Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 629 Space Journey

Yakumo Kurama was quietly painting in his studio.

The studio was unlit; the only light source was a sphere of light floating above the canvas. Sai materialized in his spirit form. "Aren't you going to stop it?"

Yakumo didn't look up; his brush moved smoothly across the canvas, sketching a picture.

It was still Konoha Village, the sun was shining brightly, the sky was azure, and people wore genuine smiles. In the center of the scene, a blond man and a blond woman stood among flowers, leaning on each other.

"Fate is already set in stone," Yakumo said softly, as if talking to himself, yet also as if answering Sai's question. "Those who do not follow fate will not be happy."

"Don't you regret it?" he asked again.

Yakumo finally stopped painting, raised his head, and his eyes were unfathomable.

"Regret what?"

Sai didn't know how to answer, so he could only turn to himself and say, "That's how I ended up like this."

"You did it voluntarily. I told you the consequences, but you couldn't overcome them. So you will become a part of me, helping me perfect my divine magic."

"Who is that voice in your head? The Sage of Six Paths?"

"Yes, I am the last disciple of the Ninja Clan, and I will guide them onto the right path."

Sai remained silent and expressionless, his last vestiges of consciousness fading away. "It doesn't matter. Perhaps I was never meant to be. Maybe it's better if I just disappear."

He disappeared for five years, and no one cared about him. He was already ignored, and even if he forced his way in, he would ultimately remain an outsider.

"Yes, I volunteered."

Yakumo withdrew his hand, lowered his head, and continued drawing.

"You should go back," she said.

"It's not just about going back; perhaps I shouldn't even exist."

Sai's body began to become transparent, like a painting being soaked in water, the colors fading little by little, the lines blurring. Finally, he turned into a wisp of smoke and was sucked back into the canvas in front of Yakumo.

There is an extra person in the scene on the canvas.

The man, with a gentle smile, wearing a black stand-up collar shirt, stood at the edge of the flower bushes, quietly watching the newlyweds in the center of the scene.

She put down her paintbrush, hugged her knees, and quietly looked at the painting. In the end, the blond boy in the scene slowly disappeared, leaving only Sai and Ino.

"This is what the prophecy should have shown; the future has already deviated significantly."

-

To ensure the success of his space journey, Orochimaru personally extracted a small amount of substance from Kabuto Yakushi's body. Sure enough, with the help of this substance, the Yamata no Orochi deep within his soul underwent another transformation.

However, his transformation was ultimately different from that of Yulong. He was still Yamata no Orochi, and his element was still primarily earth with the other five elements as secondary.

His body will eventually become an ultimate life form, which should be able to effectively withstand the harsh environment in space.

"I'm ready, let's go."

As soon as he finished speaking, the laboratory door was pushed open.

"I'll go too."

Crimson Scorpion walked in. His body was completely encased in the puppet shell, with only the boy's face exposed, pale as porcelain and expressionless.

But his eyes were bright, as bright as two burning flames.

"My new puppet is complete. It can withstand the harsh environment of space. Vacuum, radiation, particle storms... no problem."

Orochimaru glanced at him, then at Shisei Aburame.

Aburame Shisei nodded. "Then let's go together."

It was late at night, and the three of them were standing in an open space outside the capital.

Aburame Shisei raised a hand, and a crack appeared in the space in front of him. "Let's go."

After saying that, he stepped into the crevice first, followed closely by Orochimaru, with Sasori entering last.

The feeling of spatial jump was not pleasant, especially since they had never heard of such a long distance being teleported before. However, it excited Orochimaru, who felt every cell in his body trembling.

Crimson Scorpion felt nothing at all; his puppet body remained absolutely stable during the spatial jump.

Of course, they can all perform spatial jumps, but not as far as Shisei Aburame.

In Middle-earth, they traversed the atmosphere, the stratosphere, and the thin layer above the atmosphere, finally standing in a cold void.

They floated like this, with no ground beneath their feet, and everything around them weightless. It wasn't completely dark, because the fireball in the distance was still emitting light.

Besides these, there are countless stars all around.

Extending from the feet to the head, spreading from left to right, without end, without boundary.

Orochimaru stared in shock. He had always thought he could remain calm even in space, but he had clearly overestimated himself and underestimated the awe-inspiring power of space.

Observing through a telescope and experiencing it firsthand are obviously different experiences. Only by going through it yourself can you know how awe-inspiring the vast universe is!

"Look back." Shisei Aburame's voice came through an arm into his body.

Orochimaru turned around, his heart suddenly stopping.

That was a planet.

A blue planet shrouded in white clouds and gray fog.

It floats silently in the void, slowly rotating, the outline of the continent appearing and disappearing among the clouds, and the color of the ocean showing different shades of blue under different lighting.

That's Ninja Star.

That was the place where he was born, grew up, fought, researched, and lived for decades without ever leaving.

But from space, it appears as a small, lonely sphere suspended in endless darkness.

Orochimaru laughed, and the two people connected to him could hear it clearly. The laughter rose from low to high, from suppressed to unrestrained, and finally turned into a near-manic laugh.

Laughter cannot travel in a vacuum, but his body was trembling violently, his expression was contorted, something was burning in his eyes, and something was shattering.

"Interesting," he finally stopped, his voice hoarse. "Very interesting!"

Aburame Shisei didn't speak, but quietly looked at the planet. Crimson Scorpion stood beside him, and for the first time, a look of shock appeared on his pale, youthful face.

That is confusion.

He was reflecting on everything he had done in his life: killing the Third Kazekage, creating puppets, joining Akatsuki, and struggling in the war. He never imagined that all of this would happen on this insignificant little planet.

And what is this tiny, dust-like planet compared to the vastness of the universe?

The five great nations are just a small place on that planet, so why have they never thought of leaving that land and wanting to go to a wider world?

Laughable, laughable as an ant!

"They've been fighting in such a confined space, why can't they just look up at the sky?"