals of the Akatsuki organization, swaggering around here with power they've plundered that doesn't belong to them..."

Seeing Hiruko's increasingly gloomy expression, she took a deep breath and said calmly, "A smug little rat."

Dead silence.

Only the occasional crackling of flames and the faint rumble of explosions from outside remained.

Hiruko stood there, motionless, his face mostly hidden by bandages, except for his eyes, which were fixed on Shizune.

His eyes gleamed with an intense chill and murderous intent, glowing with a scarlet, inhuman light.

"Hehe...hehe..."

A laugh, seemingly squeezed from the depths of a throat, slowly rose, devoid of warmth, containing only the twisting edge of madness.

"It seems Tsunade not only taught you medical ninjutsu..."

He tilted his head slightly, his sinister gaze like that of a venomous snake: "I also taught you how to use this mouth to provoke an enemy you can never match."

"But that's okay."

"When I've personally transformed you into a puppet that can still speak but only feel pain, I'll make you swallow these words back, one by one!"

呲!
The moment the words left his mouth, the bandages wrapped around Hiruko's body transformed into a blurry afterimage and shot towards Shizune!

The speed is faster than before!

The killing intent was even stronger than before!
(End of this chapter)