"Konoha?"
The guard captain called Yamada frowned, a trace of wariness flashing through his eyes, but his attitude did not soften.
The three guards behind him all placed their hands on their ninja pouches.
Hearing that, the researchers all stopped what they were doing and looked over. A wave of hushed whispers spread:
"How did Konoha ninja end up here…?"
"Are they here because of that monster again?"
"This is going to be trouble…"
Just as the tension was starting to thicken, the red-haired woman turned around.
She had delicate features, black eyes, and wore a white skirt with a purple sleeveless top.
Her shoulders were covered by mesh-like chainmail, and a ninja pouch hung at her waist.
She was barefoot.
Shizune pointed at the red-haired woman and lowered her voice as she spoke to Tsunade.
"Tsunade-sama, look at her hair… it's almost the same color as Karine-sama's."
Tsunade gave a slight nod.
This woman really did resemble Karine Uzumaki.
And her hair was red too.
The Uzumaki clan had long since scattered across the ninja world, nearly wiped out. Tsunade had not expected to run into another survivor here.
The red-haired woman heard Shizune's whisper and got a clear look at Tsunade, Kiyohara, and the others.
Her gaze lingered on Tsunade for a moment, as if she sensed something too, and her brows drew together slightly before she looked at Kiyohara.
Then, suddenly, the red-haired woman spoke.
She stepped past the researchers and walked forward, first giving the guard captain a nod.
"Captain Yamada, I'll handle this."
Then she faced Tsunade and Kiyohara.
"My name is Honoka."
Honoka Uzumaki did not give her surname directly, only her first name.
"Honoka…"
The more Tsunade looked at Honoka Uzumaki, the more convinced she became that the woman was an Uzumaki too.
She had a strange feeling that every time she went out with Kiyohara, they somehow ran into another Uzumaki descendant.
If they brought this one back to Konoha too, the Uzumaki clan might truly begin to thrive there again.
"You said you're investigating the giant sea monster attacking fishing boats? Can you describe it in more detail?"
Kiyohara gestured toward Isaribi behind him.
"We encountered and rescued a victim. She had been controlled by some kind of curse mark and turned into a half-human, half-fish monster. She attacked passing ships and abducted living people. Based on what she told us, the voice controlling her and its source may have come from deep within this island.
"Also, after landing here, we were attacked by unidentified ninja and mutated summoning beasts. Their methods match the traits of artificially modified organisms."
Encouraged by Shizune, Isaribi timidly stepped forward half a pace and lifted the hair at the back of her neck. There was still a single scale left there.
Honoka Uzumaki frowned.
She walked over to Isaribi and lightly touched the scale with one fingertip.
Pale blue chakra flowed from her fingertip and seeped into the skin.
A few seconds later, she withdrew her hand, her expression turning serious.
"We have never conducted experiments like this—human and summoning beast fusion, or human body modification."
Honoka Uzumaki shook her head.
Human experimentation was a hard line.
No matter how far you pushed summoning beast modification, it could still be framed as scientific research.
But once you started experimenting on human bodies, it became the kind of thing that could bring everyone down on you.
"As for the giant sea monster you mentioned, we've probably seen it too," Honoka Uzumaki said.
"Let them in, Captain Yamada. If this really was caused by that monster, then we do need more information."
Captain Yamada fell silent for a moment, then finally stepped aside.
"Please, come in."
Honoka Uzumaki made an inviting gesture.
"There are some things that need to be explained in detail."
Passing through what looked like a simple wooden door, they found a completely different scene inside.
The underground space was much larger than expected. Several rooms lined the corridor that had been carved out along the rock walls.
Honoka led them into a larger room, apparently used as both a meeting room and a records room.
The walls were covered in maps of Summoning Island and charts showing creature distribution. The long table was scattered with research notes and data reports.
"Please, have a seat."
Honoka motioned for everyone to sit, while she herself stood before the map.
"About five years ago, the Summoning Beast Improvement Association, a transnational organization made up of merchants, nobles, and some ninja from various countries, established this institute on the island. Their original purpose was to study genetic improvement in summoning beasts, breeding stronger, more obedient, and more marketable species."
