Chapter 164 164: Hiruko Appears Among the Rogue Ninja

"Stop!"

Hyuga Arin had barely gone a few steps when he was stopped. In front of him stood a member of the Uchiha, dressed in a green flak jacket.

Arin looked at him expressionlessly. He was currently disguised as Illumi, so he needed to maintain the persona.

"May I ask what the matter is, Uchiha-sama?"

The Uchiha ninja was just as expressionless as he extended a hand.

"Routine inspection. Please present your Konoha residency permit, temporary stay permit, business permit, and all other relevant documents."

…Were the Uchiha really this dedicated to their jobs?

Arin was full of doubt and pointed at himself.

"Why are you checking me?"

He had just come out of a restaurant and looked like an ordinary civilian who'd gone in to eat. There were so many people around, yet this guy chose to check him specifically. Was this some kind of personal vendetta?

"Because you look like a ninja." The Uchiha ninja scrutinized him carefully, his face utterly devoid of emotion, like someone who had undergone training to erase personal feelings.

That kind of person was easy to recognize—their expressions looked pasted on, like tools rather than faces.

Hearing that, Arin immediately understood.

Shouldn't have used Illumi.

Coming from a family of assassins, Illumi's facial expressions really did resemble those of Root members.

But if he'd used Hisoka instead… that probably would've caused even more trouble.

"I see. Then you must be mistaken, ninja-sama." Arin slipped a hand into his pocket, pretending to rummage around.

"How could I possibly be—"

He raised a finger and tapped it lightly against the man's neck, severing the flow of chakra and blood in an instant.

The Uchiha's eyes rolled back as his body collapsed forward.

[Experience +1234]

Arin swiftly caught him, supporting the Uchiha's body.

"Long time no see," he said warmly.

His eyes swept the surroundings. In the distance, part of the Uchiha Police Force was still patrolling.

"Yeah, what have you been up to lately?"

Two different voices came from Arin's body, as if two people were speaking at once.

It was an E-rank technique—Ventriloquism. By manipulating chakra in the throat, one could change their voice. It was taught at the Ninja Academy, but rarely used in real combat. When ninja met ninja, they usually just fought—there was little point in deception.

For assassination missions, however, it was extremely useful.

The two of them looked like old acquaintances chatting with arms over each other's shoulders as they walked into a nearby alley.

A few Uchiha police noticed something off and started heading their way, but Arin used a corner to block all lines of sight.

With a Substitution Technique, he vanished. The Uchiha ninja collapsed onto the ground.

By the time the patrol arrived, Arin was already gone.

"Good thing this is close to home," Arin sighed helplessly.

The assassination target wasn't far from his house—it was the small restaurant he often visited.

Normally, a mission like this wouldn't have caused any trouble. Who would've thought the Uchiha were actually this diligent, questioning anyone suspicious?

He'd nearly been exposed. Thankfully, he acted quickly and knocked the man out—otherwise, things would've gotten much more complicated.

Although the Uchiha tended to wear sour expressions, enforced the law strictly, and even used violence, no one could accuse them of corruption or favoritism.

The Police Force had significant authority, but it was also a position that easily earned resentment.

And the Uchiha stubbornly monopolized that department, completely shutting everyone else out.

He really couldn't understand what they were thinking.

"Looks like Illumi isn't ideal after all." Arin thought for a moment. Hisoka's face popped into his mind—no, that would attract way too much attention.

"Better go with Mu Yu."

A completely average face, nothing remarkable.

With another Transformation Technique—

Mu Yu returned to the stage.

Arin crouched on a tree branch, his gaze fixed on a secluded house in the distance.

Activating his Byakugan, he clearly saw how many people were inside.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight."

He counted carefully. Everyone was there—and there was one extra.

All of them had gathered, and there was even an additional person.

And that person—

"So, Teacher Hiruko, how did you end up mixed in with these people?" Arin stroked his chin, staring at the figures inside.

By all logic, Hiruko shouldn't have defected until sometime between the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars.

Suddenly, Arin felt more confident about becoming a jōnin.

Who said Konoha jōnin never defected? Hiruko was a perfect counterexample.

Still, it seemed that anyone above jōnin who defected from Konoha ended up being extremely dangerous.

Take Naruto's era, for example—Hiruko, Orochimaru, Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Obito.

And then there was the strongest rogue ninja in Konoha's history—Uchiha Madara.

Why were there so many Uchiha?

"Teacher Hiruko, how could I bear to kill you?" Arin grinned painfully, teeth fully bared.

He extended his hand, a blue sphere of light forming in his palm.

This area was fairly remote, right next to the Konoha forest, with few residential buildings nearby.

Awakening Skill.

Game Instance.

A layer of blue light rapidly expanded outward from Arin, enveloping the area.

Inside the house, Hiruko's pupils shrank.

His figure vanished instantly. As a jōnin, Hiruko was fast enough to react—but the others weren't.

Seven people were swallowed into the Game Instance.

"That speed… not Body Flicker. Reverse Summoning?" someone muttered.

The scenery shifted into a vast grassland. Aside from knee-high grass, there was nothing special about the place.

"A grassland, huh." Arin was a little disappointed. Awakening skills gained different bonuses depending on the environment.

Looking at the panicked group, Arin only regretted Hiruko's escape.

Still, letting him go wasn't a big deal—he wasn't at his peak yet.

Hiruko's true peak came during Naruto's era, and by then, whatever he dropped probably wouldn't be useful to Arin anyway.

At this point in time, he wouldn't drop anything good either.

All things considered—

Teacher Hiruko was really a chicken rib: tasteless to eat, yet a pity to throw away.

"Hey! Where is this place? Who are you?" someone shouted.

Everyone turned to look at Arin, who stood farthest away from them.

After all, he was the only unfamiliar face.

Arin snapped back to attention.

"If it's just you lot, there's no need to announce any rules."

If the rules weren't declared, the Awakening Skill would only grant him minor environmental buffs and prevent others from leaving. None of its other effects would activate.

In other words, Arin could effectively cancel it at will.

"Fire Release: Nine-Headed Dragon Technique!"

He spat out a massive fireball that transformed midair into a nine-headed dragon, surging forward and engulfing everyone.

Some tried to escape using Substitution Techniques—

But these dragons were alive!!!

…

[Experience: 6213]

[Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere]

[Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death]

Only these two were even somewhat useful. The rest of the drops were either redundant or completely unusable.

He stored the two skills away, along with plenty of items that could be converted into essence.

Another solid haul for purification.

"Now then, Teacher Hiruko."

Arin's Byakugan shifted toward another part of the forest.

Hiruko stood atop a tree, expressionless.

"You came down from the Mist battlefield—what happened?"

"Why did you decide to become a rogue ninja?"

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