Chapter 502: She Already Mastered It Completely?
Although Orochimaru seemed like someone who didn't care about emotions, that didn't mean he failed to understand them.
After all, in the original story, he was one of the biggest "human traffickers" around when it came to recruiting people. His gift for persuasion was no weaker than Naruto's famous Talk no Jutsu.
So giving Amado a grand vision of the future and motivating him to devote himself to the research was perfectly reasonable.
"With this material as evidence, combined with all of our previous experiments, we can finally explain how the Impure World Reincarnation works."
Orochimaru continued speaking.
Earlier, Shiromo had proposed the "Law of Conservation of Energy Hypothesis".
A hypothesis.
Because, as had already been discussed, the fundamental laws of different worlds weren't necessarily identical. You couldn't simply copy scientific principles from one world and assume they worked everywhere.
Even so, nearly everything they had observed, including how the Ōtsutsuki Clan traveled the universe planting God Trees, draining planets of energy, and harvesting Chakra Fruits, supported that hypothesis.
The only thing Orochimaru had never been able to explain was where the endless resurrection and infinite chakra of the Impure World Reincarnation actually came from.
It was like standing in a game's healing fountain where your health and mana regenerated forever.
But where did the fountain's energy come from?
Now they finally had an answer.
Maybe not the entire answer, but at least a significant portion of that energy came from natural energy.
Not natural energy in the sense of Sage Mode, where it's simply harnessed, but rather like the Ten-Tails' Divine Tree, which converts natural energy into chakra.
That also proved their earlier decision had been the correct one.
They couldn't keep using the Impure World Reincarnation without limits.
For Shiromo, natural energy came from far more than just the ninja world. It existed throughout the universe. Even sunlight counted as natural energy.
But for the basic form of the Impure World Reincarnation, and for everyone else in the ninja world, natural energy meant only what existed on the planet itself.
It looked inexhaustible.
But no resource stayed endless once enough people started consuming it.
Especially now that Sage Mode was going to be promoted throughout the ninja world. Both the living and the dead would be competing for the same natural energy.
In the past, natural energy was something that almost nobody used. Its only real role was like oil—left there for the "mold" (the Ōtsutsuki Clan) to covet, waiting for them to invade and seize it.
Now things were different.
Everyone could use it.
And since it was also the key to resisting the Ōtsutsuki Clan, they would have to regulate its use.
"But this shortcut is just too shameless. Uzumaki Naruto has completely disgraced Konoha. He's just a child—how is his head filled with nothing but ideas like this?"
In the end, Senju Tobirama couldn't hold back and cursed under his breath.
Every jutsu he had created was mysterious, elegant, and impressive.
Yet Uzumaki Naruto was about to spread this shameless Sage Mode shortcut across the entire ninja world.
Soon everyone would know about it.
And everyone would know it had come from a ninja trained by Konohagakure.
Even worse, Naruto's shortcut required combining it with the Shadow Clone Jutsu that Tobirama himself had invented.
Not only was it shameless, it dragged him into it too.
"Second Hokage-sama, I think you're mistaken."
Orochimaru shook his head and disagreed.
"What? I'm mistaken?"
Tobirama frowned.
For a moment, he couldn't even tell which part of what he had just said Orochimaru was objecting to.
Was it that Naruto had embarrassed Konoha?
Or something else?
"It's perfectly normal for Naruto's mind to be full of things like that. Jiraiya is the perfect example."
"...?"
Tobirama froze.
He hadn't expected Orochimaru's focus to go in that direction.
"Wait, Orochimaru. You shouldn't care about that sort of thing at all, should you?"
He genuinely hadn't expected Orochimaru to think that way.
He was even speaking up for Jiraiya.
Based on all the time they had spent together, Tobirama had always thought Orochimaru was even more extreme than he was.
Tobirama had simply remained unmarried his whole life.
If circumstances had required him to marry and have children, he wouldn't have resisted very much.
But Orochimaru was different.
He truly had no interest whatsoever.
Even in the future, the son he had was created entirely through genetic technology.
"I don't care about it. That doesn't mean I can't understand it."
As Orochimaru organized the materials on the table, he calmly explained, "Second Hokage-sama, I originally studied genetics in pursuit of immortality. During that period, I discovered a phenomenon, or perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a truth."
"What truth?"
"Humans or rather every living creature is born to accomplish only two things: eat and reproduce."
"Or perhaps only for reproduction."
"Eating merely allows a creature to survive long enough to reproduce."
"In the end, everything exists for the continuation of its genes."
"So for a normal human or any normal living organism to think about those things is completely natural."
"You don't need to blame Naruto."
Orochimaru spoke with complete seriousness.
This theory also existed in the world of Shiromo's previous life.
The fact that Orochimaru had independently reached the same conclusion suggested that the ninja world possessed a similar biological foundation.
Of course, that didn't necessarily mean the two worlds were exactly the same.
There were bound to be exceptions.
After all, this world contained immortal species.
The Ōtsutsuki Clan had no desire whatsoever to pass on their genes.
What they pursued was only their own eternal life.
Naturally, they had no interest in "those kinds of activities."
That also explained why Kaguya had appeared in the ancient ninja world as someone who practiced absolute abstinence.
Compared to humans or even other living creatures in the ninja world, Kaguya truly was an anomaly.
Orochimaru had made a convincing argument.
Unfortunately, Tobirama shattered his theory with a single merciless sentence.
He didn't bring up the Ōtsutsuki Clan, as Shiromo had expected.
Instead, he said, "So Naruto and Sasuke's bond is also for the sake of passing on their genes? Exactly how are they supposed to do that? Are you planning to help them?"
"..."
After that exchange, the laboratory once again plunged into an intense new round of research.
As soon as Shiromo left the laboratory, several people came looking for him and led him to an open area outside the village.
This was a training ground specially prepared for jinchūriki.
Fū and Rin both trained here.
Normally, no one else was allowed anywhere near the area to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
The reason Fū and Rin had come looking for Shiromo was because the Tailed Beasts inside them had received news from Naruto's Tailed Beast clone about Jinchūriki learning Sage Mode.
They wanted to ask Shiromo for the details.
"Didn't I already give you that stone? How's your progress?"
Shiromo looked at Fū in confusion.
The last time she fought Hanabi, she had already displayed some unusual abilities.
Something similar to Spider Mān's failed insect-like danger sense, allowing her to dodge attacks instinctively.
Even while handling more important matters, Shiromo hadn't forgotten to give each of them a Keystone first.
At this point, everyone except Rin had one.
Rin's main task was mastering the controllable Heavy Particle Mode, and since she had joined later, she hadn't received one yet.
"Um... I completely mastered it the day before yesterday."
Fū lowered her head and answered quietly.
"What?"
Shiromo thought he had misheard.
What did she mean by completely mastered it?
Had she secretly become this much of an overachiever?
And why was Fū speaking so softly?
What was going on?
Had Hanabi treated Fū so much like an older sister that she somehow transferred Hinata's personality onto her?
Where had the cheerful jinchūriki gone?
(End of this chapter)