Perhaps Only You Can Do It

Outside Amegakure, inside a hidden cave.

A strange light flickered in Orochimaru's eyes. By now, he had peeled back one corner of the secrets surrounding this Shinobi World.

He had also uncovered the connections between the Senju, Uzumaki Clan, Uchiha, Kaguya, and Hyuga clans.

Thus, Orochimaru believed that across the entire Shinobi World, only Naraku and he himself were truly exceptional existences.

The former possessed both Uzumaki and Uchiha bloodlines, making him remarkably similar to Orochimaru, who possessed both the Shikotsumyaku and the Byakugan.

From certain perspectives, Naraku's bloodline was even stronger than his, because Orochimaru's Byakugan had been acquired through transplantation, while Naraku had been born with two bloodlines.

Therefore, Orochimaru had long coveted Naraku's body as well. If Naraku's strength had not grown so quickly, his body would have been Orochimaru's first choice.

Still, Orochimaru was quite satisfied with his current body. The powerful Shikotsumyaku, combined with a Byakugan capable of growth, possessed equally enormous potential.

Orochimaru had once felt that, in the entire Shinobi World, only Naraku and he possessed the greatest talent, with no one else capable of standing alongside them—not even Obito, whose strength was in no way inferior to Naraku's.

In Orochimaru's heart, Obito's talent was likewise incomparable to that of himself and Naraku.

However, Orochimaru had now changed his mind. Another person had entered his sights: Hatake Kakashi.

As for Kakashi, Orochimaru was hardly unfamiliar with him. They had once been shinobi from the same village, and Kakashi was his junior.

He had graduated from the Ninja Academy at five and become a jonin at twelve. Combined with the fact that his father had been the White Fang of Konoha, the name Hatake Kakashi had nearly spread throughout all of Konoha.

A strange gleam flashed through Orochimaru's eyes as he thought of this.