She spread open a report filled with densely packed experimental data and hand-drawn biological sketches.
"In the first few years, they actually did achieve some results. They successfully bred reinforced Spine Wolves, acid-spitting toads, heavily armored giant beetles, and other new varieties, which sold for high prices on the ninja world's black markets.
"But three years ago, the leadership of the Association grew dissatisfied. They launched a top-secret project codenamed Infinite Evolution."
Honoka Uzumaki tapped a section of the map marked with a red circle.
"The core concept of the project was this: forcibly fuse the genes of multiple powerful summoning beasts to create an ultimate lifeform with unlimited evolutionary potential.
"They believed that if they could control such a creature, they would gain an endless supply of powerful summoning beasts."
"Idiotic."
Tsunade shook her head.
She knew very well how dangerous that was, and was frankly stunned by how thoroughly these people had chosen profit over their own lives.
"Anyone with even a little common sense knows how risky gene fusion is."
"Yes. But the temptation of profit was too great."
Honoka Uzumaki gave a bitter smile.
"The Association collected an enormous number of summoning beast samples from all over."
She paused, and her voice grew low.
"The experiment ran for two years. During that time, there were four major containment failures, killing thirty-seven researchers. The Association had to hire more ninja for security. That was when I was brought in.
"But the worst thing happened eight months ago—"
Honoka opened another file. A blurry photo was attached to it.
In the photo was a massive incubation tank. Suspended inside was a writhing lump of flesh so grotesque it was hard to describe. Various biological traits surfaced across its body.
Scales. Feathers. Shell. Tentacles.
They writhed, fused, and split apart as if alive, as though the thing had a will of its own.
"Test Subject Eighty-Nine. They called it the Ultimate Summoning Beast."
Honoka's voice trembled slightly.
"It developed vitality and an evolutionary speed far beyond expectations. During one accident, it devoured three researchers and, after that, acquired a degree of chakra control."
"And then?" Kiyohara asked.
"Then it escaped."
Honoka closed her eyes.
"The Association tried to hunt it down, but all six teams they sent disappeared. The only information that came back showed… that the creature was devouring other summoning beasts on the island at an astonishing rate. Every time it consumed a species, it gained part of that species' abilities."
She opened her eyes and looked at Kiyohara.
"The mutated summoning beasts you encountered were likely its work. Rather than creating them through research, it forcibly transformed other creatures into its own variants through direct consumption and genetic plunder.
"As for the fish-men attacking boats… honestly, I can't say whether that was its doing. According to the records, it has never shown interest in humans, much less turned them into half-human, half-fish monsters."
Kiyohara stroked his chin.
So this was not the Ultimate Summoning Beast's handiwork.
"Isn't there another possibility?" Kiyohara said slowly.
"What if, besides your institute's monster, there's another force on this island? One that has mastered some kind of curse-mark-based body modification technique and is using this island's unique environment to conduct its own experiments?"
Honoka Uzumaki's pupils contracted slightly.
That possibility had never even crossed their minds.
They had assumed all the trouble stemmed from the Ultimate Summoning Beast, and had been sending people after it the whole time.
"You mean… the ones who created the fish-men and the source of the Ultimate Summoning Beast are not the same?"
"It's only a guess."
Kiyohara rose and walked over to the map.
"And we also captured one of the people connected to it."
His gaze fell on Two.
After extracting information from her, Kiyohara had not killed her.
He intended to see whether he could also get his hands on the Chimera Technique.
Hiruko had taught parts of the Chimera Technique to his subordinates, but only partially.
They could fuse with summoning beasts, but they could not fuse kekkei genkai.
Honoka Uzumaki looked at Two as well. She had never seen this woman before.
"Well, it looks like that's as far as we can go tonight."
After further discussion, Honoka Uzumaki and Kiyohara's group reached a preliminary agreement.
Kiyohara and the others agreed to help search for the Ultimate Summoning Beast, while the institute would help them investigate the sea monster.
The sea monster was their official mission target, but for Kiyohara, finding the Ultimate Summoning Beast was just as important.
