Tap... tap... tap... Aoran, transformed into Owl, traveled day and night, finally arriving at the Ruins located on the border of the Land of Fire at the last moment of Orochimaru's appointed time.
Just as he reached the entrance, he suddenly leaped sideways—
A pink Chakra, like a sharp blade, slashed down, blasting a deep pit in the ground where he had been standing.
Owl immediately activated his Byakugan, taking in the structure inside the Ruins.
Two masses of high-speed flowing Chakra guarded the passage, and deeper inside, there was a more tranquil mass of energy.
"Stop, Hotaru, he is not an enemy."
Orochimaru's hoarse voice arrived, and he slowly walked out. Behind him followed a man and a woman.
"Another Transformation Jutsu?"
Orochimaru looked at Owl's completely different face compared to before.
"Just the appearance."
Owl had no intention of explaining and accepted the three scrolls handed to him.
"It seems your trip went smoothly."
He breathed a sigh of relief; it was good that he made it in time.
Orochimaru nodded with satisfaction:
"The Meteorite indeed greatly enhanced Chakra activity, even saving me a lot of medicinal ingredients."
"These tissues have been activated to a 'freshly dead' state; they will rot within seven days after unsealing, so manage your timing when you use them."
"Ding, congratulations to the host for slightly altering Orochimaru's life trajectory, obtaining the Orochimaru Trait Badge: Ninjutsu Researcher. enhancement points +1. Current enhancement points remaining: 3."
"Ninjutsu Researcher: Increases your ability to analyze and create Ninjutsu."
Owl casually applied it to his Bloodline Limit.
Bloodline Limit +Level 3 → Bloodline Limit +Level 4. Weapon +Level 2.
Current enhancement points remaining: 0.
"This is Natsuki, and this is Hotaru."
As Orochimaru introduced them, the sound continued to ring in Owl's mind.
"Ding, congratulations to the host for significantly altering Hotaru's life trajectory, obtaining the Hotaru Trait Badge: Chakra Activator. enhancement points +3."
Chakra Activator: Increases Chakra flow.
"Ding, congratulations to the host for significantly altering Natsuki's life trajectory, obtaining the Natsuki Trait Badge: Soul Separator. enhancement points +3."
Soul Separator: After death, the soul and Chakra will remain in the current world for a period of time.
Owl knew these two; they were a Jonin couple from Hoshigakure, extremely powerful, and they had a son named Akira.
Naruto even went to their village for a mission after graduating.
Now that they were following Orochimaru, their life trajectories were naturally different.
"The Third Hoshikage was very cooperative and willingly handed over the Meteorite for my research."
Orochimaru also looked very satisfied, as meeting such a sensible person saved him a lot of effort.
Owl's lips curled slightly upon hearing this; he knew that if Orochimaru personally went for the Meteorite, it would be effortless.
Sure enough, he even managed to snatch away Hoshigakure's strongest combatants.
"So, what about the Eternal Life you mentioned last time?"
The preparation of the first piece of intelligence gave Orochimaru a taste of success, and naturally, he now paid more attention to the other collaboration Owl mentioned.
Owl pointed to the Byakugan on his face:
"Lord Orochimaru, do you feel that the Byakugan is far inferior to the Sharingan?"
Although Orochimaru didn't understand Owl's intention, he still replied:
"The Sharingan excels in observation, copying, and Genjutsu; the Byakugan... is indeed far inferior."
Orochimaru was correct to say this; the Sharingan's trinity of observation, copying, and Genjutsu provides a huge amplification for the Uchiha.
It also allowed the Uchiha to continuously produce masters: Madara, Izuna, Kagami in the past; Shisui, who is now gaining fame; and Itachi and Sasuke in the future.
But the Hyuga, who possess the Byakugan, seem perpetually destined to play supporting roles, never becoming the protagonists.
Owl was very clear about Orochimaru's thoughts at this stage, and naturally knew how to appeal to him.
"But what if I told you that both the Sharingan and the Byakugan are Keys to Eternal Life?"
"Oh!?" Orochimaru's eyes shone brightly. He had originally planned to use the Living Corpse Reincarnation to seize the body of Itachi, who possessed the Sharingan.
To fulfill his pursuit of longevity and power.
Now, Owl's words once again struck a chord with him, and he was undoubtedly more interested.
"The Sharingan can evolve into the Mangekyo, and even the Rinnegan; the Byakugan can also evolve into the Tenseigan. They all originate from the Six Paths Sage and his younger brother, Ōtsutsuki Hamura."
Orochimaru said with slight disappointment, "These are just Legends."
"What if I told you that Fugaku has already awakened the Mangekyo, and there are others in the Ninja World who possess the Rinnegan?"
Orochimaru's breathing hitched slightly: "Then the Nine-Tails Attack was..."
"It wasn't Fugaku, it was another pair of Mangekyo." Owl interrupted him.
"As for whose hands the Rinnegan is in... Lord Orochimaru, my intelligence is not given away for free."
Orochimaru looked deeply at Owl, slowly suppressing his surging thirst for knowledge: "Your name?"
"Owl."
Orochimaru made a "please" gesture, his attitude having shifted to one of equal partnership.
"How to achieve Eternal Life?"
Owl held up a finger: "The Key."
"Whether it is the Rinnegan or the Tenseigan, they are all Keys. Before you obtain the Key, you cannot achieve Eternal Life."
"But the Key that opens his door cannot open ours."
Orochimaru looked thoughtful and motioned for Owl to continue.
"If you can observe how this Key is made, and you have the Raw Materials, can you learn how to make the Key yourself?"
Hearing such a question, Orochimaru confidently licked his face with his tongue.
"Naturally, I can."
