Looking toward the voice, the one mocking Hidan had long white hair, his face wrapped in bandages with only his eyes exposed—it was none other than Hiruko.
Because the Akatsuki had been causing trouble all over the ninja world recently, the overall tension in the world had skyrocketed, and the major ninja villages had raised their alertness. Hiruko could no longer find an opportunity to take Kakashi's Sharingan, the one he had been obsessing over as an important figure in Konoha.
That wasn't a big deal, but from the occasional hints Nagato let slip, most of the Akatsuki had realized that it wouldn't be long before the organization made a major move.
And what could count as a "major move" for an organization like the Akatsuki? Naturally, it was the plan they had been preparing for all along: capturing all the tailed beasts, in order to achieve world peace (conquer the world).
Whether it was capturing the tailed beasts or dealing with the consequences that would follow, they needed sufficient strength to handle it. If their strength wasn't enough, either the tailed beast capture steps would be difficult to carry out, or they wouldn't be able to withstand the retaliation from the five great ninja villages afterward.
After all, the tailed beasts were basically the heart and soul of the major ninja villages. If they really went after the tailed beasts, it wouldn't be the small skirmishes like now—it would be real war.
Hiruko, who had developed Kimera no Jutsu, was naturally no fool. After realizing he probably wouldn't get the chance to obtain the Sharingan, he decisively changed targets and sought other kekkei genkai.
The Sharingan was good, but he couldn't hang himself on one tree. Other kekkei genkai might be slightly inferior to the Sharingan, but not by much. At this point, he could only make do.
After all, he had considered the Sharingan of other members in the organization. The first time he met Uchiha Itachi, Hiruko had already thought of taking the other's Sharingan for himself.
But the idea had just arisen and he hadn't yet acted on it when Uchiha Itachi, as if sensing his thoughts, looked toward him.
Those eyes were bewitching and beautiful, but the idea that had just emerged in Hiruko quietly vanished. There was no emotion on the other's face, yet Hiruko had the feeling of being completely seen through.
It was a different extreme from Pain's overwhelming crushing force. He could sense that the other didn't have Pain's strength that made one feel utterly unable to resist, but deep down, he had a feeling.
If they really fought, the one who would lose would definitely be him.
Although Hiruko was extremely annoyed at himself for having such a feeling, in the end he still listened to his instincts and chose to give up. Because internal fighting was forbidden in the Akatsuki—if he made the first move, not only would he lose, but there was a high chance he would die.
Hiruko naturally valued his life. After thinking it through, he shifted his attention to other kekkei genkai.
After all, his strength wasn't enough against Uchiha Itachi, but dealing with more marginal kekkei genkai users from other ninja villages was still easy. Plus, with White Zetsu providing intelligence, capturing other kekkei genkai was no problem at all.
And there was one more thing: his Kimera no Jutsu required gathering five different kekkei genkai to be fully completed. The Sharingan wasn't important—what mattered was the sublimation achieved after gathering five and having them complement each other.
And reality didn't disappoint him. After completing the improved ritual and obtaining the fifth kekkei genkai, Lava Release, Kimera no Jutsu was elevated as Hiruko had anticipated.