Once he found it and killed it, he would fulfill Toad Kiyohara's final wish and very likely inherit toad bloodline traits.
Kiyohara was genuinely excited about that.
Human sage arts apparently did not grant immortality. Even Hashirama Senju, who could enter Sage Mode instantly, had still died relatively young, probably only living into his fifties or sixties.
For the Warring States era, where the average lifespan was around thirty, that was long-lived enough.
But Hashirama's cells had retained terrifying vitality even after death.
He had inherited the Sage's body and possessed monstrous life force.
That was why every major villain in the ninja world seemed to want to fuse his cells into themselves. No matter who they were, the first step was always to absorb some Hashirama cells to boost their strength.
Yet every sacred land housed long-lived beings. Not even counting the sages themselves, even their subordinates—the three snake princesses, Fukasaku, and Shima—could all live for centuries.
Their life force was probably not greater than Hashirama's, and yet they lived far longer than he did.
Kiyohara guessed that this was simply a matter of racial difference.
If he could inherit toad bloodline, perhaps he too could gain immortality through sage arts.
After all, sage arts had originally been created by non-humans, meant for toads to refine sage chakra. Humans had only forced themselves to learn it later.
Otherwise, why would someone start developing toad-like features in the middle of training?
"Please, follow me," Honoka Uzumaki said.
She led Tsunade, Kiyohara, and the others to a place where they could stay temporarily.
The lodging was outside the institute, beneath the dense forest.
A proper room was naturally more comfortable than sleeping in tents.
But once Kiyohara entered his own room, he did not go to sleep immediately.
Instead, he closed his eyes and sensed the flow of natural energy around him.
This place lay closer to the mountainside beneath the volcanic crater, and Kiyohara could feel that the natural energy here was denser.
Just then, an extremely faint crack sounded from the trees to the northeast.
It was like a dry branch snapping underfoot. But in Kiyohara's perception, there had clearly been no living thing there just a moment ago.
Whoever it was had moved there in an instant, so fast that even the air had not had time to react.
Kiyohara's eyes snapped open, and his body sprang up like a coiled spring.
Almost at the same time, a figure flashed out from the trees.
It was a man in a white robe, with long hair tied into a ponytail behind his head. A pure white mask covered his face, revealing only the lower half of his face and his eyes.
Under the moonlight, his form looked oddly unreal, as if he might dissolve into the air at any moment.
He took only a light step, and the next instant he had appeared in the middle of the room, as though he had teleported.
That speed was even beyond the Body Flicker generated through Lightning Release-enhanced flesh—so fast that no afterimage had time to appear.
"Swift Release…"
The term flashed through Kiyohara's mind.
It was said that Swift Release could even allow movement approaching the speed of light.
Of course, how far it actually went still depended on the user.
The man in white seemed not to have expected Kiyohara's reaction to be so fast. He had only just entered, and Kiyohara was already out in the open facing him.
A trace of surprise flashed through the eyes behind the mask, but he did not stop moving. His right hand lifted, fingers splayed toward Kiyohara.
Shhkt!
Five invisible wind blades tore through the air, slashing toward him at supersonic speed.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Wall!"
The gourd at Kiyohara's waist trembled, and dark golden sand burst out like flowing water, forming a wall of gold in front of him just in time to intercept the wind blades.
The blades struck the Gold Dust Wall with a harsh scraping sound. Golden grains scattered everywhere, but the wall itself only bore a few shallow scratches.
"Oh?"
The man in white let out a soft sound of surprise, his voice muffled beneath the mask.
He seemed genuinely startled that Kiyohara had blocked the attack, but there was even more of a curious, amused interest in it.
At that moment, the door to the room slammed open.
Tsunade was the first one out. Even though her hemophobia prevented her from entering battle, her combat instincts had still driven her to the scene immediately.
Shizune, Kurenai, and Rin came right after her, already fully battle-ready.
Honoka Uzumaki also rushed over from the direction of the institute, her hands already forming the opening seal for a sealing technique.
"Who are you?!" Tsunade shouted coldly.
