Chapter 236: Only Seven Days of Rest per Week
Orochimaru licked his lips and chuckled, "This is quite... an extraordinary invitation. However, my focus is on immortality for now, so I'm not interested."
"That's truly a pity."
The Yunu remained motionless, casting a sidelong glance at Orochimaru, resembling a lifeless fish, "I am very interested in Orochimaru's techniques."
"Haha, in this regard, I don't think I can surpass you." Orochimaru shook his head and glanced at the finger of the Gedo Statue beneath his feet, pointedly asking, "Is the Gedo Statue virtual as well?"
"The Gedo Statue is real; everything else is an illusion."
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"In my research, the Gedo Statue is the husk of the Ten-Tails. As a product of Yin-Yang Release, it's not surprising that it can appear in a virtual spiritual space, just like the nine Tailed Beasts. But if that's the case, doesn't that render the leader's Phantom Body Technique meaningless?"
The Phantom Body Technique, one of the Rinnegan's abilities, allowed Nagato to receive the "thought waves" sent by Akatsuki members and amplify them, projecting them as illusions at specific locations.
This technique was often used for Akatsuki meetings, facilitating convenient and covert communication. However, if even the Gedo Statue was stored in this virtual space, the Phantom Body Technique would lose its purpose.
As long as members had access to this space, they could convene without the leader's assistance.
In other words, the leader's role seemed redundant.
The Yunu understood his implication and rolled her eyes, "Stop probing. Half of Akatsuki's members don't follow the leader's orders. Take me and Hikari, for instance. Your rejection of my invitation just now proves that you've figured it out."
Orochimaru chuckled but said nothing.
The plans of the Yunu and Hikari had a chance of succeeding, but from his recent interactions with other members, it seemed neither Obito nor the others were too concerned about it.
Were they indifferent, or were they simply unaware?
If they were indifferent, it implied that Akatsuki was more formidable than he had imagined, and controlling the entire ninja world was a minor ambition.
If they were unaware, it indicated that the Yunu and Hikari were operating entirely in secret, ignoring the leader of Akatsuki.
Now he had his answer: it was the latter.
Indeed, even if one was stronger, it wasn't easy to make ninja from all corners of the world bow down.
Most of Akatsuki's members probably had no idea about the true terror of the Hachikenspear, Dojutsu technique of Hikari.
Orochimaru: "The other Akatsuki members only know that the Hachikenspear absorbs chakra. They don't know it can control others, do they?"
Yunu: "Of course. No one reveals their trump card. If I weren't responsible for maintaining the virtual space, you wouldn't have approached me."
"Is this wise? I've only recently joined the organization, and you're already revealing your plans to conceal things from the leader. If I were to inform him, you and Hikari could be in serious trouble."
"You would figure out our plan from the arrangements, even without me saying anything, especially since you know the Hachikenspear's abilities. Besides, I haven't hidden anything from the leader. This plan was originally made by the leader after he learned about the Hachikenspear's chakra-absorbing ability."
The Yunu's gaze shifted to the connection point between the Gedo Statue and the virtual Divine Tree, where some black rods were linked. "The leader's goal is to revive the Ten-Tails. Hikari's ability has given him hope."
"If the Hachikenspear absorbs the chakra of the entire ninja world, including that of the Tailed Beasts, and injects it into the Gedo Statue, the Ten-Tails could likely be revived. Hikari merely added her personal desires to the plan. If her plan fails, the leader's plan will still succeed, so it's no big deal."
Following her gaze, Orochimaru sighed inwardly.
He wasn't surprised by Hikari's choice.
That girl had long since lost her sanity. If she had no opportunity, that would be one thing, but the leader of Akatsuki and the Yunu had undeniably given her a chance.
With these thoughts, Orochimaru shook his head and began discussing techniques with the Yunu.
Hikari's obsession with avenging the ninja world had nothing to do with him. His research on the Hachikenspear Dojutsu was complete; now, he was more intrigued by this virtual Divine Tree.
Joining Akatsuki was definitely the right decision.
"To release the Hachikenspear Dojutsu across the entire ninja world, the initial chakra accumulation must be a hassle. You're using the setup of Ideal City for this, right?"
"Exactly."
…
Uchiha Madara walked through a bustling city, observing the crowds around him.
Everyone wore a high-tech-looking monocle, their faces adorned with smiles, seemingly content with life here.
"So this is Ideal City, the dreamland? The rumored den of sin in the nations of the ninja world?"
"Yes, Lord Madara." White Zetsu, disguised as an ordinary man, spoke beside him, "Since Nagato decided not to involve the Land of Rain in any conflicts, we set up a base here."
"Initially, this was a dangerous gathering place for rogue ninja, but after the Yunu joined, it transformed into a true den of sin."
White Zetsu's tone was heavy as he observed the harmonious surroundings, a stark contrast to its former state.
Although it was now called Ideal City, this place once bore another name—Valley of Falsehood!
There were plenty of rogue ninja across the ninja nations. Akatsuki only cared about the powerful ones, but what about the others?
Some rogue ninja, weary of the ninja world's strife, hid their identities and formed a settlement known as the Valley of Falsehood.
A group of rogue ninja, forsaking their affiliations, identities, and names, lived under false pretenses, using transformation jutsu to disguise their appearances.
"It sounds like an ideal place to experiment with Infinite Tsukuyomi," Madara remarked with a cold smile. "What has Yunu done here to turn it into Ideal City?"
White Zetsu continued to explain, "She used Hikari's Tsukuyomi to create a genjutsu-based virtual space and developed those high-tech monocles using reverse summoning and other techniques. Once used, they pull people into that genjutsu space, allowing Hikari to gather chakra from them."
Uchiha Madara frowned, noticing some people sitting motionless in chairs. He knew they had entered Hikari's Tsukuyomi space using the monocles.
Even in a crowded place, they were immersed in a virtual world… Did they trust that world more than the real one because it was more appealing?
"What's the effect of the Tsukuyomi space?"
"It mirrors the city, but there's no war, no death—like a dream where they can experience whatever they desire. Recently, Orochimaru used White Zetsu cells to create a special nutrient fluid that's cheap and allows people to stay inside indefinitely, with only seven days of rest per week."
White Zetsu said this with a blank expression.
Yes, only seven days of rest per week. This is Ideal City, the limited version of Infinite Tsukuyomi.
(End of Chapter)