Ino understood Kabuto, while Kabuto only had a superficial understanding of her. The information they each possessed was severely imbalanced, and this was her advantage.
She pondered seriously for a while, considering various factors, and then presented her understanding from an angle that even she found somewhat shocking.
"It should be said, well, it's resentment. The resentment of the dead cannot dissipate and lingers in the world. That's why the world's sickness is getting worse and worse, eventually sliding into an unfathomable abyss."
At first, Kabuto didn't take it seriously. A seemingly gentle, yet more mocking, smile hung on his lips. But as he listened, his attention gradually became captivated. At first glance, it sounded like the ramblings of a child, but upon closer consideration, he felt there might be something in her words that he didn't know.
He thought it might be due to Ino's inaccurate phrasing and asked, "Why do you say that? The Shinobi World is indeed unstable now, but it's much better than the Warring States Period. You know about the Warring States Period, right?"
"I do," Ino nodded, speaking in a casual tone. "Actually, I can't say for sure, but our Yamanaka Clan can use Secret Techniques to sense the energy hidden in this world. Ancient texts have recorded this energy, calling it Natural Energy. I don't know what it was like before, but to me, this Natural Energy is extremely wild, violent, and even evil. Normal people who absorb it become crazed, consumed by a bloodthirsty desire to kill."
Yakushi Kabuto glanced at her subtly, his heart stirred.
At this moment, he felt a renewed sense of respect for the ancient Ninja Clans like the Yamanaka Clan. These clans, passed down from ancient times, truly had something valuable! As Orochimaru's assistant, Kabuto was well aware of how violent Natural Energy could be. How many experiments had he conducted? Too many to count.
He had once asked Orochimaru why this energy was so violent. Was it because the world despised us, or because we despised the world? After all, this energy was drawn from the green mountains and clear waters, so why did its essence become like this? Orochimaru didn't give a precise answer, only saying that it had always been this way. Kabuto hadn't thought much about it afterward, but now, hearing this, could there be another secret hidden within? Kabuto was deeply interested in such knowledge. He didn't want to reveal too much about himself, but he wanted to hear more, so he deliberately put on an expression of attentive listening. In his view, children of Ino's age had an extremely strong desire to express themselves. He didn't need to ask; she would pour out everything she knew.
Ino indeed acted as he expected. She sighed and began to speak at length.
"I think the root of it all is Chakra, Kabuto-senpai. You should know that our Chakra is composed of two parts: physical energy and spiritual energy. The body decays, and spiritual energy disappears with it. If one dies of old age, it's fine, but if one dies on the battlefield..."
Her tone was filled with pessimism: "How should I put it? I think that when a ninja is on the verge of death, at the moment of death, their spiritual energy reaches its peak. As the body dies, the resentment, pain, and madness they feel at that moment are partially preserved in this world through the channel of Chakra. In truth, the personal emotions involved are minimal, but considering the sheer number of ninjas who die in battle, these negative emotions accumulate over time. Gradually, our world becomes enveloped in malice and madness."
Is this the explanation? Yakushi Kabuto was hearing this theory for the first time.
If the Chakra of the deceased still lingered in the world, could his foster mother have also turned into Chakra, watching over him? He suppressed all his emotions, his face as calm as still water, waiting for Ino to continue.
Ino picked up a piece of paper and held it horizontally: "The books say that our world was once very normal. Back then, there was something called Reincarnation, just like this piece of paper. Our Shinobi World, samurai, daimyo, and commoners—everyone lived on the front side of the paper. When life ended, the soul would transform into pure energy and move to the back side. From there, it would either reincarnate or become something else and return to the front side. We were always in this cycle." She took a pen and pierced through the paper: "Originally, there should have been a passage between the two realms, allowing us to go to that world after death, and for some things from that world to return here. But now... the passage is blocked! We can't go down, and they can't come up."
Ino's "true underworld theory" didn't align with Kabuto's worldview, but he remained silent, letting her continue while he pondered, trying to find flaws in her reasoning.
Ino continued in a tone as if she were proudly showing off a perfect test score: "Actually, it might not be a hole. It could be something else? I'm not sure. The books say that the King of Hell, or the King of the Underworld, who governs life, death, and reincarnation, has also encountered problems. The cycle of life and death in our world has been disrupted, and the accumulated malice can't be resolved. It just keeps piling up endlessly on the front side of this paper. The more people die, the more insane the world becomes, until eventually, there's no saving it, right?
I heard that in the ancient Land of Wind, there was an organization called Baroque Works. They once tried to find the King of Hell and restore the world's cycle of reincarnation, but they ultimately failed. Perhaps this deity has abandoned us, or maybe the author was just talking nonsense? Hahaha—"
Her original intention was to try to free the King of Hell from the control of the Rinnegan, befriend him using the Yamanaka Clan's Secret Technique, and then control him. However, she didn't hold much hope for Kabuto's attempt to obtain the Rinnegan, as the gap in their strength was too vast.
It was more of a test—a probe into how much the Sage of Six Paths cared about the whole situation and how much power this earthly deity still retained.
By putting Kabuto at the forefront, even if the Sage of Six Paths intervened, it would be Kabuto who suffered the consequences.
Ino finished speaking, but Kabuto remained silent for a long time.
Absurd! That was his first reaction, but as he thought more carefully, he couldn't find any obvious flaws.
Is the world becoming increasingly insane? Is that really the case?
If he were an ordinary ninja, he would have just laughed it off and moved on. But he was anything but an ordinary ninja.
Kabuto forced a dry laugh. "That's quite an interesting story, but those claims are absolutely wrong. Under the leadership of the Hokage, our Shinobi World is definitely getting better. You shouldn't tell such stories in the future—it's not good for the image of your Yamanaka Clan."
Ino put on an expression of sudden realization while shifting the blame. "Oh, really? I'm sorry, I know I was wrong. I won't say it again. Wait, actually, wasn't it you, Kabuto-senpai, who brought up this topic in the first place?"