With that said, Orochimaru strode to the other side of the laboratory and retrieved a stack of paper and a pen.
Naruto followed immediately.
"Intriguing. Truly intriguing," Orochimaru murmured, his hoarse voice almost laced with delight. "Naruto-kun, let us begin from your first life. That will serve as the baseline—the reference point for every subsequent cycle."
From then on, the laboratory was filled with the rhythm of questions and answers.
Naruto once again retraced every critical turning point of his original life—from his graduation all the way to the final battle at the Valley of the End after the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Orochimaru, like the strictest of archivists, pressed relentlessly for details—especially the moments that had been altered in later loops.
The life or death of specific individuals.
The outcome of particular battles.
The exact instant certain decisions were made.
Every detail was meticulously recorded.
Afterward, the two of them pored over the densely written pages, cross-referencing Naruto's countless cycles one by one.
Every attempt.
Every failure.
Every reset.
Orochimaru paid particular attention to events that had triggered an immediate restart, comparing them rigorously with timelines that had progressed normally until October 11th, Year 68.
As the analysis deepened, hidden patterns began to emerge—rules that had always existed, though Naruto had never organized them systematically before.
---
First Rule: Tolerance for Change.
Using the first life as the absolute reference frame, any alterations Naruto made between Year 63 and October 10th, Year 68—
No matter how drastic—
Did not immediately trigger a reset.
He had saved those who were meant to die:
The Third Hokage.
Jiraiya.
Lady Chiyo.
Neji.
He had killed those who were meant to live or cause catastrophe:
Obito.
Nagato.
Madara.
He had even used Edo Tensei and the One's Own Life Reincarnation to restore the dead to true life—reviving Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki.
He had prevented wars outright—the Fourth Great Ninja War, the Konoha Crush.
None of these changes triggered an immediate loop reset.
Time continued to flow—until the destined date arrived.
October 11th, Year 68.
It was as though the world tolerated these deviations…
Yet inevitably steered everything toward the same endpoint.
—
Second Rule: Boundary of "Existence"
Naruto's own state of being was an absolute forbidden zone.
If he died during a loop—whether in battle, by accident, or even by suicide—the cycle restarted instantly.
Likewise, extracting the Nine-Tails—his core source of power, was treated as a critical violation.
Even if he later survived through forbidden jutsus—
The act of separating the Nine-Tails itself, or the near-death state it caused, was interpreted as the "end" of his existence.
And the loop reset immediately.
Naruto's life—
And his coexistence with Kurama—
Were the foundational pillars sustaining each cycle.
—
Third Rule: Space and Time.
The Dragon Vein beneath the ruins of Rōran in the Land of Wind possessed the ability to distort time.
However—
The moment Naruto used it to travel through time and attempted to alter established history—
The loop restarted instantly.
That action itself became the trigger.
Combining these three rules, a conclusion formed.
The repeated cycles seemed less like a punishment—
And more like a mechanism guiding Naruto toward discovering—or changing—something.
Orochimaru recited these deductions clearly, his voice tinged with excitement in the vast laboratory.
He set down his pen and turned to Naruto, who stood leaning against the experiment table.
His golden eyes seemed to pierce through Naruto's confusion.
"Given these three rules, Naruto-kun," Orochimaru said thoughtfully, "after so many cycles and so many experimental variables… have you arrived at any deeper insight into the true nature of this loop?"
Naruto's blue eyes remained clouded with uncertainty.
He searched through the immense weight of accumulated memories.
Killing Obito?
Pointless.
Saving Jiraiya?
Pointless.
Reviving his parents?
Brief happiness—followed by another reset.
The Dragon Vein?
Untouchable taboo.
He had walked countless paths.
Taken different identities.
Sought different emotional bonds.
Yet the ending was always the same.
Back to Year 63.
Another cycle begins.
Orochimaru was not the first person Naruto had confided in.
In previous loops, he had told Kakashi. Jiraiya. Even his parents.
None had offered a solution.
Faced with Orochimaru's question, Naruto could only shake his head heavily.
"I don't know what this damn loop wants me to do!"
He felt like someone trapped in a colossal maze—no matter which direction he ran, he would inevitably crash into an invisible wall.
Orochimaru observed the defeat in Naruto's eyes and let out a quiet sigh.
There was little sympathy in it.
More… contemplation.
After a long silence, he spoke.
"Naruto-kun. You are not empty-handed."
"On the contrary, the three rules we've just derived already reveal the most essential key."
"What?" Naruto looked up.
"It's quite simple."
Orochimaru stepped forward and grasped Naruto firmly by the shoulders, his voice low and deliberate.
"You, Uzumaki Naruto, are the undisputed 'protagonist' of this infinite cycle."
"Your existence is the foundation upon which it continues. That cannot be coincidence."
He paused, tone probing.
"This world—or rather, this segment of time you are trapped in, it resembles a carefully designed stage play."
"Or perhaps a repeatedly conducted experiment."
"The true objective is not for you to merely change who lives or dies… nor to prevent a war."
"Those changes are permitted."
"But they do not alter the inevitable reset."
"That means they are not the key."
Naruto frowned, considering Orochimaru's reasoning.
It was different from Jiraiya's or his father's perspective.
"So what is the key?" he pressed.
"The key," Orochimaru replied steadily, "must be for you, Uzumaki Naruto, to discover something crucial during these repeating five years."
"Some truth that was overlooked—or concealed, in your original life."
"This truth may concern someone you have never once suspected."
"Or perhaps…"
He narrowed his eyes.
"It may be deeply connected to a secret about your own existence."
"It must be uncovered—or altered, within the span of Year 63 to October 11th, Year 68."
"Only then can the cycle be broken."
"Otherwise, no matter how many lives you save, how much power you gain, or how grandly you reshape history… you are merely sliding along a predetermined track toward the reset point."
Naruto's heart began pounding violently.
A faint spark of hope flickered to life again.
"Discover what? Change what?"
Orochimaru slowly shook his head.
His expression turned inscrutable.
"That… I do not know."
"My intellect and research can help you deduce the rules."
"I can help you identify the direction of the problem."
"But the specific answer—"
"The one that belongs solely to you—"
His voice carried calm resignation.
"That, Naruto-kun, is something you must find yourself."