There was no doubt that the system's manifestation was based on the rules and logic of the world it existed in. Aside from chakra, it could not create power systems from other worlds out of thin air.
But Arata had thought of a solution.
That was to localize and imitate the power systems of other worlds based on the existing soul, body, natural energy, and chakra of the ninja world.
Thus constructing a lie that conformed to logic and could be believed by everyone.
Creating something out of nothing, establishing rules, deceiving the world.
This was the true meaning of "deceiving heaven and earth."
{"The Void Realm is the destination of souls within the ninja world. It exists between the living world and the Pure Land, eternally shrouded in night. There is no sun or moon's cycle, only a dim ghostly crescent. Its land is vast as snowfields, silent as death. The wind howls like ghosts wailing, sand surges like fleeing bones, and withered trees stand like forests of skeletons."}
{"The Pure Land is the realm of the dead created by the Six Paths. All departed souls enter it, their consciousness sealed in slumber. Their chakra gathers like threads into the Pure Land, all under the control of the Six Paths, intended to one day resist enemies from beyond the heavens. Yet the method is crude; souls erode with time, eventually dissipating into nothingness.}
{Those who fall into the Void Realm are souls stranded in the ninja world, bound by obsession or entangled in karmic delusion. Over long years of erosion, grief and resentment consume their very soul. Their minds dull, bone masks cover their faces, their cries resemble the wailing of countless ghosts, enough to shatter the courage of any who hear them. Their forms become hunched and broken like withered wood, their abdomen empty like caverns. These I call 'Hollows.'}
{"They devour souls to fill the emptiness within. Over time, they consume one another. Hundreds of weak Hollows merge into towering beings, their faces covered by long-nosed bone masks, their minds as dull as beasts, acting purely on instinct. These I call 'Lowest Great Hollow.'"}
"Among them, some exceptional ones devour thousands of their kind, shrinking in size while gaining intelligence, evolving into armored beast-like forms. Yet they live in constant fear of regression, forced to hunt others of their level to maintain their state. Should they falter, they devolve. These I call "Intermediate Great Hollow.""}
{"Extremely rare are those whose bone masks shatter and fall away, revealing a humanoid form beneath. Though still hollow within, their power is immense. These I call 'Greater Hollows.' Alas, this body has already reached its end; I did not live to witness their birth. A regret indeed…"}
"…What is this?"
As Orochimaru continued reading, his expression gradually became stiff.
Although the contents of the scroll were somewhat obscure, he had studied many ancient texts while researching ninjutsu, so he could still understand it.
The Pure Land, having partially mastered the Impure World Reincarnation, Orochimaru naturally knew of its authenticity.
Souls, with his development of Living Corpse Reincarnation, he understood them all too well.
But precisely because he knew too much, this mixture of seventy percent truth and thirty percent falsehood shattered his worldview.
Yet, due to his trust in the scroll and his reverence for its owner, his worldview was reconstructed in an instant.
'The legendary Sage of Six Paths actually existed, and even the Pure Land was created by him. All dead souls were guided there to prepare for resisting some so-called "enemy from beyond the heavens" in the future?'
'And the owner of this scroll directly referred to the Sage of Six Paths simply as "Six Paths," clearly looking down on his method of creating the Pure Land, having even created an independent world called the "Void Realm"?'
"The Otsutsuki clan actually possesses the power to create worlds?"
Orochimaru flicked out his long tongue and licked his somewhat dry lips, murmuring, "Could it be that the Sage of Six Paths is also an Otsutsuki, just like the owner of this scroll?"
Moreover, judging from the effects of Impure World Reincarnation, the Sage's Pure Land could only preserve the power the deceased had in life. If the vessel was inadequate, their full strength could not be displayed.
The Void Realm described here was far more cruel: a place where lost souls devoured one another, evolving into stronger entities.
Yet, the scroll's author had not lived to see the birth of a Greater Hollow.
"Even with such power… immortality still isn't possible?"
