Naruto: Forbidden Arts and an Immortal Agenda

A despairing scream echoed from the tightly sealed hall.

At the entrance, two sharp-faced twin guards stood by the door, their mouths curled in sinister grins.

Kento, an Anbu ninja, was drenched in cold sweat, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

Moments later, the massive doors creaked open, revealing a man in a beige robe stepping through. His entire figure was deathly pale; the only imperfection was bloodstains on his sleeves.

"Lord Shimon Hiruko!"

The sharp-faced twins immediately bowed respectfully.

Kento's eyes narrowed briefly before he quickly lowered his gaze.

Shimon Hiruko noticed Kento's unusual expression and commanded, "Raise your head!"

At those words, Kento's legs nearly gave out as he stammered, "Yes!"

Shimon Hiruko and the two others studied Kento carefully when he finally lifted his face, noticing the red glow in his eyes—a different kind of red than what burned in Shimon Hiruko's own gaze.

Instantly they realized they had fallen for a genjutsu technique. In an instant, the illusionary technique automatically dissolved.

Of course, they hadn't had time to form hand seals to counter the illusion, but the shock of physical pain from Aozora's attack accidentally snapped them out of the illusion.

Clutching their chests, the trio's minds went blank. What just happened?

"They're still alive after that?"

This was Aozora's first time seeing someone survive a heart puncture, and now he saw three survivors.

Though astonished, Aozora didn't freeze, instantly flying backward while releasing another full-power [Dragon Fire Technique].

He originally wanted to infiltrate using "Jia Xing" to capture Tanaka Shoko alive and discover who Sogami Daisora referred to as "that person."

Therefore, rather than subduing Tanaka Shoko upon first sight, he let Tanaka Shoko go notify the hidden mastermind behind Dahe City.

However, he hadn't expected Tanaka Shoko to die immediately after entering, nor had he anticipated seeing Shimon Hiruko walk out instead.

Shimon Hiruko's image was too distinctive—the waist-length white hair and uniquely crimson eyes betrayed his identity clearly.

Unsure about Shimon Hiruko's current strength level—even before his defection, he had been a jonin renowned for mastering numerous secret and forbidden techniques.

Thus, Aozora had no intention whatsoever of holding back.

His past-life experience told him that facing such major bosses meant either fleeing or striking first without hesitation—leaving nothing behind but ash.

The fire dragon was frighteningly lifelike, complete with scales and claws, its internal fire-natured chakra flowing like surging blood, akin to rolling magma.

While generally appearing red-orange, the chakra coursing within had shifted to an orange-yellow hue.

This represented a transformation, signifying the increasing purity of Aozora's fire-natured chakra. After cultivating the [Lightning-Fire Golden Body], Aozora's body could now endure much purer fire chakra. He felt [Yakton] was within reach. And once mastering [Yakton], Aozora believed [Breath Fire] wouldn't be far away either.

Though lacking the fierce intimidation typical of such fiery creatures, this red-orange dragon appeared almost sacred, yet its power was even more formidable.

The searing flames instantly ignited surrounding houses, bricks melting rapidly under its intense heat.

Such proximity combined with such extreme temperatures should have guaranteed certain death.

In fact, being shot point-blank with kunai would already be lethal; ordinary people would have died long ago.

To be precise, the three figures standing before him weren't even human anymore. They had cultivated the Ghost Luo Ya Technique and had become monsters—devoid of the weaknesses inherent to ordinary humans.

Of course, monsters came in different levels. The pointy-faced twins were merely weak minions. Thus, they survived the first wave of kunai attacks but still couldn't escape being burned alive.

Shimon Hiruko, however, was clearly a major threat—a true demon who wouldn't die so easily.

With a single slap of his hand on the ground, Shimon Hiruko summoned a massive creature that appeared in an instant, blocking the attack aimed at him.

Before this summoned beast could reveal its terrifying form and strength, it was engulfed in scorching flames.

