Chapter 119: Tsunade! Morkel! Wood Style! Secret Technique! Bloodline Limit!

Morkel frowned. "The Land of Wind is an ally of the Fire Nation. Is it really appropriate for you to betray your friend like this?"

Tsunade crossed her arms and retorted, "What? I heard that during the Third Ninja World War, the range of 'Angry Sky' reached hundreds of kilometers. That's terrifying!"

"The Land of Wind is vast and sparsely populated. Yellow sand blows endlessly across the desert—it's the perfect place for experimentation."

Then she changed the subject. "By the way, since you're back, there's something else I need to tell you."

Morkel nodded, pretending to listen attentively.

Tsunade continued, "Remember when I told you several ninjas with bloodline limits disappeared near the border of the Land of Earth?"

Morkel shrugged. "I remember. I don't plan to go anywhere near that kind of place anyway."

Tsunade shot him a glare. "I wasn't finished yet!"

"Fine, fine. Continue."

Morkel shut up and gave her the respect she was due.

Tsunade thought for a moment before continuing. "Another ninja with a bloodline limit has gone missing near Golden Wheel Mountain in the Land of Earth. This time, it was someone with Dark Style—an ability that can absorb another person's chakra."

She paused to let that sink in. "So far, one person has disappeared from each of the five major lands—Earth, Wind, Water, and Lightning. I'm afraid the Land of Fire might be next, so I've sent Anbu to investigate."

Morkel's interest was piqued. "Any leads? Did they find anything useful?"

Tsunade shook her head. "Yamato and the others didn't even get a glimpse of the leader. All we know is that the enemy uses a strange technique that combines human and animal traits—resulting in absurdly strong combat abilities."

She sighed. "This method is too bizarre. I'm worried you might be next. Since you have Wood Style, you're a prime target…"

"I understand."

Morkel nodded, reassuring her.

Just then, someone banged on the door.

Tch-tch-tch!

"Come in!" Tsunade snapped. "What's going on now?"

Shizune rushed in, breathless. "Lady Tsunade! Something's happened—look outside!"

Tsunade frowned and turned toward the large glass window behind her desk.

Morkel followed her gaze, and both stared at the sky above Konoha.

Hovering ominously was a massive humanoid figure in a white robe. His face was partially bandaged, but what showed appeared to be that of a boy—no older than twelve.

Tsunade's eyes widened. "No way… After all these years, he still looks like a child?!"

"Who is he?" Morkel asked, puzzled.

Tsunade's expression darkened. "Hiruko. He was once a Konoha ninja—Jiraiya and I were his classmates. But he secretly developed a forbidden technique. The Third Hokage hunted him down, and he fled. No one's seen him since…"

Just then, the phantom in the sky spoke.

"Greetings, shinobi of the Five Great Nations. I am Hiruko, formerly of Konoha."

"I have absorbed four bloodline limits using the Chimera Technique. Once I claim the fifth, I will surpass all and begin the Fourth Great Ninja War. I will take control of the world."

With that declaration, Hiruko's image vanished.

Tsunade clenched her fists. "This confirms it. He must be the one behind the disappearances."

Shizune frowned. "If he's trying to collect bloodline limits, why make a public announcement? Isn't that just painting a target on himself?"

Morkel scratched his chin. "He called himself a Konoha ninja right away. Maybe he wants to create mistrust between Konoha and the other nations. Make them suspicious of us."

Tsunade nodded grimly. "Exactly. Konoha poses the biggest threat to him. He wants to isolate us diplomatically."

Just then, a member of the Code Deciphering Department entered with a letter. "Hokage-sama, we've received urgent news from the Land of Lightning."

Tsunade opened the letter and read it. Her lips curled into a bitter smile. "As expected. The Land of Lightning is already questioning whether Konoha intends to break the peace treaty."

Moments later, masked Anbu operatives appeared in the room. One knelt and said, "Hokage-sama, the Lord of the Land of Fire requests your immediate presence."

Tsunade nodded. "Inform him I'll be there shortly."

She turned to Morkel. "You've seen how just a few words from Hiruko have made Konoha a target. We can't sit idly by."

Morkel nodded. "Golden Wheel Mountain in the Land of Earth, right? I'll head there now."

"Be careful," Tsunade warned. "Hiruko's been in hiding all these years. Who knows what kind of twisted powers he's developed?"

"I'll be cautious."

With that, Morkel vanished using the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Meanwhile, Tsunade departed to meet the daimyo. Soon after, Kakashi entered the Hokage's office.

"Where is Lady Tsunade?" he asked Shizune.

"She's with the daimyo," Shizune replied. "You can tell me, and I'll pass it along."

"I'd prefer to speak with her directly," Kakashi said before leaving.

As he walked through the village, Kakashi muttered, "Hiruko… You planned this long ago. When we met, you marked me with a curse… Your real goal was Obito's Sharingan."

