The person who arrived was Hyūga Hizashi, the younger brother of Hyūga Hiashi, the head of the Hyūga Clan.
He was a strong and unique presence at the level of an elite Jōnin. In this battle, his Gentle Fist had also proven to be quite formidable.
Unfortunately, he belonged to the branch family.
Perhaps because he stood at the pinnacle of the branch family—just half a step away from the main house—Hizashi carried a great deal of unresolved frustration.
He often wore a solemn, preoccupied look, not unlike Fugaku Uchiha before the war with Kumogakure: the same bitterness, the same quiet resentment.
But compared to Fugaku, Hizashi's circumstances were even more hopeless. Branded with the cursed Caged Bird Seal, there was simply no future for him—no path forward.
Of course, none of this concerned Orochimaru. He only knew the term Caged Bird—the rest held no meaning to him.
At that moment, Orochimaru was still waiting for the lamp spirit's answer, and he had no interest in idle chatter. Before Hizashi could even speak, Orochimaru turned to him coldly and asked,
"You. What do you want?"
Hizashi tensed, but to Orochimaru's surprise, he didn't back down. After bowing slightly, he spoke directly, as if completely unaware of Orochimaru's foul mood.
In truth, Hizashi really didn't notice. His focus was elsewhere—and Orochimaru's demeanor was often unpredictable, so the added chill went unnoticed.
"Lord Orochimaru, I overheard your conversation with the elders outside the medical room..."
Hizashi took a deep breath, suppressing the eagerness in his eyes, and asked cautiously,
"The physical enhancement procedure you mentioned—would it work on someone from the Hyūga Clan?"
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. After a brief moment of silence, a glint of amusement passed through his eyes as he looked at Hizashi.
"Of course it would. Are you interested?"
Hizashi almost nodded immediately—he desperately wanted it.
During the recent battle with Kumogakure, he had witnessed Orochimaru wield power on par with a tailed beast. That display had shocked him to the core, but more importantly—it awakened a longing.
He had often wondered: If he possessed such strength, would the main family dare to treat him with such disdain?
He didn't know the answer for sure. But at the very least—they would hesitate.
A procedure that could enhance his physical abilities? One that could be bought with money?
It sounded like a dream.
At last, he got the confirmation he'd hoped for. His eyes burned with hope—but Orochimaru's next words snuffed it out in an instant.
"The procedure works on you, yes. But I won't perform it."
"Why not?!" Hizashi blurted out, unable to contain his frustration. He didn't believe for a moment that it was because of the village elders' disapproval.
Everyone knew Orochimaru's reputation. Most assumed he was secretly conducting human experiments already.
Orochimaru gave a mocking smile.
"Let's set aside the fact that the procedure costs 35 million ryō—a fortune you clearly don't have. And forget about the problems I'd face if the operation failed...
Even if we skipped all that—why should I take the risk for you?"
Orochimaru looked at Hyūga Hizashi meaningfully and said,
"So you've succeeded. Your strength has grown. And then?"
"Do you really think the Hyūga Clan will reward you for it? No—what they'll feel is that their authority is being threatened."
"A wise leader offers both kindness and strength... but tell me, do you think the elders of your clan are wise?"
Hizashi's face turned pale. His body trembled as if he had just taken a crushing blow to the chest.
"See? You already know the answer." Orochimaru's voice was calm, but sharp.
"If I perform the enhancement procedure on you, it will only deepen the rift within the Hyūga Clan."
He gave a cold smile.
"That's unacceptable. I need a stable Konoha more than I need a bit of money."
Hizashi stood frozen, his expression vacant and lifeless. He looked utterly defeated, like a frostbitten flower in winter.
He murmured,
"...I see..."
It wasn't the risk of the surgery, nor the consequences of failure that held him back.
It was the simple fact that—for the sake of the village's stability alone—his opportunity could be denied.
Orochimaru's blunt honesty left Hizashi no room for illusion. The truth he had long ignored now stared him in the face.
Beyond the Caged Bird Seal, beyond the main branch of the clan—there was one more enemy he had to contend with:
The village itself, which tolerated and supported the clan's hierarchy.
And at that moment, Hizashi understood.
Unless he could find a way to challenge the main branch without creating chaos, the village would always side with the main house.
Not out of principle.
Not because it was right.
But because stability mattered more than justice.
His eyes grew hollow, and his expression slowly crumbled into despair.
There's nothing heavier than a soul that has given up. And right now, Hizashi had given up.
Orochimaru studied him with satisfaction, then glanced toward the nearby Lamp God, asking idly,
"Is this enough? In this state, can he repay my debt?"
"Of course," the Lamp God replied with a faint smile.
"As I've said before: 'The only thing that can balance the value of a wish... is another wish.'"
Orochimaru thought for a moment.
"That doesn't sound too difficult."
With his talents, fulfilling a few wishes—maybe even hundreds—was hardly an issue.
Just off the top of his head: Shisui's wish to regain his eyesight.
Uchiha Shinsuke's desire for power.
He could grant all of them.
Orochimaru's thoughts began to whirl with possibilities.
But the Lamp God cut in sharply,
"You're underestimating things. Not all thoughts can be called 'wishes'."
He gave Orochimaru a sideways glance and scoffed,
"Thoughts are like stones—unless they are polished by obsession, sleepless nights, longing... they remain just that. Stones. Only some become pearls. Only then do they become true wishes."
"Do you think everyone in this world is like you?"
That comment sobered Orochimaru slightly. He now understood—not all desires counted. There was a standard.
"Hizashi's wish does qualify," the Lamp God continued.
"But even if the wish is real, the difficulty of realizing it still matters."
He pointed to the dazed Hizashi.
"What do you think his real wish is?"
Orochimaru paused, but the Lamp God continued without waiting.
"He wants the surgery. He wants to grow stronger. He wants the clan to stop humiliating him..."
"But these are surface-level. Hizashi's true wish is far deeper: he wants the Hyūga Clan's main and branch families to stand as equals."
"Can you grant that?"
Orochimaru frowned.
If it were just one person in the branch house, he had ways. But the entire structure of the Hyūga Clan?
That was an entirely different problem.
Selfish desires were easy. Changing the system? That was a hundred times harder.
He understood immediately—this wish was nearly impossible.
"So you realize it too."
The Lamp God nodded calmly.
"The Caged Bird Seal is the foundation of the clan's rule. It's also the root of their internal oppression. Can you truly abolish it?"
"Without it, the entire Hyūga Clan would become a ticking time bomb—wielding dōjutsu without restraint."
"Forget the main house; even the branch family would resist that. For their own safety."
"When it comes to life or death, what value does dignity really hold?"
"The food chain within the Hyūga Clan is rigid and well-established. There are those who eat, and those who are eaten. Equality has no place in it."
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