When it came to who knew the most jutsu in the entire shinobi world, opinions varied.
Some said it was Kakashi, who had copied over a thousand techniques.
Some said it was the Third Hokage, the "Professor" of Ninjutsu, with mastery over all five chakra natures.
And some said it was Orochimaru.
But if the question was: Who knew the most forbidden jutsu? Who had delved deepest into the study of ninjutsu?
Then there was only one answer—Orochimaru.
And even that barely scratched the surface. Orochimaru's research spanned beyond jutsu: into cells, cloning, even mechanical engineering.
It was no exaggeration to call Orochimaru the most scientific ninja in the entire world.
Looking for the king of genetic engineering?
Look no further than Uncle Snake—
Wait, no—Aunt Snake now.
Orochimaru's work in genetics and bioengineering? Top tier.
Of course, just because Orochimaru was a genius didn't mean Naruto was about to dive into his field.
Leave the specialized stuff to the specialists.
Naruto had other things to focus on—like training.
And so, he handed Karin over to Orochimaru to learn from.
Naruto's goal for Karin was clear: to mold her into a powerful support-type, capable of offense, defense, healing, and utility all in one.
In the original timeline, Karin had also been second only to Kabuto when it came to research, and she had managed Orochimaru's southern base flawlessly.
With Karin taken care of, Naruto summoned the rest of his group to the Uchiha Clan compound.
At this point, the place had basically become their secret base. It wasn't like they were short on rooms.
Technically, the Uchiha compound was still under surveillance by both ANBU and Root—but since all the Root operatives were Naruto's people, and even some in ANBU were loyal...
Well, surveillance didn't mean much.
With one month to go before the final round of the Chūnin Exams, they planned to train here intensively.
A month may seem long—but if used well, it could mean a huge boost in strength.
Yes—Naruto was giving them personalized training regimens.
"Lee," Naruto said, "your match with Sasuke will have to wait. I've already taught you most of what I can in taijutsu. For this next month, focus entirely on your physical training."
"Guy-sensei's Eight Gates technique is powerful. If you can open up to the seventh gate, there will be few in Konoha who can match you."
"You're going to be an essential part of the upcoming battles."
Naruto clapped him on the shoulder. "If you need a sparring partner, I'll summon 'Go'."
Ultimate sparring dummy:Go.
"Naruto-kun! I won't let you down!"
Lee stood tall, chest puffed out, shouting with pride.
"That's the spirit."
Naruto turned to Sasuke next.
"Your opponent this time is the One-Tail—Shukaku. A tough fight."
"You're already very strong, but what you lack is wide-area offense and a solid trump card."
Kakashi had intended to give Sasuke extra lessons, but Sasuke had already learned nearly everything Kakashi could offer—most of which were copied Lightning Release techniques. Not particularly useful to him anymore.
Sasuke was better off training with Naruto.
"This scroll," Naruto said, opening up a large summoning contract, "is going to be the key to your next level."
"Anyone who wants a summoning beast, come sign your name."
The scroll had originally belonged to Orochimaru. Naruto didn't feel the slightest guilt using it.
After all, there didn't seem to be any limit on how many people could sign.
A team with a bunch of giant summoning snakes? Now that was a cool visual.
If Ryūchi Cave had any objections... Well, Naruto was planning to go there anyway.
He needed to deal with the Curse Mark and start training in Sage Mode.
"Oh, right—these are snake-type summoning beasts," he added at the end.
Not everyone liked snakes, after all.
One by one, Naruto laid out tailored training plans for each of his companions.
And as for Hinata?
Naturally, Naruto would train her personally.
He walked over to Neji and gave him a firm pat on the shoulder.
"In your match next month, don't hold back. Show everyone the true power of the Hyūga Clan."
"Let those frogs in the well see how vast the sky really is."
"Yes!"
Neji looked at Naruto and nodded with determination.
Naruto nodded back, then looked out the window at the sky growing brighter.
"One month from now, I'll also remove the seal on your forehead."
His gaze shifted to Hinata.
Hinata met Naruto's eyes, and—rare for her—didn't look away.
Instead, she spoke with rare confidence:
"I believe in Naruto-kun's decision. Naruto-kun is never wrong."
"Maybe the clan originally meant well, maybe it started as a way to protect the family. But it's changed."
"It's time for a change."
As a member of the main family, Hinata had the most authority to speak on the Caged Bird Seal.
The Hyūga were divided into Main and Branch families.
The Main family held all the power.
The Branch family served them.
"The Branch exists to protect the Main. Everything the Branch does is for the Main."
That's what Neji had been told since childhood.
He had once believed it, accepted it as his duty—until the day he watched his father die right in front of him.
There were many others in the Branch family just like Neji.
They couldn't disobey the Main family's orders.
They couldn't even question them.
Because every member of the Branch family bore a cursed seal on their foreheads—the Caged Bird Seal.
The Main family could, at any time, activate the seal to kill them outright, or inflict unbearable pain.
Under the threat of pain and death, the Branch family became little more than slaves—unable to rebel.
And the sad irony?
The Caged Bird Seal actually dated back to the Warring States Period.
Its original purpose wasn't to control—but to protect.
Unlike the Sharingan, which required specific conditions to use, the Byakugan could be activated by anyone, even non-Hyūga, as long as they had the eyes implanted.
The only downside was a slightly higher chakra cost.
There was once a time when Byakugan eyes were sold for enormous sums.
And where there's profit, there's bloodshed.
To protect the clan, the Hyūga developed the seal: when captured or killed, the eye would self-destruct.
In that era, it did protect them.
But over time, that "protection" was twisted.
The Main family, with full control over life and death, began to hunger for more.
One Head of the clan even altered the seal's purpose—to torture.
To enslave.
Give people power, and they change—even toward their own kin.
Just like Hinata said: it's lost its meaning.
Like a certain old bug in Fuyuki City, who—after a long life—forgot his original dream.
"I'll convince them."
And if he couldn't?
"Well then, I'll resort to... physical persuasion."
"After all, you're our precious—Blind Spot Venus."
Neji: "…Can I get a different codename?"
Naruto: "Alright then. How about... Head Balloon?"
"…Actually, I think 'Blind Spot Venus' sounds just fine."
The broken-armed Venus. The caged Neji.
"You'll always be Konoha's white-robed prince in my heart."
Until the day you're finally free.
Until the day you find peace.
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