As long as the corrupt system remains, the monster known as hatred will give birth to a new Pain.

At the same time, within the Hyuga compound.

In the spacious Japanese-style room, candlelight flickered, stretching the shadows of the two men in the center and causing them to sway silently against the paper doors.

Hyuga Hiashi sat at the head of the room, raising a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, his entire demeanor revealing an irrepressible weariness.

"Hizashi, do you think... this matter could really be the work of Danzo?"

He spoke suddenly, his tone filled with an indelible bitterness.

"Brother,"

Hizashi also found it hard to believe, but after a moment of contemplation, he said in a low voice: "Elder Tianyun was killed by Wind Style. In the village, I truly cannot think of anyone else whose mastery of Wind Style could reach such heights."

"Except for..."

The words stopped there.

Hyuga Hiashi naturally understood what his brother wanted to say.

Shimura Danzo.

The Darkness of the Ninja World.

If Sarutobi Hiruzen was the fire in the light, then Shimura Danzo was the shadow in the dark.

Hyuga Hiashi lowered his eyes to gaze at his own reflection in the teacup, his thoughts surging.

He had to admit that although Danzo was, in his eyes, capable of every evil and seemed to be the culprit behind every disaster, his ability to control the battlefield and intelligence was unmatched throughout Konoha.

The entire intelligence apparatus of Konoha had been built by his own hands.

Most of the major and minor affairs in the village were likely under his surveillance, to say nothing of a major clan like the Hyuga.

Thinking of this, a chill suddenly crept down Hyuga Hiashi's spine.

Perhaps, at this very moment, their conversation was being overheard by the eyes and ears of Root.

"Byakugan."

Hyuga Hiashi activated his Byakugan once more, and after confirming again that no Root members were monitoring them, he finally let out a long sigh of relief.

"If it really is Danzo... then the motive makes sense."

Hyuga Hiashi shook his head, his smile filled with bitterness.

"Brother, you mean..."

"The war on the front lines is tight and the fighting is difficult. Yet, we of the Hyuga clan chose this moment to hold a grand celebration... It makes sense that Danzo would send someone to give us a warning."

He picked up his teacup and took a light sip, but his fingers could not stop trembling.

If this were truly the case, then the suspicion surrounding Qinglan would be somewhat cleared.

This thought made his heart lighten slightly, but it was immediately suppressed by even heavier concerns.

"Brother..." Hyuga Hizashi lowered his eyes, hesitating for a long time before finally unable to hold back: "Why are we holding this celebration? Is there some major event?"

The Hyuga clan had always been low-key; there were only two reasons for holding a celebration.

Either it was the birthday of a member of the Main Branch, or there was some monumental joyous occasion within the clan.

But this time, it was neither anyone's birthday, nor had he heard of any major event in the clan worth celebrating.

The only thing he could think of was that perhaps a peerless prodigy had emerged within the clan.

"..."

Hyuga Hiashi did not answer, only looking at him quietly.

With just that one look.

Hyuga Hizashi immediately fell silent, his back tensing slightly.

"Hizashi, as a member of the Branch House, do not ask about things you shouldn't."

"Yes."

Hyuga Hizashi lowered his head, his voice muffled in his throat.

Hyuga Hiashi closed his eyes, and the room remained quiet for a long time, with only the occasional crackle of the candle wick.

After a long while, he seemed to have finally made up his mind.

"Let this matter end here for now."

There was no emotion in his voice, only a heavy sense of powerlessness.

If the culprit was truly Danzo, there was nothing he could do.

Use the strength of the entire clan to make an enemy of the village?

Or go to the Hokage to report it, accusing an elder of Konoha without any concrete evidence?

Neither was realistic.

Not to mention that the scroll had not provided them with any actual help.

All he could do was endure.

Unless—

Unless he could verify and successfully decipher the method for evolving the Byakugan.

But that scroll had been taken away along with several secret manuals of the Eight Trigrams Palm before it could even be fully verified.

His greatest wish now was that Danzo would simply treat it as an ordinary clan chronicle and fail to discover the true secret hidden within.

