Chapter 153: A Conversation with Uchiha Itachi

They were utterly astonished—Uchiha Itachi, the foremost subordinate of the Six Paths Sage, known for his black eyes with crimson pupils, actually addressing Lord Orochimaru as “my lord.” If such a scene were made public, it would surely cause a cosmic uproar.

At that moment, a suspicion arose in their hearts: could Lord Orochimaru himself be a remnant of Earth? After all, Itachi hailed from Earth, and for him to utter such a respectful title, it could only be from someone who had once been an Earthling.

They planned to search the illusion network for related information later.

Though his identity might be exposed, Orochimaru did not care; he had never intended to hide who he was, and he always used his true name.

By the time he arrived in this future universe, the Six Paths Sage and the Ōtsutsuki clan had already been defeated.

After Itachi called him “my lord,” his expression turned cold as he glanced at the building’s guards. If the earlier scene were leaked and reached the Six Paths Sage, it would spell serious trouble. He intended to silence them.

Orochimaru shook his head and said, “No need. I have no reason to conceal my identity.”

The Six Paths Sage had already lost the ability to foresee the future; so what could he do upon knowing of my arrival?

Every minute, every second, he was growing stronger through the backdoor of cultivation techniques and was not afraid of the Six Paths Sage.

Itachi nodded in acknowledgment and spared the building’s guards.

The guards’ backs were already drenched in sweat; they had just taken a walk at the brink of death!

They were terrified.

Only when Orochimaru and Itachi entered the building did the guards finally feel a sense of relief, then hurried to log into the illusion network to query information about Earth.

The network revealed only three names eligible to have Itachi call them “my lord”: first, the Six Paths Sage; second, the head of the Ōtsutsuki clan; and third, the deceased leader of the Earth remnants, whose name was unknown.

The guard was shocked beyond words. It certainly wasn’t the Six Paths Sage or the Ōtsutsuki clan head—that could only mean it was the deceased leader of the Earth remnants!

This was a secret capable of shaking the heavens!

No one cared about the guard’s reaction. Torayayo was reassigned by Itachi to other subordinates, while he led Orochimaru to a room.

Orochimaru got straight to the point: “I need to contact Kabuto and the others.”

Itachi nodded. “That’s possible, but until now, Kabuto and the others have always contacted me unilaterally. I have never reached out to them; I would need to wait.”

After all, nominally, he and Kabuto’s faction were adversaries, so it was unwise to leave too many clues.

At this, Orochimaru suddenly showed a look of interest. For a thousand years, the Earth survivors led by Kabuto had been scheming and plotting, yet the Six Paths Sage—who possessed prophetic powers—never completely eradicated them?

If he wanted to, the Six Paths Sage certainly had the ability.

Orochimaru asked, “How have Kabuto and the others survived for this millennium?”

Itachi’s expression held admiration. To survive this long, one person’s contribution had to be acknowledged; it was that person’s merit that allowed Kabuto and his group to live through dangers. He said with some emotion, “It was thanks to Shikamaru.”

Looking back now, he couldn’t help but be convinced—the every step Shikamaru took was calculated with the Six Paths Sage’s mindset in mind. This was the main reason they survived.

“Shikamaru?” Orochimaru’s face showed understanding—the genius of wisdom. Indeed, it was rare to find anyone who surpassed him in strategy.

Itachi nodded. “Shikamaru and his group have been conducting assassinations of various clan leaders—all of whom were connected to Earth’s destruction. They had even assassinated the Six Paths Sage and infiltrated the Ōtsutsuki clan. When they did these things, it was almost as if they were performing deliberately, so that the Six Paths Sage would not harbor ill will and thus adopt an indifferent attitude. That’s how they survived.”

Orochimaru understood. At the level of the Six Paths Sage, ambitions were higher; their vision no longer dwelled on simple notions of killing or sparing. There must have been loftier goals. He felt a deep resonance with this.

Shikamaru must have grasped the Six Paths Sage’s psychology and built his plan around it, which allowed them to survive and led to the present outcome—both fortunate and inevitable.

Itachi suddenly said, “Some time ago, Kabuto sent me word that Shikamaru had predicted a great upheaval was coming—that the Six Paths Sage was in trouble, though the exact nature of the problem remained unknown.”

At this, he could not help but grow excited. The serious phase might be beginning; they might truly move to assassinate the Six Paths Sage. This was the true culprit behind Earth’s annihilation.

Hearing this, Orochimaru suddenly smiled, which puzzled Itachi. Why was Orochimaru laughing?

But in his heart, Orochimaru thought, Shikamaru is indeed perceptive. Coming from the past into this millennium, he has rendered the Six Paths Sage’s future prediction technique useless.

Perhaps now the Six Paths Sage is in a state of panic.

Indeed, a great upheaval was imminent.

That Shikamaru could detect this in such a short time was truly impressive.

Itachi suddenly showed a hesitation, as if wanting to ask something.

Orochimaru seemed to know what was on his mind and smiled, “Ask.”

Itachi steadied himself and bit his lip: “What have you been doing all these thousand years?”

Orochimaru had unified Earth, a fact Itachi acknowledged, as it reduced the number of wars.

Then came the sterilization and immortality plans, which thoroughly prevented further tragedies. He admired that.

Orochimaru wished to unify the universe, and Itachi agreed; it was a grand ambition, and he was willing to help.

But Earth’s destruction was also partly Orochimaru’s responsibility. Even if not to share Earth’s fate, couldn’t he have at least tried harder for Earth?

Yet for a thousand years, no matter what happened, Orochimaru had not appeared. They truly believed Orochimaru was utterly dead.

But now, suddenly appearing again—where had he been all this time?

He felt wronged, even resentful.

In truth, if Kabuto, Shikamaru, and the others knew Orochimaru was still alive, they would surely share those feelings.

Indeed, Orochimaru had always known that Itachi would ask this.

As Earth’s leader, Orochimaru must bear some responsibility for Earth’s destruction, yet he vanished for a millennium and only now reemerged.

Those who had long labored for Earth would naturally harbor grievances and complaints—it was expected.

However, when Orochimaru gained the power to change the future, he would return to the past and erase those grievances and complaints.

Patting Itachi’s shoulder, Orochimaru said, “Earth has not yet been destroyed. I come from the past.”

That was enough. Itachi would understand.

Suddenly, Itachi’s body trembled, his pupils slowly dilated, and his black eyes with crimson pupils involuntarily reappeared.

He thought of the battle that led to Earth’s destruction—he thought of the moment Orochimaru died!

At that time, Orochimaru had been besieged and suffered many powerful attacks.

After those attacks, Orochimaru never appeared again.

But according to Itachi’s understanding, such assaults should not have been fatal to Orochimaru.

Orochimaru’s greatest strength had never been raw power, but his immortality.

Now he understood—it was not that Orochimaru had died, but that at that moment, at that instant, Orochimaru had traveled to the future—that is, to the present!

Itachi suddenly grew excited, “So that means the great upheaval Shikamaru predicted was caused by you coming from the past to the future, nullifying the Six Paths Sage’s future prediction technique!

In other words, when you seize the opportunity to win in the future, you can return to the time of Earth’s destruction and rewrite its fate!”

He was truly exhilarated. If Earth were not destroyed, he would no longer have to endure suffering and humiliation for a thousand years. Such a future was one he longed for deeply.

And now, he had the chance to change destiny.