Pure Land. The last time Orochimaru heard this word from Genie's mouth was on the night of the Nine-Tails' attack.
Guided by the Shinigami, Genie openly strolled through the Pure Land.
In his words, the Pure Land was not the world after death, nor the resting place of spirits, but a space that one could reach once they mastered the method.
But Orochimaru knew nothing about the Pure Land. All he had were vague impressions. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Then how does one get to the Pure Land?"
Genie smiled. "Dying is the simplest way."
"..."
Orochimaru's face darkened. His gaze toward Genie turned unfriendly. He wanted to lash out, but thinking of Genie's strange form of existence, he could only swallow his frustration.
"I'm not joking with you." Genie shrugged. "The Pure Land is more like a mental space. Only when a ninja dies can their chakra soul body enter it.
If you want to force your physical body in, it's not impossible. But doing so would go against the rules of the Pure Land and alert its master."
Orochimaru was startled and quickly asked, "The Pure Land has a master?"
"Of course it does. The Pure Land was created by the Sage of Six Paths."
This time Genie didn't hold back and gave a rough explanation of the Otsutsuki clan's powers. When their life level reached the stage of Kekkei Mora, they could create their own personal space.
Otsutsuki Kaguya had her own 'Heavenly Imperial Palace.' Within it, she was a god who controlled everything.
Although the Sage of Six Paths hadn't fully reached Kekkei Mora or awakened his own Rinne Sharingan, compared to his useless younger brother, he was still on a higher level. With his extraordinary spiritual power, he created the Pure Land.
"The Pure Land was where the Sage of Six Paths spent his later years, and also his place of training."
Genie went on, "When I took a stroll there last time, the density of soul energy was even higher than the Soul Society in my previous world. It's simply the perfect place for soul growth."
Orochimaru frowned. "But if that's true, there should be many powerful soul bodies there. Yet in the ninja world, apart from the Shinigami, we've never heard of them."
"Many powerful soul bodies? I never said that."
Genie gave him a sidelong glance, looking amused.
"In the Pure Land, very few soul bodies can keep their awareness. Even the mighty First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, or the exceptionally strong-willed Madara Uchiha, would fall into a sleep-like state there."
Genie shot Orochimaru a look and chuckled. "Orochimaru, you've heard of the legend of the Totsuka Blade, right?"
Orochimaru's expression grew serious as he nodded slightly. "The Totsuka Blade looks like a gourd. The wine it spits out turns into a sword. Whoever it pierces is drawn into a drunken dream seal world, where the flow of time eventually dissolves them..."
"You're right. The Pure Land is like an oversized Totsuka Blade."
Genie smiled. "Training? Ordinary ninjas' soul bodies don't have the right to train. On the contrary, they are the resources used for training."
"Don't go imagining the Pure Land as some kind of paradise. Even the Shinigami, such a powerful being, has to take jobs outside. That alone should tell you how things work in there."
Orochimaru's mind was racing. He took a deep breath and spoke slowly,
"This ninja world really has no place of peace."
Although long pushed aside, Orochimaru had once fought for Konoha, for peace in the ninja world, dreaming of creating a world without war.
The first time he heard Genie say that the legendary Sage of Six Paths had found another way to exist eternally in the Pure Land, Orochimaru had already suspected something:
With the power of the Sage of Six Paths, could he not restore peace to the ninja world, or at least keep up an appearance of stability?
Orochimaru felt the answer should have been yes.
But then why hadn't he done it?
Orochimaru couldn't figure it out at first, but now he understood.
Peace brings comfort and safety, but it also destroys the soil where ninjas grow strong.
The body honed over years, the spirit sharpened in life-and-death battles—Orochimaru knew too well the gap between ninjas of a peaceful age and those of a war-torn one.
From the Sage of Six Paths' perspective, he probably preferred the latter.
"Listen, you can save the reflections for later. That's not what you should be thinking about now."
Genie cut off the native ninja's emotional moment without mercy.
"What you really need to figure out is how to sneak into the Sage of Six Paths' vegetable field and steal from it. If you think he's unfair, then wait until you get the chance to teach him a lesson later."
Orochimaru's face stiffened, feeling a bit stifled, but after thinking it over, he had to admit Genie was right. Getting sentimental wasn't his style anyway.
As for teaching the Sage of Six Paths a lesson, Orochimaru truly did have that idea.
It wasn't just out of anger. From a practical point of view, the ninja world is like a small field of leeks, and the Sage of Six Paths had already taken most of it. For those who came later, if they couldn't find a new source, they could only cut back.
And the latter almost certainly meant going against the Sage of Six Paths himself, just like the tiny village of Konohagakure could never allow a second "Root."
Clearing away his distracting thoughts, Orochimaru calmed down. His mind grew sharp and clear, and he quickly found a possible path to enter the Pure Land.
"The Spirit Transformation Technique… if I use it to turn my chakra into a soul form, I might have a chance to enter the Pure Land."
"But there's a problem..."
Orochimaru lifted his head and looked at Genie. "I can't learn the Spirit Transformation Technique."
In all the decades since Konohagakure was founded, only a handful of ninjas had ever mastered the Spirit Transformation Technique. The most recent one was Dan Kato.
Orochimaru had been friends with Dan and had studied the technique before. After spending days trying it himself, he had to accept that he simply couldn't learn this ninjutsu.
Of course, it wasn't a total loss. The curse seals for separating chakra, and the Living Corpse Reincarnation technique—many of Orochimaru's ideas were inspired by the Spirit Transformation Technique.
"That makes things a bit tricky."
Genie rubbed his chin, hesitated a moment, then sighed. "You're thinking about making a second wish, aren't you? Tsk tsk tsk… you haven't even paid off the first one yet, and now you want to add another debt."
Orochimaru's face stayed calm. If he had another choice, he wouldn't want to rely on Genie.
After all, this Genie was nothing but a scammer—he'd never take a loss.
But Orochimaru knew himself well. He had almost no research results in the field of souls.
The "soul splitting" Genie had called impossible was not based on knowledge, but on Orochimaru's unique nature.
To build an entirely new system of soul ninjutsu, one that was stable and safe, was easier said than done.
The deeper he studied, the more Orochimaru respected knowledge. He knew very well—even if it was possible, the time cost would be beyond measure.
So, for this matter, Orochimaru had no choice but to turn to Genie.
And besides, he already owed a debt. One more didn't really matter—when you have too many lice, you stop feeling itchy.
Orochimaru fixed his eyes on Genie, waiting for his answer.
Just then, a ninja walked up to Orochimaru.
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