It seemed he could only pin his hopes on Hyuga Qinglan to see where that ancient tomb was specifically located...

Or perhaps find that scroll once again...

"Hizashi, you may head out now. Rest well and wait for the front-line summons."

"Yes!"

Hizashi Hyuga bowed in response, but just as he turned to leave, he was called back.

"Also... tell Yumi to keep quiet. The matter of going to the battlefield is denied."

Hyuga Hiashi paused, his tone growing increasingly heavy.

"From now on, members of the main branch are not to go to the front lines."

Hizashi Hyuga opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately swallowed his words.

"...Yes."

--

Night.

A crescent moon hung over Konoha, casting silvery moonlight onto a small courtyard at the edge of the Hyuga clan grounds.

A small snake slithered out from the weeds in the yard, following the trail of moonlight, winding across the courtyard and over the bluestone path until it finally stopped at the windowsill.

Inside the window, steam billowed.

"Crackle... crackle..."

The sound of electricity drifted out along with the mist rising from the shower room.

The small snake flicked its tongue in a remarkably human-like manner, tilting its pointed head as its golden slit pupils stared intently at the shower room.

Through the mist, the figure inside could be clearly seen.

Purple arcs of electricity flickered constantly across the youth's body.

Yet strangely, his fair skin only showed a faint trace of deep red, looking nothing like the aftermath of a body tempered by Lightning Release chakra.

Suddenly, the youth stopped his training and slowly walked out of the shower room.

"Lord Orochimaru, why have you come?"

Hyuga Qinglan held a towel in his right hand, wiping the water droplets from his body, his face wearing an expression of utter shock.

The small snake hissed twice, then suddenly opened its blood-red maw wide.

Orochimaru, covered in white mucus, crawled out from the snake's mouth. He licked his lips with interest, cleaning the slime from his face.

"Qinglan-kun, is this how you treat your partners?"

"..."

Hyuga Qinglan's eyelid twitched, and he smiled. "No, Lord Orochimaru, I am like this with everyone."

He buttoned his robe and went to sit cross-legged at a small wooden table.

"Lord Orochimaru, would you like some tea?"

Orochimaru did not answer.

He leaned against the windowsill with his arms crossed, his long hair draped over his shoulders, his golden slit pupils fixed unblinkingly on Hyuga Qinglan.

Without wasting a single word of nonsense, he went straight to the point.

"How do you intend to help me become the Fourth Hokage?"

"What exactly is the method for evolving the Byakugan?"

"And most importantly... where did that scroll come from?"

Orochimaru pressed him with three consecutive questions, his gaze locked tightly onto Hyuga Qinglan.

Hyuga Qinglan did not answer immediately. A moment later, he raised his head, meeting Orochimaru's gaze with a calm expression.

"Becoming the Fourth Hokage is not difficult. Someone as brilliant as you, Lord Orochimaru, is simply blinded by being in the thick of it... and I, as a bystander, am merely responsible for pointing the way."

Orochimaru did not respond, simply waiting to hear what Hyuga Qinglan would say next.

"If you want to reappear in the eyes of the villagers, Lord Orochimaru must save the village in its moment of crisis." Hyuga Qinglan looked up at Orochimaru. "As for where that crisis will come from... I believe you understand what I mean, don't you, Lord Orochimaru?"

"Is that all?"

Orochimaru's patience was beginning to wane.

He understood these principles, of course.

After hearing the story told by Hyuga Qinglan, he was certainly disappointed, if one were to ask.

However, to him, becoming Hokage was merely one step in his quest to explore the mysteries of ninjutsu.

If he could attain the position, that would be best; if not, he could always choose to defect, just like the older brother in the story—that was a viable fallback plan.

What he cared about now was...

Just how many secrets did this Hyuga Qinglan possess, and how much did he actually know?

"No, what I mean to say is, the story I told was not fabricated."

"The full name of that sage is the Sage of Six Paths."

"Of course, that has nothing to do with the man himself. What truly matters is his younger brother."

"His name is Otsutsuki Hamura."

The Sage of Six Paths?!

And he had a younger brother?!