"That means… I'm his next target."

Later that night…

Kakashi, fast asleep in his bed, suddenly bolted upright. His eyes glowed red, expression blank. Like a puppet, he stepped out of bed and left the village.

Despite the guards' resistance, Kakashi swiftly defeated them and disappeared into the night—heading northwest toward the Land of Rain.

Word of this incident quickly reached Tsunade.

"What?! Kakashi defected? That's impossible!"

Anbu knelt in front of her, hesitant. "I'm afraid it's true."

Tsunade massaged her temples in frustration. "Why now, of all times?"

Shizune added, "Kakashi came to the office this morning. He said it was urgent, but you'd just left…"

"Maybe this has something to do with that."

Tsunade turned to Anbu. "Have we captured him?"

"Team One has been dispatched. They should retrieve him shortly."

"Good. Once he's back, take him to Konoha Hospital. I need to see what's wrong."

At Mount Xumi, deep within a cave, Hiruko was meditating—controlling Kakashi remotely. Suddenly, his expression darkened.

"Damn those Anbu… They've captured him already!"

One of his underlings tried to comfort him. "Lord Hiruko, Konoha has plenty of ninjas with bloodline limits. You don't need to fixate on Kakashi."

Hiruko slapped the man hard. "Don't insult my intelligence! I marked Kakashi over ten years ago for this moment!"

"Do you know how hard it is to sneak into Konoha and grab another bloodline limit user?"

Another minion whispered, "What about the red-haired boy, Morkel?"

Hiruko's eyes widened in horror. "Do you have a death wish?!"

"Have you any idea how powerful he is?"

"Even if I absorb five bloodline limits… I still might not beat him!"

The lackey looked down but insisted, "Sir, Morkel has multiple bloodlines. If we could absorb his power, your strength would multiply."

"In this ninja world, information is power. We know Morkel's abilities—he knows nothing about ours."

"If we exploit this gap… maybe we can catch him off guard."

Hiruko considered this.

Yes, in terms of raw strength, he stood no chance.

But if he used deception, maybe—just maybe—he could succeed.

"Fine," he said. "Eagle, Inu—find out where Morkel is right now!"

At that very moment, another of Hiruko's men burst into the room. "My lord! A strange iron bird has entered the skies over Golden Wheel Mountain!"

"What did you say?"

"Iron bird—are you sure?!"

Hiruko's breath caught in his throat. He recognized the description.

"That must be Morkel's steel jet…"

The dog-masked ninja stepped forward. "Let Eagle and me teach that cocky redhead a lesson!"

Hiruko nodded. "Go."

In the skies above Mount Xumi…

Naruto lounged in the passenger seat, bored. "Morkel, are we there yet?"

Morkel glanced at the controls. "We should be close."

"Didn't you say you wanted to learn to fly this thing? Why am I still the one piloting?"

Naruto chuckled. "There are too many buttons! I'll leave it to the expert."

"By the way, I hope Sasuke's recovering okay. He won't go blind with those new eyes, right?"

Morkel smiled confidently. "I did the surgery myself. Don't worry—he could lose an arm or leg, but those eyes will be fine."

Meanwhile, in a secret underground base…

The masked man removed the bandages from Sasuke's eyes.

"They're ready," he said.

The truth he told Sasuke mirrored what Morkel had shared—but with one major difference: the masked man emphasized Konoha's cruelty and Itachi's suffering.

Sasuke opened his eyes—clear, sharp, and glowing.

"I heard you were involved in the Uchiha massacre," Sasuke said coldly.

The masked man nodded. "Itachi couldn't handle some targets. He needed help—mine."

Sasuke studied him. "If you're really Uchiha Madara, why attack your own clan?"

The man turned away, his eyes falling on a wall lined with Sharingan.

He said nothing.

"Then show me your Sharingan," Sasuke said. "I heard you killed your own brother for the Eternal Mangekyō."

The masked man lifted his mask, revealing his crimson eye.

Suddenly—

Fwoosh!

A black flame erupted from Sasuke's eye—Amaterasu!

The masked man screamed in pain as the flame engulfed him.

But then—whoosh!—a vortex of space-time opened, swallowing the flames.

Panting, the masked man muttered, "Itachi… You really didn't want me talking, huh?"

Sasuke blinked. "What was that?"

"Amaterasu," the masked man explained. "Itachi placed a booby trap in your eye. It activates automatically when you see my Sharingan."

He chuckled bitterly. "He was thinking of you until the very end…"

"So," he said. "What now, Sasuke?"

"Will you protect Konoha?"

"Or will you avenge Itachi… and destroy it?"

Back in the skies over the Land of Earth, Morkel and Naruto flew through thick, dark clouds.

Naruto pointed. "That mountain's creepy. If ghosts showed up, I wouldn't be surprised."

"Who knows?" Morkel joked.

Suddenly, an ear-piercing eagle cry echoed through the clouds.

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