The newcomer was Hyuga Hizashi, younger brother of Hyuga Hiashi, head of the Hyuga clan.
He was strong—at the level of an elite jonin, his strength was outstanding, and in this war, his Gentle Fist had shown its brilliance more than once.
But unfortunately, he was from the branch family.
And because of that one step between branch and main family, Hyuga Hizashi carried many thoughts in his heart.
He often wore a look of heavy worry, much like Fugaku before the battle with Kumogakure—same expression, same bitterness.
But compared to Fugaku, Hizashi's situation was even more hopeless. With the Caged Bird seal carved into him, there was no way forward at all.
Of course, none of this concerned Orochimaru. With the Caged Bird there, Hizashi's experimental value was barely higher than an ordinary jonin, so there was no need to treat him specially.
Right now, Orochimaru was waiting for Genie's reply. He had no patience for people like this. Before Hizashi could even speak, Orochimaru's face turned cold. "What do you want?"
Hizashi looked uneasy, but to Orochimaru's surprise, he didn't back down. After a slight bow, he spoke directly, as if he hadn't noticed Orochimaru's bad mood.
The truth was, Hizashi really didn't notice. His mind wasn't on that. And since Orochimaru usually looked moody anyway, cold turning to icy didn't feel much different.
"Orochimaru-sama, I overheard your talk with the elders outside the medical room..."
Hizashi took a deep breath, holding back the eagerness in his eyes, and asked carefully, "The body enhancement surgery you mentioned—would it work on the Hyuga clan too?"
Hearing this, Orochimaru paused for a moment. Then a thought flashed through his mind, and his gaze at Hizashi turned playful. "Of course it would work. You want to try it?"
Hizashi nodded. He really did.
During the war with Kumogakure, he had seen Orochimaru display power equal to a tailed beast with just his own body. He had been shaken to the core, and at the same time, a burning desire had grown inside him.
Hizashi had thought more than once: if he had such power, would the main family dare to treat him like dirt so easily?
He wasn't sure of the answer, but at the very least, they would hesitate.
A body-strengthening surgery, spending money to grow stronger—of course Hyuga Hizashi would look forward to it.
Now that he finally got the answer he hoped for, his eyes burned with passion, but Orochimaru's next words made his heart sink straight down.
"The surgery will work on you, but I won't perform it for you."
"Why?" Hizashi blurted out. He didn't believe it was just because of the elders.
Orochimaru's reputation was deeply rooted. Most in Konoha believed he secretly did human experiments anyway.
"Forget the thirty-five million ryo, a huge sum—how would you even come up with that? And forget the trouble I'd face if the surgery failed…"
Orochimaru looked at Hizashi with a meaningful smile. "Say you succeed, you get stronger, then what?"
"You think the Hyuga main family will grant your wish? No—they'll only see their position as being challenged."
"Balancing carrot and stick is how smart people act. But Hizashi, do you think your clan's elders are smart?"
Hizashi's face turned pale, his body trembling, chest crushed as if struck by a hammer.
"You see, you already know the answer in your heart. Giving you this surgery will only deepen the rift between the main and branch families."
Orochimaru smiled. "That won't do. More than some money, what I need right now is a stable Konoha."
Hizashi froze at those words, his expression dull, his spirit shattered, like a frost-beaten eggplant.
He muttered, "So that's how it is…"
Not because of risk, not because of the trouble after failure—just the single reason of keeping the village stable was enough to erase his chance.
Orochimaru's merciless and almost blunt honesty forced Hizashi to face the truth he had always avoided deep inside.
Beyond the Caged Bird seal, beyond the main family, there was also the village that tolerated the Hyuga hierarchy.
In that moment, Hizashi understood—unless he had a way to completely counter the main family without causing chaos, the village would always side with them.
It wasn't about justice, only stability.
Hizashi's eyes grew hollow and numb, his expression collapsing bit by bit.
"Nothing is sadder than a dead heart"—that phrase described him perfectly now.
Orochimaru, on the other hand, was very pleased with Hizashi's face. He looked him over and asked in his mind,
"So this is enough? In this state, he can pay back my debt?"
"Of course." Genie smiled faintly. "I told you before, 'the only thing equal to a wish is another wish.'
To balance the cost of a granted wish, you must grant another in return."
Orochimaru's thoughts turned. "That doesn't sound too hard."
With his ability, not just one wish, even hundreds wouldn't be troublesome.
For example, Shisui's wish to restore his sight, or Uchiha Jinsuke's wish to get stronger… there were so many he could make happen.
Orochimaru's mind started racing with ideas.
"You're thinking too simply. Not every thought counts as a wish."
Genie shot Orochimaru a glance and sneered. "Like pearls in an oyster—without years of grinding, a stone is just a stone, and a thought is just a thought. It can't become a pearl-like wish."
"You think everyone in this world is like you?"
Hearing that bit of praise, Orochimaru grew serious, beginning to grasp what truly qualified as a wish.
"Hizashi's wish qualifies, but even when a wish qualifies, its difficulty to grant must be considered."
Genie pointed at Hizashi, standing dazed and hollow. "What do you think his wish really is?"
Orochimaru paused for a moment, before hearing Genie continue,
"He wants the surgery. He wants to be stronger. He wants freedom from the main family's humiliation…
But those are only the surface. Hizashi is interesting—his true wish is for the Hyuga's main and branch families to live as equals, like other clans."
"Can you make that happen?"
Orochimaru frowned. If it was just Hizashi, he had a dozen ways. But the entire branch family…
Public will was far more troublesome than personal will.
And in Orochimaru's eyes, Hizashi's wish was almost impossible to fulfill.
"Looks like you've figured it out too."
Genie glanced at Orochimaru and said calmly, "The Caged Bird seal is the foundation of the main house controlling the branch house. It's the root of the unfairness between them. But can the Caged Bird really be abolished?"
"Without it, every single member of the branch house would become walking vessels of the Byakugan bloodline."
"It's not just the main house that wouldn't agree—even the branch house itself, for the sake of safety, wouldn't accept it."
"When it's life or death, what does a little dignity matter?"
"This Hyuga food chain is locked tight. One side eats, the other is eaten. Both sides accept it. There's no room for equality."
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