Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 170 Ninja World Secrets 3

How could someone whose very cells are brimming with vitality die so easily from excessive energy depletion or the torment of illness? It wasn't until Hyuga Kanan enlightened Orochimaru that he finally understood.

Even more coincidentally, just as Hashirama Senju passed away, the Fourth Shinobi World War erupted once again like a volcano, its scale and ferocity surpassing even the Warring States period. Moreover, every ten years or so, as a new generation of young ninjas rose and grew stronger, a new Fourth Shinobi World War would follow. Was all of this truly caused by simple hatred between the various ninja villages? Perhaps such factors did exist, but these emotions alone could not possibly sustain such a frequent outbreak of war.

As one of the former high-ranking members of Konoha, Orochimaru, after being reminded of this, was able to perceive with a more acute and profound perspective that behind every large-scale conflict in the ninja world, there seemed to be some kind of manipulation.

However, what motives and intentions lie hidden behind this? Orochimaru was deeply perplexed. What benefits would instigating a war between ninjas bring to the manipulator lurking in the shadows? He pondered deeply, but could not unravel the intricate connections.

Logically speaking, if the goal is to enhance chakra, ninjas should live longer so they can refine more powerful chakra! Why are they being forced to kill each other?

Orochimaru stared at Hyuga Kanan across from him with suspicion, thinking to himself, "He must know something inside, and perhaps he can solve this mystery for me." Sure enough, when Hyuga Kanan noticed the probing look in Orochimaru's eyes, he was already somewhat certain—Orochimaru probably didn't know the real purpose behind the mastermind's instigation of the ninjas to kill each other.

In fact, even Hyuga Kanan herself was initially completely baffled by this. However, after the World Will helped her refine the soul energy of those ninjas, and after he realized that the souls of the ninjas were not devoured by the World Will after they died in battle, he gradually guessed the true intentions of the person behind the scenes after some thought.

"Orochimaru-senpai, I think you must have heard of the Impure World Reincarnation technique!"

Orochimaru abruptly raised his head, his face filled with shock as he looked at Hyuga Kanan before him, a flicker of surprise rising within him. As one of the legendary Sannin of Konoha, and a master of various forbidden techniques, Orochimaru was naturally intimately familiar with the Impure World Reincarnation technique. This jutsu was created and developed by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, and its mysteries had captivated countless people. Orochimaru had secretly conducted in-depth research into this technique and achieved some success.

Specifically, this technique requires a living person as a sacrifice. Through special means, a connection is established with the soul of the deceased, summoning the spirit to possess the sacrifice's body, thus achieving the rebirth and participation in battle. This is the basic principle of the Impure World Reincarnation technique. However, Hyuga Kanan's sudden mention of this technique at this moment suggests that it might conceal some little-known secrets.

Orochimaru's surprise did not escape Hyuga Kanan's notice. Seeing this, he knew that Orochimaru must have some knowledge of this ninjutsu. So, Hyuga Kanan continued, "As we all know, according to the common sense of the world, when people die, their souls also disappear without a trace. However, what is puzzling is that those ninjas in the ninja world, even after death, can still use the power of ninjutsu to summon their departed souls back to the ninja world, or even bring them back to life. Haven't you ever wondered about this?"

Upon hearing Hyuga Kanan's words, Orochimaru's narrow eyes narrowed slightly, as if he was trying to understand their deeper meaning. His fingers tapped lightly on the table, making a rhythmic sound, indicating that he was pondering something intensely.

Hyuga Kanan sat quietly to the side, observing Orochimaru without uttering a single word. He knew he needed to give Orochimaru enough time and space to think, to let him realize the oddities on his own. Only then would Orochimaru be more likely to accept and believe what he was about to say when he explained again.

Time ticked by, and a heavy atmosphere enveloped the entire hall, as if even the air itself had become heavy. Orochimaru's brows furrowed deeper and deeper, but his eyes grew sharper, as if trying to pierce through the layers of mist to find the truth.

