This question made Orochimaru pause slightly.
The Nine Tails Rebellion, to be precise, his relationship with the old man was indeed very tense before he met the divine lamp.
As a disciple, he naturally knew that the Third Hokage and Danzo saw each other as thorns in their sides, yet at that time, he was registered in Root and provided a lot of technical support for it.
Thinking about it now, his state back then was indeed a bit similar to Nagato's current situation.
He did these things as a matter of course, and if it weren't for the divine lamp showing him another possible path, he might have already fallen out with the old man.
After all, a sign of asserting one's existence and beliefs is having differences.
At that time, Konoha could not accommodate his ideals, and he did not intend to leave a place for Konoha on his path.
Thinking of this, Orochimaru couldn't help but laugh and said to Jiraiya, "It is a bit similar, but that was in the past..."
"I know you've changed now." Jiraiya stared with hope, "Do you have a way to make Nagato undergo this change too?"
"I can't do that."
Orochimaru shook his head, and as he met Jiraiya's disappointed gaze, he added, "At least not now."
Nagato now, and his past self, only focused on the present situation and the goals to strive for, without a clear understanding of the process involved.
To put it bluntly, it was being eager for success, impatient for results, arrogant about his unmatched abilities, and unable to tolerate advice from others.
But after encountering the divine lamp himself, his perspective widened, and he understood the vastness of the world. It was then that he began to let go of his arrogance, turned his attention to those he had ignored, and gradually figured out the path to immortality.
How difficult it would be for Nagato to complete this transformation; to defeat him, one would at least need to surpass him in terms of martial strength, which he was most confident in.
Without forcing him to submit through strength, anything said would be meaningless, as Nagato's goals could not be achieved overnight, and there was no way to show results beforehand.
"In any case, this matter ends here."
Orochimaru's expression turned serious, "Konoha now is hostile towards the Kusagakure Ninja and the Akatsuki organization. You need to be mindful of your stance."
"...I know that." Jiraiya sighed, then suddenly remembered something and said,
"The old man asked me to ask you, what is the success rate of the surgery used on the samurai, and can it be used on the ninja in our village?"
"It can be done..." A glint flashed in Orochimaru's eyes. "You don't need to worry about this matter. I will personally speak to the old man when I return to the village."
...
"Hoo..."
Waking up from a dream, Kakashi's consciousness was still hazy, but he had already sat up from the bed.
After sitting there blankly for a moment, he got up, put on his shoes, and went into the bathroom to wash his face.
"Splash..."
The clear water splashed on his face, and the coldness penetrated his nerve endings.
Kakashi looked up, and his wet face appeared in the mirror, looking somewhat blurry.
It was not due to the quality of the mirror itself, nor because of water droplets splashed on it, but simply because it was blurry.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed slightly, and he raised his hand to cover his left eye, and his vision immediately improved.
The Sharingan, which he had always relied on, had now developed a problem, to the point where it was even inferior to that of an ordinary person.
"Using Mangekyo's Dojutsu does indeed cause vision loss, but fortunately, it's not as severe as Shisui's back then."
He was also a witness to the battle with Kumogakure, and he was the one who personally rescued Shisui from the hands of the Raikage and the Gyuki Jinchuriki, so he naturally knew some of the truth.
"However, if I continue to use it, losing my vision is only a matter of time."
In the mirror, Kakashi's expression was somber.
Whether he would use Mangekyo's Dojutsu in the future was another matter, but after awakening it, he clearly felt that this eye placed a heavier burden on his body.
"Thump thump thump..."
A knock on the door interrupted Kakashi's thoughts. He pulled over a towel, casually wiped his face, and quickly walked out of the bathroom, putting on a shirt.
When he opened the door, Kakashi recognized the person and his heart stirred, "Jinsuke, what is it?"
"I'm not looking for you. Orochimaru-sama wants to see you. There are some matters to discuss."
Uchiha Jinsuke did not hide his gaze or the envy on his face.
Mangekyo Sharingan, even he, the second strongest in Uchiha now, had not awakened it, yet an outsider possessed it.
What kind of talent is this?
He didn't consider the possibility of Obito awakening it at a young age, as Obito, even if not called a dead last, was of average quality within the Uchiha Clan.
