"Orochimaru's target is actually Sasuke!" There was a boiling killing intent in Itachi's eyes.
As a full-level brother complex, Orochimaru was already placed as the first target on the kill list.
"Orochimaru, sigh." The Third Hokage, as Orochimaru's teacher, undoubtedly had the most complex feelings.
It was well known that the renowned Sannin were all his disciples.
However, Orochimaru defected, and the other two left Konoha. The actions of the Sannin represented their dissatisfaction with the Third Hokage.
As a Hokage, being unable to retain Kage-level individuals was undoubtedly a failure.
But these were secondary concerns. Right now, the Third Hokage's primary concern was Naruto's situation.
Naruto in the footage apparently had a few tricks up his sleeve, being able to negotiate with Orochimaru on equal terms.
Everything was proving that Naruto was far more terrifying than they had imagined.
This made the Third Hokage's gaze even more shaded.
He thought about the Naruto of his world now. Even though analysis confirmed that Naruto didn't have anything unusual, the Third Hokage still felt uneasy. He even planned to arrange a 'soul search' package to investigate Naruto's memories through the Yamanka clan.
"In order to prove the potential of the Shinigami, to dissuade Orochimaru's coveting of Sasuke, Naruto initiated a friendly exchange with Orochimaru."
"After a series of battles, using 'Mirrored Sudden Attacker,' Naruto found Orochimaru's instant weakness, stabbing Orochimaru in the chest."
"Orochimaru was shocked and disbelieving. Clearly, he hadn't seen the Shikai, so why did he get hit? Could the information provided by Tenzou be wrong?"
To this, Naruto calmly said one sentence:
"What kind of illusion makes you think I didn't activate the Shikai 'Mirrored Sudden Attacker'?"
"Damn, is 'Mirrored Sudden Attacker' that amazing? Even Kage-level Sannin can be deceived?"
Seeing this, these ordinary ninja were dumbfounded, feeling like they'd been hit hard.
They toiled and studied every day just to learn a few new ninjutsu. Even if they awakened some kind of Bloodline Limit, they'd be happy enough to die.
But now?
A 13-year-old boy was already clashing with Kage-level powerhouses. His Bloodline Limit had even surpassed what they might achieve in their entire lives.
What kind of world was this? Was it fair?
These ninja deeply understood the so-called theory of talent.
Sure, you might work insanely hard.
But those with talent also worked hard.
Although not shown much in the footage, Naruto's efforts were commendable even by Kakashi.
The effort he put into his strength had surpassed the majority of ninjas.
A talented genius who also put in effort was the most despair-inducing.
"After piercing him, Orochimaru revealed a sinister smile. He spat out a white snake from his mouth, and the next moment, the small snake wriggled on the ground, reshaping into Orochimaru's form."
"Snake Substitute—a ninjutsu that maximizes Orochimaru's survival ability. In the entire ninja world, Orochimaru was undoubtedly one of the most difficult to kill."
"Naruto greatly admired Orochimaru's ninjutsu. In his view, someone like the Third Hokage, who was obsessed with power, couldn't develop such interesting ninjutsu. Looking at the history of Konoha, only the Second Hokage truly developed ninjutsu that intimidated their village."
"Compared to that, the Third Hokage is quite useless."
"Naruto's assessment of the Third Hokage was very low. In his view, the Third Hokage was an indecisive Hokage with limited talent."
Seeing this, the expressions of the Konoha ninja were very vivid.
Some young ninjas and villagers couldn't believe what they were seeing.
For years, the Third Hokage had been brainwashing them, changing textbooks, portraying himself as the most powerful Hokage.
Every year, he would give speeches mostly about boasting his achievements and the Will of Fire.
For an ambitious old man, the greatest desire was to surpass the achievements of all previous Hokages, becoming the greatest Hokage.
All of this was a mere facade, but for the Third Hokage, it was undoubtedly important.
But the Naruto in the footage showed no mercy, and his evaluation of the Third Hokage was extremely low.
"So this is Naruto's true opinion." Many people sighed, even more curious about Naruto's final attitude toward Konoha as shown in the footage.
"So, that's how I was back then." Even though Naruto was usually carefree, at this moment, he seemed to have let his guard down.
The gap between the two sides was too significant.
One side was calm and wise, the other was foolish.
"Is everything stemming from that thing that influences judgment?" Many Naruto began to detest the Asura Chakra within them.
