Chapter Seventy-Three: The Chakra Cliff

... Unbeknownst to them, Orochimaru and Uchiha Madara had spent many years within the world of the Deep Pool. If measured by normal time, it would amount to two or three decades. Yet, this world was a realm conjured by the Deep Pool, and its time did not flow as it did outside.

During this period, Orochimaru and Madara did not devote themselves solely to matters of history; each pursued their own methods of studying the primordial force. In truth, this primordial force was the green energy—only by understanding its nature and turning it to their advantage could they hope to escape.

This was their true purpose.

Orochimaru sought Madara out, meeting him at the edge of a sheer precipice. He gestured toward the abyss below and said, "I need your help to fill this place with chakra."

Madara’s expression remained calm, rarely did anything disturb his composure, but upon hearing this, his pupils contracted slightly. "You want to fill this abyss with chakra?"

The abyss was bottomless, stretching beyond sight. To fill it with chakra was an enormous undertaking—Orochimaru must be joking.

Madara activated his Sharingan, and, after a rough estimate, realized that if they truly managed to fill it, it would become a chakra chasm, rivaling the Divine Tree in its energy. It would be a place of wonder.

Madara replied, "I understand, you’re joking."

Even he did not believe it possible.

Orochimaru, however, smiled faintly and said nothing. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Suddenly, the ground shimmered with violet light—a jutsu array appeared.

The array possessed a suction force, absorbing the surrounding natural energy and forming a small violet chakra serpent.

Madara observed the serpent, his demeanor becoming more serious. "A jutsu array?"

To fill the abyss with chakra by human effort alone was impossible—even if they exhausted themselves, it could not be done. But with the array, there was a glimmer of hope.

Orochimaru glanced down into the abyss. "I’ll teach you this array."

It was a recent result of his research. Over the years, he had studied the green energy incessantly. Though he had not yet grasped its essence, his power had multiplied many times, and his discoveries were numerous.

This array was one such achievement.

Madara’s own power had increased exponentially, yet neither knew who was the stronger. Their shared identity as members of Akatsuki was one factor, but mutual wariness ran deeper.

Especially since they were the only two real beings in this world, fighting to the death was pointless. Instead, they needed to work together to escape the Deep Pool.

Madara was silent for a moment, his face emotionless. "What’s the purpose?"

There was always a reason for action. Cooperation was acceptable, but only if it served their escape. If it was merely to grow stronger or conduct experiments, Madara would not participate.

He had learned, over the years, that Orochimaru was restless, always probing into strange matters. If he was not careful, chaos would erupt, and those calamities would become legends.

Utterly tedious.

Orochimaru did not answer directly. He stretched out his hand to feel the breeze. "What is the most direct manifestation of green energy?"

Madara was exceedingly intelligent. Though he lacked interest in research, he excelled in any field he chose, and he instantly grasped the answer to Orochimaru’s question, though he did not voice it.

Orochimaru had not expected Madara to cooperate; he was guiding Madara’s thoughts. He answered himself, "It’s time."

"We are clearly within the Deep Pool, but it feels as though we are living through history, and after each interval, time suddenly accelerates. If we can understand the principle of this acceleration, and force it to the end, might we escape?"

No one could say for certain, but it was a method, and methods must be tried. Orochimaru was ninety percent confident of success.

He had once been reborn through the 'source,' and now he was immersed in energy infinitely close to the source—the two must bear similarities.

So, as long as he could influence time, there would surely be a way out.

Madara looked at the array, understanding that Orochimaru intended to use force to affect time. When power exceeded certain limits, time and space would both be influenced.

...

Meanwhile, on a planet drifting in space, an old man led a young man out into the vast emptiness. Both bore horns atop their heads and had pale, pupil-less eyes—they were members of the Otsutsuki clan.

"Pu’er, among the Divine Trees planted by our ancestors, one stands on 'Earth.' I’ll take you to retrieve it."

The young man was fearful. "Father, we are only from a branch family. Would taking the Divine Tree..."

He trailed off, worry evident.

The old man snorted coldly. "Main family, branch family? Hmph. The main family grows weaker with each generation. Soon, they’ll be erased. We must act before all other branch families and seize the Divine Tree."

"When you were young, didn’t you like that girl Kaguya? She’s guarding the Divine Tree on Earth. Once we retrieve it, I’ll permit your marriage."

"Really?" The young man’s eyes lit up at the mention of Kaguya, and all his worries vanished. "Then, father, let’s hurry to Earth!"

He no longer cared about threats from the main family.

The two landed on a small meteorite, and the old man used the Rinnegan in his brow to control it as a vehicle, speeding toward Earth.

...

On Earth, several days passed in a flash. Orochimaru and Madara each produced tens of thousands of shadow clones to carve jutsu arrays into the cliffs.

Their powers were immense; creating so many clones was not taxing at all. By this measure, their strengths were evenly matched.

Yet, even with tens of thousands of clones, the abyss was vast, and it took them three full years to cover every inch of the cliffs.

Standing atop the precipice, the wind whipped Orochimaru and Madara’s garments, echoing through the ravine.

Suddenly, Orochimaru moved. His hands formed seals, activating all the arrays at once.

A rapid succession of sounds rang out.

Every array carved into the cliff blazed with light, ravenously absorbing the natural energy in the surrounding tens of thousands of miles.

Even the nutrients from plants and soil were drained, transforming the land into desert in an instant.

From the dense arrays, violet chakra serpents emerged, each formed from pure chakra.

These serpents flew from the arrays, swirling in the heart of the abyss. One by one, they merged, like big fish devouring small, until finally, a colossal violet chakra serpent took shape.

It resembled a purple divine dragon.

Orochimaru gazed at the dragon, smiling faintly. "It should have a name."

Madara’s calm eyes regarded it. "Let’s call it the Dragon Vein."