This thought subconsciously arose in Orochimaru's mind, but he quickly realized that wasn't the case, because the scroll's owner had only said, this body has perished.
Which meant the author was still alive, merely forced to change bodies.
The Sage of Six Paths likely hadn't died either, most probably existing as a soul, hidden within the Pure Land while gathering powerful souls, waiting for the so-called enemy from beyond the heavens.
"The corpse I obtained from that Hyuga brat… must have been a discarded body of the scroll's owner."
Orochimaru's tail lightly tapped the ground as he pondered. "With power great enough to create worlds, no one could withstand his true body, perhaps such a body wouldn't even have 'organs' in the conventional sense."
However, when he thought of that boy named Arata, killing intent surfaced in his eyes.
If not for that scheming brat, how could he have ended up in such a miserable state!
That day, while severely injured, he had suddenly been summoned to Ryuchi Cave by the White Snake Sage using Reverse Summoning. Though it allowed him to escape the pursuing Konoha forces, it led him into an even more dangerous situation.
The snakes of Ryuchi Cave, the three snake princesses, and the White Snake Sage were all greedy and cold-blooded beings, nothing like Tsunade's Shikkotsu Forest or Jiraiya's Mount Myoboku, which treated their summoning contractors kindly.
Just when Orochimaru thought he would die in the jaws of a snake, the usually aloof and all-knowing White Snake Sage seemed to have seen something unbelievable.
Her previously cold attitude turned warm. Not only did she instantly heal his near-fatal injuries, she even offered to teach him Sage Arts.
But the price he paid was becoming neither human nor ghost, neither male nor female, and being constantly monitored within Ryuchi Cave.
"That old white snake must have seen something in me." Orochimaru frowned. "My fate has changed? What does that even mean? It sounds just like Jiraiya's nonsense about the 'Child of Prophecy."
He couldn't figure it out.
Whether it was Arata's sudden transformation or the White Snake Sage's schemes, Orochimaru could not understand the reason.
He hated this feeling, like everything was shrouded in fog, impossible to see clearly.
"What matters now is what I can gain from this scroll."
Orochimaru shook his head, casting aside his chaotic thoughts, and lowered his gaze to continue reading.
The latter part recorded the scroll owner's notes about the Void Realm. Orochimaru even saw some familiar yet unfamiliar names, figures that seemed to have appeared in ancient legends.
But according to the scroll's owner, those people had truly existed, only to be fed to the Hollows.
When Orochimaru reached the end of the scroll, the remaining content was sealed again. His gaze stopped on the final sentence.
{"The passage between the Void Realm and the ninja world,I call it the Space-Time Rift. It is hidden on an isolated island overseas, guarded by my servant Gelel, passed down through generations."}
{"I once warned him: 'Hollows are born of malice. They must not be artificially cultivated, nor should the passage be opened. Otherwise…'"}
The final line was cut off by the seal, making it impossible for Orochimaru to read.
But from this brief sentence, he understood one fact.
"There is a passage… between the Void Realm and this world. And it can be opened."
His hand trembled slightly, greed flashing in his eyes.
"Hollows… can be artificially cultivated…"
At that moment, a decision formed in his mind.
Both the scroll's author and the Sage of Six Paths had proven one thing:
The body decays.
Only the soul may endure.
But a pure soul was fragile.
A Greater Hollow, described as immensely powerful, must be something extraordinary.
"Only souls bound by obsession and resentment… can become Hollows after long erosion?"
Orochimaru raised his head, eyes gleaming.
Orochimaru raised his head, eyes gleaming.
"Then let me try…"
"To cultivate them… or even summon them."
He would attempt to create Hollows, steal their power, locate the hidden island, and find the Space-Time Rift.
If the Second Hokage could summon souls from the Pure Land using Impure World Reincarnation. Why couldn't he summon Hollows from the Void Realm?
All he needed… was a connection.
A gateway.
A path to the Void Realm itself.