Hiruko Arrives

At the Third's question, everyone turned to Fugaku. Not only the ANBU and Konoha jonin, but even the Uchiha elite beside him waited for his answer.

They were all curious about the Police Force squad captain who had so swiftly defeated the fully transformed Shinno.

Fugaku found himself in an acutely embarrassing position. He was as baffled as everyone else.

Had they not all heard Shinno roar, "You damned Uchiha!" on their way here, he would have suspected someone was impersonating a member of his clan.

After all, an Akatsuki member like Shinno would hardly fail to recognize the Sharingan.

Whoever had fought him here was no Police Force squad captain, but Fugaku was certain of one thing: it had been an Uchiha with the Sharingan.

'Who could it be?'

His thoughts raced. As far as he knew, only two people in the clan possessed that kind of power: himself and Shisui, both Mangekyo Sharingan wielders. Clearly, neither had fought here.

The Third's expression grew grim as Fugaku remained silent.

The Uchiha might control the Police Force, but as Hokage, he knew every one of its squad captains. That only made him more curious about the person who had faced Shinno.

'Does the Uchiha Clan have other forces hidden away? A Police Force unit the village knows nothing about?'

The possibility soon occurred to him.

It made him all the more determined to identify the mysterious fighter. He called out, "Inoichi!"

Inoichi Yamanaka stepped forward.

"Read his memories," the Third ordered. "I want everything he knows!"

"Yes, sir!"

Inoichi answered and bounded over to Shinno.

The Yamanaka were one of Konoha's clans of secret technique users, specializing in the mind and spirit. Their skill at interrogation and reading memories was difficult for anyone else to match.

But just as Inoichi crouched to begin, countless feathers drifted down from the sky.

"Huh? Where are all these feathers coming from?"

"Look! The ends are burning!"

The Konoha shinobi recognized the danger the moment they saw the feathers. Without waiting for a warning, they moved to protect themselves.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The burning feathers detonated like explosive tags.

The fierce blasts seemed to shake the entire earth. Thick smoke billowed from the ruins and rapidly spread through the area.

A rush of wings sounded overhead.

An enormous dark shape swept through the smoke above the rubble.

It was Hiruko's composite summoning beast, created by fusing several summoned creatures through the Chimera Technique. It could fly, and every feather was as powerful as a potent explosive tag.

Hiruko stood on its back, arms folded, wearing the faintest smile.

He preferred simple, direct revenge against Konoha to the underhanded business of impersonating an Uchiha, assassinating the Hokage, and provoking civil conflict.

Something like this: destroying the place that held so many painful memories for him.

Using the smoke from the explosions as cover, Hiruko jumped down and landed beside Shinno.

Shinno was an important source of intelligence. When the attack began, an ANBU had used Earth Release to raise several walls around him. Despite the ferocity of the explosions, the unconscious man had remained unharmed.

Hiruko placed a hand lightly against a wall. His Dark Release rapidly absorbed the Earth-nature chakra maintaining its shape. With a series of cracks, the solid barrier collapsed into a heap of sand and stone.

A concealed ANBU nearby seized the opening. Using the Body Flicker Technique, he rushed Hiruko and drove a tempered steel kunai toward his lower back.

Clang!

Instead of the expected spray of blood, there was a metallic ring.

"What...?!"

The ANBU's entire weapon arm went numb. It felt as though he had stabbed a block of steel, not a person.

Hiruko scoffed.

He turned, drove his steel-hard arm through the ANBU's chest, and yanked it free in a spray of blood.

Smoke still filled the ruins, but nearly everyone present was a jonin-level fighter. They quickly detected the clash and realized an enemy had broken through. A shinobi immediately used Wind Release to clear the air.

By the time the smoke dispersed, Hiruko was at Shinno's side.

The Third looked at him uncertainly. "Are you... Hiruko?"

Shinno's rampage had ruined Obito's plan. Hiruko had therefore made no attempt to disguise himself for this rescue. He had come as himself.

But the Kekkei Genkai fusion ritual had changed both his face and his build considerably. He looked so different from the Hiruko the Third remembered that the Hokage could not be certain.

Anger crossed Hiruko's face at that uncertainty. "What? You can't even remember what I look like, Lord Hokage?" he demanded through clenched teeth.

Seeing the hatred in his eyes, the Third immediately remembered his earlier assailant. "You were the one who attacked me!"

Beside him, Homura Mitokado said, "How is that possible? The attacker had the Sharingan!"

"The Sharingan?" Hiruko smiled and activated his. "I took these eyes from a fellow named Hiiragi Uchiha. They've been quite useful."

Every Uchiha present bristled at the sight. Fugaku's voice was murderous. "You'll pay for what you've done!"

He lunged before anyone else could move.

Hiruko grabbed the unconscious Shinno and tossed him onto the composite summoning beast's back. Then he grinned and eagerly met Fugaku's charge.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The two figures darted through the ruins, moving so quickly that only the occasional sparks from their clashing kunai revealed their exact positions.