The Path to Evolution for All Begins

It wasn't that Orochimaru was being self-deprecating, but rather that he was very self-aware.

The Impure World Reincarnation seems powerful and has great potential, but Orochimaru needs to improve his own strength to master the control aspect.

Moreover, even if Orochimaru searched the entire Shinobi World, his strongest trump card was none other than Hashirama Senju.

To benefit from future plans, one's own strength is of paramount importance.

However, the only way Orochimaru can currently increase his strength, besides fusing with Hashirama Cells, is through the Akaboshi meat of Akagami.

"Providing snake meat to your Hyuga Clan is nothing..."

Orochimaru's heart stirred slightly, and he said in a cryptic tone, "Money is not important to ninjas. You should know what I really want."

Hinata knew perfectly well that Orochimaru wanted nothing more than the eyes.

Moreover, ordinary Byakugan is not enough; Orochimaru wants a body that has both Hyuga Clan bloodline and Byakugan.

"Orochimaru..."

Hinata earnestly advised, "Actually, you've completely gone down the wrong path by focusing all your energy on your Kekkei Genkai."

"Although Dōjutsu are powerful, they may not be as good as some forbidden techniques."

"Look at Ōnoki, the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure; his Dust Release is incredibly powerful. Instead of focusing your energy on Dōjutsu, you should research more forbidden techniques!"

Hinata wasn't just trying to fool Orochimaru; the only advantage of eye Dōjutsu is that they don't require training.

Once you open your eyes, you can naturally master the eye's Dōjutsu.

However, if analyzed from the perspective of power, forbidden techniques are in no way inferior to Dōjutsu, and Orochimaru himself is a super genius in terms of 'techniques'.

Instead of pursuing eye enhancements, it would be better to calm down and develop a few forbidden techniques.

"Aside from 'techniques', a ninja's power also comes from the essence of Chakra."

"Orochimaru Senjutsu Chakra. Although the Kekkei Genkai is special, it is nothing more than the Five Elements Release and Yin-Yang Release."

"Special physique is just reaching a certain level ahead of time!"

Orochimaru replied noncommittally, "I used to be just as naive as you, but many things in this world cannot be achieved through hard work alone."

"The Sharingan's Genjutsu might be able to reach the same level, or even surpass, the Sharingan's power, through training..."

But how many people in this world can actually do that?

In terms of talent, Orochimaru was confident that he was no less capable than Itachi Uchiha. However, Itachi Uchiha's starting point far surpassed Orochimaru's; each evolution of his eyes represented an increase in strength.

Simply put, Orochimaru's mentality collapsed after seeing Itachi Uchiha.

Orochimaru worked hard for decades to climb from Bronze to King, thinking his opponent was just a Gold player. But he discovered that his opponent was not only a King, but also climbed faster than him, and was even using cheats.

Is this game still playable?

Hinata can understand Orochimaru's mentality, after all, not everyone is Rock Lee and doesn't have such a strong will.

After watching the finale of "Naruto," you'll understand why even a lifetime of hard work can't overcome bloodline power.

"Well!"

Hinata sighed sadly. Orochimaru's ambitions were sky-high, but his fate was as fragile as paper. Hinata didn't know how to comfort him.

To be fair, Orochimaru, with his ordinary bloodline and the Ryūchi Cave Summoning Scroll as a cheat code, is already several times stronger than an ordinary ninja.

If Orochimaru progresses steadily and uses scientific methods to improve his strength, Hinata believes that Orochimaru might very well reach the level of the Sage of Six Paths.

The road may be very long, but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Orochimaru, however, set his Sharingan, wanting to use it as a cheat to enhance his strength, which Hinata saw as a complete misguided path.

As a character with overpowered abilities, Hinata really had no right to comfort Orochimaru.

After thinking it over, Hinata could only honestly say, "Orochimaru, as the heir of the Hyuga Main Family, I certainly can't give you the Byakugan, but... I can give you a Rinnegan!"

"Orochimaru, do you think this deal is worthwhile?"

"But I have one condition: you must improve the cooking method of snake meat as much as possible to increase the efficiency of absorbing life force until it satisfies me."

Hinata suddenly thought of Urashiki.

Although Urashiki is dead and his life force is gradually fading, his eyes are still there and can be used as long as they are reattached.

Urashiki's eyes are Byakugan, but he can use the power of Yin-Yang Release to transform them into Rinnegan!

However, too much of Urashiki's power was drained, so forget about getting the six- Tomoe Rinnegan; he could still manage the ordinary Rinnegan.

"You still have the Rinnegan???"

Orochimaru was truly shocked. Hinata actually possessed the Rinnegan. Whose eyes were these?

"Kindness!"

Hinata nodded slightly and said honestly, "These eyes are an evolution of the Byakugan, but to awaken the Rinnegan, the power of Yin-Yang Release must be used to activate it..."

At this point, Hinata scratched her head again, looking somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Orochimaru, to be honest, you probably can't do it."

Orochimaru astutely picked up on two pieces of information.

The Byakugan can evolve into the Rinnegan, and the Rinnegan is related to Yin-Yang Release.

However, despite this, how many people can actually do it?

The Rinnegan is a product of Yin-Yang Release reaching a certain level, and it also requires the power of the God Tree.

Thinking about it carefully, it's not unreasonable for Orochimaru to focus his energy on the Sharingan and want to take a shortcut.

If he had trained step by step, Orochimaru would have reached the limit that an ordinary ninja could achieve.

Orochimaru's expression shifted between light and dark.

Orochimaru is an obsessive-compulsive disorder patient; if it were just for the Sharingan, he would have countless ways to obtain it.

Orochimaru didn't want a half-baked Kakashi, but someone like Madara Uchiha who could truly unleash the power of his eyes to the fullest.

Indeed, once the Rinnegan is installed, the power of the Rinnegan can be used to suppress Hashirama Cells, thus simultaneously possessing the power of both the Rinnegan and Wood Release.

Orochimaru, however, sought perfection, not a half-baked, incongruous mess.

Furthermore, Hinata also said that the eye was just the Byakugan, and that the Rinnegan would need to be activated using the power of Yin-Yang Release.

However, once Orochimaru misses this opportunity, it will be very difficult for him to have another chance to touch this level of power.

"Good..."

"Then it's settled!"

Orochimaru ultimately did not refuse Hinata. That eye would allow Orochimaru to decipher more secrets and access higher levels of power, which was something Orochimaru was absolutely unwilling to give up.

"Okay! Then I'll wait for your good news!"

Hinata was delighted that the business deal had been finalized.

Starting today, the Hyuga Clan can begin their journey of evolution.