Chapter 253: The Strong Are Drawn to One Anotherp
"What do you mean by 'pretend to agree'?"
Shiromo looked at Uchiha Hikari with clear suspicion.
Faced with such an absurd situation, she was unexpectedly calm and composed.
"It means agreeing for now. There's no way they can immediately collect their 'reward.' They'll still have to wait until we 'execute' all the Tailed Beasts first."
"Once we transfer all the Tailed Beasts away, this world will come to an end. Naturally, there will be no need to fulfill any promises."
"So just agree. They'll only end up becoming our allies for nothing. Yes, that's how it works."
Uchiha Hikari gave her explanation with complete seriousness.
It was like Captain America in a second playthrough casually saying 'Hail Hydra.'
Go along with them first. In the end, you simply leave, no responsibility required.
The logic was sound.
But reasonable didn't mean flawless.
Something about it felt… incomplete.
It didn't quite sound like something Uchiha Hikari would normally say.
"Agreeing is fine. But did Orochimaru mention anything else?"
Shiromo asked.
"…Yes."
Uchiha Hikari pressed her lips together and nodded.
"He said that after conducting research in this world, he discovered that the root of all evil originates from the Ōtsutsuki clan, or more precisely, from chakra itself."
"In this world, the Ōtsutsuki clan had already experienced betrayal even before Ōtsutsuki Kaguya."
"Because of that, they modified either their own genes or those of the Ten-Tails. As a result, among their divided 'descendants,' the aspect related to attraction was amplified, especially toward the 'original body.'"
"The Sage of Six Paths only managed to break free from Kaguya's 'attraction' by borrowing Earth's 'attraction' through the toads of Mount Myōboku, allowing him to seal Kaguya."
"His younger brother wasn't so fortunate. He remained subject to Kaguya's 'attraction,' chose to go to the moon, and waited for an opportunity to revive her."
"The chakra passed down by the Sage of Six Paths subsequently caused the entire shinobi world to fall under this amplified 'attraction.'"
"Furry obsession is merely a byproduct. In essence, people of the shinobi world are only infatuated with the Nine Tailed Beasts. Other summoned creatures merely serve as substitutes."
"The fundamental reason is that the entire shinobi world is constantly being 'drawn' to the Tailed Beasts. And because of chakra's existence, this attraction becomes nearly impossible to resist."
"Oh, so the Orochimaru of the Limited Tsukuyomi world also discovered 'universal gravitation', huh?"
Shiromo rolled his eyes.
In the audience.
While transmitting information to Uchiha Hikari, Orochimaru was simultaneously explaining his findings to the others.
Primarily to Senju Tobirama. Informing everyone else at the same time was simply to avoid having to repeat explanations later, which would be troublesome.
"In the Limited Tsukuyomi world, Shiromo-kun does not exist. Therefore, no matter how far that version of me advanced, he could only observe the phenomenon of 'attraction,' without seeing beyond it to understand that gravity is merely a manifestation of spacetime curvature."
Orochimaru picked up an uncut watermelon.
"Imagine two small insects on opposite sides of the watermelon. They begin moving at the same time, each traveling in what they perceive as a straight line. From the insects' perspective, they should never encounter one another. Yet in reality…"
"The insects meet."
"Because the watermelon's surface is curved."
"Likewise…"
Orochimaru tossed the watermelon lightly into the air. It fell neatly back into his hand.
"From the watermelon's perspective, it's also traveling in a straight line. Only spacetime itself has been curved by the Earth."
"Nagato's Rinnegan techniques, Shinra Tensei, Banshō Ten'in, Chibaku Tensei, all consume massive amounts of chakra. Combined with the various phenomena observed in the Limited Tsukuyomi world, this suggests that the greater an object's mass, the greater its 'attraction,' or rather, the greater its distortion of surrounding spacetime…"
"Orochimaru, what exactly are you trying to say? Why are you rambling about all this nonsense? Who's going to understand any of this if I put it into a novel? You're going to ruin my bestseller!"
Tsunade, who had been diligently taking notes, finally frowned and stopped writing.
"The Ōtsutsuki clan of the Limited Tsukuyomi world amplified this form of 'attraction.' Why would that cause people to become obsessed with the Tailed Beasts?"
"If something similar exists in reality, but without amplification, could that explain concepts like 'fate' and 'destiny'?"
"A sufficiently powerful individual naturally gathers people around them…"
"And what about Uchiha Madara?"
Senju Tobirama cut through Orochimaru's speculation without hesitation.
"That would be because another existence possessing even greater attraction drew people away."
Orochimaru glanced toward Senju Hashirama.
Fair enough.
Senju Tobirama fell silent.
Frankly speaking, he too had often wondered where his elder brother's inexplicable charisma came from.
With Orochimaru's attraction theory, things suddenly seemed far more logical.
Not only others, but even Uchiha Madara himself had been drawn to Hashirama.
"However, this form of attraction is unlike that of the Limited Tsukuyomi world. Without amplification, it generally wouldn't produce any particularly bizarre outcomes. Though, occasional exceptions may occur."
Orochimaru did not elaborate.
After all, the most infamous example had yet to formally exist.
The so-called "exception" naturally referred to the legendary Talk-no-Jutsu.
"My father once said that the strong are drawn to one another. Could this be what he meant?"
Senju Hashirama recalled his father's words, deep in thought.
"Please don't misunderstand. Shiromo-kun indeed possesses a powerful 'attraction.' But our interactions with him have all been deliberate and voluntary."
"Shiromo-kun once said something: 'Man proposes, Heaven disposes.'"
"Our bond with Shiromo-kun is not merely the result of 'attraction.' It is not 'fate,' but a matter of personal choice."
As he spoke, Orochimaru pointed toward the Allied Shinobi Forces below.
"If this were truly the result of uncontrollable attraction, you would observe behavior like theirs. After losing more than half the Tailed Beasts, their attitudes suddenly shifted. They now look as though they'd very much like to…"
"Enough, Orochimaru! There are children present. Watch your language!"
Tsunade slammed her hand on the table before he could finish.
"Very well. Allow me to phrase it more tactfully."
Orochimaru remained perfectly composed.
"They appear eager to engage in a contest of who will emerge victorious."
"..."
Tsunade was momentarily speechless.
She glanced at the so-called "children." Every single one of them clearly understood the implication.
Her concern had been entirely unnecessary.
Still, Orochimaru's final remarks did offer some comfort.
The notion of gravity-like destiny was far too bleak.
To resist gravity, one must first achieve flight. Then reverse time. Only at the final stage could one hope to break free from fate itself.
Uchiha Hikari, standing below, felt similarly reassured.
When Orochimaru had only explained half of his theory, she too had been conflicted.
Not about whether her meeting with Shiromo had been dictated by destiny.
But about whether she should go back and chop Orochimaru into pieces for spreading such bewildering nonsense.
Shiromo did seem to rely heavily on Orochimaru's research.
Yet Orochimaru's talent for unsettling rhetoric was infuriating.
Because of that inner turmoil, her earlier words had sounded slightly… strange.
(End of this chapter)