Bab 88: Chapter 88: Successor of the Will of Fire
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''Sasuke's voice was icy, and as his words echoed through the room, everyone felt as if they had been plunged into an ice-cold abyss.''
One man gathered the courage to shout, "Who the hell do you think you are?"
Before he could finish, Sasuke's Kusanagi sword pierced his heart with lightning speed.
For a moment, there was only silence.
The sound of blood dripping from the blade was the only noise that filled the room.
Kurotsuchi, her patience exhausted, felt a surge of anger. She was on the verge of ordering the execution of every one of these high-ranking officials from the Land of Earth.
But before she could act, someone suddenly shouted, "Good! Well done!"
Kurotsuchi blinked in confusion. "What?"
Another voice echoed, "Yes, good kill."
"I choose Kurotsuchi! She's the leader we need!"
"That's right, Kurotsuchi is the one who should lead us. The ninja world is changing, and we must change with it!"
Kurotsuchi was stunned. 'How did the mood shift so quickly?'
Sasuke, without saying a word, took Kurotsuchi's hand and they vanished from the room, leaving the elders behind in stunned silence.
Once they were gone, the remaining officials looked at each other, too afraid to speak. The fear that Sasuke might return at any moment and finish them off kept them in line.
Finally, one person broke the silence. "We should just do as they say. It's better to live than to challenge them."
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''Meanwhile, in the Tsuchikage Building...''
Sasuke enveloped the entire building with his chakra, ensuring that there were no unwelcome listeners.
Then, he pinned Kurotsuchi against the wall, his eyes intense. "I've done a lot for you, Kurotsuchi. How do you plan to repay me?"
Kurotsuchi blushed, her breath catching in her throat. "You can take whatever you want, Sasuke. I'm yours."
She felt vulnerable and exposed, but she had no regrets.
As a Tsuchikage, she knew she would eventually need a strong partner, and Sasuke was more than she could have ever hoped for—handsome, powerful, and uninterested in ruling himself.
He was everything she wanted.
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''Meanwhile, in another part of the world...''
A fleet from the Land of Lightning attempted to invade the Land of Snow.
Princess Koyuki Kazahana stepped forward to negotiate. "This is the Land of Snow, a protectorate of Konoha. Your village has a peace agreement with Konoha. You should leave immediately!"
But the shinobi from the Hidden Cloud Village merely exchanged amused glances.
"Screw Konoha," one of them sneered.
Seven or eight figures rushed toward Princess Koyuki, but before they could reach her, a man stepped in front of her. "Princess, please step back," he said calmly.
It was Obito Uchiha. He raised his hands and, without wasting any time, slammed them onto the ground. "Summoning Jutsu: Demonic Statue of the Outer Path!"
The massive figure of the Gedo Statue erupted from the ground, its grotesque form towering over the battlefield.
The statue immediately began draining chakra from the surrounding enemies, reducing them to lifeless husks.
"What the hell is that thing?!" one of the Cloud ninjas screamed.
"Run! Run for your lives!" another shouted.
But it was too late. The Gedo Statue's power was overwhelming, and within minutes, it had slaughtered all the invaders.
Once the battlefield was silent, Obito retracted the Gedo Statue back into his Kamui space. The snow ninjas, who had never seen such power before, stared in awe.
For them, this was a sign that as long as they had such powerful allies, the Land of Snow had nothing to fear.
However, Obito felt a sharp pain in his eyes. Despite the immense power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, it came with a terrible cost—prolonged use of its abilities risked blindness. Although Obito had rarely used Susanoo, the constant use of his Kamui ability had strained his eyes, especially after retrieving his left eye and merging the two powers.
Obito silently wiped the blood and tears from his eyes, careful not to let Koyuki see his weakness. But he knew that continuing to overuse his powers would eventually lead to complete blindness.
The only solution was to awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, but Obito lacked the necessary family ties to achieve that.
The only person who could help him was Orochimaru, the expert in genetic manipulation and human experimentation.
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''In the Hidden Sound Village...''
In his laboratory, Orochimaru, dressed in his signature white robes, turned to Kabuto Yakushi. "Kabuto, which of the clone cultures is progressing the fastest?"
