Starts In Konoha: Unlocking Shadow Clone

"Sigh…"

Naruto looked at Jiraiya, wanting to say something but stopping himself, and finally sighed.

'I'd explained several times already that I wasn't showing off, but they just didn't get it.'

Naruto didn't have the energy to explain any further.

"I'm not joining you guys for research today. I've got a few things to do, so I'll be leaving first."

With that, Naruto stood up and left the Ichiraku Ramen.

With Jiraiya and Kakashi clearly unable to help him improve, Naruto decided he was better off doing some serious training on his own and sign in at other locations.

He was walking aimlessly on the street when suddenly, a deep, magnetic voice called him.

"Naruto-kun, why are you so listless?"

Turning his head, Naruto's eyes immediately lit up with joy. The one who called him is Orochimaru, who in disguise as Kusano Ten.

"Just dealing with some frustrating stuff. But it's great to see you, let's go chat at your place."

Compared to Jiraiya and Kakashi, Naruto held higher expectations for Orochimaru's insights.

"Alright!"

Sensing Naruto's urgency, Orochimaru postponed his other plans and led Naruto back to his inn at a brisk pace.

As for the Anbu surveillance, they'd been withdrawn ever since Naruto made Sandaime his servant.

Before long, they arrived at the inn.

Sitting on a chair, Orochimaru asked with interest, "With Sensei's protection, Naruto-kun, what sort of trouble could you possibly encounter?"

Naruto sighed and said, "It's still the same issue… I'm worried about the unknown, formidable enemies."

Hearing this, Orochimaru's expression grew solemn, "What made you suddenly think about this? Did you uncover something?"

"That's right."

Naruto took out the Byakugan contact lenses from the system inventory, put them on, and activated his Byakugan.

"Byakugan? Naruto-kun, you're full of surprises… every time I see you, you've acquired something new. One of the Three Great Dojutsu, no less."

Orochimaru's eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise, "Though, from what I've gathered, while the Byakugan is strong, it's still a bit lacking compared to the Sharingan. So, what's the issue?"

Naruto chose his words and said, "I just recently acquired the Byakugan and am still in the process of studying it. But I've found that, contrary to popular belief, the Byakugan isn't inferior to the Sharingan. You know, the Byakugan was passed down by the Otsutsuki Clan. Do you think Otsutsuki Clan's Byakugan would be weak?"

"What exactly are you implying?" Orochimaru's brow furrowed.

Naruto explained, "Right now, my Byakugan allows me to see Chakra Pathways and the flow of chakra. But if it is developed further, it could unlock even greater abilities… such as seeing through others' thoughts, or even glimpsing their fate!"

"Fate? If that's true, it's too terrifying. But everything you're saying is still just a theory. Is there really such a need to be so tense right now?" Orochimaru said in doubts.

Naruto snorted coldly, narrowed his eyes and said, " You say there's no need to worry, but I noticed your heartbeat spiked for a moment there. By analyzing your heartbeat frequency, I can determine if you're lying. With enough training, seeing through someone's thoughts will absolutely be achievable. Now, do you still think reading fate is just a myth?"

"This…"

Orochimaru fell silent for a moment. Naruto's reasoning was sound and he really can't refute it.

Naruto removed the Byakugan contact lenses and replaced them with Sharingan ones, then continued, "Not only that, but since my Sharingan has already reached the Mangekyo Sharingan, I found that frequent use of the Mangekyo Sharingan will cause blindness. The only solution is to replace it with someone else's Mangekyo Sharingan, thus evolving it into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. Since the Sharingan can be merged and enhanced, can the Byakugan also fuse and evolve?"

Naruto had no choice but to speak in this roundabout way. Naruto couldn't directly reveal the existence of his system, so he had to carefully guide Orochimaru to grasp the potential of the Byakugan through hints and examples.

Seeing Orochimaru's face darken, his brows furrowed, Naruto knew he had gotten through to him.

The room fell into a tense silence.

After a long while, Orochimaru finally let out a slow exhale and murmured, "If that's the case, the Byakugan's power cannot be underestimated. If the Otsutsuki Clan still exists, they might have already attained unimaginable power. Facing an enemy who could see through everything about you before the fight even starts… defeat would be inevitable."

Orochimaru couldn't help but recall the sensation of being seen through by Itachi's Sharingan, that helpless feeling of exposure that was impossible to escape.

"That's exactly my predicament. I came to you to discuss any possible solutions, otherwise, we might as well wait for death." Naruto sighed.

Orochimaru nodded thoughtfully and said, "Right now, I have two potential strategies."

'Huh?'

Hearing this, Naruto was stunned, 'Sure enough, Orochimaru was more reliable than Jiraiya. He actually came up with a solution so quickly.'

Naruto prompted eagerly, "Let's hear them."

Orochimaru raised one finger and said, "First, since you already have the Mangekyo Sharingan, you could try to acquire Itachi's Sharingan and merged them into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. With my cooperation in research and development, maybe I can improve the Sharingan to its ultimate state and use it to deal with the Otsutsuki's Byakugan."

Raising the second finger, Orochimaru continued, "Second, since you already have the Byakugan, you can go collect more Byakugan from the Hyuga Clan. If you succeed in fusing them, your Byakugan may be able to compete with the Otsutsuki Clan's Byakugan. Plus, you have Kyubi inside you, so you might even surpass the Otsutsuki Clan."

After hearing Orochimaru's ideas, Naruto felt a wave of clarity.

'There was no denying it… Orochimaru's methods were practical, feasible, and grounded in reality.'

'It was really worthwhile to discuss things with a strategist like Orochimaru.'

"You're really something, Orochimaru."

Naruto said, giving him a thumbs-up.

Orochimaru waved off the compliment, "If not for your strong foundation, I'd have been hard-pressed to devise anything at all, Naruto-kun. By the way, what is the ability of your Mangekyo Sharingan?"

Orochimaru recalled that each Mangekyo granted unique abilities, like Itachi's Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu, each formidable in its own right.

Naruto did not hide it and replied directly, "My Mangekyo only has one ability, and that is Absolute Copy."

"Absolutely Copy?"

Orochimaru frowned slightly, unimpressed by the concept.

The Sharingan could already replicate Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and Taijutsu. Kakashi can even replicate thousands of Ninjutsu with only three tomoe Sharingan. As the more advanced Mangekyo, copying sounds too weak.

Naruto clarified, "Each of my eyes can replicate any ability, including Kekkei Genkai and even Kekkei Tota."

"What?!"

Hearing this, Orochimaru shot up, finally unable to contain his astonishment.

"Naruto-kun, are you saying that if you wanted, you could replicate Itachi's Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi with each eye?"

"Exactly."

Naruto nodded slightly, "However, Itachi's abilities are far too ordinary for my taste. I have never thought about replicating them. After all, my Sharingan can only copy an ability once, and it's permanent and cannot be replaced."

Orochimaru was speechless for a moment. He felt that Naruto was really good at underplaying things. But he also felt that what Naruto said was right.

While Itachi's abilities are very strong against ordinary people, they are still not strong enough to deal with the Otsutsuki Clan.

'Wait… to deal with the Otsutsuki Clan?'

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with a sudden realization, "Naruto-kun, I suddenly thought of a good way to deal with the Otsutsuki Clan. It is not only easy, but also absolutely foolproof."

"Oh? Tell me about it." Naruto said, his interest piqued.

Orochimaru smirked darkly and said, "Naruto-kun, what if you use your Mangekyo Sharingan to copy the Otsutsuki's strongest ability?"

Hearing this, Naruto couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow!"

'That would mean that no matter how powerful my opponents were, I'd be able to meet them on equal footing...'