"The history of the ninja world?"
Akira's words left Orochimaru momentarily stunned. He had been asking about the blood sample, but now Akira was talking about the history of the ninja world?
Though Orochimaru was puzzled, he played along with Akira's shift in topic.
"It's said that the Sage of Six Paths founded the world and brought about the rise of the ninja. Long, long ago, there were only samurai on this land—no ninja at all."
"Then came the era of chaos and war."
"Slowly, the ninja began to replace the samurai."
"And about a century ago, the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara ended the Warring States period and established the one-nation, one-village system."
Orochimaru explained the mainstream history of the ninja world, following Akira's lead.
Of course, the Sage of Six Paths was considered a mythical figure, much like a god.
It was similar to how, in ancient China, the creation story of Pangu splitting the heavens and earth marked the beginning of history.
"Correct. That history is entirely accurate, starting from the very beginning," Akira nodded, confirming Orochimaru's words.
"The very beginning?"
Hearing Akira emphasize this point, Orochimaru's face grew serious. He stared at Akira and asked, "Akira, are you saying that the Sage of Six Paths was real?"
"Indeed. The ninja era was started by the Sage of Six Paths. He was the one who bestowed chakra upon the people, creating what became the Ninjutsu religion."
"The Sage of Six Paths had two sons: the elder, Indra, and the younger, Asura."
"Indra inherited the Sage's eyes and immense talent. He was the one who invented the hand seals that, when combined with chakra, allowed ordinary people to unleash incredible jutsu."
"Asura, on the other hand, inherited the Sage's body. He wasn't as naturally gifted as his brother. In fact, many saw him as a bit slow-witted. But he had a unique ability to unite others around him."
"Due to certain schemes, these two brothers fought each other, and even in death, they continued to reincarnate, their fates intertwined in a cycle of love and conflict."
"As for the Sage of Six Paths himself, his will remains in the ninja world, watching over its rise and fall," Akira explained to Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's face was one of disbelief. The Sage of Six Paths had always been a mythical figure. But now, Akira was telling him that the Sage was real?
And not only that—the Sage's will still existed, observing the ninja world even now?
This revelation was shattering Orochimaru's worldview.
It was like in ancient China—everyone thought the story of Pangu splitting the heavens was just a myth.
But what if one day they discovered that Pangu was real, and his will had been watching over the world the whole time?
That would leave anyone dumbfounded!
Orochimaru felt something similar right now.
"Let's continue..." Akira paused to give Orochimaru some time to digest this new information before continuing. "Throughout ninja history, every now and then, two individuals far surpassing their contemporaries emerge, and they end up in conflict."
"These individuals are the reincarnations of Indra and Asura."
"Indra left behind a bloodline—the Sharingan. Its power is inherited from Indra and, by extension, from the Sage of Six Paths himself," Akira explained further.
"So that's the origin of the Uchiha clan? Inheriting the power of the Sage of Six Paths... No wonder the Sharingan is considered the greatest of all bloodline limits," Orochimaru said, finally understanding the true origin of the Uchiha clan.
"Wait, hold on..." Orochimaru thought of something. "Akira, you said that Indra and Asura's reincarnations always end up in conflict, right?"
"Indra, gifted beyond compare. Asura, a bit slow, but with the power to bring people together."
"And every so often, two individuals emerge who are far beyond their peers?"
"This pattern… it reminds me of something."
"It sounds a lot like Uchiha Madara and the First Hokage!" Orochimaru exclaimed.
"Exactly. Uchiha Madara was the reincarnation of Indra, and the First Hokage, Hashirama, was the reincarnation of Asura," Akira confirmed with a nod.
It wasn't surprising that Orochimaru had connected the dots between Madara and Hashirama. Akira had led the conversation in that direction, and it would have been odd if Orochimaru hadn't figured it out.
"So, what about now? They've both been dead for years. Their reincarnations must have reappeared, right? Akira, with your ability to foresee the future, have you seen anything?" Orochimaru asked, his curiosity piqued.
Indeed, if the cycle of reincarnation continued, Indra and Asura must have been reborn by now.