Kabuto adjusted his glasses and replied, "Lord Orochimaru, Suigetsu's clone is developing well—it's about three years old now. Uchiha Obito's clone is also growing rapidly, but it has already developed self-awareness and has attempted to send signals outside the lab multiple times."
Orochimaru nodded thoughtfully.
All of the Uchiha DNA samples had been provided by Sasuke, including those of Itachi, Shisui, Fugaku, and even Kento and Obito.
Most of the clones were developing steadily, but Kento's clones had consistently failed, with each one being destroyed the moment consciousness began to form.
But Orochimaru wasn't concerned; Kento had never awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, so there was no rush in cultivating his clone.
Orochimaru walked into a dark room lined with transparent tanks filled with a green liquid. Inside each tank floated a body, a product of Orochimaru's mastery of life sciences.
'One day, when my experiments are revealed, the entire ninja world will be thrown into chaos,' Orochimaru thought with a twisted smile.
His research had advanced far beyond mere cloning. He had not only managed to create complete clones but also developed a way to harvest organs to extend life indefinitely.
Orochimaru's mind drifted back to the Third Great Ninja War, when his prized student, Nawaki, had died because Tsunade's medical techniques couldn't save him.
But now, Orochimaru had perfected a method to preserve Nawaki's body, cultivate a clone from his DNA, and harvest a new heart—a perfect match, without the risk of rejection.
It was too late for Nawaki, but Orochimaru had ensured he could do it now. He was also cultivating bodies for Suigetsu, Jugo, and others to prepare for any eventualities.
In addition, Orochimaru was cultivating clones of Itachi, Fugaku, and others to completely eliminate the risk of blindness associated with the Mangekyō Sharingan.
For Orochimaru, this was a fundamental flaw that he was determined to overcome.
But Orochimaru's most ambitious goal was to transplant the best genes into his own body, transforming himself into the ultimate life form.
He knew the process would involve severe rejection reactions, but he was willing to endure anything to achieve perfection.
As Orochimaru stood in his lab, surrounded by the fruits of his life's work, he smiled to himself. 'One day, I will surpass all the limits of human potential.'
Orochimaru's mastery of life sciences, including his forbidden technique, the Living Corpse Reincarnation, allowed him to avoid the limitations of mortality.
Given enough time, Orochimaru was confident he could transform himself into a perfect being.
Even the Sharingan, which Orochimaru had long coveted, would pose no problem.
Thanks to the genetic material provided by Sasuke, Orochimaru no longer needed to risk confronting him directly—the danger was too great, and Orochimaru knew he wasn't strong enough to defeat Sasuke now.
Meanwhile, in Sunagakure...
Temari approached Gaara with a worried expression. "Kazekage-sama, there have been multiple sightings of shinobi with unique bloodline abilities within our village. What do you think is happening?"
Gaara's gaze hardened. "Have any of the ANBU we sent out returned?"
Temari shook her head. "None of them have come back."
Standing nearby, Kankuro was visibly shaken. Temari noticed and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Kankuro replied with a nervous laugh, "There are so many reports of shinobi with unique bloodlines in the village. What if I, a genius puppeteer, become the next one to disappear? It's terrifying—I don't want to be hunted!"
Gaara and Temari exchanged exasperated looks.
Temari scoffed, "You're worried about that? Your puppet skills aren't even close to Granny Chiyo's level."
Kankuro protested, but Temari continued, "Chiyo could control the legendary Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets. You, on the other hand, can't even manage one of them properly. You're not exactly a prime target."
Gaara frowned and said, "Take me to the location where our shinobi have gone missing."
At the border between Konoha and Sunagakure, a desolate ruin lay hidden amidst the vast landscape.
Within the ruins, four figures were gathered. One was short and bandaged from head to toe, wearing no clothes.
The other two were tall, thin men with the numbers "One" and "Three" tattooed on their heads.
The last was a curvaceous woman wielding a small whip, marked with the number "Two."
These were none other than Hiruko and his three followers.
