Kinomata Orochi

After Minato and the others were sealed within the crystals placed inside Orochimaru and Pakura by Sosuke Aizen, they tried every method available but could not escape.

Helpless, Orochimaru had no choice but to end the World Training Card session early.

As long as the user remains in a conscious state, the World Training Card allows for an immediate return.

Therefore, even though they had been banished by Sosuke Aizen to an extradimensional space, they were still able to break free.

The price was that the remaining time on the World Training Card was wiped to zero.

Within the Main God Space, beneath the giant sphere of light.

Orochimaru and his companions appeared in a disheveled state.

"Main God, full-body restoration!" Orochimaru rasped.

Four beams of light, varying in thickness, enveloped Orochimaru and the others.

Minato and Hoshigaki Kisame were finished almost instantly; the points deducted were minimal, as it was merely a replenishment of their status.

However, the beams enveloping Orochimaru and Pakura were the thickest, and the healing process took significantly longer.

[Healing complete, healing points have been deducted.]

Orochimaru looked at the deducted points, puzzled.

"Main God, why were so many points deducted?"

Based on his experience, unless a Tier 3 powerhouse suffered damage to their soul or genes, healing costs would rarely exceed ten thousand points; otherwise, it would cost at most a few thousand. Although this battle involved spiritual bodies, it did not seem to involve deep-seated damage to the soul or genes.

[Healing breakdown as follows:

Routine physical healing: 1,000 points deducted.

Removal of negative status: "Complete Hypnosis" 3,000 points deducted.

Purging of foreign energy from the soul: 8,000 points deducted.]

Heh, Complete Hypnosis, Sosuke Aizen, what a terrifying ability. And the foreign energy in my soul—if not for the Main God Space, I fear I would have been plotted against by Aizen, and the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Orochimaru spent a small amount of points to retain the extracted foreign energy. According to the Main God's identification, this belonged to an evil soul, known in the Soul Society as a "Hollow."

"Sosuke Aizen..." Orochimaru enunciated the name, syllable by syllable.

"Orochimaru, since the agreement is fulfilled, I shall return to Konoha. Take care of yourself. I hope that when we meet again, it will not be as enemies."

Minato left the Main God Space after leaving these words behind.

Hoshigaki Kisame also left a private message for Orochimaru:

"Nagato wants to meet with you. If you change your mind, contact him at any time." He then returned to his personal space.

Orochimaru naturally understood what Hoshigaki Kisame meant; it was nothing more than an invitation from Nagato to join the Akatsuki.

Ever since the last world mission, Hoshigaki Kisame had been of one mind with Nagato.

After becoming a Reincarnator, Hoshigaki Kisame had initially joined the Akatsuki only for a hidden mission. He detested the deception of the man calling himself "Madara Uchiha" and felt increasingly disgusted by the hypocrisy of those in the Ninja World.

But after that world mission, Nagato, who had also become a Reincarnator, found him and said these words:

"Hoshigaki Kisame, you are a true ninja. You must have witnessed the pain and hypocrisy of the Ninja World. The history of the Ninja World spans only a few decades, yet it is filled with slaughter that treats human life like grass, endless hatred, and ceaseless war, resulting in infinite suffering."

"All of this has made us realize: humans are foolish creatures who will never truly understand one another."

"I wish to put a period to this war-torn, mundane world."

"To make the world understand pain and stop the wars, there must be a deterrent—something that makes all nations and people feel fear, so that they cease their fighting."

"I once believed that with the Rinnegan and the power of the Nine Tailed Beasts combined, I could become such a deterrent."

"But now I realize that is far from enough. I must become stronger, so strong that no one can defy my will. When that time comes, the peace I desire will arrive."

"In this day and age, with the Main God Space descending upon the world, we, as the chosen ones, must define our own paths."

"Now, I wish to build a New World without war, hatred, or slaughter, where people understand one another. Will you be my companion?"

Pain's heartfelt words allowed Hoshigaki Kisame, who had been lost and without a home, to find something to rely on. Thus, he joined the Akatsuki for real, not just for the sake of a hidden mission.

Consequently, Hoshigaki Kisame intended to team up with Pain once his contract with Orochimaru's squad ended, following his path.

That was why he kept relaying messages to Orochimaru, as Pain wanted to invite him to join.

However, everyone's pursuits are ultimately different.

Pain pursues peace, Hoshigaki Kisame pursues living truly as a ninja, while Orochimaru pursues immortality.

That is why Orochimaru is obsessed with the research of various ninjutsu and forbidden arts. The platform of the Main God Space has shown him infinite possibilities; immortality is no longer out of reach, but has truly become a possibility!

Returning to his laboratory in his personal space, Orochimaru copied everything he had gained from this trip to the Soul Society into his database.

Three days later, Orochimaru was in the Main God's laboratory.

Inside a white human cultivation tank filled with various unknown liquids, the body of an adult male appeared.

This adult male body was handsome, with a well-proportioned physique, and the entire body was filled with a natural, flawless beauty.

This body was the near-perfect vessel Orochimaru had prepared for himself.

Before entering the Main God Space, Orochimaru had often pondered why life was so fragile and why death was inevitable.

Having experienced countless wars and witnessed endless deaths, he eventually reached a conclusion: the human body has its limits. No matter how great one's power, as long as the flesh remains fundamentally human, it will inevitably decay until it withers away.

Therefore, theoretically, if one could transfer their spirit into another body and continuously switch to fresh vessels, immortality could be achieved.

Thus, he created the forbidden jutsu "Living Corpse Reincarnation," capable of transferring his spirit into others.

However, after entering the Main God Space, his horizons broadened, and his perspective shifted.

If he had to keep switching bodies, why not create one himself?

Consequently, by referencing the Artificial Gigai technology from the Soul Society, the Human Transmutation from Fullmetal Alchemist, and integrating the cells of Hashirama Senju along with the genes of the Uchiha clan, this body was born.

"Detection complete. Vital signs are normal; consciousness fluctuations are abnormal!"

Seeing the body he had personally cloned and cultivated, Orochimaru felt immense excitement. Once the scan finished, he activated a secret technique he had long since exchanged for and mastered: the Soul Splitting Technique, a secret art from the Immortal Dao civilization capable of splitting one's soul into another body.

As the technique took effect, a massive sensation of soul-tearing stimulated Orochimaru's resilient nerves; he could clearly feel his consciousness being split in two.

A moment later, the body inside the cultivation tank opened its eyes, three tomoe slowly rotating within its crimson pupils.

"Since you possess the cells of Hashirama Senju, from this day forth, you shall be called Kinomata Orochi!"