Its strange shriek barely sounded twice before the struggling, gigantic monster collapsed within the fire.

Within less than two seconds, a rich aroma wafted from the burning corpse, then the flesh melted away, leaving only a huge skeleton behind.

Instantly, dozens of drops of Gongde appeared on the Heavenly Book. Yet Aozora knew well that Shimon Hiruko wasn't dead yet.

He released the technique, but by then the entire courtyard was already engulfed in an inferno.

The flames shot into the sky, instantly alerting both Shimon Hiruko's men inside the courtyard and Shuichi's team outside.

Three figures leapt to stand behind Aozora, warily guarding both flanks.

Seeing the blazing firestorm before him, Genya exclaimed in surprise, "Captain, is this what you meant by wanting a small-scale operation?"

Aozora replied, "No choice. We've run into a big problem!"

Glancing at the surrounding ninja, Genya smirked, "What kind of trouble are we talking about?"

Unlike Genya, Kagenbi and Shuichi remained tense, carefully watching their surroundings.

Aozora said, "Not these guys—it's something much bigger!"

As he spoke, Aozora kept his eyes fixed on the flaming sea created by [Great Fire Dragon Jutsu].

The flames consumed everything on the surface, but eventually met resistance from the earth itself.

Boom! Boom!

A violent tremor shook the ground beneath Aozora and the others—as if an earthquake had struck.

Quickly jumping backward, the four barely escaped as, the next moment, a gigantic creature erupted from underground.

This monster was unlike anything seen before—an enormous serpent-like body with two heads and a pair of massive bird wings.

Riding atop the beast was a mummy-like figure: Shimon Hiruko himself. His emaciated frame was completely wrapped in special bandages.

His once-long white hair was almost entirely burnt off, leaving behind only a short, curly mop of scorched yellow strands. His left chest was soaked in blood, and half his body had merged into the monster's back.

"Shimon Hiruko!" Kagenbi and his companions gasped, their voices filled with shock and fear.

Though recently a missing-nin, Shimon Hiruko's reputation had spread widely throughout Konoha.

Legend claimed that Shimon Hiruko had escaped Konoha after battling the Legendary Sannin alone!

Those were the Legendary Sannin—powerful enough that even the proud Uchiha clan had to acknowledge their strength.

Yet, Shimon Hiruko had managed to escape their combined assault. His power could only be imagined.

Their expressions turned serious, and Aozora braced himself for a bitter battle.

The monster beat its wings—no chakra fluctuations at all—but the wind around them began howling fiercely.

Shimon Hiruko stared down at Aozora. "Since when have the Uchiha resorted to underhanded sneak attacks?"

Aozora chuckled. "Shimon Hiruko, have you been a runaway too long? Have you forgotten the basics of being a ninja?"

Shimon Hiruko snorted coldly, then asked, "Who are you?"

"Hmph, you actually drew blood."

Aozora declared, "You'd better remember this name—Uchiha Cart!"

"Uchiha Cart?"

Shimon Hiruko repeated it once. It sounded odd, but he nonetheless committed it to memory.

Then his eyes narrowed as he said, "Face your end!"

The monster flapped its wings powerfully, unleashing a storm of feather-arrows.

Aozora and the others quickly retreated. Genya knelt on one knee and rapidly formed hand seals. A massive stone wall erupted from the ground, shielding them from the incoming feathers.

KABOOM! KABOOM! KABOOM! —

When the feathers struck the stone wall, they detonated in an instant. Each blast matched the power of an Explosive Tag and rapidly shattered the wall.

Luckily, Aozora and the others had already jumped aside.

Aozora scanned the smoke and debris, but the beast had already vanished without a trace.

He immediately raised his head toward the sky—and froze instantly.

The monster was already hundreds of meters high, carrying Shimon Hiruko with it.

The serpentine figure and his rider slowly faded into the horizon, while Shimon Hiruko's voice echoed through the air.

"Uchiha Cart, for now, you may keep your head."

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