Chapter 294: Fusing with a Summoned Beast
When using Impure World Reincarnation, it is often prefixed with "Summoning Jutsu."
That is not merely because summoning a coffin counts as summoning.
At its most fundamental level, Impure World Reincarnation works by "summoning" a soul from the Pure Land into the real world, binding it to a corresponding vessel of earth and ash.
To accomplish this, a portion of the deceased's body is required. Only with that can a contract be formed and the soul summoned.
As for killing someone on the spot and immediately reanimating them—The only similar case in the original story was when the masked man killed Aburame Torune on the spot to make Yakushi Kabuto demonstrate Impure World Reincarnation, then had Kabuto use Torune's comrade Yamanaka Fū as the sacrifice to reanimate him.
Torune had it relatively better.
He had been captured during Danzō's sealing of half a bridge in a single rage-filled battle. At first, he and Yamanaka Fū had cooperated against the masked man.
The two Root members were actually quite sharp in combat intelligence. They at least figured out the issue with Kamui.
Unfortunately, Danzō had been busy showing off, slowly unwrapping the bandages on his arm. Before reinforcements could arrive, the two were sucked into the Kamui dimension and placed under genjutsu control.
Being under genjutsu was a good thing.
At least they did not experience confusion like Hiruko now.
Hiruko had been reanimated almost the instant he died.
There is a saying: "Why sleep long before death? After death, you will sleep forever."
For everyone, death is like a long dream.
Only when summoned back by Impure World Reincarnation do you "wake" and become aware of that dream.
Hiruko, reanimated immediately, felt as if he had just fallen asleep for less than a minute when the alarm suddenly rang, jolting him awake.
Waking that quickly creates the illusion that perhaps you never truly fell asleep at all.
Death was the same.
For a moment, Hiruko could not tell whether he was dead or alive.
Until he lowered his head and saw his corpse lying there.
His vision went dark.
"Orochimaru, what did you do to me?"
Hiruko glared at him.
At first, he had not felt the restraints on his body. But the moment he tried to mobilize his chakra, the problem became obvious.
Combined with the sight of his own corpse, he could now confirm that Orochimaru had reanimated him and taken control.
"I'm giving you an opportunity to join our team."
"Although your Chimera Technique has made no progress in decades. Although you lack even the most basic scientific rigor. Although you abandoned study and improvement because of jealousy and inferiority…"
Orochimaru listed "although" after "although" before concluding, "But I believe that having died once, you should have changed."
Hiruko fell silent.
Strangely enough, though the time between death and reanimation was short, the life flashing before death had felt long.
In his final moments, he seemed to see his old companions—the young Sannin, a younger Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Just like in the original story, when he died in Kakashi's arms.
In other words, Hiruko's "death" was akin to Orochimaru's own experience of "dying once" and being revived by Sasuke afterward.
Orochimaru had seen Yakushi Kabuto become the perfect version of himself he had once envisioned, only to fail anyway. So he learned to wait for the wind to rise.
Hiruko, too, had achieved the fusion of five kekkei genkai thanks to the opportunity Orochimaru provided.
The five-bloodline Chimera Technique had failed. His belief had been shattered completely.
But once he calmed down, the truth became clear.
He had no choice but to see it clearly.
Hiruko might have had many flaws, as Orochimaru said, but he did not deceive himself.
Failure was failure.
Perhaps the moment he gambled everything on the Chimera Technique, his ending had already been set.
As Orochimaru had said, he was a gambler.
Decades had passed, and he had learned nothing new. He relied solely on the Chimera Technique.
Why?
Because of his inferiority complex.
If he studied and improved, wouldn't that mean admitting he was not already excellent, not already perfect?
In the end, he pursued power and immortality like Orochimaru, adopted Tsunade's gambler mentality, and lived out Jiraiya's pattern of failure.
His entire life had been lived in the shadow of the Sannin.
Wasn't that enough?
Now Orochimaru was offering him a chance at equal standing.
At the very least, didn't he want to see how Orochimaru had gathered so many bloodline limits? Didn't he want to know what Orochimaru was pursuing now?
"Alright…"
Hiruko agreed.
"Kid, not bad. At least you're sensible."
"Mm."
Tobirama and Hashirama stepped forward and each patted him on the shoulder.
A wise man adapts to the times.
He had failed to make the correct choice before death. At least he had made one afterward.
Hiruko was not an exceptional talent.
Orochimaru's evaluation of him was that he was a discount version of Yakushi Kabuto, based on the future Kabuto described by Shiromo.
Even so, a discount Kabuto was still more useful than the vast majority of people in the ninja world.
There was nothing wrong with people pursuing power and knowledge.
The real trouble came from those chasing bonds, love, and peace.
"By the way, what exactly does that Chimera Technique actually do? Judging from how he collapsed after fusing five bloodlines, it doesn't seem to have any use at all."
Uchiha Hikari curiously asked Shiromo.
If the Chimera Technique only fused bloodlines without guaranteeing success or preventing backlash, then what was the point?
Wouldn't Orochimaru just injecting things with a syringe achieve the same result?
"Actually, besides bloodline limits, it can also fuse with summoned beasts. Those three subordinates of his are examples."
Shiromo gestured toward the three bound figures, two men and one woman.
Clearly, the earlier evaluation had been accurate.
After decades, Hiruko had gathered only four bloodline limits and three subordinates.
If he had just one more bloodline, even if he did not use it himself, he could have given it to a subordinate.
Then they would not have had to fuse pitifully with summoned beasts.
And what did fusing with summoned beasts accomplish?
The one fused with a snake could release multiple serpents from his arms to attack.
The one fused with a lion could breathe fire.
The one fused with an eagle could launch feathers as projectiles.
Seriously.
Why not just learn Hidden Shadow Snake Hands, Great Fireball Technique, or Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique?
Risking bodily erosion and collapse to fuse with a summoned beast just for that?
And wasn't "fusing with a summoned beast" essentially similar to the relationship between a tailed beast and its jinchūriki?
That was Shiromo's meaning.
But when Uchiha Hikari heard "fuse with a summoned beast," her mind instantly jumped to the perversions from the Limited Tsukuyomi world.
Her expression stiffened.
Her hand clenched in midair, and a Susanoo blade materialized in her grip.
(End of this chapter)