"Orochimaru, I recall snakes detesting desert environments, don't they?"
"Why are you completely unfazed, not even a flicker of change in your expression?"
The endless yellow sand was incredibly boring, even the Nine-Tails, who always yearned for freedom, had grown tired of the Wind Country's desert scenery. After spitting out two mouthfuls of sand, it casually found a topic of conversation for itself and Orochimaru.
Orochimaru, his body wrapped in a hood, shaded his eyes and peered at the building ahead before glancing sideways at the Nine-Tails.
"My name is Orochimaru, but I am not a snake!"
"Tch, what's the difference?"
Seeing Orochimaru finally willing to speak, the Nine-Tails' spirits were lifted, eager for a verbal spar.
"I, on the other hand, think your eyes are no different from a snake's. Perhaps..."
"Your body has inherited some snake lineage!"
Orochimaru nodded noncommittally.
"Hmm... perhaps! Who knows!"
"I am just a commoner. Apart from my parents, I haven't met any other family members."
"When I was young, I envied the geniuses of those great clans, like the Uchiha and Hyuga."
"Sometimes I even fantasized about what it would be like if my body also possessed the bloodline of those clans, for example, if I could awaken the Sharingan..."
"Now... bloodlines don't really matter anymore."
The Nine-Tails nodded in agreement.
"That's true!"
"Actually, Indra's bloodline isn't that great either. Apart from the descendant who inherits Indra's chakra each generation, others aren't particularly astounding."
As it spoke, a thought suddenly struck the Nine-Tails, and it turned to Orochimaru.
"Oh, right..."
"Orochimaru, didn't you say you understood everything about the ninja world?"
"Then do you know which Uchiha clan member has inherited Indra's chakra this generation?"
Orochimaru glanced at the Nine-Tails with amusement and nodded slightly.
"Don't you already have the answer in your heart?"
The Nine-Tails paused, pondering silently for a moment. Its fur immediately stood on end.
"Are you saying that damned Uchiha Madara?"
Orochimaru smiled and nodded.
Seeing Orochimaru give a positive answer, the Nine-Tails immediately became so enraged it started hopping on the sand.
"Damn it, I should have known sooner."
"Apart from the reincarnation of Indra's chakra, who else could have evolved the Sharingan to Eternal Mangekyo, and even awakened the Rinnegan."
"No wonder, no wonder I wasn't his match..."
The Nine-Tails grumbled for a while, even finding a grand excuse for its past defeat at the hands of Uchiha Madara.
"If Uchiha Madara is the reincarnation of Indra's chakra, then couldn't Hashirama Senju, who fought him his whole life, be the reincarnation of Ashura's chakra?"
Orochimaru nodded, looking at the Nine-Tails with some pity.
What a pitiful fox, created by the Sage of Six Paths, living a carefree life, only to be beaten up by its own kind and finally sealed away.
A true tragedy of a fox's life!
The Nine-Tails felt its gaze was an insult. It fiercely bared its teeth at Orochimaru. Seeing that Orochimaru had no intention of acknowledging it, it felt bored again and dejectedly lowered its head.
"That old man is really something. He had such immense power, yet he couldn't even resolve the grudges between his own children."
"Once Uchiha Madara dies, the next round of reincarnation will begin, and who knows what kind of chaos will erupt in the ninja world again."
"Alas..."
Seeing the Nine-Tails showing signs of turning into a melancholic fox, Orochimaru bent down, stroked its head, and smiled, trying to comfort it.
"The Sage of Six Paths is not wrong, nor are Indra and Ashura."
"The chaos in the ninja world actually has another reason. I won't tell you the specific reason for now, lest you accidentally let it slip one day and disrupt some of my future plans."
The Nine-Tails contemptuously shook off Orochimaru's hand and grumbled.
"Tch!"
"So, is the reason you can't tell me the one that drives your desire to constantly become stronger?"
"If you don't want to say it, then don't! I don't care to know anyway!"
Orochimaru chuckled and shook his head.
"Something like that. Let's not talk about this, let's change the topic."
"Kurama, how much do you know about the Dragon Veins?"
The Nine-Tails casually shook its head, narrowing its eyes at the building ahead.
"Why are you suddenly interested in Dragon Veins?"
"Regarding Dragon Veins, it's not that I don't know anything. It's just that I've mostly heard about them from that old man and my other siblings."
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, looking at the Nine-Tails with interest.
"Oh? Tell me about it!"
The Nine-Tails thought for a moment and slowly began.
"According to that old man, there was indeed a Dragon Vein in the ninja world back then."
"That Dragon Vein contained immense power, accounting for almost eighty percent of the entire ninja world's natural energy. However, something happened later, and the power contained within the Dragon Vein was largely lost. To stabilize the world's energy circulation, that old man sealed the remaining Dragon Vein."
Orochimaru nodded slightly.
"So, this is the reason why the vast land of the Wind Country and the Land of Earth has become so barren?"
The Nine-Tails blinked, and suddenly glared at Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru, since you knew everything, why did you ask me?"
Orochimaru smiled and shook his head, casually explaining.
"I don't know everything."
"When I learned of White Snake Sage's identity at Ryūchi Cave, I only had some guesses."
"Now, coupled with the information from your mouth, I've simply confirmed my suspicions."
The Nine-Tails looked unconvinced.
"What guesses? Tell me so I can broaden my horizons too!"
Orochimaru ignored the Nine-Tails' attitude, gazed at Lou Lan amidst the wind and sand, and slowly spoke.
"When the Ōtsutsuki clan first came to the ninja world, didn't they plant the Divine Tree on the Dragon Veins of the ninja world?"
"That's why the ninja world became barren as it is now, due to the Divine Tree's unchecked siphoning."
"Later, the Sage of Six Paths discovered this situation. Failing to stop his mother, he instead caused Kaguya Ōtsutsuki to consume the chakra fruit, leading to the Ten-Tails going berserk."
"Then the Sage of Six Paths sealed Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and extracted the Ten-Tails' power to create you Tailed Beasts."
The Nine-Tails was stunned. It only had memories from its creation. As for the Divine Tree and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, it had never heard of them!
"Is that true or false?"
"Orochimaru, you're not just making up a story to trick me, are you?"
Orochimaru shook his head and continued.
"Afterward, to prevent the further loss of the ninja world's energy, the Sage of Six Paths sealed the Dragon Veins located in the Land of Wind beneath Lou Lan."
"This is why I brought you here. I want to see that sealed Dragon Vein."
The Nine-Tails scratched its head, looking confused.
"You want to absorb the power of the Dragon Veins like that Divine Tree?"
"Not exactly!"
Orochimaru gently denied.
"Perhaps in the future, but my current body cannot bear the immense power of the Dragon Veins."
"My purpose for coming this time..."
"Is to find a way to sever the connection between living beings and the power of the Dragon Veins."
The Nine-Tails became even more bewildered.
"What do you mean?"
A dangerous glint flashed in Orochimaru's eyes, and he said coldly.
"White Snake Sage's true form is connected to Ryūchi Cave. Ordinary methods might not be able to completely kill her."
The Nine-Tails listened, dumbfounded, not even noticing the sand flying into its mouth.
"You're truly insane..."