181. Even Without Talent, I Can Still Succeed

"Just moment Hiruko killed the ninjas from the Root and the Barrier Team and defected from the village!"

Danzo's face twisted in rage as his furious voice echoed through the Hokage's office in front of a crowd of ninjas.

His words were like a sudden clap of thunder, shocking everyone present, including the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Hiruko has defected?" Hiruzen said in disbelief.

Seeing this, Danzo slammed the evidence collected by the Root in recent days onto the Third Hokage's desk.

He then coldly stated, "If you don't believe it, have the ANBU take a look. He should still be on his way out of the village."

Hearing this, Hiruzen's face turned ashen.

Although Hiruko was not his official disciple, he had personally trained him.

Hiruko had been teammates with Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru, making him almost like a half-disciple to Hiruzen.

It was impossible to say there was no emotional attachment. Seeing him do something like this now was truly heartbreaking.

Looking at the group of jonin and his three old friends, Hiruzen's expression darkened.

He wondered whether Danzo had chosen this moment out of urgency, disregarding everything else, or if it was a deliberate move to embarrass him.

Hiruzen didn't know, and there was no time to ponder. He had to make a clear statement in front of everyone.

"I understand. I will have the ANBU pursue Hiruko, investigate the facts, and give the village an explanation!" Unfortunately, this statement was not enough to satisfy Danzo.

"Hiruzen, you're too soft!" Danzo said, his eyes filled with cold killing intent. "This is no way to deal with a traitor. Someone who kills their fellow villagers must be executed without mercy!"

"Danzo, you're too extreme!" Hiruzen narrowed his eyes and retorted. "We must not wrong any innocent person before the truth is fully investigated!"

Danzo looked at his old friend, his eyes flashing with disappointment.

With the evidence so clear, the best course of action for Hiruzen would have been to firmly sever ties with Hiruko.

Instead, he hesitated, trying to save Hiruko's life. If Hiruko died directly, people would say Hiruzen had acted righteously.

But if he lived and said something he shouldn't, the one who would suffer the most would be Hiruzen himself.

Therefore, no matter the outcome, Hiruzen should have chosen the first option.

As for Danzo framing Hiruko? It was possible, but unlikely. Hiruzen knew Danzo's character.

Without absolute certainty, Danzo would never have brought this matter to light.

"Monkey, you're as soft as ever," Danzo said, his voice slightly softer, tinged with disappointment.

"I have already dispatched the Root to capture Hiruko. I will give him a chance to explain."

He clasped his hands behind his back and looked out the window.

"By my estimate, it should be about time."

A kilometer away, the battlefield where Hiruko was fighting was already in ruins from the aftermath of the battle.

In a deep crater, Hiruko lay covered in wounds, blood pooling around him. Facing the combined assault of the three members of the Earth Branch squad, Hiruko hadn't lasted long.

"I never expected Danzo to have secretly gathered so many powerful individuals," Hiruko muttered, crouching on the ground, gasping for breath as he looked at the three before him, his emotions complex.

Although his Chimera Technique wasn't yet fully mastered, having successfully absorbed the Dark Release and fused with various animals and summoning creatures, his strength should have been at least at the level of an elite jonin. But in the face of these three, he was utterly outmatched.

One possessed the Sharingan. Another had parasitic insects capable of releasing Boil Release.

The third wielded Scorch Release, a power never before seen in Konoha.

What kind of situation was this? Did every member of the Root have a Kekkei Genkai?

Hiruko was filled with frustration. Was his meticulously researched Chimera Technique going to be destroyed before it could even show its potential?

"Since I've lost, do whatever you want with me," Hiruko said, lying on the ground as if resigned to his fate.

Soon, the battle was discovered by patrolling ANBU ninjas.

By the time they arrived, the Earth Branch squad had already concluded the fight.

Under the shocked gazes of the onlookers, they escorted the monstrous looking Hiruko all the way to the Hokage building.

Without a doubt, the villagers lining the streets began to gossip as soon as they saw this creature.

It wouldn't be long before news of Hiruko, a former subordinate of the Hokage, conducting forbidden experiments, killing comrades, and attempting to defect, spread through every corner of Konoha.

Seeing this, Hiruzen's face turned grim with anger.

He now understood the true meaning behind Danzo's earlier accusation of his "softness."

Although it wasn't the Hokage himself who had made the mistake, once this matter was placed under the spotlight, public opinion would be beyond his control.

Thinking this, he couldn't help but glance at Danzo, who sat quietly in the corner, and thought to himself: Is this your counterattack against me, Danzo?

Hiruzen felt deeply troubled, but in front of everyone, he had to suppress his urge to smoke.

At this moment, the Sannin—Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade—arrived together.

They had clearly already learned of the situation through their own channels. Seeing the fully transformed Hiruko before them, the three had mixed reactions.

Orochimaru appeared the most indifferent, as if he had long anticipated this outcome.

In truth, he wasn't entirely unaware of Hiruko's research. The reason he hadn't collaborated with him was simply because Orochimaru looked down on Hiruko's techniques.

Of course, it was undeniable that Orochimaru understood and even empathized with Hiruko's ambitions.

Tsunade, on the other hand, looked at the twisted creature before her with disbelief, as if she couldn't believe that her former teammate had turned into this.

The most emotional was Jiraiya. The man known as the "Gallant" rushed up to Hiruko and grabbed him by the collar. "Why did you do something like this?"

For Jiraiya, it was incomprehensible and unacceptable that his comrade would do such a thing, which was why he was so agitated.

In response, Hiruko let out a cold laugh.

"Why?" He sneered, his gaze sweeping over Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru.

Then, with a vicious grin, he said, "Because I didn't want to remain mediocre anymore!"

"Why is it that you were born with such powerful talents? Why is it that you could easily form contracts with the three great sage regions, while I had nothing? Why is it that you get to live gloriously under the spotlight, while I have to crawl like a rat in the sewers? It's all because of talent!"

Hiruko struggled free from Jiraiya's grip and continued, "It's all because of this damned talent. That's why I decided to defy fate! I developed the Chimera Technique to prove to everyone that even without talent, I can become strong! But you wouldn't understand... You so-called geniuses could never truly empathize!"

Hiruko's outburst left Jiraiya silent.

He couldn't deny that Hiruko was right—he couldn't truly understand.

Even now, Jiraiya couldn't comprehend why Hiruko would go to such lengths over this.

Even without talent, couldn't one still live a good life?

Tsunade, being more sensitive, could somewhat understand, but true empathy was still too much to ask for.

Among the Sannin, only Orochimaru might have felt a slight resonance.

Seeing his former subordinate in this state, Hiruzen felt deeply pained.

He sighed heavily and said, "No matter what, you shouldn't have used such methods to increase your strength, Hiruko."

Hearing this, Hiruko grew even angrier. "Stop pretending to care, Lord Hokage!"

He pointed at Jiraiya and the others and shouted, "We were all part of the same team, so why did they get to become your disciples, the 'Sannin,' while I didn't? Isn't it because I lacked talent?"

Hiruko's voice grew more agitated, his expression increasingly twisted. "So, I wanted to prove it to you! I wanted to show you that even without talent, I, Hiruko, can still become strong!"

With that, Hiruko gave Hiruzen no chance to respond. His monstrous body began to swell, and then it exploded!

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