Chapter 144: Details of the Universe

Torey Misheng of the Snake-Headed tribe flew toward the lone human, accompanied by his six companions. He was exhilarated; this training mission was nearing a perfect conclusion, and once finalized, it would serve as yet another honor he could boast about on his resume.

He had already undergone several such "gilded" training missions. Each time, he simply needed to bring enough personnel and spend a period in a hazardous location. Regardless of the actual results, specialists back at the clan would embellish the mission report to ensure a "bountiful harvest" upon his return. As the son of a noble in the Snake-Headed tribe, he needed an extensive resume to inherit his father's position; that was the sole purpose of these excursions.

"Well, this is nearly it. Once I rob this last individual, I'll go find a place to feast and drink with my friends for three or four days, and then it will be time to set off back to the clan," Torey Misheng thought with satisfaction. His companions clearly understood that the trip was coming to an end. Their families were close allies with cooperation across many sectors, so the younger generation was always together. Once they fully matured, they would form a new network of influence. For Torey, this trial was for show; for his friends, it was the same.

"Attack!"

Excited, they swarmed forward, intending to subdue their "prey" before robbing him. They had done this many times before; they didn't even need special tactics. With seven of them launching a simultaneous strike, they would usually subdue their target instantly. This time was no different—they were already anticipating their success—but then, with a loud *bang*, a repulsive force erupted from the prey, sending them all flying.

Torey Misheng’s gaze sharpened. He flipped in the air and landed steadily, as did his companions. He looked at Orochimaru with caution and shouted, "The prey is troublesome! Use greater—"

Before he could finish, a powerful suction force pulled them in. Even using their full strength, they could not break free.

*Hum!*

They arrived before Orochimaru. Their chaotic thoughts suddenly ceased; their eyes grew dull. They had fallen under Orochimaru’s genjutsu. Orochimaru’s eyes were formidable, possessing the full capabilities of the Rinnegan. Having obtained the ultimate genjutsu from Itachi Uchiha, controlling these seven small fry was trivial. He had invaded the depths of their consciousness to dominate them.

"What year is it?" Orochimaru asked, getting straight to the point.

"The year 3190 of the Otsutsuki Calendar," Torey Misheng replied in a monotone voice.

Orochimaru remained expressionless, thinking to himself, "Has it already been this long?"

It was indeed the future, just as he had expected. The great war between the Allied Tribes and the Otsutsuki clan had taken place in the year 2190 of the Otsutsuki Calendar; a thousand years had passed since then.

"I have arrived a millennium later..."

Orochimaru pondered for a moment before asking, "What is the current state of the universe?"

Torey Misheng provided a detailed account. The current universe was split in two: half ruled by the Sage of Six Paths, and half by the Otsutsuki clan. For the first nine hundred years, the two sides had been locked in constant warfare, but neither could gain the upper hand. In the last century, they had moved toward a state of peace.

Orochimaru was curious. Given the Sage of Six Paths' ability to predict the future, how had the Otsutsuki clan managed to hold out for a thousand years? After all, no matter how great the strength, one would eventually be undone by schemes. As Torey spoke, Orochimaru learned that the leader of the Otsutsuki clan possessed power far beyond imagination; there was no force in the current universe capable of killing him. In such circumstances, the Sage of Six Paths was helpless. No matter the calculation, no matter how terrifying the trap or conspiracy, the invincible strength of the Otsutsuki leader could easily shatter it.

Orochimaru mused. Had the Otsutsuki clan truly reached that level? He instinctively licked his lips. The Otsutsuki leader had reached the pinnacle of their power system. That was an excellent subject for experimentation; Orochimaru was eager to know the structure of his body.

Subsequently, Torey detailed major historical events, all of which were games of chess between the Sage of Six Paths and the Otsutsuki clan, resulting in a stalemate. Finally, Torey exhausted all he knew, and his six companions supplemented the information, leaving Orochimaru with a clear picture.

Orochimaru then tapped Torey’s forehead, drawing out a mass of white energy. According to Torey, this energy was a "genjutsu network" developed over the last millennium by the Sage of Six Paths' faction, based on the chakra technology salvaged from the destroyed Earth. By imprinting this energy into one's forehead, one could access the genjutsu network. Almost everyone in the universe was connected to it.

Orochimaru pressed the white mass into his own forehead and, following the instructions, quickly entered the largest and most authoritative forum in the network. It was highly active.

"Have you heard? The Six Paths Universe and the Samsara Universe are going to seek peace!"

"Your news is outdated. It's not that they are going to; it's already happening. The Sage of Six Paths and the Otsutsuki leader are going to build the most prosperous universe together."

"Ah? Does that mean I'll be able to see God Itachi?"

"To the person above, you must be from the Otsutsuki side! May you meet a bad end!"

"Heh, 'God Itachi,' indeed. Itachi Uchiha is in cahoots with the remnants of Earth; who knows what's really going on? He might even be killed by the Sage of Six Paths himself soon!"

"Remnants of Earth again? A tiny life-bearing planet from a thousand years ago, and it never ends! Change the subject!"

"Earth wasn't that small, was it? It is said that the war between the Allied Tribes and the Otsutsuki clan was sparked by it."

"Nonsense! How could the remnants of Earth have such power? Unofficial history is not official history!"

"But the remnants of Earth, led by Shikamaru and Kabuto Yakushi, truly were too strong..."

"Enough, both of you. The final outcome for Itachi Uchiha should be announced soon. In fact, insiders have already leaked it, but it gets deleted quickly—someone is suppressing it. Let's just wait and watch the show..."

The topic shifted, and they began discussing two other popular rising stars under the Sage of Six Paths: Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha.

Orochimaru browsed casually, keeping his focus on the "energy mass." The technology behind it was fascinating; it used the corpses of the Otsutsuki as a base, supplemented by another race capable of directly manipulating cosmic particles, to form a massive genjutsu network through those particles. Orochimaru quickly grasped the principles and used them to infiltrate various forums.

"Hmm, Itachi Uchiha?" Orochimaru pondered for a moment. He was curious about the status of this old acquaintance who was still alive.

He easily cracked the forum's data and accessed the restricted, non-public information.

"This is..."

Orochimaru stared at the detailed history of Itachi Uchiha’s actions over the past thousand years.