As soon as Hibari finished speaking, Orochimaru's expression was filled with curiosity and confusion. Although he would discover many truths through his continuous research and exploration in the future, he was still in the early stages at this point. He hadn't been a shinobi for long and came from a common background, so he knew nothing about the secrets passed down in these great clans. This was the first time he had heard of the 'Sage' Body.
"Sage Body?" Orochimaru first looked confused, then asked, "What is that?"
"It's hard to categorize. If I had to, you could think of it as a 'bloodline,' perhaps a recessive kekkei genkai or something?" Hibari said, stroking his chin.
Then, without waiting for Orochimaru to ask anything, Hibari continued, "And the reason you just asked why only members of the Senju clan can master the Wood Release kekkei genkai, while most people only get 'Mud Release' from fusing 'water' and 'earth' chakra natures... The key to this lies in the 'Sage Body.' Our Senju clan has extremely vigorous vitality, but we're not the only clan like that. The Uzumaki clan of the Uzushiogakure is similar; they are also distant relatives of ours. The difference is that our Senju clan members also possess some special power. This power may never be fully mastered in a lifetime. Our bloodline is purer. The Wood Release kekkei genkai can only be awakened when this special power is combined with our powerful vitality. That's why I call Wood Release the 'most complex' kekkei genkai."
For Hibari, something like the Sharingan seemed complex, but its essence was simple: a fusion plus emotional stimulation. In this regard, the Senju clan's Wood Release was indeed much more complex. Otherwise, Konohagakure wouldn't have failed to replicate it despite putting the entire village's resources into researching it for so long.
Similarly, the number of people who could master it also showed its difficulty. The Sharingan could be mastered by a number of people, and even the Rinnegan could be. But with Wood Release, if it weren't for Hibari's emergence, the only person who could be said to have truly mastered it from beginning to end was Hashirama.
Although Hibari's explanation of Wood Release seemed detailed, it was still a bit vague, and he didn't explain the key points. But Orochimaru also knew that this likely involved many secrets of the Senju clan that Hibari was not at liberty to talk about, so he didn't ask any more questions or feel dissatisfied.
After all, he was just a commoner. It was already a great thing that Hibari was telling him some of this precious knowledge. He was more than grateful; how could he possibly be dissatisfied?
Seeing that Orochimaru was so tactful and didn't ask any more questions, Hibari nodded in satisfaction, then said, "I can't reveal the specific details to you. If you're interested in the future, you can explore it yourself. After all, if I tell you everything, you'll lose the fun of uncovering the truth..."
Orochimaru also nodded and said, "Yes, I think so too. But I'm still a little disappointed."
"Hahahaha, then just enjoy that disappointment. It will be of great benefit to your research." Hibari said with a big laugh.
After a slight pause, Hibari began to tell Orochimaru the 'story' that came after.
"As for the matter of the Shikotsumyaku kekkei genkai, I can't give you a definitive explanation or the truth behind it, but I do have a more reliable theory. It's probably because of this theory that I gained the power of the Shikotsumyaku kekkei genkai." Hibari said softly.
"What theory?" Orochimaru asked again, his curiosity piqued.
"They come from the same origin..." Hibari paused, then said in a deep voice.
"The same origin?" Orochimaru was stunned and repeated the phrase.
"That's right. I haven't told you how I got the Shikotsumyaku kekkei genkai, have I? It's like this: when I went on a mission to the Land of Water, I happened to run into some enemies from the Kaguya clan. As you know, the corpses of these people have a lot of research value, so after I took them down, I brought the corpses back with me..." Hibari smiled and then began to ramble on about what happened back then.
After a long time, after Hibari finished explaining, Orochimaru said in great surprise, "So, just from touching it, Hibari-aniki, you 'fused' with a piece of bone from the Kaguya clan and mastered the Shikotsumyaku kekkei genkai? How is that possible?"
Hibari just spread his hands and said, "Although it seems magical and unbelievable, that's what happened. I'm still in the dark about it myself."
Orochimaru was silent for a moment. After thinking it over, his Hibari-aniki had no reason to lie to him, so he tentatively believed it. He then asked, "What does that have to do with the 'same origin' theory? And what is the 'same origin'?"
A smile appeared on the corner of Hibari's mouth, and he said to Orochimaru, "All of this goes back to the roots of ninja history. You must have heard of the legend of the Sage of Six Paths, right?"
Orochimaru nodded, then said, "Yes, I have. Didn't your Senju clan also seize the 'Six Paths Sage Tools' used by the Gold and Silver Brothers?"
"Yes, so we can skip the introduction of that guy. The legend is pretty much the same as the real story. Anyway, the Sage of Six Paths and his family can be called the 'Otsutsuki Clan.' In theory, their clan should be the origin of shinobi. And the biggest secret is..."
When he got to this part, Hibari paused, and his expression became a little more serious. He looked at Orochimaru and said, "What I'm about to say now is just between you and me. Never mention it to a third person again, got it?"
Orochimaru was stunned for a moment. He then felt a heavy atmosphere in Hibari's words, and at the same time, a warmth flowed in his heart. It was clear that what Hibari was about to tell him was a top-secret secret. This sense of trust made Orochimaru's naturally cold heart feel a little warmer.
He said very seriously, "I understand, Hibari-aniki. I swear..."
"Alright, alright, no need to swear. Just remember it. I trust that you're not a big talker, kid." Hibari said with a laugh, interrupting Orochimaru.
Seeing this, Orochimaru didn't overreact but quickly nodded. He then looked at Hibari, waiting for him to begin talking about the big secret.