Hiruko did not answer.
He only slowly turned his gaze and swept it over everyone present.
When his eyes landed on Kiyohara's face, those gray-blue irises narrowed slightly.
He felt that his luck tonight was excellent.
Kiyohara carried both the Sharingan and the Magnet Release bloodline limit. Beside him was a red-haired Uzumaki descendant, which was a valuable bloodline in its own right.
And Tsunade was a Senju.
So Hiruko was already considering it.
Should he wipe them all out here, then defect from Konoha for good?
Or should he only take Kiyohara's life, then pretend ignorance and continue staying in Konoha a while longer?
But while Hiruko was thinking, Kiyohara was not idle.
Three shuriken formed from Gold Dust shot out from his hand at once, flying straight at Hiruko.
Hiruko's figure flickered, and he dodged them directly.
"Whoever you are," Tsunade said coldly, "any ninja who attacks Konoha's shinobi is going to need an explanation."
Hiruko laughed softly.
"An explanation? What exactly do I need to explain to you? This island, and everything here, will soon become part of my collection."
His figure vanished again.
This time, his target was Rin Nohara.
"Look out!"
Kiyohara's Gold Dust had already been prepared.
A dark golden tide surged up from the ground and formed dozens of giant hands that reached out for the white figure.
Hiruko's left hand turned black, and he directly blocked Kiyohara's Gold Dust giant hands.
Steel Release.
Kurenai's hands flashed through seals.
"Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!"
Invisible genjutsu energy spread over him, but Hiruko only paused slightly. A strange gleam flashed in the eyes behind his mask.
Dark Release.
The Yin chakra from the genjutsu was directly absorbed by Dark Release.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Spheres!"
Kurenai changed tactics instantly, unleashing several sharp wind blades at Hiruko.
At almost the same time, crimson chakra burst from Rin's body as the Three-Tails' power reacted instinctively.
She slammed both palms to the ground. "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
The water dragon intertwined with the wind blades, surging toward Hiruko with overwhelming force.
But Hiruko neither dodged nor retreated.
He raised his left hand. In the center of his palm, a black spiral-shaped seal opened.
"Dark Release: Inhaling Maw."
The instant the wind blades and water dragon touched that seal, they vanished like clay sinking into the sea.
Not just the ninjutsu—even the chakra fluctuations themselves were completely swallowed by that eerie black vortex.
"What?!"
Kurenai and Rin cried out at the same time.
Then the black spiral in Hiruko's palm began to spin in reverse.
"Dark Release: Judgment!"
The absorbed Wind and Water chakra were mixed and reconstructed, then blasted back out as a storm of wind blades and water streams.
"Sealing Technique: Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Honoka Uzumaki acted in time.
Golden chakra chains shot out from behind her, weaving together into a net that blocked the attack.
But fine cracks spread across the surface of the chains, and Honoka herself let out a muffled grunt, clearly taking a serious hit.
Seeing that, Tsunade immediately knew Honoka was definitely an Uzumaki.
Only the Uzumaki clan could use a secret art like Adamantine Sealing Chains.
"Uzumaki sealing arts…"
Hiruko raised a brow slightly.
If there had been no Sharingan here, stealing that bloodline would have been quite appealing.
His gaze lingered on Honoka's red hair for a moment before returning to Kiyohara.
But now that the Sharingan was in front of him, that was what he wanted more.
Because only the Sharingan fit the final link in his Five Elements cycle.
And then, when the moment of the Ringed Solar Eclipse arrived, he would complete the perfect fusion of five bloodline limits atop Mount Sumeru.
For now, he was still only using each bloodline limit individually.
In the next instant, Hiruko's figure split into dozens of afterimages, all rushing toward Kiyohara from different directions.
Every one of them looked completely real—that was the visual deception created by Swift Release.
Kiyohara's Sharingan spun.
Under the vision of the three tomoe, the afterimages gradually faded, leaving only a single real trajectory speeding toward him.
An ordinary three-tomoe Sharingan might not have been able to track it clearly.
But Kiyohara could see it perfectly.
~~~
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