It was unexpected that he would awaken the Two-Tomoe Sharingan during the Battle of Kannabi Bridge. To awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan from the start? How could that be possible? Even the strongest Uchiha Madara did not have such talent.
Being stared at so intently by Uchiha Jinsuke made Kakashi uncomfortable. He took out his forehead protector from his pocket, tied it diagonally, and said, "Orochimaru-sama is there. I'll go see him now."
"Follow me." Uchiha Jinsuke said no more and led the way.
Before long, the two arrived in front of a medical room on the first floor of the fortress. This time, Uchiha Jinsuke did not knock but directly pushed the door open and walked in, locking it behind Kakashi.
Kakashi paid no mind to Jinsuke's actions, only silently watching Orochimaru sitting on a chair, playing with a long sword.
"As you guessed, I called you here this time because of your Mangekyo Sharingan."
Orochimaru flicked the sword a few times, and amidst the light metallic clang, he looked up slightly and smiled,
"From a rational standpoint, I hope you give up that eye. It's not suitable for you, and even the Sharingan itself is not suitable for you."
"Give it up, and in exchange, I will find you a pair of Byakugan."
"A pair of Byakugan?" Kakashi was a little surprised. Even though he had never thought of giving up Obito's eye, he was quite astonished by the offer Orochimaru made.
Even Uchiha Jinsuke couldn't help but look at Orochimaru a few more times. While he knew the purpose of this trip, he didn't know the specifics of the transaction.
Frankly speaking, compared to the Sharingan, the Byakugan was undoubtedly more versatile and easier to bear. Moreover, if one possessed a pair, their field of vision would instantly increase threefold.
This was a qualitative leap.
And by offering Byakugan so readily, wasn't Orochimaru-sama afraid of the Hyuga clan causing trouble? A clan bloodline, and from the main family at that, would they allow it to be passed on?
... It sounded like a lot of trouble.
However, based on this, Kakashi felt Orochimaru's sincerity.
This was not an attempt to seize his eye; on the contrary, he was thinking of his well-being.
With this thought, Kakashi bowed slightly, "Thank you for your kind intentions, Orochimaru-sama, but this is a memento from a friend, and I cannot give it up."
Over the years, Obito's Sharingan had accompanied him through thick and thin. Take the previous battle, for example; if he hadn't used the Mangekyo Dojutsu, their group might have perished in the encirclement of the Kusagakure Ninja.
The trouble they would face after returning to the village, in Kakashi's opinion, was a responsibility that must be borne. They could think of ways, but they couldn't give up because of it.
"You have given up a very good opportunity."
Orochimaru shook his head slightly. Although he had already known that given Kakashi's personality, this was to be expected, he still felt some regret.
It wasn't that he coveted the ability of this eye so much, but rather that using it against Obito in the future would have been a good strategy.
'Kamui', the ability to freely enter and exit a different dimension, was truly an unreasonable escape ability.
"Fine, as you wish." Orochimaru handed the sword in his hand over, "This is a 'Kusanagi Sword'. Its quality is rather superior. When using that sword technique, there will be no risk of the blade shattering."
Kakashi took the long sword, took a deep breath, and did not refuse. He directly bowed and said, "Thank you, Orochimaru-sama."
"Don't thank me yet. This isn't a gift."
Orochimaru lightly raised the back of his hand, as if holding something, "I'll borrow your Spiritual Transformation Technique to help me send that thing over."
'Swallowing Tail' had not had the chance to return to the Pure Land since it was summoned back during the surgery a year ago.
Now that its main body had become so large, 'Swallowing Tail' appeared much smaller and was in urgent need of further growth.
Kakashi naturally would not refuse.
In fact, apart from thanking Orochimaru, he was also very interested in the Pure Land. The last time he went, it had resolved a major knot in his heart. Perhaps this time he would also meet someone he wanted to see.
With this expectation, Kakashi accepted the small White Snake offered by Orochimaru and directly used the Spiritual Transformation Technique.
Once again, with Orochimaru casting the Summoning Technique, Kakashi's soul entered the Pure Land along with strange souls.
But this time, in almost an instant, he was summoned back.
Returning to his body, Kakashi looked at Orochimaru in confusion.
"That place is still a bit risky for you."
Orochimaru saw Kakashi's confusion and patiently explained,
"If you stay there for too long, your soul will overgrow, leading to a mismatch with your current body..."
