After Sailing with the Pirate King, I Returned to Konoha - 230

Chapter 230: The Boss Enters Phase Two, and Zetsu Gets Caught Watching

Boom!

When chakra reaches a certain threshold, it becomes destructive even without being shaped into jutsu.

That was Hiruko now.

Under his control, the Chimera opened its jaws and fired a mouth cannon. The condensed chakra shot like a laser straight at Jiraiya.

Unfortunately for him, he wasn't the only one who could fire from the mouth.

Killer Bee, Rōshi, and Yugito entered half-tailed-beast forms almost simultaneously.

In such a short time, Rōshi and Yugito could only use their native elemental attacks, but Killer Bee was different.

Among the three, he was the one truly in sync with his tailed beast. He wielded Gyūki’s power with ease.

Even in this state, he could still fire a mini Tailed Beast Bomb.

Smaller size, smaller energy, faster launch.

While Rōshi and Yugito’s attacks were still clashing with the beam, a mini Tailed Beast Bomb had already pierced through the chakra shot and slammed into the Chimera.

A terrifying explosion engulfed the Chimera’s entire upper body in an instant.

“MVP, that’s me—Killer Bee, ya see, ya fool!”

When the smoke cleared, most of the Chimera’s body had been completely obliterated. Viscous purple-black blood and torn organs splattered everywhere.

"That’s it?"

Rōshi clicked his tongue. This so-called Akatsuki member wasn’t that scary after all.

As expected, was Naruto Uzumaki exaggerating?

But the very next second, Hiruko proved a point.

You can mock Akatsuki’s raid coordination, but never underestimate their talent scouting.

"You dare—you dare—"

From the shattered mass, a battered Hiruko crawled out. The bandages on his face were gone, revealing saw-like jaws no longer human.

At that moment, Jiraiya finally saw enough of his face to recognize him.

"Hiruko!?"

"Jiraiya! You finally remember me?"

Hiruko’s face twisted into a crooked smile at the sound of Jiraiya’s shock.

"What happened to you?"

Jiraiya scratched his head, genuinely confused.

They had already learned the name of a new member from Konan, but the face and build were far off from memory. Jiraiya simply hadn’t recognized him at first sight.

Besides, intel changes. That Uchiha Madara might have recruited others after that.

With all these factors stacked up, Jiraiya had hesitated to call it.

"Arrogant, just like before. You ‘geniuses’ probably forgot me a long time ago!"

As he spoke, the nearby flesh pulsed. A tendril emerged, fetched the Hero Water gourd, and delivered it to his hand.

Hiruko yanked the stopper and downed it in one gulp.

"I was going to finish the ritual first, then come for you and Orochimaru."

A suffocating pressure burst from his body. His limbs and torso ballooned like overfilled bladders, swelling and receding.

"But now, you’ll do nicely as the sacrifice for my rebirth."

With a roar, a pillar of chakra erupted skyward, blinding everyone’s sight.

At first, Hiruko had been weak—his chakra reserves were below those of a typical jōnin.

But after using the Chimera Technique to loot countless ninja of their innate talents, his chakra had swollen to monstrous levels.

Not on par with a Jinchūriki, but far beyond ordinary jōnin.

He even had the confidence to declare war on the entire ninja world after completing his immortality ritual.

With the Hero Water’s amplification, his already colossal chakra doubled again.

A normal person’s one sip could increase the chakra nearly tenfold.

The effect diminishes as reserves grow—but Hiruko had chugged the whole thing.

His chakra swelled so wildly it exceeded the limits of his modified body.

His bloated frame looked ready to burst.

"This is bad—Karin, help me evacuate the villagers first!"

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes and made the right call instantly.

The problem wasn’t how many people Hiruko might kill.

Even if he stood still, the blast wave from his chakra alone could flatten the area.

"Sasuke, can you handle it here?"

Jiraiya glanced at Sasuke, who answered with action—reassuming his beast form.

Jiraiya summoned Fukasaku and Shima and began gathering natural energy while splashing ink into black cords, bundling villagers by the dozens onto Karin’s giant bird form.

Time was short. There was no way to carry them one by one.

Once everyone was secured, Jiraiya signaled Karin.

"Fly slow. They’re civilians."

"Got it."

The giant bird spun a gale into a shield in front of the villagers and beat its wings to rise.

"Don’t think of escaping!"

Hiruko, now bloated beyond any human shape, roared in broken phrases. The Chimera Technique stretched like his own limbs and lashed toward Karin.

But three Tailed Beast Bombs of different sizes hit first.

By now, Rōshi, Killer Bee, and Yugito had fully entered complete tailed beast transformation.

Boom!

Unlike the earlier rushed mini bombs, these were three full-power, unweakened Tailed Beast Bombs.

The blast winds nearly uprooted the forests around Takigakure. Half the village’s buildings collapsed in the aftershock.

Jiraiya had already summoned the Toad Sages to enter Sage Mode.

"No—he’s not dead!"

In Sage Mode, Jiraiya’s sensory range spiked. He immediately sensed lingering life within the slurry of flesh scattered everywhere.

Sure enough, as soon as he said it, the scattered chunks gathered back together within the Chimera Technique’s mucus.

A towering monster even larger than the previous Chimera reared up in the next instant.

Unlike the earlier beast that still resembled an animal, this one was pure chaos—wild and deformed.

Claws, scales, feathers, fangs, bone plates—features from countless creatures layered over the gargantuan form.

Hiruko seemed to have lost his mind.

In exchange, he had seized the power he’d coveted for years.

"This one’s useless now."

In the forest, Zetsu’s figure appeared atop a tree.

He didn’t need to get closer to see the eighty-meter-tall abomination.

Hiruko truly was more trouble than he was worth—but that was also thanks to those Jinchūriki who jumped in mid-mission.

But why were they all gathered here?

"Why, indeed."

A bad feeling settled in Black Zetsu’s heart—plans veering off-script.

"Yeah. Why?"

A voice spoke behind him without warning.

One he knew all too well.

The one whose arrival had thrown years of careful plotting into chaos.

Naruto Uzumaki!