Finally, Orochimaru broke the silence. He slowly raised his head, his gaze fixed intently on Hyuga Kanan, and said, "I think I roughly understand what you mean... However, some details still need further clarification." Hyuga Kanan was overjoyed, knowing that his plan was half successful. As long as he could successfully answer Orochimaru's questions, he could make him completely believe everything he said, without having to spend any more time verifying it.

Hyuga Kanan took a deep breath, preparing to explain her views and discoveries to Orochimaru in detail. Just then, a gentle breeze blew by, lifting a corner of the curtains, and sunlight streamed into the room, illuminating their figures. In this brief moment of light and warmth, they would together uncover a long-hidden secret.

"What is the most significant difference between ninjas and ordinary people? The answer lies in the ninja's ability to control chakra. Everyone knows that chakra is formed by the fusion of physical and mental energy within the human body. However, why is it that no matter how hard people try, they can never refine chakra? Could it be that they truly lack these two energies? Absolutely not! Every normal person possesses both physical and mental energy, only their strength is slightly inferior. Moreover, the energy contained within an adult, both mentally and physically, must far surpass that of children still in ninja academies! Yet these children can successfully refine chakra, while ordinary adults are powerless. Isn't that deeply astonishing?"

When Orochimaru faced Hyuga Kanan's question, he was once again stunned. "Indeed! If chakra truly originates from the fusion of physical and spiritual energy, then why are some people unable to refine it even after exhausting all their resources?" he pondered to himself. This question, like a fog, lingered in his mind, leaving him utterly perplexed.

"Actually, when I first refined chakra, I discovered an extremely serious and crucial problem—the chakra contained the will of another!" Hyuga Kanan stated directly to Orochimaru without hesitation. Upon hearing Hyuga Kanan's first sentence, Orochimaru was utterly shocked, as if a tidal wave had surged within him. However, he remained calm and did not interrupt Hyuga Kanan's narration.

"After a long period of meticulous observation of ninjas from various clans, I was astonished to discover that everyone who successfully refined chakra possessed chakra imbued with the will of another stranger. Moreover, these incorporated wills were universal…" Their auras all belonged to the same person. Therefore, I immediately abandoned my chakra refinement efforts.

Hyuga Kanan stopped speaking at this point, hoping Orochimaru could carefully consider and digest the information he had just received, while also giving him some time to process his emotions. However, at this moment, Orochimaru's mind was a tangled mess.

Upon hearing the astonishing fact that "a ninja's chakra actually contains the will of others," Orochimaru was extremely confused and shocked—what was even more unbelievable to him was that these wills all came from the same person! Then, he recalled the scroll about the origin of chakra that Hyuga Kanan had shown him before... All these clues intertwined and pieced together, causing a bold conjecture to gradually emerge in Orochimaru's mind.

However, it was this unconfirmed speculation that plunged Orochimaru into deep thought, his mind becoming increasingly chaotic. Faced with such a complex situation, he knew he needed to calm down and immerse himself in it for a while to sort out his thoughts and regain his composure.

Hyuga Kanan stood there silently, waiting for Orochimaru to recover from his shock. He knew Orochimaru possessed extraordinary mental fortitude, capable of quickly adjusting his emotions and regaining his composure and rationality. Time flowed by quietly, as if the entire world had frozen in time.

At this moment, Orochimaru's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, his face contorted in a grimace, and his eyes, devoid of their usual brilliance, had become dull and lifeless. The information Hyuga Kanan had just conveyed to him struck Orochimaru like a thunderbolt. These words, for him, were tantamount to overturning everything he had painstakingly cultivated over the past decades, leaving him completely lost and disoriented about his future path.

However, in some of his past research, Orochimaru had indeed noticed something strange about chakra, even occasionally having the illusion that the chakra he had painstakingly cultivated wasn't entirely under his control. But because he had never delved into this direction, he had never been able to investigate it thoroughly. Now, Hyuga Kanan's words perfectly matched his past feelings, making everything even more perplexing.

Orochimaru's thoughts were in turmoil. The information revealed by Hyuga Kanan struck him like a thunderbolt. All his decades of hard work in training and improving his strength had ultimately benefited someone else.