In the blink of an eye, another month passed quietly, and snow began to fall in Konoha. Orochimaru successfully took over the work of Root and invited Minato to the base. This is Minato Namikaze, my assistant. From now on, he is allowed to enter here without hindrance, Orochimaru said indifferently to the group of subordinates in front of him.
This child looks like he's only five or six years old... The subordinates were curious, but no one questioned Orochimaru's order. Anbu is that kind of place; you only need to execute orders. It's best not to know things you shouldn't, or you might be silenced. The things Root handles are even more unspeakable; it can be said to be the Anbu within the Anbu. Especially after Danzo's death, many dirty secrets were exposed. Those who could be selected for Root at this time were all people who knew their place.
May I ask, Captain? The leading Ninja hesitated. How should this person's identity be verified?
Without Orochimaru needing to speak, a dazzling light blossomed from Minato's fingertips. I thought you would use the other one, Orochimaru chuckled.
Minato shook his head. Wood Release wasn't safe; who knew if an experimental subject with successfully transplanted Hashirama cells might pop up, but the ability of the Glint-Glint Fruit was unique to him. Let's go. Let me take you to see more possibilities for choice.
The two walked toward the depths of the base. Although Root had changed personnel, the base's location remained unchanged because Minato had only destroyed the external entrance area; the deeper sections were unaffected. After clearing the Wood Release Minato had left behind, the small fortune Danzo had painstakingly accumulated fell entirely into Orochimaru's hands.
The two arrived at a quiet room. The environment inside was dim, the temperature a bit low, and the flames in the oil lamps on the walls flickered unsteadily. No electric lights? Minato asked.
Click! Just as he finished speaking, Orochimaru turned on the lights and sat on a low platform. This was originally Danzo's lounge. I said there was something wrong with his head, and it wasn't without reason. As he spoke, he casually turned on the air conditioner.
Minato glanced at the air conditioner, then, sensing something was off, glanced again. An air conditioner?! So the Ninja World actually has this kind of heating equipment! Then what was the point of me freezing all this time?
In his previous life, there were always complaints online about the technology in the Ninja World, but after truly transmigrating, Minato found that the technological development of the Ninja World wasn't as skewed as people said; it still followed its own laws of development. The technological level during the Sengoku period was indeed backward. With the establishment of the Hidden Village system, the mode of warfare changed from individual, continuous small-scale battles to large-scale warfare requiring long-term stable development and arms races. Although wars became more tragic, in reality, the Ninja World's economy, livelihood, and technology had changed more in the last thirty years than in the previous several hundred years.
The fastest-growing areas were the capitals of various countries and the Hidden Villages. If you left Konoha for other towns, you would find that even in the wealthiest Land of Fire, many places didn't even have electric lights. This is the information I've collected using Root's channels during this time. Take a look first, Minato-kun.
Orochimaru took out a scroll. Minato reached out to take it, opened it, and scanned the contents. The scroll recorded many rumors of the Ninja World, including those about the Six Paths Sage and research directly or indirectly pointing to clues about immortality. Earth Grudge Fear of Takigakure, the rumors of the Jashin in the Land of Hot Springs, the Box of Ultimate Bliss of Kusagakure, the Edo Tensei, the Spirit Transformation Technique, research on Hashirama cells, the possibility of cell activation research, legends of the Six Paths Sage, and information on the traces of the various clans descending from the Six Paths... After looking through them, Minato lightly tapped his finger on Edo Tensei. Can this technique summon the Souls of the dead from a place called the Pure Land?
Yes, but it requires a sacrifice. Orochimaru chuckled. Is there someone you want to see, Minato-kun?
Minato shook his head and pointed at the Spirit Transformation Technique instead. This technique allows a Soul to leave the body?
That's right, Orochimaru nodded.
So, Souls truly exist? Minato asked.
Of course. Would you like to see for yourself, Minato-kun? Orochimaru said readily. Edo Tensei is a Ninjutsu invented by the Second Hokage. Danzo inherited the Second's research legacy, which included the Edo Tensei.
No rush for that... Minato tapped his index finger on the table. I was thinking, since human Souls can be summoned, could they be, in some form... forcibly kept back, preventing them from going to the Pure Land?
Orochimaru let out a strange laugh and excitedly licked his lips. We really do speak the same language, Minato-kun.
So Senior thinks this method is feasible? Minato asked, though he already knew the answer in his heart.
Theoretically, there is a certain feasibility, but it requires a lot of experimentation. First, the connection between the Soul and the Physical Body must be clarified, and second... the choice of a vessel to carry the Soul. Orochimaru glanced at Minato. Besides Soul transfer, can you find any other possibilities, Minato-kun?
This Earth Grudge Fear, it can keep the body young by plundering hearts?
The user turns into a monster covered in black hair; personally, I find it hard to accept. Moreover, this technique only excels in cell activation.
Actually, you're not much better than Kakuzu... Minato thought of Orochimaru's White Snake form in the original series and gave an awkward laugh. Rumor has it that the Jashin can make one immortal?
Orochimaru shook his head. One would still die if turned to ash. It's just a type of technique that enhances the body's self-healing ability and forcibly binds the Soul to the Physical Body. However, it has some merit. This technique is somewhat similar to the methods of the Uzumaki Clan. The Land of Hot Springs and Uzushiogakure are not far apart; there might be some connection between them.
Minato nodded thoughtfully. Orochimaru even dared to exploit a bug with the Shinigami; if Hidan's immortality really was related to Jashin, with Orochimaru's personality as a research fanatic, he wouldn't have let that guy go. In the Naruto world, the only god confirmed to exist and who has appeared is the Shinigami, and it cannot actively interfere with the world of the living. So even if a Jashin truly exists, it is likely an existence similar to the Shinigami.
Actually... when I saw you possessed two types of Bloodline Limits, I was thinking, what would happen if all the Bloodline Limits in this world were gathered into a single body? A flash of fanaticism appeared in Orochimaru's eyes as he proposed another research direction.
Minato felt this was a very good research direction. Although unrealistic, if one gathered the Bloodlines of the descendants of the Six Paths Sage and added the genes of the lineage on the moon, could an artificial Otsutsuki really be created? Although it wouldn't directly grant immortality, it would bring one closer to that possibility. Looking at those pure-blooded Otsutsuki, they had lifespans of at least several thousand years; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to spend a thousand years traversing the Universe.
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