Orochimaru was arrogant, but that arrogance stemmed from his confidence.
People involved in Scientific Research inherently possess a certain pride.
Owl's meaning was clear: don't covet other people's keys; give him the method of making the Key, and he can make one of his own.
Given Orochimaru's pride, he naturally wouldn't back down at this moment.
"Do you have a plan?"
Owl nodded slightly: "Of course I have a plan. First, tell me what Secret Jutsu Experiments you are currently conducting."
Last time Orochimaru only mentioned Chakra activation, but now he stated directly:
"I am currently researching a Flesh Activation Jutsu, as well as the improvement of the Edo Tensei Jutsu created by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, and the transplantation of Senju Hashirama's Wood Release ability..."
He then explained them in detail.
Owl felt satisfied upon hearing this; based on the intelligence he possessed, Orochimaru was indeed researching these things.
Although he didn't understand the technology, his perspective was much broader than Orochimaru's.
"Your current research: Flesh Activation, Edo Tensei, Wood Release transplantation... the direction is correct, but the methods can be optimized."
Owl pointed out directly, "Take the 'Curse Mark,' for example. It relies on consuming Life Force to maintain itself, which ultimately limits its widespread use. Why not absorb energy externally, like the inexhaustible Natural Energy?"
Orochimaru was slightly surprised: "You know about Sage Mode?"
Owl did not answer the question directly:
"The gate to 'Eternal Life' is very heavy. Even if we have the Key, it's not enough; we need enough 'strength' to push this door open."
Orochimaru looked pensive.
"You can draw inspiration from the Sage Mode of the Three Great Holy Lands: Ryūchi Cave, Shikkotsu Forest, and Mount Myōboku. However, I believe your current priority should be Limb Transplantation Technology."
"Oh?"
Orochimaru listened to Owl and asked curiously, "The success rate for transplanting Wood Release ability is very low; it cannot be done on a large scale."
Owl sighed: "Too shallow, Orochimaru, you're thinking too simply."
"What I mean by important is the capability for limb transplantation."
"Although the success rate is low when you create limbs imbued with Wood Release."
"But when you create ordinary limbs, the success rate is high."
"If I give you ten million, can you clone a pair of arms?"
Orochimaru seemed to understand somewhat: "Ten million is enough."
He shook his head, not intending to keep him guessing: "Now, there is an Elite Jonin who has lost both arms and can no longer be a ninja."
"Would I be willing to spend ten million to buy a pair of arms!?"
Orochimaru let out a hoarse laugh; he now understood Owl's Method of Making Money.
The value an Elite Jonin holds and the benefits he can create are naturally incomparable to ten million.
During the Three Great Ninja Wars, many ninjas died, and even more lost limbs.
Owl said dismissively, "That's not all. Is there a chance of failure when making the arms?"
"It wouldn't be excessive to charge for three attempts, would it?"
"As you manufacture limbs, doesn't your technology improve? And doesn't the cost decrease at the same time?"
"With this much money and experience in limb manufacturing, can you later develop Limb Cloning? Or even Human Body Manufacturing?"
Orochimaru clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Remarkable, truly remarkable."
"You can think so far ahead."
Owl chuckled:
"To put it plainly, Lord Orochimaru simply doesn't know how to market himself. If you put a little effort into this area, the money will just roll in."
"It's certainly more profitable than working yourself to death doing some S-rank Mission."
"Look at Tsunade; she's been gambling everywhere for years and still has money. Isn't it because those Nobles and Royalty wave money at her, begging her to cure their diseases?"
"No matter how powerful Tsunade's Medical Ninjutsu is, she can't make missing limbs grow back."
"You cannot let go of such a huge market."
Orochimaru was very intelligent, but compared to someone like Owl, who had been bombarded by the Information Explosion, he was somewhat limited.
Now, with Owl's prompt, his mind instantly cleared, and he regarded Owl even more highly.
"No wonder you wanted me to build up my reputation."
"And what do you want to gain?"
Owl pointed to the Forehead Protector on his brow: "What I want is for you, once you succeed in the future, to research a method to break the Caged Bird Seal for me."
"Furthermore, I have a grudge against Kumogakure. This Peace Negotiation... probably won't be peaceful."
Orochimaru looked at Owl with great seriousness: "The intelligence you have provided is absolutely worth this price."
Owl replied, "That's about it for now. We can discuss the rest later."
Orochimaru nodded slightly. He knew some things couldn't be rushed; at least his Base needed to be built first.
"If there is any valuable intelligence, I will have Anko contact you again."
After speaking, Owl's Shadow Clone quickly left the location.
Orochimaru watched Owl's departing figure, feeling that this meeting was very worthwhile... After confirming no one was around, Owl released the Transformation Jutsu and returned to his original appearance.
He invested the newly acquired 6 enhancement points:
Bloodline Limit +Level 4 → +Level 5.
Owl only felt a cool sensation in his right Byakugan.
Weapon +Level 2 → Weapon +Level 3 (Cannot be upgraded due to Physical Limitations).
swift lightning bow → po jun bow. flowing light arrow → stone piercing arrow.
po jun bow: Power is magnificent; one Arrow is like a heavy hammer, capable of splitting mountains and cracking stones. Effective range 2500.
The bow arms are thick like blades, made of black iron, and the whole structure is filled with a sense of unyielding power.
The stone piercing arrow is like a short spear; the arrowhead is a heavy conical Cast Iron, and the shaft is thick, designed specifically for destruction.
He test-fired one Arrow, and a tree trunk five hundred meters away was pierced instantly.
Owl put away his bow with satisfaction.
It seems that for this template to upgrade the bow's level, his body must be able to keep up.
The Arrow count displayed 199/200.
"Time to go back."
...