Wok Shadow Ninja

Chapter 119: Ino's Underworld Theory

Ino understood Kabuto, but Kabuto only knew the surface of her. The information they each held was severely imbalanced, and this was her advantage.

She pondered for a long time, considering various factors, and finally decided to present her understanding from an angle that even she found somewhat shocking.

"Well, I suppose you could call it resentment. The resentment of the dead cannot dissipate and lingers in the world, which is why the world's sickness grows heavier and heavier, eventually sliding into an unfathomable abyss."

At first, Kabuto didn't take it seriously. A faint, seemingly gentle smile hung on his lips, though it was more akin to mockery. But as he listened, his attention gradually became captivated. At first glance, it sounded like the ramblings of a child, but upon closer consideration, he felt there might be something in her words that he hadn't known before.

He thought it might be due to Ino's imprecise wording and asked, "Why do you say that? The ninja world is indeed unstable now, but it's much better than during the Warring States Period. You know about the Warring States Period, right?"

"I do," Ino nodded, speaking in a casual tone. "Actually, I can't say for sure, but our Yamanaka clan can use secret techniques to sense the energy hidden in this world. Ancient texts have recorded this energy, calling it natural energy. I don't know what it was like before, but to me, this natural energy seems extremely wild, violent, and even evil. If a normal person absorbs it, they become utterly insane, consumed by a bloodthirsty desire to kill."

Kabuto glanced at her subtly, his heart stirring slightly.

At this moment, he felt a renewed sense of respect for the ancient ninja clans like the Yamanaka. These families, passed down from ancient times, truly held some secrets! As Orochimaru's assistant, Kabuto was well aware of how violent natural energy could be. He had participated in countless experiments, too many to count.

He had once asked Orochimaru why this energy was so violent. Was the world rejecting us, or were we rejecting the world? The energy was drawn from the mountains and rivers, so why had its essence become like this? Orochimaru hadn't given a clear answer, only saying that it had always been this way. Kabuto hadn't thought much about it since then, but now, hearing Ino's words, he wondered if there was another secret hidden within.

Kabuto was deeply interested in this knowledge. He didn't want to reveal too much of his own information but wanted to hear more, so he deliberately put on an expression of attentive listening. In his experience, children of Ino's age had a strong desire to express themselves. He didn't need to ask; she would spill everything she knew.

Ino indeed lived up to his expectations. She sighed and began to speak at length.

"I think the root of it all is chakra, Kabuto-senpai. As you know, our chakra is composed of two parts: physical energy and mental energy. The body decays, and the mental energy disappears with it. If one dies of old age, it's fine, but if they die on the battlefield..."

Her tone was filled with pessimism. "How should I put it? I think that at the moment of death, a ninja's mental energy reaches its peak. When the body dies, the resentment, pain, and madness they felt at the moment of death are partially preserved in this world through the channel of chakra. Actually, the personal emotions in this are minimal, but with so many ninjas dying in battle, it adds up. Little by little, our world becomes surrounded by killing intent, madness, and other negative things."

Is that the explanation? Kabuto had never heard such a theory before.

If the chakra of the dead remained in the world, did that mean his foster mother had also turned into chakra, watching over him? He suppressed all his emotions, his face calm and unreadable, waiting for Ino to continue.

Ino picked up a piece of paper and held it horizontally. "The books say that our world was once very normal. Back then, there was something called the cycle of reincarnation. It was like this piece of paper. Our ninja world, samurai, daimyo, and commoners all lived on the front side of the paper. When life ended, the soul would turn into pure energy and move to the back side. From there, it would either reincarnate or transform into something else and return to the front side. We were always in this cycle."

She took a pen and pierced the paper. "Originally, there should have been a passage between the two sides. We could go to that world when we died, and some things from that world could return to this side. But now... the passage is blocked! We can't go down, and they can't come up."

Ino's "Underworld Theory" didn't align with Kabuto's worldview, but he remained silent, letting her continue while he pondered, trying to find flaws in her theory.

Ino continued in a tone that sounded like she was showing off a perfect test score to an adult. "Actually, it might not be a hole. It could be something else? I'm not sure. The books say that the god who governs life and death, the King of Hell or the God of the Underworld, has also encountered problems. The cycle of life and death in our world has been disrupted, and the violence cannot be resolved. It just keeps accumulating on the front side of this paper. The more people die, the crazier the world becomes, until eventually, there's no saving it, right?

I heard that in the ancient Land of Wind, there was an organization called the Baroque Works. They tried to find the King of Hell and restore the world's cycle, but they failed in the end. Maybe the god has left us, or maybe the author was just talking nonsense? Hahaha"

Ino's original intention was to bluff Kabuto into trying to free the King of Hell from the control of the Rinnegan, using the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques to befriend the King of Hell and then control Him. However, she didn't hold much hope for Kabuto actually obtaining the Rinnegan. The gap in their strength was too great.

This was more of a test a test to see how much attention the Sage of Six Paths was paying to the whole situation and to gauge how much power this terrestrial deity still had.

By putting Kabuto at the forefront, even if the Sage of Six Paths intervened, it would be Kabuto who bore the brunt of it.

Ino finished speaking, but Kabuto remained silent for a long time.

Absurd! That was his first reaction. But when he thought about it carefully, he couldn't find any obvious flaws.

Was the world really becoming crazier? If he were an ordinary ninja, he would have laughed it off and moved on. But he wasn't an ordinary ninja.

Kabuto forced a dry laugh. "That's an interesting story, but these claims are definitely wrong. Under the Hokage's leadership, our ninja world is surely getting better. Don't spread such stories in the future; it's not good for the Yamanaka clan's image."

Ino put on an expression of sudden realization and shifted the blame. "Oh, really? I'm sorry, I know I was wrong. I won't say it again. Wait, actually, wasn't this topic brought up by you, Kabuto-senpai?"

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