"An immortal? You mean the Shinigami?"
After taking back control of his body, Orochimaru's snake-like pupils fixed on the towering figure of the death god.
Immortality was an unfamiliar word in the ninja world. Tailed beasts made of chakra were one thing, but he had never heard of a human or ninja who could live forever.
If what the genie said was true, then immortals did exist here—they just weren't in a form people usually imagined.
Excitement stirred in Orochimaru. "You know where the Shinigami came from?"
"Not sure."
The lamp spirit leaned halfway out from Orochimaru's back. "Get a little closer to the Fourth. Let me check."
Hearing this, Orochimaru didn't bother hiding anymore. He jumped straight to the edge of the red barrier, landing beside the Third Hokage and the rest of the onlookers.
After all the sudden events tonight, Sarutobi Hiruzen was on edge. He barked, "Orochimaru, what are you doing here?"
Orochimaru ignored his teacher. He simply gestured toward the Fourth with a cold face, keeping his full attention on the lamp spirit.
The smoke-shaped figure on his back suddenly burst apart into a cloud, then shifted into a clump. From within, a thin thread stretched out, passing through the barrier as if it wasn't there, wrapping around the Shinigami's neck in the blink of an eye.
At the tip of the thread, a tiny blurry face peeked out curiously, though the Shinigami seemed completely unaware.
Orochimaru licked his lips, shocked. "Just what is this lamp spirit?"
As the Nine-Tails' seal was completed, the Shinigami vanished. The lamp spirit's smoke-thread shot into the empty air, stretching toward some unknown dimension.
Orochimaru thought this search would take a long time, but only a few breaths later, the thread pulled back. The smoke reshaped into a human form on his back.
"Don't look at me like that." The lamp spirit coughed lightly. "Yeah, it was fast, but I found everything I needed."
Orochimaru's eyes lit up. "You found the Shinigami's home?"
"That's right. The Shinigami is in the Land of All Souls' Promise." The lamp spirit raised its smoky brows and smiled. "You should know it by another name—Pure Land."
"A lot of big names you wouldn't expect have stayed in the Pure Land."
"If you can master the Spirit Transformation Technique, you could go there yourself. The place is great for chakra-based soul forms."
Hearing this, Orochimaru forgot there were others present. He turned to look at the lamp spirit on his back, his expression filled with doubt and surprise.
The Pure Land—everyone in the ninja world agreed it was where the dead went, the home of souls.
But from the lamp spirit's tone, it didn't sound like that at all. In its words, the Pure Land was more like a place with restrictions, but one you could reach if you knew how.
Like the three great summoning beast sanctuaries.
Orochimaru memorized both the Spirit Transformation Technique and this matter, then asked again about the Shinigami's origin.
He was very curious about this immortal living in the Pure Land.
Even someone as strong as the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, couldn't freely enter or leave the Pure Land after death without an Edo Tensei vessel. So what kind of powerhouse was this Shinigami?
In answer to Orochimaru's question, the lamp spirit said, "The Shinigami's bloodline is special—he's a descendant of the Otsutsuki clan."
Orochimaru frowned slightly. "Otsutsuki clan?"
"That's right. Exceptional talent is their hallmark. They came from beyond this world. It was one of them, the Sage of Six Paths, who founded Ninshū, leading to today's ninja world."
The lamp spirit figured it would have to be explained sooner or later, so it gave a short version of the alien invasion story.
"These days there are no pure-blooded Otsutsuki left, but once in a while, a descendant will 'revert' to their ancestors' traits. For example, Kinkaku and Ginkaku, whose actions led to the deaths of the Second Hokage and the Second Raikage."
"This Shinigami is probably one such throwback from some era, and his bloodline and power far surpass Kinkaku and Ginkaku's."
Orochimaru gave a bitter smile. "So the reason the Shinigami is what he is… is because of his bloodline? Just because he's an alien's descendant?"
"Exactly. That's how the ninja world has always been." The lamp spirit nodded. "But don't look down on yourself. This isn't something personal effort can change."
To be fair, the Otsutsuki clan is like a civilization completely crushing the ninja world. In technology, power, and bloodline… every aspect. Even though the ninja world has been developing through wars for a thousand years, the gap still hasn't been closed.
While many powerful ninjas have appeared, able to match descendants of the Otsutsuki like the Senju and Uchiha, it's not really proof that the ninja world has made great progress.
It's more that these second-generation heirs haven't lived up to their potential.
In the future, the so-called saviors, Sasuke and Naruto, once they gained the power of their ancestors, swept through the world with no one able to stand against them.
The lamp spirit didn't like this kind of story—being "born destined," "born noble"—it clashed with his profession.
Orochimaru's expression shifted, "So, you're saying that instead of developing new Ninjutsu, it would be better to try and inherit the Otsutsuki legacy left in the ninja world?"
"To be exact, it's about developing while inheriting—keeping the good parts, throwing away the bad, innovating and creating a new generation of Ninjutsu with the ninja world's own style."
The lamp spirit gave a thumbs-up. "I think you've got real potential."
While they chatted, with the Fourth Hokage's complete death, the red barrier that kept the Nine-Tails sealed was shattered with a bang.
The Anbu, who had been waiting, quickly stepped forward to check on the Fourth and his wife, confirming that they were both dead.
In that moment, the Third Hokage looked like he had aged many years.
"Waaah… waaah…"
Baby Naruto's cries continued, but none of the Anbu dared to approach, as if the child in front of them was not a baby but some unstable bomb with terrifying power.
The Third Hokage sighed and was about to step forward, but a figure moved faster than him.
Orochimaru appeared in a flash, scooping the wailing baby Naruto into his arms like carrying an airplane, examining him with interest.
In the lamp spirit's story, the Uzumaki clan symbolized the yang power of the Sage of Six Paths—in other words, they had a body similar to the Senju's.
Now, this rare Uzumaki child in the ninja world also had the Nine-Tails' yang half sealed inside him. With those combined, what kind of changes would happen in the future? That was truly worth being curious about.
The Third Hokage's face hardened and his voice turned cold. "Orochimaru, what do you think you're doing?"
The Anbu around them tensed as if facing a deadly enemy. Cold sweat ran down their faces as their hands moved toward the weapons at their waists.
"Old man, this kid's parents are dead. He's all alone, kind of pitiful."
Orochimaru's mouth curled into a crooked smile. "I want to raise him. What do you think?"
Before the words had even fully left his mouth, the Third Hokage flatly refused. "Orochimaru, you know that's absolutely impossible."
"Oh, then forget it."
Orochimaru didn't press the matter. After calming baby Naruto like petting a cat, he casually handed him over to the Third Hokage.
The Third Hokage's expression softened, and the Anbu also relaxed.
"Old man, call Jiraiya back. Someone's got their eyes on Konoha… and on the Jinchuriki."