From Naruto onwards, I've become a dreamer.

Chapter 6 The Twilight Hermit's Meeting

For a moment, Orochimaru was stunned.

The person who held the dagger to his neck was none other than Hatake Sakumo, who had already 'committed suicide'!

"This is impossible!"

Even Orochimaru, known as the 'Cold Lord,' could no longer remain calm, revealing a look of horror.

He witnessed White Fang commit suicide by cutting his stomach with a dagger in the room and identified his body.

However, this very person who had supposedly committed suicide is now here, and is even being threatened with a dagger!

That's absolutely absurd.
At that moment, Orochimaru wished he were dreaming.

"Everything is possible."

At this moment, Uchiha Munetsuki spoke, his voice seemingly possessing some kind of magic, soothing Orochimaru's uneasy heart.

"No, you can't be White Fang!" Orochimaru gritted his teeth, his pupils trembling slightly. "I witnessed White Fang commit suicide with my own eyes, and I confirmed his body. Moreover, I can assure you it wasn't an illusion!"

"There are many definitions of death. Is the 'death' you are convinced of really 'death'?"

Uchiha Muneki gently raised his hand, signaling White Fang to release him: "White Fang is indeed dead, but... it is his physical body that has died. What is in front of you is his spirit."

"Could it be... a soul?!" Orochimaru's eyes flashed with a sharp light, his voice filled with excitement.

He had been conducting research on the soul level in secret, but even after consuming hundreds of experimental subjects, he had not made any progress.

Now, a living example is right in front of him.

How could he not be tempted?
"Soul? Heh, that understanding isn't entirely correct, but it's not wrong either."

Uchiha Muneki shook his head without explaining further: "Now, I can answer your first question. I don't intend to interfere with your fate, nor do I intend to do anything to you. The reason you are here is because of the 'Master's' choice, and you also have two choices."

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru immediately became alert: "Which two options?"

“The first option is to treat all of this as a dream. Whether you tell others after you wake up or forget it in your heart, it’s all fine.” Zong Yue slowly walked back to the white bone cross.

"What's the second option?" Orochimaru asked.

A voice deep inside him told him that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he would regret it for the rest of his life if he missed it.

"The second option is to become the agent of the 'Lord'."

Zong Yue said calmly, "In this way, you will gain the revelation of fate, gain that sliver of a chance to fight back, and no longer be a slave to fate."

"Didn't you just say that enlightened beings are always happy?" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, a playful smile curving his lips. "By joining you and becoming the Lord's agent, I can fight against my own destiny?"

"nature."

Uchiha Muneki stood beneath the cross of bones, his expression devout: "When everything comes to an end, the first Creator will awaken from death, and the kingdom He envisioned will surely descend upon the material world. The future He proclaimed will surely unfold and become reality."

"Interesting, I agree."

Orochimaru's eyes darted around, and he smiled, "However, in exchange, I need you to teach me about the soul."

He didn't care at all whether the so-called 'master' the other party spoke of was real. What truly mattered to him was the other party's research and knowledge on the spiritual level; that was the most valuable thing.

"How about it? My conditions." Orochimaru stuck out his tongue, licking his lips like a cold, venomous snake, revealing a dangerous smile: "Of course, besides joining you, I will also pay a price, such as... Konoha's bloodline limit, the Book of Sealing Seals, and the First Hokage's cells. You should be interested, right?"

Wow. As expected of Orochimaru!

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Muneki's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly masked his fluctuating emotions with his 'soothing' skill.

It must be said that the conditions Orochimaru offered were indeed quite tempting.

Leaving aside the bloodline limit of Konoha, the Book of Seals which records many forbidden techniques, or the cells that originated from the body of the First Sage, are enough to make people drool.

Unfortunately, these things, though precious, are not what he needs right now.

"Lord, I don't care, and I don't need it."

Uchiha Munetsuki politely declined Orochimaru's offer, seemingly unconcerned about the tempting terms, and calmly said, "Orochimaru, perhaps in your eyes those things are treasures, but in reality, they are worthless and meaningless, so put away your little schemes."

My heart aches so much I can't breathe.
But in order to maintain his high-class image, he had to refuse.

Zongyue could only console herself that there would be other opportunities in the future, and there was no need to be fixated on the smallest things in front of her.

"Heh, alright." Orochimaru shrugged nonchalantly, unconcerned about being rejected. "Now, can you tell me what kind of organization this is?"

"The Twilight Hermit's Gathering".

Zong Yue's ethereal voice seemed to echo throughout the hall: "Our goal is singular: to intervene in history at crucial moments, guide the tides of time, and propel it in the direction we desire, awakening the original Creator who has fallen into a deep slumber of death."

White Fang, having put down his dagger, silently stepped aside, as silent as a shadow.

"What an amazing place! Is this where we'll be communicating from now on?"

Orochimaru surveyed the eerie church of bones, seemingly admiring its grandeur or marveling at the piles of bones: "I'm starting to get interested in you. Someone like you, with absolutely no information about you in the ninja world, huh? How interesting."

Those long, narrow eyes, like those of a snake, were fixed on the figure shrouded in mystery and mist beneath the white bone cross.

I'm curious and want to dissect it to see.
"Since you've brought up communication..."

As Zong Yue's thoughts stirred, the black mist within the entire Church of Bones surged like a tide.

Although I've never tried it before, since this place is built from dreams and the mind, it should be possible, right?
In an instant, a long bronze table appeared in the hall of the Church of Bones, with several high-backed chairs, all made of the same bronze material, placed to the left, right, front, and back.

White Fang and Orochimaru sat in the first row, facing each other, in the head seats closest to Sogetsu.

"Sorry, Klein, I just borrowed your idea." He was a little hesitant, but he defended himself by saying, "We're all time travelers, you should understand."

"Realistic touch"

Reaching out to touch the bronze chair, the unique coolness of the metal sent a shiver down Orochimaru's spine: "Without a doubt, this is not an illusion."

As a master of ninjutsu, he naturally also studied illusion techniques, and such a realistic effect could not be achieved by illusion techniques alone.

"The Twilight Hermit Society, what secrets are you hiding?" Orochimaru pondered to himself. The methods the mysterious man had displayed so far surpassed any other ninjutsu. "Perhaps this is my chance. Let's trust him for now, hmm."

(End of this chapter)