This principle was something Orochimaru had recently come to understand.
The same situation had occurred with him, but due to the peculiar nature of his Zanpakuto's abilities, this burden was transferred to the small White Snake.
This burden was absolutely not small. The evidence was that the small White Snake, upon confirming that it would not cause significant harm to the body, immediately lost control and began modifying its body.
Kakashi did not have Zanpakuto abilities, and all growth had to be borne by himself. If not handled carefully, other problems could arise.
"What, is there someone you wish to see?"
Orochimaru's lips curled slightly, "With a bit of a trick, I can summon them from there."
Kakashi was slightly taken aback, then refused, "Let's not do that."
It was one thing for him to risk going to the Pure Land himself, but disturbing the peace of the deceased was after all not a good thing.
"As you wish." Orochimaru did not care. "If there's nothing else, go back. We will return to Konoha tomorrow."
"Yes." Kakashi bowed slightly and was about to take his leave, but Uchiha Jinsuke called out to him.
Kakashi turned around in surprise, his eyes showing some confusion. Uchiha Jinsuke did not look at him but instead asked,
"Orochimaru-sama, Kakashi's eyesight has already started to decline from using Mangekyo Dojutsu. Aren't you going to help him?"
He said this not to help Kakashi, but because he did not wish to see a treasure of the Uchiha clan ruined like this.
And Orochimaru, who had restored Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan's power, definitely had the ability to do so.
"Unfortunately, I cannot do that."
Orochimaru shook his head. "To restore Mangekyo Sharingan's power, one must either become an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan or undergo the original physical enhancement surgery. But it is clear that..."
Orochimaru looked at Kakashi, "This eye has no chance of becoming an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and Kakashi himself does not have the ability to withstand the original physical enhancement surgery."
Although he also possessed Mangekyo Sharingan, unlike Shisui, Kakashi did not have the Uchiha clan's bloodline, so there was no talk of combining Sage's eye with Sage's body. It might even be a hindrance.
"How can this be?" Uchiha Jinsuke murmured.
"Of course, this Mangekyo may not necessarily go blind."
Orochimaru's gaze fell on Kakashi, and he smiled, "Try to use the Mangekyo's abilities as little as possible. That's one aspect. Another is to remember to practice breathing techniques diligently; it will have good effects on your physique and the Mangekyo Sharingan."
The Chakra in the ninja world originates from Ootsuki Kaguya. If one's bloodline and physique are not suitable, let alone Kekkei Genkai, let alone Kekkei Tota, even ordinary five-element Ninjutsu may not be mastered.
But natural energy is different.
This power originating from the planet is the same for all living beings.
The native creatures that still stand at the peak of the ninja world basically occupy a suitable ley line to gain extra growth.
The greatest value of the breathing techniques brought by the divine lamp is that ordinary people can also have the opportunity to cross the former chasm and directly access natural energy.
And natural energy and Chakra are undoubtedly complementary.
The Ootsuki clan traveled the galaxy merely to better absorb the natural energy from the ley lines.
Kakashi listened to Orochimaru's suggestion and nodded, "Yes, I will definitely not slack off on the cultivation of breathing techniques."
Uchiha Jinsuke also left with Kakashi, but he kept the name in mind – breathing techniques.
Before he went to find Kakashi, he had first sought out Orochimaru-sama, naturally regarding the Mangekyo Sharingan.
And according to Orochimaru-sama, the Blood Wheel Eye is already an extremely stable form of Dojutsu. To evolve into Mangekyo Sharingan, the difficulty is one level higher than evolving from a normal Sharingan.
In other words, one could only hope for a miracle.
Uchiha Jinsuke was naturally unwilling to accept this and asked for a long time before he obtained the method of cultivating breathing techniques from Orochimaru.
He originally thought that this was the latter's perfunctory response with ordinary taijutsu, but now it seemed to be a completely different situation.
"I must practice breathing techniques well," Uchiha Jinsuke decided in his heart.
After the previous battle, he had profoundly understood that with his current self alone, he could not influence the course of the battle.
"..."
After the two left the medical room, the divine lamp stuck its head in front of Orochimaru and asked doubtfully, "Strange, I thought you were going to transplant White Zetsu cells to Kakashi."
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