When this aversion reached a critical point, Naruto sensed it and appeared in their world, demanding the Asura Chakra from them.
One-fifth of the Narutos would directly provide it, and another fifth would temporarily refuse, but after thinking for a few days, they would give it to Naruto.
Only the last remaining Narutos were afraid of becoming like those who detested Konoha like Naruto did. Therefore, they refused to return it.
Their thoughts were pitiful and ridiculous.
After witnessing Naruto's changes in the footage, they were afraid that after losing the Asura Chakra, they too would breed hatred for Konoha.
Though their past memories were painful, they had been brainwashed by the Third Hokage to aspire to be Hokage and fight for Konoha.
Out of fear of the unknown change, they chose to refuse.
But fundamentally, they believed everything shown in the footage. They understood that if they lost the Asura Chakra, they would definitely breed hatred for Konoha.
Naruto didn't care about these refusals.
In his view, sooner or later, they would change their minds.
In the footage, the battle heated up.
Under Orochimaru's attacks, Naruto displayed many abilities, but none were enough to reflect the potential of the Shinigami that made Orochimaru intrigued.
Compared to that, he was more interested in the Sharingan.
"Shinigami?" This was the first time the ninja world audience had heard this term.
They understood that Naruto's spiritual pressure wasn't just about Bloodline Limits.
"This might be a new system, different from ninja techniques." The high-ranking ninja from various villages looked fearful.
They harbored an ominous feeling.
If this system prevailed, it would definitely be a significant blow to ninjas.
But they didn't anticipate that in the future, the Shinigami would replace ninjas as the darlings of the new era.
They will put a tragic end to the old era.
In the footage, Naruto is finally about to demonstrate his Hollowfication.
[This is the direction of research he wants to break through - the Hollowfication of a Shinigami or the Shinigamification of a Hollow.]
[The biggest difference between a Shinigami, Hollow, and humans is that Shinigami and Hollow exist in a state of souls, unaffected by the lifespan of a physical body. This is Naruto's biggest confidence in convincing Orochimaru.]
[While Naruto possesses spiritual pressure and is human, he also has the essence of a Shinigami.]
Hollowfication—everyone is filled with anticipation at this new term.
In their view, the Shinigami has already equaled the Sharingan, and if there's Hollowfication added, the Sharingan might truly be left behind.
In the scene, milky-white spiritual pressure starts overflowing and swirling around Naruto's body.
Eerie and terrifying.
As the spiritual pressure increases, air currents appear around Naruto's body, and the earth beneath his feet begins to crack.
[Hollowfication is more of a failed state of a soul transforming into a Shinigami. Compared to a Shinigami, the power brought by Hollowfication is more intense and more violent.]
Soon, the white spiritual pressure condenses into a bone-white mask on half of Naruto's face.
The eyes behind the mask are no longer as calm as before, now carrying a bloodthirsty edge.
[Naruto approaches Orochimaru at a speed that the latter can barely perceive, landing a punch on Orochimaru's face.]
In the footage, Orochimaru's face caves in, and he is sent flying like a cannonball.
"This speed, this power?! The improvement is too significant." Might Guy, skilled in taijutsu, struggles to swallow.
"Even if I open the Fifth Gate, I can't catch up. Naruto has become so strong now!"
This extravagant statement renders Kakashi speechless.
"The Fifth Gate, huh? Seems like your progress, Guy, has been quite impressive," he murmurs quietly.
In fact, it's unclear when it started, but Guy has surpassed Kakashi.
In the scene, Orochimaru is tossed around like a ball in the air, despite being at the level of a Kage, his taijutsu isn't outstanding.
[Orochimaru recognizes the potential and side effects of Hollowfication. After using Hollowfication, rationality gets drowned. Ordinary people can't control Hollowfication.]
[But Orochimaru doesn't care. He believes that the side effects can be overcome through later research. What he cares about is the potential shown by the Shinigami and Hollowfication, which indeed seems more reliable than his own Immortality Jutsu.]
Orochimaru is intrigued.
[Naruto, after Hollowfication, has seen a multiple-fold increase in his physical abilities. Not only that, he's highly resistant to attacks; no matter what jutsu Orochimaru uses, it's challenging to land a fatal blow.]
After an intense battle, Orochimaru gives up on using Sasuke as a vessel and reaches an agreement with Naruto.