As Orochimaru thought further, his gaze fell on Akira, and a strange expression crossed his face. "Now that I think about it, if there's someone today who surpasses everyone else in talent... Akira, could it be..."
Orochimaru trailed off, but his meaning was clear.
Could it be that you are the reincarnation of Indra?
Hearing this, Akira couldn't help but laugh to himself.
It was true that he was a reincarnation, but not of Indra. He wasn't even originally from this world!
"Let's stay on topic," Akira said, without directly answering Orochimaru's question. "Since Indra and Asura were both sons of the Sage of Six Paths, when their powers are combined, there is a chance of awakening the Sage's own power."
"For example, the pinnacle of the Sharingan is the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"But when Madara was near death, he bit off a piece of Hashirama's flesh, faked his death, and secretly fused the flesh with his own body."
"Eventually, in his old age, he succeeded in transforming the Sharingan into the Rinnegan," Akira explained.
"The Rinnegan? So Uchiha Madara faked his death? And in his old age, he awakened the Rinnegan?"
"So Madara was actually the first to experiment with Hashirama's cells?" Orochimaru mused, slowly piecing together the puzzle.
"Wait, does that mean only this method can awaken the Rinnegan? But the leader of the Akatsuki also possesses the Rinnegan, doesn't he? And if Madara faked his death, could the Akatsuki leader be Madara?"
"No, that can't be. He's too young. And besides, he doesn't resemble Madara. Could Madara have gained some kind of immortality technique, like a body transfer?"
"But no... If Akira is Indra's reincarnation, then Uchiha Madara must already be dead!" Orochimaru muttered to himself, running through various theories in his mind, discarding and refining them as he went.
"Yes, the Rinnegan in the Akatsuki leader's possession originally belonged to Madara, but it was transplanted," Akira said, giving Orochimaru a small hint.
"Ah, so it was Madara's Rinnegan, transplanted into the Akatsuki leader! That explains it!" Orochimaru said, finally understanding.
This revelation cleared up several mysteries. It also explained why Akira, as Indra's reincarnation, seemed so knowledgeable about the history and secrets of the ninja world.
"Wait a minute, something still doesn't add up," Orochimaru suddenly said, as a new thought occurred to him.
"Hashirama's cells represent Asura's power—that much is clear."
"But the blood you just gave me, ordinary Uchiha blood, can perfectly fuse with Hashirama's cells."
"So by that logic, this blood must belong to Indra's reincarnation!"
"But that blood isn't yours!" Orochimaru exclaimed, thoroughly confused now.
Everything was starting to contradict itself!
At first, based on Akira's description of Indra's reincarnation, Orochimaru had thought Akira must be the one.
But now, with this new blood sample in front of him, it was clear that the true reincarnation of Indra wasn't Akira at all!
"Your reasoning is both correct and incorrect," Akira said with a smile, seeing Orochimaru's growing confusion.
Orochimaru remained silent, waiting for Akira to provide some answers. He wanted to know what exactly was going on.
"This blood does come from Indra's reincarnation," Akira confirmed.
"That's why it can fuse with the cells of Asura's reincarnation, the First Hokage."
"As for me? I'm not Indra's reincarnation. You've misunderstood that part," Akira clarified.
"Not Indra's reincarnation? But Akira, didn't you say that the reincarnations of Indra and Asura are always far stronger than their peers? Indra was the most gifted of all, and now… is there anyone in the ninja world more talented than you?" Orochimaru pressed on.
Looking at the data, the blood sample did seem to belong to Indra's reincarnation.
But when it came to sheer talent, was there really anyone in the ninja world greater than Akira?
"Enough of that," Akira said, waving off the topic. "Tomorrow, I'll bring Hinata over. I'd like you to help transplant this blood into her. It should benefit her greatly."
Orochimaru was stunned.
"Wait, you want me to transplant this blood into Hinata?" he asked, incredulous.
Originally, when Orochimaru had learned that Akira wasn't Indra's reincarnation, he'd thought the blood would be used for Akira himself.
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Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 224 at patreon.com/Emik01.