Hiruko hesitated.
Orochimaru's offer was just another humiliating act of charity, trampling on his dignity.
But this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
This was his only chance to acquire the final two Bloodline Limits needed to complete his collection of five.
Once he obtained that last Bloodline Limit, he would achieve true immortality and invincible power.
Even if Orochimaru had the previous Hokages at his disposal as bodyguards, Hiruko would fear nothing.
'Orochimaru, you're playing with fire and you'll get burned!'
Hiruko convinced himself to swallow his pride and accept the condescending offer.
"Orochimaru, you said it yourself. Now I'll prove it to you!"
Hiruko picked up the jar containing the Sharingan from the dirt and clutched it to his chest.
"Proceed at your convenience," Orochimaru said, gesturing for the Hokages to make way and give Hiruko space.
"But I advise you to hurry."
'Damn you, Orochimaru! How dare you look down on me! Once I've merged the five Bloodline Limits, I'll make you suffer!'
Hiruko activated the Chimera Technique. A deep blue fluid surged from his body, enveloping the Sharingan within the glass jar.
The Bloodline Limit fusion had begun!
Hiruko's body began convulsing, as if a savage force raged within him.
This power was so "terrifying" that Hashirama Senju almost failed to sense it entirely!
"AAAAHHHHHH!"
Hiruko tore free from the bandages on his face—and the duct tape Makoto had applied—with a furious roar.
You might think this was Hiruko's ultimate power erupting, hence the dramatic roar, but in reality...
Bang!
Hiruko's body burst with a sad pop, collapsing like a deflated balloon!
Orochimaru, ever attentive, stepped forward and caught the falling Hiruko in his arms.
Free of his bandaged mask, Hiruko looked aged and wretched, his eyes filled with sheer confusion.
'Why?'
'This wasn't supposed to happen!'
Wasn't he supposed to become an immortal god, slaughtering all before him and become the center of everyone's awe and attention?
"Hiruko, attempting a volatile biological fusion on yourself without proper clinical experimentation is what we call 'gambling,'" Orochimaru hissed. "And what made you think that absorbing five random Bloodline Limits would make you invincible?"
Hiruko's eyes widened. "How do you know my plan?"
He didn't expect Orochimaru to read his thoughts so easily.
As for the latter question...
"The Chimera Technique scroll says exactly that..." Hiruko choked out.
"Just because it's written down doesn't make it true," Orochimaru replied, shaking his head.
"Makoto once said, 'Book knowledge is shallow, true understanding comes from practice.' Scientific conclusions drawn without practical experience are merely castles in the air."
A simple example:
The Eight Inner Gates are described in texts as granting power surpassing the Hokage upon activation.
Before Makoto shared his spoilers of the future, even Kakashi, Might Guy's closest friend, never considered the Eight Inner Gates to be a world-ending threat.
Everyone subconsciously assumed opening all the gates just granted a temporary power boost exceeding the Third Hokage's level.
Moreover, since Might Guy only knew Taijutsu and lacked Ninjutsu, they reduced its perceived effectiveness.
Most importantly, opening all eight gates led to guaranteed death—a terrible life-or-death gamble.
While Sarutobi Hiruzen was a strong Hokage, he hadn't surpassed the limits of an ordinary mortal ninja.
Judging the Eight Inner Gates based on this baseline data, it wouldn't even qualify as a strategic weapon.
But according to Makoto's account of the future, the Eight Inner Gates "granting power surpassing the Hokage" didn't just mean surpassing the Third Hokage.
It meant surpassing the god-tier First Hokage himself and bend the fabric of space!
This defied all common sense.
Therefore, one should never blindly trust hype descriptions on paper alone.
"Y-you knew all along, didn't you?" Hiruko closed his eyes.
"Indeed. For the fusion of Bloodline Limits, I had a prime experimental subject named Shin. He possessed a natural, genetic aptitude for adaptation to foreign transplants. I grafted First Hokage cells and a vast number of Sharingan into his flesh. The biological intensity of that fusion far exceeded the difficulty of merging your crude five Bloodline Limits."
Orochimaru sneered. "Yet you, lacking Shin's innate constitution, attempted to fuse genetic material using the flawed Chimera Technique. This outcome was guaranteed."
"Even before you tried to merge your fifth Bloodline Limit today, I sensed your cellular structure was on the verge of total collapse. I believe you yourself were aware of this grim reality. You were merely deluding yourself, fantasizing that forcing a fifth Bloodline Limit into the mix would magically restore your shattered body and make you a god."
"Yet, after decades of hiding, you still haven't grasped the fundamental flaws of your own Chimera Technique. You never truly understood the science—this is illogical."
Each of Orochimaru's cold words struck Hiruko's fragile ego like sparks from a heavy hammer.
Orochimaru was right.
Hiruko's body had been dying for years.
In the original timeline, Naruto's Rasenshuriken merely accelerated the cellular collapse of Hiruko's unstable, four-Bloodline-Limit body.
Now, a Rasenshuriken attack wasn't even necessary.
Orochimaru simply handed Hiruko a fifth Bloodline Limit on a silver platter, forcing his greedy nature to merge it.
As expected.
The notion that merging a fifth limit could elevate one's existence proved false and Hiruko's body disintegrated from the inside out.
Such additive biological ascension isn't unheard of.
Combining Asura Chakra with Indra Chakra can unlock the Sage of the Six Paths' power, manifesting the Rinnegan.
The Hyuga Clan's Byakugan, when combined with pure Ōtsutsuki Chakra, can awaken the Tenseigan.
But these transformations follow strict, logical genetic principles, each with a clear direction and purpose.
"Have you ever considered what the Chimera Technique truly is?" Senju Tobirama stepped forward, voicing his skepticism.
"Collect five Bloodline Limits and become invincible? Such vague, arbitrary claims! Any rational scientist would question them. What is the underlying principle? What biological connection do these five specific Bloodline Limits have to invincibility? And what tier of invincibility are we even talking about?"
Tobirama didn't harbor any particular hatred for Hiruko, he simply saw the man as a dumbass.
The desire to defy fate was admirable, and the pursuit of power wasn't a crime.
The problem lay in Hiruko's total lack of the intellect and scientific means to match his grand ambition.
"If you lack raw strength, you can compensate with intellect," Tobirama lectured. "But if you lack even intellect, then there is no hope for you."
"This is one of the main reasons I didn't bother sending ANBU to hunt him down back then," Hiruzen chimed in.
"The Chimera Technique was destined for failure and death, so there was no need to waste village resources pursuing a dead man walking. And besides... hmm."
Hiruzen paused, recalling his past thoughts.
As for what "besides..." implied?
Naturally, it meant turning a blind eye and releasing Hiruko to prey on Bloodline Limit users in rival Ninja Villages to weaken their military strength!
"I... I see only darkness before me..."
Hiruko seemed to have died of sheer rage and humiliation, his last breath ceasing in Orochimaru's arms.
Seeing Hiruko pass away, Orochimaru calmly tossed the corpse onto the dirt, summoned a White Zetsu from a scroll, and began weaving hand seals.
"Edo Tensei."
Rip!
Hiruko was pulled right back into the Impure World and was forced to face his bullies once again!
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