area51novel Chapter 174 While others climb pyramids, he built one himself.
Chapter 174 While others climb pyramids, he built one himself.
The sudden, amplified sound immediately put Orochimaru on alert.
He put down his chopsticks and looked in the direction the sound came from. A young man who looked to be in his teens or twenties was wiping his hands with a rag as he walked towards him.
Looking at the face that perfectly matched the person in his memory, Orochimaru's mind raced.
He suddenly laughed.
"Chiba Tetsuya, Chiba Ryo, Chiba Satoru, hahaha, it seems everyone has been fooled by you, Boss Chiba. We really misjudged you. Everyone thought you were an ordinary person, but no one expected that you were the one who was hiding the deepest secret."
I always thought I saw things clearly, but I never expected you to still fool me. All I can say is, well done, Mr. Chiba.
Tetsuya looked into Orochimaru's eyes and saw no panic or tension, only surprise, astonishment, and excitement.
"These three identities, these three people active in the ninja world, are probably all the same person, Boss Chiba."
One can only say that Orochimaru is truly remarkable, able to remain calm even in a situation like this, or perhaps he simply doesn't know what's going on.
But none of that matters. He has some questions he's curious about and plans to have a good chat with Orochimaru about them.
"Well, let me correct something. Chiba Tetsuya and Chiba Ryo are indeed me, but Chiba Satoru is a real person, and he is indeed my grandson."
"Oh, really? You don't even have a son, so where would you get a grandson from?"
"Hehe, sometimes, some steps can be skipped, don't you think?"
Tetsuya didn't want to explain Chiba Satoru's background too much and casually brushed it off.
However, Orochimaru began to seriously consider these words.
"Yes, Mr. Chiba is right. Sometimes, it is possible to skip some steps."
Upon hearing Orochimaru's answer, Tetsuya paused.
No, what are you endorsing here?
No, it seems that Orochimaru actually thinks some things can be skipped. In Boruto, didn't he create a child for himself, the artificial human Mitsuki?
"Mr. Chiba, may I ask you a few questions?"
"Of course, I can answer any question as long as it's not outrageous."
Tetsuya sat down opposite Orochimaru, took a pair of chopsticks from the chopstick holder, and began eating the signature tonkotsu ramen in front of him.
Seeing this, Orochimaru continued eating the fried noodles in front of him.
Since things have already come to this, there's nothing to worry about. Let's eat first; wasting food is shameful.
"Mr. Chiba, who exactly are you? Is your identity as Chiba Tetsuya also a lie?"
While eating fried noodles, Orochimaru asked a question.
"No, I am Chiba Tetsuya."
"Is that so? I understand."
Orochimaru nodded. He did not question Tetsuya's answer, but continued to ask his own questions.
"Is your current appearance the result of using a transformation technique? Or rather, which of these three faces do you present to the public—the elderly Daimyo of the Land of Grass, Tetsuya Chiba; the current head of the Chiba Trading Company, Ryo Chiba, the son of the Daimyo; and the cynical gambling god of the Land of Grass, Satoru Chiba—is your truest self?"
As he spoke, Orochimaru's eyes sharpened, as if the answer to this question was extremely important to him.
"What you see is my most authentic self."
Upon hearing Tetsuya's answer, Orochimaru became extremely excited.
He also knew what Orochimaru was excited about.
This guy has been pursuing immortality, and of all the things he has come into contact with so far, the closest thing to the secret of immortality is Hashirama cells.
However, Hashirama cells still cannot grant immortality; all they can provide is immense power.
And now, he has witnessed the second being that is close to immortality, and that is himself.
For decades, my appearance has remained unchanged.
How could this not excite Orochimaru, a scientific fanatic who pursues immortality?
"Heh, I know what you're thinking, but I advise you not to get too excited, or it won't do you any good."
Orochimaru tore off his disguise and excitedly licked his lips.
"Really? How do you know?"
Zhe did not answer, but simply released the chakra seal on his body.
In an instant, a terrifying surge of chakra erupted within the small shop, but under Tetsuya's control, this surge was confined to the shop itself.
At this moment, Orochimaru was already sweating profusely.
"Impossible! Are you a humanoid tailed beast? How could a human possess such a massive amount of chakra? Even a tailed beast jinchūriki couldn't do that!"
He had seen the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki before, including Kushina and Mito Uzumaki.
However, judging from the terrifying chakra emanating from Tetsuya, even the two Jinchuriki of the Tailed Beasts did not exert as much pressure on him as Tetsuya did.
"Could it be that you have surpassed the Jinchūriki and reached the level of the legendary Sage of Six Paths, a realm of immortals that only appears in myths and legends?"
In the common understanding of the ninja world, it was the Sage of Six Paths who created the Tailed Beasts. So, if Tetsuya surpasses the Tailed Beasts created by the Sage of Six Paths, wouldn't that mean he has already reached the legendary Sage Realm?
"The Immortal Realm? I don't really like that term. There are no real immortals in this world."
My current state should more accurately be called the Sage of Six Paths, since in the ninja world's understanding, the legendary founder of Ninja Cult is known as the Sage of Six Paths.
Through years of gacha pulls, coupled with the Sage Mode and the various special physiques Tetsuya acquired, he had already reached the Six Paths realm, as people often say, before the Third Shinobi World War.
However, his Six Paths Realm is quite special. It is not because he became the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki by relying on the Ten-Tails, nor is it like Naruto and Sasuke who gained power through the teachings of the Six Paths Elder. Rather, it is because the massive amount of chakra accumulated in his body has undergone a qualitative change from quantitative change, and it is a realm formed by the accumulation of pure power.
If we compare the power levels in the Naruto world to a pyramid, then the Tailed Beasts, Jinchuriki, and special bloodline limits are all tools that help people climb the pyramid. These things can help people climb higher on the pyramid.
Or perhaps, someone at the very top of the tower will show you the way forward, or even better, pull you up to the top.
But Tetsuya is different from everyone else. He builds his pyramid by accumulating sand, relying on a large number of chakra "sand grains" to continuously raise the support under his feet until he pushes himself to the top of the pyramid.
Or perhaps, Tetsuya used the materials used to build the pyramids to build a tower himself.
"Six Paths! How is that possible? That's just a legend!"
Orochimaru managed to squeeze out those few words through gritted teeth, the immense pressure from Tetsuya rendering him momentarily immobile.
"You should know best whether this is just a rumor or not, shouldn't you?"