This, is the Truth

"Uchiha Kei?"

Orochimaru was certain that this was the first time he had heard this name.

"Lord Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, surely wouldn't have heard of me; after all, I was still an infant when you left the village."

Orochimaru did not reply, his snake-like eyes fixed intently upon him.

A Three Tomoe at eight or nine years old—this talent was enough to rival Itachi.

What a tempting body.

"Lord Orochimaru, let's not beat around the bush. Are you sure you want to chat in this form?"

Orochimaru's pupils constricted, and he looked at him with uncertainty.

He couldn't tell if the brat before him was bluffing.

However, upon meeting those eyes filled with confidence, Orochimaru understood.

The snake's mouth opened wide, and a pair of pale arms reached out from within.

The scene looked terrifying no matter how one viewed it.

First the arms, then the long, jet-black hair, the head, and the body...

When Orochimaru fully emerged from the snake's mouth, the figure before him finally aligned with the image in Uchiha Kei's mind.

Pale skin, a gaunt face, red markings extending from the corners of his eyes to his nose, and a long tongue unconsciously licking the residual mucus from the corner of his mouth.

"You went to such lengths to bring me here, just to chat?"

Orochimaru looked at him dangerously, his snake eyes filled with greed.

This body was even more alluring than Itachi's.

Unparalleled talent, infinite potential for the future.

This was the body he had dreamed of.

"Of course not."

Uchiha Kei shook his head.

"I am here to discuss the truth with Lord Orochimaru."

"Truth? You?"

Surprise flickered in Orochimaru's eyes.

If there was anything in this world he pursued, it was immortality.

And immortality was the truth he sought.

"How does Lord Orochimaru define life?"

Uchiha Kei selectively ignored Orochimaru's surprised gaze and asked on his own accord.

A sharp light erupted in Orochimaru's eyes.

"Life is simply being alive! Only by living does life have meaning!"

Orochimaru had a somewhat paranoid understanding of life.

This was perhaps related to the many partings and deaths he had experienced while growing up.

Only by living could one pursue the meaning of life.

"That isn't wrong, per se."

Uchiha Kei had anticipated he would say this and nodded in understanding.

"However, it is somewhat narrow-minded."

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru raised his head and looked at him as if scrutinizing him.

Narrow-minded?

An eight or nine-year-old brat was calling the truth he pursued narrow-minded?

For a moment, Orochimaru felt a bit of indignation, yet he also felt a flicker of curiosity about what Uchiha Kei would say next.

"A person's life is limited; even if that person were immortal, the influence they could exert would be extremely limited."

Uchiha Kei tilted his head at a forty-five-degree angle.

"I do not agree with the life defined by Lord Orochimaru."

"Even someone as powerful as the Sage of Six Paths eventually reached the end of his life and vanished from this world entirely."

"Yet, the influence he left behind permeates every corner of the Shinobi World."

Orochimaru extended his long tongue and licked the corner of his mouth.

"So, you believe that immortality is not the truth of life?"

"It is, and yet it is not."

Uchiha Kei walked closer to Orochimaru, observing his pale skin at close range.

"Eternal life is the truth for one person, but not for everyone."

The truth of life was a subject of endless debate in the era of information explosion he had come from.

Some, like Orochimaru, believed that eternal life was the true essence of existence.

Others, however, argued that eternal life was merely a subjective truth—a false proposition.

"Truth is truth; how can there be a distinction between the individual and the collective?"

Orochimaru remained noncommittal.

Although the words of the brat before him were strange, in his view, they were nothing more than sophistry.

If one person could attain eternal life, then everyone in the Shinobi World could attain it as well.

The two were not mutually exclusive.

"Fine. Let us assume everyone in the Shinobi World achieved eternal life, free from illness, aging, and death."

Hearing this, Orochimaru envisioned the scene described, a look of obsession spreading across his face.

How wonderful such a world would be.

"Then, Orochimaru-sama, have you considered a critical issue?"

Orochimaru looked up, puzzled.

"Resources."

"The resources in this world are finite. Food is finite, and so is the land."

"If people no longer age or die, the population will only increase without ever decreasing. Food and land will become scarce resources. Have you considered the consequences of that, Orochimaru-sama?"

Orochimaru's smile gradually stiffened.

He knew better than anyone what that would bring.

After all, he was a man who had lived through those eras.

"War!"

"Endless, ceaseless war!"

Uchiha Kei said decisively, his gaze as sharp as a blade.

Orochimaru lowered his head, unable to meet those eyes.

He had to admit it.

The brat was absolutely right.

Once eternal life for all was achieved, the resources for survival would become rare commodities.

When it came down to it, humans were merely a type of animal.

To put it bluntly, humans were even more terrifying than beasts!

For the sake of an undying life, endless war would surely follow!

"Is my truth wrong, then?"

Orochimaru muttered, as if whispering to himself or asking a question.

"Truth cannot be wrong."

Uchiha Kei smiled nonchalantly.

"Truth is only a matter of suitability, and clearly, Orochimaru-sama's truth is not suitable."

"Then tell me, what is a suitable truth?"

Orochimaru was lost.

He had walked out of the era of war; no one wished for peace more than he did.

The reason he conducted his experiments with such near-madness was solely to pursue his truth, so that the Shinobi World might attain lasting peace.

Yet today, his world had been shattered.

"A suitable truth, you ask?"

A flicker of reminiscence passed through Uchiha Kei's eyes.

"To establish a heart for Heaven and Earth."

"To secure the destiny of the people."

"To carry on the lost teachings of the ancient sages."

"To bring eternal peace to all generations!"

His words landed with resounding weight, and a majestic aura surged around Uchiha Kei.

Orochimaru stared blankly at the boy before him.

"To establish a heart for Heaven and Earth... to secure the destiny of the people... to carry on the lost teachings of the ancient sages... to bring eternal peace to all generations..."

Orochimaru repeated the words over and over, his voice low and heavy.

But the confusion in his eyes gradually dissipated.

In its place, a light slowly ignited in his heart!

This brat...

He actually has a point.

When life is no longer confined to just one person, this truth applies to everyone.

"What is this truth called?"

"I call it..."

"Inheritance!"

"Only through uninterrupted inheritance can the Shinobi World continue to develop."

Orochimaru felt as if he had stepped into a brand new realm, and all the questions that had previously perplexed him were now easily resolved.

This brat is right.

The eternal life of one person only leads to self-amusement.

The eternal life of a group of people leads to endless war!

But inheritance is the effort of generations, exchanged for generations of peace!

This is the truth!

A truth suitable for the Shinobi World!