No matter how much the Nine-Tails pestered him, Orochimaru did not reveal any future information to the two. As he said, the future had already begun to change due to his intervention.
Instead of dwelling on a future that might not unfold as remembered, it was better to seize the present and strive to improve one's strength.
When one's strength reached a certain height, what future? What destiny?
Would it not be something Orochimaru could decide with a single thought?
"Tsunade, what was that you were saying before the Nine-Tails interrupted you?"
After eating for a while, Orochimaru put down his chopsticks and, as if suddenly remembering something, asked Tsunade.
Tsunade, who was squinting and pouring herself wine, looked up at Orochimaru with a hazy gaze.
"Hmm?"
"Did I say something just now?"
Seeing Tsunade’s drunken state, Orochimaru couldn't help but sigh. A ball of dark, inky chakra emerged from his fingertip and gently tapped her forehead before retracting.
The icy sensation from the dark chakra made Tsunade shiver, and her eyes cleared considerably.
Watching Orochimaru slowly withdraw his finger, Tsunade pouted with dissatisfaction.
"Tch, you're such a bore!"
"I was having such a good time, and you've ruined it all!"
Orochimaru sighed softly and slowly shook his head.
"Indulgence is a luxury we cannot afford at this stage!"
Tsunade looked directly into Orochimaru's eyes, her mind lost in thought. After a moment of silence, she asked softly,
"Orochimaru, you once said you were on a path to find the truth of the ninja world."
"But if you claim to have mastered all the secrets of the ninja world, what is your goal from now on?"
A smile played on Orochimaru's lips.
"The pursuit of truth is merely a byproduct; my goal has never changed!"
"Human life is too short. Even the strong like the First Hokage and Mito-sama could not escape the fate of aging."
"Therefore, I want to try and see if I can break it!"
Tsunade stared blankly at the confident expression on Orochimaru's face. She suddenly felt that this somewhat absurd idea was not just something he was saying casually.
"Immortality..."
"Orochimaru, is that possible?"
Orochimaru chuckled and pointed at the Nine-Tails.
"Tsunade, ask the Nine-Tails how long he has lived in the ninja world!"
Tsunade was taken aback and looked at the Nine-Tails with confusion.
The Nine-Tails twitched its ears, lifted its head from the plate, and said proudly,
"I've lived for over a thousand years!"
Although Tsunade was surprised by the Nine-Tails' age, she soon felt something was amiss.
"But the Nine-Tails is a tailed beast!"
"Humans can't live that long!"
Orochimaru shook his head slightly, his expression serious.
"The Nine-Tails is a creature created by Yin-Yang Release!"
"What's wrong with a creature being created? That doesn't prove..."
"Created by someone?"
Tsunade instinctively wanted to refute Orochimaru's words but suddenly realized what he meant.
"Exactly!"
Orochimaru nodded heavily.
"As long as the power of Yin-Yang Release is cultivated to its extreme, humans can also possess the power to create all things in the universe."
"At that level, the boundary between life and death will become meaningless!"
Tsunade clenched her fists tightly, looking at Orochimaru with excitement.
"Is it really possible?"
"Yin-Yang Release..."
"I also have Yang nature within me. How can I possess that so-called Yin-Yang Release?"
Orochimaru subtly glanced at the Nine-Tails and extended his palm, gathering the Yin-Yang Release chakra within him.
"Yin-Yang Release is not the same concept as simply Yin or Yang energy!"
"Although I possess all seven elemental natures, including Yin-Yang and the five elements, I may never be able to cultivate the power of Yin-Yang Release on my own."
Tsunade looked at the chakra radiating a hazy glow in Orochimaru's palm in shock. Just by observing it, her own chakra felt suppressed.
Having learned that Uchiha Madara was still alive and experiencing Mito Uzumaki's passing, Tsunade's desire to become stronger was now more intense than ever.
Even if not for herself, but for Nawaki, the last bloodline of the Senju clan, Tsunade had to seize every opportunity to grow stronger.
The words interrupted by the Nine-Tails earlier were actually her expressing her determination to become stronger to Orochimaru. Although the topic was diverted later, her attitude remained unwavering.
Now that Orochimaru had clearly laid out a path to becoming stronger before her, how could she not be tempted?
That was a power that could break the boundary between life and death!
"Is this Yin-Yang Release chakra? The nature of this power gives me a terrifying feeling."
"Since you said you can't cultivate Yin-Yang chakra, how did you achieve it?"
Orochimaru glanced at the Nine-Tails, who was looking smug, and nodded gratefully at him.
"I cultivated it using the seed that the Nine-Tails gifted me!"
"I never expected that after just a transaction, the Nine-Tails would be so generous."
"Nine-Tails, thank you!"
The Nine-Tails waved its paw dismissively.
"Just a wisp of Yin-Yang Release chakra, I have as much as I want..."
Halfway through its sentence, the Nine-Tails suddenly realized that its body was composed of pure Yang Release chakra, and it became flustered.
"Ugh..."
"I used to have plenty, but now..."
"Only Yang Release!"
Before dwelling in sadness for long, the Nine-Tails shook its head nonchalantly and cheerfully declared,
"But it doesn't matter, I can forcibly condense some natural energy and transform it into Yin-Yang Release chakra!"
"With my level of strength, elemental natures are irrelevant!"
Orochimaru nodded in agreement.
Indeed.
Even if it was only half of the Nine-Tails, even if it only possessed Yang Release.
As the strongest tailed beast, the Nine-Tails could casually condense a Tailed Beast Bomb composed of Yin-Yang Release power as easily as eating or drinking.
Thinking of this, Orochimaru suddenly remembered an ability the Nine-Tails possessed that other tailed beasts did not.
That is, the Nine-Tails could refine pure and harmless senjutsu energy from nature for anyone to use. If they could cooperate, would his Ryūchidō Sage Mode not be able to be cultivated without needing to travel to Ryūchidō Cave specifically?
A spark suddenly flashed in Orochimaru's eyes, and he looked at the Nine-Tails with intense eagerness.
The Nine-Tails was startled by his scorching gaze and looked at Orochimaru warily.
"Orochimaru, you scoundrel, you're not planning to ask me to help this girl Tsunade condense Yin-Yang Release, are you?"
"I'm telling you, we are currently..."
Tsunade's expression lit up with joy. She grabbed the Nine-Tails and shook it vigorously in her hands.
"Nine-Tails, can you help me?"
"Please, please!"
The Nine-Tails, blurred by the shaking, instinctively wanted to break free from Tsunade's monstrous grip, but a voice in its heart told it: This is Mito's granddaughter, I still owe her a favor. I must endure and not tarnish my reputation as the strongest tailed beast.
"Stop, stop, I promise!"
Helpless, the Nine-Tails, whose eyes were about to roll back from the shaking, quickly agreed.
Tsunade was overjoyed. Fueled by the alcohol, she hugged the Nine-Tails tightly and solicitously poured it a cup of wine.
"Nine-Tails, have a drink!"
"From now on, we are good friends!"
Orochimaru's smile widened as he looked at the Nine-Tails' resigned expression.
"Kurama, you truly are the strongest tailed beast, favored by the Sage of Six Paths in ancient times and authorized to manage the Ninshu!"
"After the evil in your soul was eliminated, your tolerance for humans has likely reached a level you never imagined."
"In that case, as a summoned beast, you wouldn't refuse to assist me in cultivating Sage Mode, would you!"
"Tsunade who has learned Yin-Yang Release, coupled with me and Jiraiya who can use senjutsu..."
"Hanzo of the Salamander, I am truly looking forward to meeting you!"