"How could this…"
Panic flashed across Yakumo's face.
The swift defeat of the jonin squad guarding the shelter's entrance caught her off guard, leaving her momentarily at a loss.
Hiruko strolled leisurely through the fallen jonin squad.
His assignment by Nagato as the main force to capture the Nine-Tails jinchuriki wasn't just because of his familiarity with the Hidden Leaf's layout.
Having completed the Bloodline Fusion Ritual, Hiruko, already an elite jonin, had firmly stepped into the realm of a powerful Kage-level shinobi. Once he fully mastered his five Bloodline Limits, his strength would rise even further.
Within the Akatsuki, he stood half a head above the others, giving him the capital to be arrogant!
His gaze shifted upward, spotting the shelter's entrance tucked under the rock wall—and Yakumo standing in his way.
With a smirk, he taunted her: "Kurama Yakumo, not only did you awaken a new dojutsu Bloodline Limit, but you also withstood the First Hokage's cells—a superstar of the Kurama clan! Heh, if I were Tsunade, I'd be itching to take a genius like you as my apprentice!"
Yakumo raised her hands, forming a seal stance.
But beneath her resolute exterior, her heart pounded thump thump thump, betraying the tension within.
"But rather than taking disciples, I'd much prefer crushing super geniuses like you before you can rise to fame!"
Hiruko's grin widened as he flashed forward, activating Swift Release to launch a surprise attack on Yakumo.
Yakumo gritted her teeth and met him head-on.
Bang bang bang.
In an instant, the two clashed, their fists and feet a blur too fast to follow.
Mid-fight, Hiruko commented with amusement: "This is all you've got? Heh, looks like I overestimated you!"
Yakumo's face remained grim as she struggled to hold her ground.
She thought her panic stemmed from Hiruko's overwhelming strength. But in truth, it was the loss of her Koryugan that truly rattled her!
Accustomed to the Koryugan, she found the Ketsuryugan jarring and unfamiliar.
Without its penetrative vision, she couldn't easily read the battlefield as before. Her weakened insight dulled her edge in high-intensity taijutsu. Most crucially, she no longer had Izanami no Mikoto as her fallback.
Though she disliked Izanami no Mikoto's unruly, lawless nature, she had to admit that with the Koryugan's backing, it was her confidence against any foe.
Hiruko grew more excited as he fought: "Too weak, too weak, too weak!"
Bang.
With a muffled thud, Yakumo misstepped, taking a direct punch from Hiruko that sent her flying, crashing hard onto the ground.
"This is the Hidden Leaf's genius? Still destined to be crushed under my foot!"
Hiruko's shoulders shook with gleeful laughter, his face radiating the madness of released resentment!
Yakumo, sprawled on the ground, formed seals: "Wood Release: Great Forest Technique!"
Instantly, countless vines erupted—some from her sleeves, others bursting from the earth—surging toward Hiruko!
Hiruko formed a seal, and with a whoosh, he vanished into an afterimage.
Yakumo's Wood Release didn't relent, but Hiruko's Swift Release was too fast. No matter how her vines accelerated or attacked from multiple angles, they couldn't touch him.
Swish.
Having toyed enough with her Wood Release, Hiruko flashed before Yakumo, raising his right hand, fingers aligned into a hand-knife!
"Go die!"
With a feral grin, Hiruko activated Steel Release, hardening his arm as he slashed at Yakumo!
Clang.
Suddenly, a broken blade blocked his arm.
Then, as the air rippled, Hayate Gekko's figure slowly materialized in front of Yakumo!
"Transparent Release?!"
Hiruko paused, caught off guard.
Hayate had anticipated Hiruko's attack on Yakumo and used Transparent Release to arrive in time, blocking the strike at the critical moment.
"Yakumo, cough cough, get out of here. We've got this!" Hayate urged with forced ease, though his trembling hand gripping the blade revealed how much effort it took to parry Hiruko's attack!
"Hayate-sensei…"
Yakumo froze.
Since Hayate often served as a referee or proctor at the ninja academy, Yakumo habitually called him sensei.
She hadn't expected Hayate, just defeated by Hiruko, to save her at this crucial moment!
Swish swish.
Several chains shot up from the ground, tightening around Hiruko. At their ends, the other jonin from the squad pulled the chains taut: "Leave this to us, run!"
"Yes!"
Snapping out of it, Yakumo nodded instinctively and turned to flee toward the shelter.
Hiruko snorted: "You think you lot can stop me?"
With that, a surge of electric arcs crackled from his body, racing along the chains and the broken blade touching his arm, instantly striking the jonin squad, including Hayate.
Hayate, hit by the shock, quickly let go of the blade and reactivated Transparent Release, vanishing again.
The other jonin, unprepared for Hiruko's seal-less Lightning Release, couldn't release the chains in time. Electrocuted, they collapsed, smoking.
Clank.
Casually snapping the chains binding him, Hiruko's crimson eyes gleamed with the eerie glow unique to the Sharingan: "Your Transparent Release is laughably pathetic before my Mangekyo Sharingan!"
Swish.
As soon as he spoke, Hiruko used Swift Release to flash to a spot, his left hand darting out to snatch Hayate's neck from the rippling air, yanking him out of his invisible state.
"Using a trash Bloodline Limit like Transparent Release in front of a dojutsu Bloodline shinobi? The Hidden Leaf truly is declining!"
Chuckling, Hiruko raised his right hand, fingers aligned!
"Damn it!"
Coughing blood, Hayate knew he was doomed.
Swish.
At that moment, a vine shot out, wrapping around Hayate's waist and yanking him from Hiruko's grasp.
Then, a figure dropped from the sky, standing before Hiruko.
Seeing who it was, Hiruko was slightly surprised—it was Kurama Yakumo, who had just fled in panic!