Orochimaru felt a jolt in his heart, but the shock lasted only a moment before he quickly regained his composure.

He naturally knew the legend of the Sage of Six Paths; one could even say it was a household name.

Anyone with even a slight understanding of the history and mythology of the ninja world knew that name.

However, as a staunch materialist, Orochimaru would never easily believe it without seeing concrete evidence sufficient to prove the existence of the Sage of Six Paths with his own eyes.

Moreover, he had never even heard of this so-called "younger brother."

"I didn't believe it before either."

Hyuga Qinglan casually tossed a copy of a scroll over. Orochimaru raised his hand to catch it steadily, then unfolded it to read.

"I discovered this scroll by chance in an ancient tomb on the Rock Battlefield."

"It can be considered a copy of that original scroll; it records the origins of the Hyuga clan and some stories about Otsutsuki Hamura..."

As he listened to Hyuga Qinglan's explanation, Orochimaru's fingers flipped through the scroll at high speed.

The Hyuga clan... originated from the Otsutsuki clan...

The Sage of Six Paths' full name was Hagoromo Otsutsuki...

The younger brother's full name was Otsutsuki Hamura...

The older brother's eyes were the Rinnegan, and the younger brother's eyes were the Tenseigan.

The Rinnegan possessed both the power of creation and destruction, while the Tenseigan possessed both control and offensive capabilities...

Orochimaru's gaze became increasingly focused.

But just as he reached the most critical part, the content of the scroll came to an abrupt end.

And the evolution method of the azure Tenseigan—utilizing... chakra... Caged Bird...

"Where is the rest?!" he blurted out, his tone as urgent as a child whose favorite toy had been snatched away.

"That is all there is."

Hyuga Qinglan shook his head.

"If that is all there is... I find it hard not to think this scroll is a fabrication."

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, reining in his emotions as his gaze gradually turned cold.

"The clever Qinglan-kun should understand this principle, shouldn't he?"

"This isn't enough~"

"Hiss--"

Four or five venomous snakes poked their heads out from his sleeves, baring their fangs at Hyuga Qinglan.

"..."

Hyuga Qinglan sighed.

Although he had long expected that Orochimaru would not be so easily fooled, now that it had actually come to this, he couldn't help but feel a sense of regret.

"Based on this alone, let alone you, even I find it hard to believe completely..."

As he spoke, he slowly lifted the bangs on his forehead, revealing the Caged Bird curse mark on his smooth skin.

Under the moonlight, the swastika mark, which should have been a deep green, now appeared exceptionally faint.

This is...

The curse mark is fading?

Is this the secret behind why the Rotation can achieve three hundred and sixty degrees...

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly.

He knew it; this kid Hyuga Qinglan must still be hiding other bargaining chips.

Otherwise, how could he have the confidence to come and negotiate a deal with him based solely on a scroll recording the origins of the Hyuga clan?

"That's right. Relying on the scattered records in the scroll, I have already deciphered a portion of the Cursed Seal."

Hyuga Qinglan's expression was calm, his tone composed, revealing not a single flaw.

"This should be enough to prove the authenticity of the scroll... right, Orochimaru?"

"Hehehe..."

Orochimaru laughed, and this time it was a genuine laugh, one tinged with a hint of appreciation.

However, that smile vanished in an instant, quickly replaced by his habitual coldness.

"Hyuga Qinglan, why hand this over to me? And what exactly is the purpose you harbor, having provided this information?"

"Because in the entire village, only Lord Orochimaru has the ability to unlock the secrets within."

Hyuga Qinglan tied his Konoha headband securely and cast his gaze toward the bright, full moon outside the window. "Besides, since there is a path for the Tenseigan to evolve... what about the Sage of Six Paths' Rinnegan?"

"Could it also be evolved?"

"And these things can only be realized once you ascend to the position of Hokage."

"As for my purpose..."

Hyuga Qinglan paused, his voice not loud, yet every word was clear: "I hope that Lord Orochimaru can put an end to these decaying systems."

"As long as those stale dregs exist, the monster known as hatred will eventually give birth to a new 'Pain'."

A new... Pain, is it?

