While the fight between squads of two different forces was going on in the hallway of the base, Kakuzu himself was walking through the room that encompassed a large laboratory. The space was filled with numerous equipment and samples that created the perfect image of a stereotypical mad scientist. Human-sized tubes storing different test subjects and organs was not something that could affect Kakuzu, but the grotesque creature that was a writhing and wriggling mass of flesh beneath the platform, was enough to warrant caution.
Kakuzu observed the creature. It was clear that it was trying to take some sort of shape. The flesh tried to reach some sort of stability, but every attempt resulted in a failure. This was Kakuzu’s second concern. The creature was too unstable. It wasn’t that much different when the spirits were injected with the prototype berserker potion and were able to momentarily surpass their limits at the cost of continuous deterioration of their bodily function until they succumbed to undeath. Kakuzu could infer from the chakra fluctuations that the thing was in a similar state. The concept was similar to the Eight Gates technique in idea; burning the life-force to achieve greater strength, though since his spirits lacked skill for the complex chakra manipulation, couldn’t learn nor utilize the technique and were instead depended on the unrefined potion, comparison between the two stopped at that. Neither could the abomination compare with Might Guy’s Eight Gates, but the existence of such a chimera didn't sit well with Kakuzu. Even more reason to make sure he dealt with Hiruko. The potential of such a technique presented a threat, and at the hand of the enemy it could become a never-ending nightmare. Especially since the abomination had vast chakra volume that was incomparable to what his regular spirits could currently achieve.
That was Kakuzu’s main concern. If this thing exploded, with the amount of chakra it had, it would level the surrounding area, killing his subordinates without giving them a chance to escape.
Suddenly, there was a sound of footsteps coming from the opposite side of the platform.
“Had the bounty on my head increased that much? What brings the infamous missing-nin in the middle of such a shabby place?”
The figure stopped and gazed at kakuzu with a calculative gaze.
“What is this thing?” Kakuzu ignored the man’s antics and asked as he pointed at the area below.
“Does it matter? Why would I even tell you?”
“I was going to bring your head and be done with. But you might be useful. Join us and I will rethink my objective.”
Kakuzu obviously had no plans of making him part of Akatsuki. But he hoped to get some idea of what he was dealing with. And considering how talkative Hiruko seemed, it was at least worth a shot.
Hiruko in return furrowed his brows at the unexpected response, followed by a sudden laughter that could only come from a lunatic’s mouth.
“It was something I created on the spur of the moment. You’re impressed with just this?”
Self-satisfaction was evident in Hiruko’s tone despite his nonchalant words, giving Kakuzu something that he could exploit.
“Is that so? Then you must have a quite number of chimeras stronger than this one. Are you hiding them somewhere? I’ll advise you against such arrogance against me. I have no plans to wait much longer. Decide.”
“Decide what?” Irritation was clear in Hiruko’s eyes as he responded with a raised voice. “To become a member of an organization fated to fall? I don’t plan to bet on loosing odds.”
Probably no chimeras that were stronger... He doubted that a person that seemed to possess such an inflated ego would let that remark slide.
Suddenly, Hiruko jumped off from the platform. The next moment the ground he was standing on exploded, caused by the small spirit that had crawled beneath the platform. Kakuzu clicked his tongue, though he expected that such a simple trick wouldn't be enough. He channeled chakra as the two masks extended from his back, the right one possessing a wind affinity, the left one – fire. A firestorm spewed forth, engulfing the area beneath the platform. Hiruku had stepped behind the creature, observing him without yet taking direct action.
The wall of flesh rose as it blocked the jutsu. A disguising stench of a burned flesh rose in the air and the chakra radiated by the abomination become even more unstable. A sizeable portion of its whole mass became a chunk of useless ash, and screams rose from the numerous mouths of different creatures that it consisted of.
Despite the pain the creature must have felt, it was a puppet that obeyed Hiruko’s every order. Maybe if it had some sort of ego, it could muster a smidgen of defiance against its master, but with the state it was in, that was impossible. It lunged at Kakuzu, but the attempts only resulted in destruction of the laboratory. Hiruko didn’t care. The enemy was stronger than he predicted and he needed to probe as much as he could before directly engaging in the death-match.
Meanwhile, Kakuzu kept a close attention on Hiruko, who used the chimera as a shield, as he channeled the flame release and turned more of the abomination into ash. Although the creature held a huge chakra volume, it handled it crudely. As of now, Kakuzu was quite certain that it could not self-destruct, or at least Hiruko had no means to do so. Hiruko’s Chimera Technique didn’t create the same pathways that formed connection between him and the chimera like it worked for Kakuzu. The way he commanded it to move seemed too crude for that. But Hiruko had an option to escape. And if Hiruko already possessed the Swift Release kekkei genkai, Kakuzu would have trouble with chasing him down.
Less than a third of the chimera was left still unburnt, when Hiruko suddenly accelerated and appeared at his side.
Kakuzu raised his hand and activated the Diamond Morph to block the incoming punch. The sound of two hard objects colliding with each other was heard and Kakuzu could see the metallic luster coming from Hiruko’s arm. The Steel Release. It would be a troublesome ability to deal with.
Kakuzu held onto the arm that tried to strike him and sent a punch at the opponent's gut. Hiruko failed to react in time and released an audible gasp from the impact. The Swift Release made him incredibly fast, but it didn’t have a constant effect. His normal agility was not enough to block the next attack as well. Blood flew from his lips as the next punch connected to his jaw. The disorientation almost cost him his life, but he was fast enough to fully activate his kekkei genkai. Another punch connected, but this time a thud was heard. A metallic coating covered Hiruko’s whole body.
The next moment, the bandages that were wrapped around Hiruko’s body extended and tried to slice at Kakuzu, forcing him to jump back.
Tentacles of intervened thread extended from Kakuzu’s back pointing at Hiruko.
“Two can play that game, you know?” He taunted Hiruko.
Hiruko coughed blood as he kept breathing heavily. He glared at the opponent in front of him. Maybe it was time to do a tactical retreat.
