Chapter 358: Unknown Energy

Ye Zi now knew what Orochimaru sought, and Orochimaru, in turn, knew Ye Zi's true goal. Their journey together began here.

To grasp truth and to obtain power this was an inevitable process.

For as long as he could remember, Ye Zi had tirelessly worked to grow stronger. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he always felt constrained by an invisible framework. The tragic part was that he hadn't realized this himself.

It wasn't until he encountered Madara in the void between life and death that cracks began to form in that invisible framework.

It was Madara who elevated Ye Zi's understanding of power to a higher level. But it still wasn't enough. Madara's revelation had only cracked the frame; it needed to be shattered completely.

To surpass the current limits of power, Ye Zi's eyes turned toward the Rinnegan and the Six Paths Power.

To achieve that level of strength, he would need to elevate his current abilities to a level close to that of the Rinnegan. Only then would there be an opportunity to obtain it.

Right now, Ye Zi was like a snake on the verge of shedding its skin, only one final step away from completion. For Ye Zi, this final step was an immense challenge, and Orochimaru would be the key to unlocking it.

Ye Zi was certain of this, though he couldn't explain why.

Beyond Orochimaru… there was no other candidate.

"Is there something special about this lake? Does it have any connection to the ruins you found in the Land of Wind?" Ye Zi asked, his gaze fixed on the still, jade-like lake below.

The ruins of the Land of Wind…

Hearing those words, Orochimaru confirmed when he had first come under Ye Zi's surveillance. It must have been right after leaving the Earth Country stronghold.

Realizing that his movements had been monitored all this time, Orochimaru didn't mind. If the situation were reversed, he would have done the same.

To some extent, he and Ye Zi shared many similarities, they were both willing to do whatever it took to achieve their goals.

"They aren't connected. I'm simply verifying some theories," Orochimaru said calmly, extending his arm. A patterned snake slid out of his sleeve, dropping into the lake below with a splash before disappearing beneath the surface.

"I remember… back when you were in Root, you spent nearly all your time outside of missions and training in the archives, poring over documents and jutsu. Looking back, were you searching for a way to return?" Orochimaru asked, his snake-like gaze still fixed on the lake's surface.

Ye Zi said nothing, which Orochimaru took as silent confirmation.

"In the process of studying all that material, you must have come across fragments of the ninja world's history. Aren't you curious? What was the ninja world like in ancient times, like during the era of the Sage of Six Paths?"

Orochimaru's voice grew more fervent as he continued. "And what about the ancestors of the current clans with their Bloodline Limits? How were the Tailed Beasts born? Where were they before the formation of the ninja villages?"

With a hint of fanaticism, Orochimaru said, "The fragments recorded in the texts are incomplete, but they're enough to point me in the right direction. With the right direction, I can uncover even more."

"This, too, is part of mastering the truth."

Ye Zi glanced at Orochimaru, who seemed momentarily consumed by excitement, and frowned slightly. "And what's the point of knowing all that?"

Orochimaru let out a low chuckle, as though mocking Ye Zi's ignorance.

His ambition was to master all techniques and uncover the truth of the world. To achieve that level of mastery, one had to know everything. Yet human life was not eternal; even a lifetime might not be enough.

Thus, eternal life was essential. At the same time, power was also indispensable.

Orochimaru followed the clues within the texts not just to trace history but to find ways to gain more power.

"Knowledge is one of the means to obtain power," Orochimaru said, his gaze remaining on the calm surface of the lake as he patiently waited for something.

Hearing Orochimaru's answer, Ye Zi had no rebuttal. He couldn't argue against it.

Using knowledge to obtain power… Orochimaru and Nanako were exactly that kind of person.

After a while, the patterned snake resurfaced from the water. It swam to the rocky wall, slithered up the steep cliff, and disappeared back into Orochimaru's sleeve.

"It seems this isn't the place," Orochimaru said indifferently.

"What do you mean?" Ye Zi asked, still unsure what Orochimaru was trying to do.

Orochimaru glanced at him and explained, "Before the Tailed Beasts were harnessed by shinobi, they had fixed dwelling places. In the Land of Wind, I found the former dwelling of the One-Tail, and there I discovered ruins resembling a shrine. It's very likely those ruins were used to seal the One-Tail."

"What's the point of finding these places?" Ye Zi asked skeptically. It turned out Orochimaru's purpose for going to the Land of Wind was this. Ye Zi began to suspect that following Orochimaru might mean wasting time on seemingly pointless endeavors.

Turning around, Orochimaru said calmly, "Do you really think a place capable of sealing a Tailed Beast has no special properties?"

Ye Zi's eyes narrowed slightly. Upon closer thought, Orochimaru's words made sense.

"I discovered something there," Orochimaru added with a smirk.

Ye Zi's curiosity piqued. "What did you find?"

"Energy," Orochimaru said. "It's a form of energy different from chakra. I don't yet understand what it is. Until I fully comprehend it, I won't approach it recklessly. But before that, I intend to locate all of these ruins."

What Orochimaru had sensed was natural energy, the very energy that flows throughout the world. Only by remaining completely still can one perceive natural energy's existence.

Natural energy is the air, the earth, and everything in between. Under specific conditions, over long periods, it can accumulate into certain objects and perhaps stones or even crystals.

Orochimaru hadn't discovered a tangible form of this unknown energy, but he had sensed a faint trace of something fundamentally different from chakra. This led him to believe that the ruins used to seal Tailed Beasts might all contain these energy sources.

Although he didn't yet understand what this unknown energy was, he knew it carried a certain level of danger. Until he gained a deeper understanding, he would not carelessly interact with it.

Orochimaru's current goal was to locate all the ruins and uncover the nature of this energy.

Hearing this, Ye Zi's eyes lit up, his interest immediately piqued.

If what Orochimaru said was true, then this could be an opportunity to grow stronger, one Ye Zi wouldn't let pass by.

"You're finally showing some interest, are you?"

Seeing Ye Zi's expression, Orochimaru smiled faintly. He gazed toward the distant thunderclouds and said evenly, "But my interests extend beyond this… I'm also intrigued by the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Techniques. Of course, I can't obtain that knowledge from Kushina herself, so once this matter is resolved, I'll head to the ruins of Uzushiogakure."

At the mention of Kushina, an image of the red-haired girl briefly flickered in Ye Zi's mind. Shaking his head slightly, he pushed the thought away. His focus now was solely on gaining power.

After that, Orochimaru and Ye Zi departed from the area together.

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