"The Gold and Silver Brothers I just mentioned, the reason they were able to use the Six Paths Sage Tools and eat the flesh of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox without dying, and even master the chakra of a Tailed Beast, is because the blood flowing through them is from the Otsutsuki Clan. They are descendants of Hagoromo Otsutsuki..." Hibari said softly.
"Hagoromo Otsutsuki? Who is that?" Orochimaru asked curiously.
"That's the Sage of Six Paths." Hibari glanced at him, then said with a smile.
"The Sage of Six Paths???" Orochimaru was stunned and utterly shocked.
"That's right. Besides that, the Uchiha clan is the same. The Uchiha clan is the descendant of Hagoromo Otsutsuki's elder son, while our Senju clan is the descendant of his younger son. We inherited the 'Sage Body' and the 'Sage Eyes,' respectively. The Hyuga clan, on the other hand, has a bloodline that is even more ancient than ours. They inherited the bloodline of Hagoromo Otsutsuki's brother, Hamura Otsutsuki, and the Byakugan is the symbol of that..." Hibari said with a smile.
After hearing these extremely secret revelations, Orochimaru was completely stunned. After a long time, he finally spoke again, "I can't believe it. I can't believe that the three great clans of our Konohagakure in the Land of Fire are of the same lineage as the Gold and Silver Brothers?"
"Hehehe, that's right. In terms of bloodlines, you could say we're all relatives... And the Kaguya clan is the same, but I don't know whose bloodline they inherited. However, their Shikotsumyaku kekkei genkai, our Senju clan's Sage Body, the Uchiha's Sage Eyes, and the Hyuga's Byakugan all come from the same origin, do you understand?" Hibari said with a smile.
Orochimaru nodded. He now finally understood what Hibari's 'same origin' theory meant.
It meant that the reason Hibari was able to master the Shikotsumyaku kekkei genkai was because the blood flowing through them all had some similarities, more or less.
Thinking of this, Orochimaru asked, "So does that mean the Sage Body is a vessel? Can the Senju clan, who possess the Sage Body, master the kekkei genkai of the Uchiha, Hyuga, and Kaguya clans through fusion? Wouldn't that be too strong?"
However, Hibari waved his hand and shook his head, refuting this claim. He said, "That's not the case. That's why I said it's just a theory and hasn't been proven in practice. I've also done some research on this, and the final result is... I'm just an isolated case. No other member of the Senju clan, including my grandfather, Hashirama, has the ability to become a 'vessel'... The Sage Body is simply a powerful physical trait passed down. As for me, Senju Hibari, I'm probably just special..."
Hibari couldn't tell anyone about the Human-Human Fruit, so he was being vague about it.
After saying that, Hibari paused again, tapped Orochimaru's head, and said, "As for fusing the Sharingan and the Byakugan, that's also an unreliable thing. Isn't it already lucky enough to have gained the Shikotsumyaku kekkei genkai by chance? The Shikotsumyaku belongs to our enemies, but the Uchiha clan and the Hyuga clan are our comrades in the same village. Do you understand what I mean by that?"
That kid Orochimaru was clearly a little reluctant and muttered in a low voice, "If there are any missing-nin from the Uchiha clan in the future, I'll help you take their Sharingan so you can try it out, Hibari-aniki..."
When Hibari heard this, he burst out laughing. Although it was Orochimaru's kindness, the kindness was a little 'chilling.' But Hibari didn't scold him for it. Instead, he stroked his head and said, "Well, I really appreciate that..."
After hearing Hibari's words, Orochimaru also became happy and said, "You've helped me so much, Hibari-aniki. I will definitely repay you!"
After talking for a while longer, Orochimaru's curiosity was finally more or less satisfied. At the same time, Hibari and Orochimaru also cleaned up the battlefield, tidying up anything useful from the corpses and wiping the blood off themselves.
"We've covered the entire Land of Sound, but we didn't find much. Where should we go next?" Hibari said, forming the 'Tiger' hand sign for a Fire Release jutsu and burning the corpses.
Throughout the journey, Hibari had been 'winging it' like this. Orochimaru would give him a direction, and he would protect him and take him there.
After thinking for a moment, Orochimaru said, "Land of Iron. A long time ago, a legend about a samurai who killed the great serpent Yamata no Orochi circulated in the Land of Iron. Perhaps this Yamata no Orochi came from Ryūchi Cave? I want to go there and take a look..."
Hibari nodded. Orochimaru could go wherever he wanted. Although the Land of Sound and the Land of Iron were neighboring countries, the journey was still long. Since they were in the middle of nowhere and were not familiar with the area, it was best not to linger and to get to the Land of Iron quickly.
Thinking of this, Hibari stretched his fingers, and the corners of his mouth curled up. He said with a smile, "Next, I'll let you see my custom summoning beast. It is a creation of our Necro Cult from the 'Necromancy Branch' ninjutsu that I am very proud of!"
Hearing Hibari's words, Orochimaru showed a very interested expression. He was naturally very curious about Hibari's original jutsu, especially custom summoning beasts.
Hibari formed the hand signs for the Summoning Jutsu, then bit his thumb, and a drop of crimson blood flowed out.
Then, Hibari's chakra stirred, and he slammed his hand down on the ground. A massive amount of Summoning Jutsu chakra spread out along the ground.
Then the ground trembled violently, and Orochimaru and Hibari's bodies were suddenly lifted up, as if a giant beast was supporting them from below.
When the smoke cleared, a grotesque skeletal dragon appeared in the middle of the desolate mountains. Many ghostly blue, solid ice crystals were 'embedded' in its body. In its chest cavity, which was made of bones, a tiny heart protected by ghostly blue ice was the only 'flesh' it had on its body.
"Summoning Jutsu: Frost Giant Dragon!" Hibari stood up and said softly, his tone filled with an indescribable smugness.
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