Hiruko had been practicing a forbidden technique for years—a ritual that would grant him eternal life by absorbing the abilities of five bloodline limit users. He had already obtained three of them.
As they plotted their next move, a strange beast suddenly ran into the ruins, chittering anxiously.
The woman, marked with the number "Two," turned to Hiruko and said, "Master, someone has breached the ruins."
Gaara, accompanied by Temari and Kankuro, was cautiously making his way through the dark ruins. The stones were black, devoid of the sand that Gaara was accustomed to controlling.
"I never knew a place like this existed in the Land of Wind," Gaara murmured.
Temari nodded, "The Land of Wind is vast. It's not surprising that even the Kazekage might not be aware of everything within it."
Kankuro, visibly nervous, asked, "Why did we come here with just the three of us?"
Temari smacked him on the head. "How many times do I have to tell you to be prepared when you go out on a mission?"
Suddenly, the ground trembled, and three massive, stitched-together beasts resembling wolves appeared, roaring at the trio.
Gaara quickly summoned sand from his gourd, trapping the creatures and immobilizing them.
But before they could react, three figures emerged from the shadows—the same trio of Hiruko's followers.
The woman with the whip taunted them, "Three little puppies, come play with your master!"
Kankuro, despite his fear, grinned nervously. "Um, no thanks..."
Temari slapped him, "Don't be disgusting! I don't care who you are—this is the Land of Wind! Leave now!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" Temari unleashed a powerful gust of wind, but her attack was met with eerie laughter.
Kankuro looked up to see one of the figures riding a bird-like beast, scattering explosive feathers from above. Gaara quickly raised his hand, summoning a shield of sand to block the feathers.
However, a flash of lightning suddenly pierced Gaara's chest—a direct attack from Hiruko himself.
Hiruko sneered, "So this is the Kazekage? Pathetic."
But Gaara's body crumbled into sand—it was just a sand clone. Not far away, Gaara reformed, his expression cold.
"You're the one responsible for the disappearance of those with bloodline limits in Sunagakure. Where are they now?" Gaara demanded.
"They're dead," Hiruko replied casually. "And you'll be joining them soon enough."
"Steel Release!" Hiruko's body became as hard as steel, making him nearly invulnerable.
"Storm Release!" Hiruko moved with blinding speed, launching a powerful energy blast at Gaara. But Gaara's quicksand shield blocked the attack, though it was clear he was running low on sand.
With limited resources, Gaara knew he couldn't defeat Hiruko.
As the situation became dire, Gaara began to transform into his partial tailed beast form, summoning Shukaku's power.
"Shukaku, it's up to you now," Gaara called out.
Shukaku's voice echoed in his mind, "Heh, I'm ready!"
But before they could attack, Hiruko slammed his hands into the ground, summoning a beast even larger than Shukaku. The monstrous creature roared and unleashed a torrent of fire at Shukaku.
Shukaku retaliated, creating sand from thin air to fight back. But despite Gaara's efforts, Hiruko's indestructible steel body withstood the attacks.
To make matters worse, Hiruko absorbed Gaara's attacks, converting them into even more power. With a surge of energy, he unleashed a devastating blast aimed directly at Shukaku.
Sensing the danger, Shukaku quickly transformed Gaara into quicksand and teleported him away from the battlefield.
"Shukaku, what are you doing? Why are you running away? Aren't you supposed to help me fight?" Gaara shouted in frustration.
Shukaku responded, "That guy can absorb chakra attacks! My power is useless against him. Better to retreat now than to be defeated!"
Gaara, still frustrated, asked, "What about Temari and Kankuro?"
Shukaku dismissed the concern, "That's not my problem! We need to focus on survival!"
Gaara couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Shukaku, you're such a coward!"
Shukaku retorted, "Hey, I have memories you don't remember—times when I got beaten down twice in one day. I'm not taking any chances! If we can't win, we retreat. That's the rule!"
Gaara knew that in this environment, without sufficient sand, he couldn't hope to defeat Hiruko. Reluctantly, he decided to heed Shukaku's advice.
"Head toward Konoha—quickly!" Gaara ordered, hoping to find help before it was too late.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone