In the abandoned training ground of Konoha Forest, the four stood frozen as they stared at the young man before them. His voice, like a demon's whisper, kept echoing in their ears.
"Defying fate itself..."
Hiruko unconsciously echoed the words, which held an abyss-like fatal attraction for him, like a flame to a moth. Yet a faint sense of dissonance made him snap back to reality.
"What's going on? Who the hell is this guy? Why is he here? Should I call for backup?"
Just as he hesitated, Orochimaru was the first to voice the question, "May I ask... what does it mean to defy fate?"
"Simple," Kamihane replied calmly. "If your natural talents are lacking, then find a way to take from others—make their power your own. This... is the true path to strength, and the very essence of 'chakra'!"
"This... this is simply too reckless..." Kirito broke out in a cold sweat. This completely contradicted the knowledge taught in school. Whether it was teachers or seniors, they all said that one could become stronger through cultivation alone. But what the person before him was saying was utterly absurd!
"Are you suggesting that seizing others' power for oneself is the path to becoming stronger?" Orochimaru asked with a furrowed brow.
"Do you remember the Black Mask from back then?" Kamihane countered: "I dismembered him time and time again. Why do you think he never died?"
Orochimaru was suddenly struck with shock. That soul-shaking, worldview-shattering scene from back then—he had witnessed it with his own eyes, and it remained vividly clear in his mind even now.
Kamihane answered his own question: "Because he has many hearts, each one granting him fresh vitality. These hearts were, of course, stolen. As long as he keeps replacing them, he will never die."
The pupils of the four youngsters trembled in unison. This method of survival was utterly horrifying, and the means were cruel to the extreme.
"Of course, he's merely one example. There are other ways to grow stronger, such as..."
Kamihane raised a finger. "Liberating the soul from its weak, mortal vessel and transplanting it into a stronger body—I prefer to call this 'soul usurpation.' When the flesh grows old, simply take a younger vessel. Repeat this cycle, becoming an existence that even time cannot erode. In the endless flow of years, you may endlessly pursue the mysteries of immortality."
"For another example, starting from the genetic level, using one's body as a crucible to directly assimilate and seize superior genes—like countless rivers converging into the sea—until transcending all limits. And these superior genes... I prefer to call them 'Root Vessels'..."
He suddenly turned his head, "looking" at Nian and Kirito, "Certain Kekkei Genkai would make excellent candidates, wouldn't they?"
Kirito plopped down onto the ground—not because of Kamihane, but because he realized both Orochimaru and Hiruko were staring at him.
A profound darkness seemed to swallow their figures, leaving only their golden eyes glowing like lanterns. For a fleeting moment, their gazes turned alien and icy, utterly devoid of emotion, as if they wanted to devour him whole!
"It... it can't be..."
Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"If there's such a shortcut to becoming stronger, then what's the point of hard training? No, that's not right! This method essentially steals others' fortunes, sacrificing them to perfect oneself. Even if you become stronger, you'll inevitably have blood on your hands along the way. It's too cruel..."
"A shortcut? Little Kirigaya, you're still too naive." Kamihane spread his hands, "What I'm saying now is merely conjecture and theory—just presenting possibilities. As for how to actually achieve it, that's an incredibly long and lonely road. Those who dare walk this path need not just courage, but also effort and talent that can't be overlooked."
"But..." Kamihane revealed a mysterious smile. Orochimaru froze—from his perspective, this smile carried a hint of cunning, giving him a strangely familiar feeling, as if someone else often wore such an expression too.
"There's a saying that goes: 'Standing on the shoulders of giants allows one to see further.'" Kamihane's voice dripped with temptation. "The threshold of this path has already been crossed by someone else, and his research results are currently in Konoha..."
"What?"
Hiruko's heart skipped a beat. At this moment, he felt his breath nearly stop.
"Where?" He completely forgot his fear, quickly scrambling up from the ground to look up at that godlike man. "Please tell me, where is this achievement?"
For some reason, he felt particularly intrigued by the second conjecture the man had mentioned.
"Root Vessels... Root Vessels..."
"All rivers return to the sea, forged into eternity..."
This crazy idea took root in his mind like a vigorously growing seed, sprouting wildly and almost bursting through his rationality.
"Hiruko, have you ever kept birds?"
"Huh?" The sudden shift in topic made Hiruko gulp. Gazing up at that towering figure silhouetted against the sunlight, his heart pounded so fiercely that he even overlooked the fact that the other person had directly called him by name.
"N-no, I haven't," he stammered, his throat dry.
Kamihane stood with his hands behind his back, his tone light. "If you keep stuffing food directly into a fledgling's beak, even after it sheds its soft bill and grows full feathers, it'll still be nothing but a useless bird that only knows how to beg with its mouth open."
Hiruko swallowed hard, his expression grim as he caught the underlying meaning in Kamihane's words.
Kamihane continued leisurely, "I can only tell you this—these things are connected to a mysterious laboratory. What lies inside... let's call it 'treasure' for now. Find it and bring it before me. Consider this your test."
Orochimaru took a deep breath. Clever as he was, he had already begun to realize something.
"I just want to ask, what's the price for obtaining this 'treasure'?"
"Your loved ones will see you as an enemy, Konoha will brand you as a missing-nin, the higher-ups will issue an endless manhunt against you. You'll become the village's most reviled figure, scorned even by children and cast aside like worthless trash..." Kamihane pondered seriously before concluding, "That's pretty much it."
This news sent shockwaves through their hearts, with Orochimaru even taking half a step back.
"Is betraying the village the only way to become stronger?"
Hiruko didn't speak, merely lowering his head silently. No one noticed the strange determination flashing through his eyes.
Kamihane said softly, "If you truly have the courage to take this step and successfully obtain the 'treasure', I will naturally appear then, sincerely accept you, provide you a place to survive, and nurture you as my trusted aides."
Orochimaru's expression remained calm. "Perhaps this was your true objective all along."
"Naturally, I have my own needs too," Kamihane stated matter-of-factly. "Remember what I mentioned earlier about talent? It has nothing to do with strength. All of you possess this latent potential—in my eyes, you're all promising material who might prove immensely useful in the future."
"Are there actually things even you cannot accomplish?" Orochimaru asked with some surprise.
"A single tree doesn't make a forest," Kamihane replied with an air of profound mystery. "Leave specialized tasks to specialists—it saves considerable time."
Orochimaru fell into thoughtful silence when he suddenly noticed someone's gaze fixed upon him. Tilting his head slightly, he caught Hiruko's evasive eyes darting away.
"A test... is it?"
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