Thus, Orochimaru joins Naruto's side.
This causes a stir throughout the ninja world.
"Orochimaru actually joined Naruto's side. Orochimaru is a renegade ninja, so it seems Naruto's defection from Konoha is a done deal."
"If I remember correctly, this footage is about the collapse plan of Konoha. The real drama hasn't unfolded yet. If I'm not mistaken, Naruto will defect in this collapse plan."
"Naruto is too dangerous!!" The Konoha high-ups are shaken once again.
Naruto doesn't understand gratitude; he's ambitious.
"Monkey, we must hand him over to Root. Root will brainwash him to be the most loyal ninja to Konoha." Danzo is losing it, not even pretending anymore. He's even using the term "brainwash."
The Third Hokage can't care less about Hokage etiquette; he's moved.
Though the Naruto in this world seems normal, the Naruto IP has its 'criminal record'.
Some rejoice while others worry.
After seeing the footage, Orochimaru's thirst for knowledge is about to explode.
He's excited beyond measure, eager to find Naruto immediately and inquire about the Shinigami and Hollows.
Originally, his Immortality Jutsu relied on body-switching to achieve immortality.
But the flaws of this ninjutsu were evident.
Firstly, the soul grows weaker with each body switch.
Secondly, the lifespan of a physical body is limited, meaning it's not a permanent solution.
Thirdly, constant body-switching requires constant body cultivation, full of uncertainties and human errors, making accidents likely.
Now, Naruto presents a new possibility - abandoning the body directly and becoming a Shinigami. This path to immortality is something Orochimaru had never considered.
"Naruto!! Come to me!! Come to me!!" Overcome with excitement, Orochimaru can't help but yell.
His eyes are filled with fervor and excitement.
This is the dedication and passion of a scientist towards research.
The burden of the body, eternal life of the soul.
This is a perfect answer sheet given by Naruto, successfully driving Orochimaru into a frenzy.
"Indeed, even in parallel worlds, Orochimaru still has a sincere dedication to research." A magnetic voice comes from behind; Orochimaru's body stiffens, his lips curl, and he turns abruptly.
Sure enough, what he sees is the gentle and elegant Naruto.
"Naruto!!! You really came!!" Orochimaru's eyes sparkle brightly.
"Of course, you are worth my crossing various parallel worlds." Naruto smiles faintly. "I can offer you the chance to become a Shinigami, even take you to the world in the footage to communicate with that Orochimaru."
"I think, for researchers, like-minded companions are the most precious."
"Indeed." Orochimaru deeply empathizes with this.
There are too few ninja in the ninja world dedicated to scientific research.
And even among them, the dedication is shallow.
For so long, Orochimaru has been lonely.
No one understands his goals; no one accompanies him towards the unknown in his research.
Everything relies on himself.
So, upon hearing Naruto's proposal, he's made up his mind.
"Could you tell me, Naruto, at what point in time is it over there?"
"Probably about two years from now. The Fourth Great Ninja War ends, and the Spirit Society, ruled by Shinigami, has control over the Three Realms."
"Three Realms?"
"The Spirit World, the Pure Land, and the Ninja World." Naruto's words make Orochimaru's breath quicken.
Sure enough, everything is similar to what he had guessed.
In the footage, Naruto eventually rules the entire ninja world.
"I'm curious, what happened to Konoha in the end?" Orochimaru smiles and asks, even though he's already a renegade, he still has a hint of feeling towards Konoha.
"Konoha joined the Spirit Society. Many deceased people were resurrected as souls. The Three Sannin also became Shinigami of the Spirit Society." Naruto doesn't hide anything and reveals everything.
He extends a finger and lightly taps Orochimaru's forehead. In the next moment, memories related to the Spirit Society appear in Orochimaru's mind.
The images in his mind depict the peace and prosperity of the Spirit Society.
Of course, there are the order and familiar faces of various Shinigami squads.
Jiraiya, Tsunade, and even the First Hokage appear in the images.
The Spirit Society there has truly achieved peace.
What Orochimaru cares about the most is scenes of the two of him helping each other in the research room.
All of this fills him with longing.
After the peace, the Spirit Society vigorously developed technology and academia.
Scientific research was one of the heavily supported projects.
"I'm in." Orochimaru eagerly declares.
Such scenes are playing out across countless worlds.
Soon, the Spirit Society will welcome a powerful scientific reserve force.