For a ninja like Orochimaru, the pursuit of immortality could not actually be attributed to human fanaticism. If one were to pinpoint his fundamental difference from other ninjas, the first would be his thirst for knowledge, and the second would be his exceptional capacity for experimentation and development.
Driven by these two capabilities, Orochimaru had always walked the path of self-evolution. If given enough time, evolving to the level of the Otsutsuki shouldn't even be considered difficult for him; rather, it would be a matter of course.
To achieve this "level up," Orochimaru didn't need to grind mobs and bosses; he simply needed vast amounts of time. Need determines action and produces results—everything Orochimaru did stemmed from his own volition.
He was inherently a man of ideas, which gave him an extremely high capacity to accept all sorts of hypothetical possibilities.
"A very interesting idea..." This was Orochimaru's response to Hagoromo's proposal.
"But very difficult to realize."
More accurately, it was a completely whimsical idea with a realization probability approaching zero. Orochimaru did find Hagoromo's concept fascinating, but based on the knowledge he currently possessed, turning that concept into reality would be incredibly difficult.
Even finding a feasible path forward would be arduous.
Whenever evolution and genetics were involved, achieving any effective success meant the process had to be described as a massive "engineering" project—because it would be both colossal and complex, likely requiring tens of thousands of failures.
This was completely different from the method Hagoromo had discussed with him previously—using micro-currents of Lightning Style to gradually stimulate the infants' physical capabilities. That was mere physical modification. Hagoromo's new proposal was closer to "bloodline awakening," and the difficulty levels were not even in the same dimension.
On the surface, Orochimaru didn't seem to have much of a reaction to Hagoromo's words. His claim of being "interested" sounded like mere passing curiosity. But in reality, for Orochimaru, this concept would become increasingly alluring over time.
Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths who founded Ninshu, was originally just a legendary existence. His immense strength and power felt somewhat illusory. Yet, the hypothesis presented by the Hagoromo standing before him seemed to offer a pathway to understand that power. Even if the likelihood of this pathway succeeding was infinitesimally small, a man like Orochimaru—who harbored extreme thoughts and pursued the absolute limit—would inevitably try walking that path one day.
However indifferent he appeared now was exactly how impatient he would become when that day arrived.
...Regarding the origins of the Uchiha, Hyuga, Senju, and Uzumaki clans, there was no reason for Orochimaru to be ignorant. Even if he couldn't obtain such intelligence within Konoha, there was still the White Snake Sage residing in Ryuchi Cave, who had lived for an unknown number of years. And unlike the senile Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku, the White Snake Sage's mind was always razor-sharp.
Any white snake that survives a millennium possesses extraordinary talents; it might have even met the Sage of Six Paths personally. The White Snake Sage ought to be perfectly clear about the affairs of the Otsutsuki family. Even if Orochimaru didn't know the full story, he definitively knew the origins of the Uchiha and the others.
Therefore, the researcher Orochimaru would, sooner or later, begin studying the assignment Hagoromo had given him. What's more... at this point in time, his Living Corpse Reincarnation jutsu had reached a critical stage in development, perhaps even nearing completion. In fact, he had already set his sights on a specific vessel... an Uchiha body.
This happened to tie in perfectly with what Hagoromo was talking about...
"You should say it's highly challenging," Hagoromo corrected him.
If it weren't difficult, Hagoromo would have done it himself. In truth, Hagoromo didn't think there was much chance of success either, but... to put it simply, there was no harm in trying.
If it succeeded, wouldn't it be the equivalent of handing those two kids cheat codes directly inherited from their ancestors?
"For you to provide this line of thought..." Orochimaru turned the idea over in his mind and immediately understood. "Is this for the 'legacy' of the Fourth Hokage and Kushina?"
"But rather than expecting such impossibly difficult, unrealistic power, wouldn't it be better to let those two children test the First Hokage's cells? The Uzumaki and Senju are blood relatives. Their affinity and compatibility with Wood Style cells should be much higher than an ordinary ninja's. If it succeeds..."
The power of the Otsutsuki was an unreachable dream, but the Wood Style of the Senju was right in front of them.
Orochimaru made a very valid point. Both the Uzumaki and the Senju possessed powerful physical constitutions and massive chakra reserves; they were both clans that inherited the Sage's body.
However...
"Orochimaru..." Hagoromo called him directly by name, his expression unchanging, as if he were merely stating a fact. "Even if it's to improve the children's abilities, I need concrete, reliable methods, not experiments fraught with extreme risk... What shouldn't be touched, ultimately must not be touched."
Did Orochimaru expect him to agree to grafting experiments on those two children? Impossible.
"Heh... Just a joke."
Was it a threat? Or a warning?
Orochimaru didn't pay much mind to Hagoromo's words. Truthfully, Kushina's descendants were indeed the most perfect test subjects for his ongoing First Hokage cell experiments, but he had no way of making a move on them.
This wasn't just because Hagoromo was constantly guarding the two children. More importantly, the eyes of the Third Hokage and the entire Konoha upper echelon were fixed tightly upon them. Any tolerance had its limits; even Danzo Shimura didn't want anything to go wrong with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
If he acted too brazenly, the resulting backlash would be more than Orochimaru could chew.
Not to mention that the Third Hokage, even at his current age, was stronger than Orochimaru. Even looking at Hagoromo alone, Orochimaru honestly didn't have absolute confidence in victory... Before the Nine-Tails incident, Orochimaru had viewed Hagoromo as a rising star, but after the incident, he had begun to view him as an equal.
He had no desire to end up getting gang-beaten. Researchers sometimes liked to court death, yes, but actual, literal suicidal behavior was best avoided.
"Speaking of which, there is another matter I am quite interested in. The Rinnegan... exactly what kind of eyes are they?" No longer dwelling on the previous issue, Orochimaru shifted the topic.
This was something he cared about deeply. Orochimaru was already becoming obsessed with the Sharingan and the Uchiha, and consequently, his curiosity regarding various visual jutsu was gradually growing as well.
Especially the legendary eyes of the Six Paths.
"The Rinnegan? I suppose it belongs to the category of the stronger visual jutsu," Hagoromo replied.
Did he defeat the Rinnegan that day? No.
He only defeated Pain, and Pain... were ultimately just puppets. As for Nagato and the Rinnegan itself, Hagoromo had not yet won against them.
Next, Hagoromo revealed portions of the Deva Path and Preta Path's abilities to Orochimaru. More specifically, he explained Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push), Bansho Ten'in (Universal Pull), and Fujutsu Kyuin (Blocking Technique Absorption Seal).
Hagoromo was the only ninja alive who had fought the Rinnegan, and previously, he had not disclosed the detailed capabilities of these eyes to Konoha. Whether the intelligence he was now feeding Orochimaru was credible or not was entirely up to Orochimaru to judge.
As for whether Hagoromo was still hiding things, Orochimaru could naturally guess as much. After all, he could somewhat understand why Hagoromo wouldn't share the Rinnegan's secrets with Konoha.
In short, through this conversation in the underground space, Hagoromo hoped Orochimaru would initiate the genetic engineering project and achieve certain results. Only once results were produced would he have the possibility of acquiring them from Orochimaru's hands.
However, exactly when Orochimaru would start this work—or if he would even do it at all—was not something Hagoromo could force.
In return, Hagoromo would do what he could to help cover up the First Hokage cell experiments Orochimaru was secretly conducting.
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