The two guys, pretending to be girls, looked at each other, both had an awkward expression for a while, then both of them turned away without showing any unnatural trace.
Kuroto cursed, 'Tch, Orochimaru really is so courageous. Is he really not afraid to be seen through by Akatsuki? Or does he think that he won't die no matter what happens?'
Orochimaru smirked, 'Tsk-tsk, another Uchiha? If I can't take over Uchiha Shinichi's body, then this Uchiha Tsukihi is also not a bad option provided she is good enough.'
Both of them have momentary thoughts which were soon put away as their attention turned towards the center of the platform where Hiruko stood.
…
On a high cliff covered with some vegetation.
The masked-man sat on the edge of the cliff, with one of his legs hanging.
Zetsu stood on the side, "Most of them said that they don't care about Hiruko's ritual, but now that the ritual is taking place, all of them are present here, most of all I am Surprised that Uchiha Shinichi is also present here."
The masked man said, "If Hiruko's ritual really succeeds, it will probably change the pattern of the shinobi world, no one can remain indifferent, and completely ignore such a thing."
"Yes!" – Zetsu nodded, "Even the self-proclaimed God, Nagato is also here in person."
The masked man glanced in the distance, and said, "If not for the threat of Amatsukami, I would not have encouraged Nagato to support Hiruko's experiments."
Zetsu turned to look at the masked man and asked, "Are you worried that Hiruko might get out of hands?"
The masked man was silent for a while, then said, "If Hiruko truly manages to successfully absorb all the five Kekkei Genkai that he has selected, then no one would be able to predict how strong will he become."
Zetsu said, "With the presence of Nagato, we don't really need to worry, regardless of how strong Hiruko may become, in the end, he will remain a pawn."
The masked man did not reply but turned to look at the two Kunoichi, one standing next to Uchiha Shinichi and the other next to Shinno, and asked, "Have you checked the identities of those two?"
"The woman next to Uchiha Shinichi is named 'Uchiha Tsukihi.' According to Shinichi, she is his spy who has been lurking in Konohagakure. While the woman next to Shinno is called Oto Yumie, a newly recruited assistant under him, but I was unable to find out if their identities are truly what they claim."
"Uchiha Tsukihi…?" – With a frown, the masked man muttered with a thoughtful expression, "Was there someone with this name in the Uchiha clan?"
The masked man is different from Shinichi, at the time of his 'death' he was a chunin similar to Hyuga Kuroto, and his status in the Uchiha Clan was also very low, similar to Hyuga Kuroto, therefore, he was oblivious to many of the internal matters of the Uchiha Clan, so he can't really figure out who Uchiha Tsukihi was?
As such the masked man has some doubts about 'Uchiha Tsukihi.' He cannot, like Uchiha Shinichi, assert that there is no 'Uchiha Tsukihi' within the Uchiha Clan.
After all, it is very common for many clans to keep the existence of certain individuals a secret, keep them hidden in the dark since birth or early childhood, and train them secretly.
…
Back to the platform.
Hiruko showed a twisted expression on his face while looking at the sky, his expression was a mix of expectation, joy, madness, anxiety, nervousness, and so on.
At this time, the Sun hanging high in the sky was obscured by another celestial body, and the original bright and clear sky dimmed as if it was the time of dusk.
While everyone was looking at the changes brought by the Solar Eclipse, some brilliant spots of light flashed across the dark sky.
Hiruko exclaimed in excitement, "Finally, it's about time!"
As soon as the green Aurora light lashed across the sky, Hiruko started printing the hand seals and then pressed his palm on the ground.
Boom… shake… shake…
Instantly, five cross-shaped structures rose up from the five vertices of the five-pointed star that lied on the pentagon platform. On each metal cross, a shinobi in a half-dead state was crucified.
'These five are the unlucky shinobi targeted by Hiruko?' – thought Tsukihi as she swept her gaze across the five people, finally, her gaze landed on Uchiha Hiiragi, and she sighed softly.
Unlike Uchiha Tsukihi, who had a somewhat complicated look, Yumie on the other hand had a look full of expectations.
At this time, the intensity and brightness of aurora lights became stronger and stronger, and they seemed to represent a green curtain of light!
This green curtain of light covered the entire sky, intertwined across the edges, giving the sky a dreamy and awe-inspiring look.
As the brightness and intensity of the curtain grew, sparkling particles and rays of light sprinkled from the sky and fell on the five-pointed star platform on top of the mountain.
The huge mirrors, each with a height of more than ten meters, concentrated the rays of green aurora lights in one direction, which illuminated Hiruko standing at the center of the five-pointed star formation.
The moment, aurora light gathered at Hiruko, everyone present at the site could clearly feel an intensive rise in Hiruko's chakra reaction.
Even both Uchiha Tsukihi and Shinichi had long since activated their Sharingan, trying to capture all the changes taking place in Hiruko's body.
Sasori who was no longer hiding in his 'Hiruko' puppet also had a solemn look.
Kakuzu took a step back, his instincts were telling him to take a defensive posture because something was coming…
Shinno's was intently looking at everything, and even Yumie had a look mixed with traces of anticipation as well as some unknown fear.
Tendo Pain was still had his indifferent look, but Konan had a frowned expression.
The intensity and brightness of the green aurora lights became more and more dazzling to the extent that they seemed to carry life within them and would burn anything they touch.
The lights seemed to be alive, jumping, flashing, and moving around Hiruko's body, the glittering green particles were falling from the sky like a steady and slow rain.
Uchiha Tsukihi muttered, "Such strong chakra reaction, and such a beautiful sight? If not for what was about to happen soon, this sight was akin to a fairy tale."
Tsukihi was really surprised, with the help of Celestial Phenomenon, the intensity of chakra fluctuations coming from Hiruko has reached a terrifying point.
And what surprised her more was the fact that Hiruko's small body was able to withstand such a terrifying chakra pressure without showing any signs of pain!
While Tsukihi was surprised, Hiruko did not stop and began to print the hand seals to start the next phase of his Kekkei Genkai Absorption Ritual.
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Read up to Chapter - 522 on P.a.t.r.e.o.n. Page: p-atreon.com/Milta_translations