Orochimaru stared into Hyuga Qinglan's pure and calm eyes, a faint chuckle rising in his heart.

So that's how it is...

Another child yearning for freedom, is he?

Heh.

Although he didn't reveal everything... it is enough to be worth a gamble.

Then, I shall agree to your terms.

"I understand."

Orochimaru withdrew his gaze and pulled a scroll from his sleeve.

"These are some of my insights regarding Lightning Style nature transformation; consider it a gift for our first meeting."

"Improve your strength well..."

"This little white snake will be our means of contact from now on."

The moment his words fell, Orochimaru's figure vanished from the room without warning, leaving behind only a faint instruction and a small, snow-white snake.

The little white snake hissed, flicking its tongue, before nimbly slithering out of the room and disappearing into the grass outside the window.

"..."

A long time passed.

Hyuga Qinglan stood quietly by the window, remaining motionless for a long while.

Only after confirming that Orochimaru's presence had completely faded did he finally exhale a long, heavy breath.

"The Sannin are truly the Sannin after all..."

He whispered silently in his heart, then turned to begin tidying up the slightly messy room.

He already had a fair assessment of his current strength.

For now, having gradually cultivated the skills from his previous life, it was sufficient.

"...At least I managed to fool Orochimaru."

Hyuga Qinglan lay back on the bed, his gaze fixed on the dim ceiling.

The Tenseigan...

The chakra of the Otsutsuki... and the pure Byakugan...

He gently touched his own eyes, his fingertips lingering on his eyelids for a moment, before he finally drifted into a deep sleep.

--

The next morning.

"Young Miss, it is Lord Hiashi who forbids you from going to the battlefield..."

"It really isn't us trying to stop you, please don't make things difficult for us..."

Four or five branch family guards were desperately trying to block Hyuga Yumi, wanting to stop her but afraid of hurting the main family's young lady; they were anxious, frustrated, and caught in a dilemma.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Hyuga Yumi wouldn't listen at all; she immediately assumed the starting stance of the Eight Trigrams Palm and cleanly knocked back the two branch family guards blocking her path.

"A bunch of trash, don't any of you try to stop me!"

She shoved the remaining guards aside and stormed out of the training grounds in a fit of rage.

Just as she stepped out the door, she happened to run into Hyuga Qinglan walking out of his room.

"Hyuga Qinglan?!"

"Didn't you say that my talent was enough?!"

Hyuga Yumi's pure Byakugan eyes were brimming with fury at this moment.

"How dare you lie to me?!"

Before the words had even left her lips, she delivered a palm strike wrapped in biting killing intent, aiming straight for Hyuga Qinglan's heart.

However, this all-out strike looked as slow as a child's play to Hyuga Qinglan.

"Snap!"

Hyuga Yumi froze, staring at her own palm in utter disbelief.

It was just... caught like that?!

"Miss Yumi." Hyuga Qinglan held her wrist firmly with one hand, his tone flat as he spoke: "The power of hatred is strong, but it won't take you very far."

"To be honest, the way you look right now... is a disgrace to Elder Tianyun."

"How dare you even mention Grandfather?!"

Hyuga Yumi snapped back to reality, and the anger that had just been suppressed by his raw strength flared up once again.

Whoosh!

She swung her right palm out again, but before the wind from her strike could even get close to Hyuga Qinglan's body—

"Ah!"

Her vision suddenly spun wildly.

Hyuga Yumi only felt her entire body lifted by a clever force, spinning uncontrollably, and she looked as if she were about to be thrown away.

Her vision suddenly returned to normal.

"Thud!"

Immediately after, a palm strike with very light force landed on her, perfectly knocking her to the ground as she was already off-balance from the spin.

Hyuga Yumi braced herself against the ground with one hand and held her forehead with the other, fighting back the nausea churning in her stomach as she stared blankly up at Hyuga Qinglan.

Hyuga Qinglan looked down at her from above, his face devoid of any expression.

"Hyuga Yumi, do you really think that with your current strength,"

"You are truly capable of taking revenge on the murderer who killed Elder Tianyun...?"

"Are you really capable of stepping onto the battlefield?"