[Meanwhile, At Mount Myoboku]
The moment Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi stepped into Mount Myoboku, they both stopped at the same time, their faces filled with uncontrollable shock.
Everything before them completely overturned their imagination of the immortal realm.
Orochimaru had been to Ryuchi Cave before.
Ryuchi Cave was ancient and gloomy.
In Orochimaru's imagination, Mount Myoboku should have been made up of old caves, towering ancient trees, or giant frog statues.
But reality was the exact opposite.
Not backward, but advanced.
What stood before them were skyscrapers with glass curtain walls reaching into the clouds, glowing suspended railways, holographic screens flashing with blue data, and unmanned aircraft moving through the sky.
Advanced facilities stood between every building.
High-rise buildings filled the area.
This was clearly a city from a future technological age, filled with an order and power that surpassed the common sense of the ninja world.
Kabuto couldn't help but take a sharp breath. His voice trembled slightly.
"So this is... the world created by the Sage of Six Paths?"
"That guy Jiraiya... never told me Mount Myoboku was this advanced..."
Standing beside him, fine beads of sweat appeared on Orochimaru's forehead.
It was hard to imagine that Jiraiya had once trained in sage arts here.
Orochimaru's golden vertical pupils first contracted slightly from shock, then quickly ignited with excited obsession.
He licked his lips, and the corners of his mouth curved into his signature strange smile.
Soon, he suppressed his shock.
This meant he could access scientific knowledge unlike anything he had ever seen before and push his exploration of life to an entirely new level.
Just then, a slight ripple appeared in the air.
A pale figure with a strange smile slowly emerged from the ground. Like someone stepping out of a painting, White Zetsu naturally appeared before them.
"Back then, Jiraiya trained in the outskirts. He never truly understood Mount Myoboku, and he signed a confidentiality agreement."
White Zetsu appeared before them, looking at the two with a smile.
"Outsiders, welcome to Mount Myoboku."
"For mortals like you, this is the immortal realm. From today onward, you are no longer mortals and can no longer interfere in worldly affairs."
"These are your ID cards. The Great Sage already had me prepare them for you."
As he spoke, White Zetsu casually tossed two glowing cards toward Orochimaru and Kabuto.
The two instinctively reached out and caught them. Looking down, they saw their information clearly printed on the cards along with Mount Myoboku's exclusive seal.
Orochimaru and Kabuto exchanged a glance and silently put away their ID cards.
"Next, I'll take you around and show you the place."
White Zetsu slightly turned his body and made a welcoming gesture.
Excitement flashed in Orochimaru's eyes. He licked his lips again and muttered softly, "All of this... is going to be very interesting."
Kabuto, meanwhile, showed a rare expression of curiosity and anticipation. Behind his glasses, his eyes slightly brightened.
The two followed White Zetsu.
As they walked, White Zetsu carefully introduced the major areas of Mount Myoboku to Orochimaru.
The Central Data Tower, Mount Myoboku Bank, Administrative Center, Scientific Ninja Tool Center, Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, Sage Art and Technology Integration Laboratory...
Each place gradually made Orochimaru's breathing heavier.
Listening to those unfamiliar terms, mobile phones, computers, AI, clones, artificial humans, gene editing, scientific ninja tools...
Orochimaru's pupils kept shrinking.
He had once crazily researched many of those fields in the ninja world, yet had never truly found the way forward.
But here, those technologies had already been systematized, perfected, and even brought to an almost flawless level.
"Heh..."
"Mount Myoboku... truly hasn't disappointed me.", Orochimaru laughed happily.
His fingers trembled slightly. He could hardly wait to touch and study those technologies.
Kabuto was even more amazed by Mount Myoboku's social system.
It was practically a utopia. No wars, no conflicts, no need to struggle for survival.
"If you're unfamiliar with everything, I suggest starting with the Mount Myoboku Library. There are many books there. Many books that were lost in your ninja world because of war can all be found there."
"And the history you've learned may not necessarily be true. The Mount Myoboku Library contains many truths, as well as the truth of the world."
White Zetsu offered his suggestion.
———
The setting sun's afterglow spread across Konoha's training ground, casting long shadows.
Yukio sat alone beneath an old tree, hugging his knees, his gaze somewhat vacant.
Ever since being assigned to a team, he had carried out many missions.
Every one of them had been completed cleanly and efficiently, earning praise from Minato Namikaze.
Minato even said Yukio had the potential to surpass Arisu.
But what Yukio saw was far more than just the missions themselves.
He saw the cruelty of the ninja world.
The homeless refugees, the ordinary people slaughtered like livestock by rogue ninja, the scenes where the strong could decide another person's life or death with a single thought...
Again and again, they struck his heart.
"The strong really can do whatever they want."
That thought was like a thorn, deeply embedded in Yukio's heart.
Yukio couldn't help but wonder, 'Was this ninja world walking down a wrong path, a path toward self-destruction?'
If a powerful madman appeared in the future, would the entire world fall into irreversible ruin?
His father's descriptions of that other world surfaced in his mind once again.
"Father said that world doesn't have chakra. It's a society maintained by money and authority."
"People don't have to worry about being casually killed by ninja. The government protects people's lives, helps the poor, provides relief, and takes in orphans..."
"In that world, killing people is against the law."
"Ordinary people can go their entire lives without ever killing anyone."
"It's a harmonious society where everyone is equal. Freedom, equality, fairness, and rule of law..."
Longing gradually appeared in Yukio's eyes.
This ninja world was too cruel.
Killing wasn't a crime. As long as you were strong enough, killing an ordinary person was as easy as crushing an ant.
Even children were forced to stain their hands with blood while carrying out missions. There was no true equality in this world, and even less true freedom.
"If only I had been born in the world Father talked about..."
Yukio couldn't help but sigh.
After thinking deeply for a long time, Yukio finally traced the root of everything back to something everyone took for granted, "Chakra."
"Why did two worlds start from roughly the same point, yet end up moving in completely different directions?"
"I think... it's because of chakra. If this world didn't have chakra, it would definitely be much better.", Yukio muttered to himself.
His eyes brightened, as if he had found a truth hidden within the fog.
In the distance, Ino stood watching.
Seeing Yukio sitting there alone, his brows slightly furrowed and a rare gloom on his face, she couldn't help feeling worried.
The two had already fallen for each other and become a couple, though they had not made it public yet.
Ino quietly walked over and gently asked, "Yukio, are you okay? Why are you sitting here alone? You look a little down."