"Aizen-sama."
"This is...?"
Just as Aizen was pondering, the young man standing behind him suddenly spoke cautiously.
Kabuto also kept his gaze on the blade embryo, his eyes seemingly filled with some confusion. Hidden deeper within that gaze was cautious probing, and a subtle fear of somehow being exposed to such a secret.
Kabuto had always been a very pragmatic person.
When he was in Root, he was a competent assassin and spy.
When he followed Orochimaro, he was an excellent mole and research assistant.
Later, when he was dispatched to Sasori's side, he was an outstanding double agent.
No matter when or where, he always moved in a direction that benefited his own survival, and in all dangerous situations, he could find the most suitable position for himself.
Because of this, after Orochimaro-sama died and this man appeared before him, Kabuto quickly accepted the fact that he had been 'captured' and swiftly showed enough submission to the man in front of him.
"This is the research I'm conducting, Kabuto-kun."
Aizen seemed completely oblivious to the other party's cautiousness, speaking in a relaxed tone: "A weapon that can materialize a person's spirit."
"However, it's still an unfinished product for now."
The moment he heard this, Kabuto's heart immediately tightened, but his expression didn't change at all:
"Truly remarkable research."
"Is its main body also Wood Release cells?"
"To be precise, it should be the god tree factor—that's the name I've given to this property."
Aizen turned to look at him, his palm gently resting on the young man's head, as if completely unaware of the young man's increasingly respectful expression, and smiled gently: "Kabuto-kun, do you know how Chakra is formed within a Ninja's body?"
"It's through the combination of spiritual energy and physical energy," Kabuto replied obediently, bowing his head, his voice without the slightest hesitation, perfectly demonstrating his value.
"Then, why did Ninja only appear a thousand years ago?" Aizen continued to ask.
"Because... the accumulation of human civilization's research on the body required a long time as a transition?"
However, just the second question made Kabuto, eager to quickly demonstrate his value to this man, begin to hesitate.
"No."
Aizen released his hand and shook his head slightly: "It's because, until a thousand years ago, the [Chakra Pathway System] organ might not have existed in human bodies."
Kabuto was stunned.
How could that be?
The concept of Chakra Pathway System, for a Ninja, is a basic theory that they encounter from their very first lesson in becoming a Ninja.
Aizen's voice continued: "Over the years, I have dissected countless bodies of Ninja and civilians. Everyone's body contains an existence called the Chakra Pathway System."
"However, this organ is independent of all physiological systems. It is clearly a complete network more complex than blood vessels and nerves, yet it neither participates in blood circulation nor intervenes in the nervous system, as if it was naturally created to transmit energy."
"Just like an outsider."
"This does not align with existing theories of species evolution."
"Therefore, I became curious."
"Until I consulted countless ancient texts and finally found a common origin from numerous ancient records—the god tree."
Hearing this, Kabuto's heart couldn't help but skip a beat, his expression growing more serious.
Aizen's voice continued: "After that, by connecting it with the Wood Release that was once demonstrated by Shodai(1st)-sama in the past, and gaining a deeper understanding, I gradually began to form connections."
As he spoke, he turned to look at the young man beside him and raised a finger, like a gentle teacher, patiently guiding him:
"Kabuto-kun, do you know?"
"In tropical and subtropical regions, there exists a type of holoparasitic plant called Balanophoraceae."
"They survive entirely by attaching to the host's body and absorbing nutrients, inducing the host to extend vascular Roots to connect and interlock with them, intercepting nutrients from the host's body to produce their own fruits."
"At the same time, a small portion of them can actively secrete special signals to prevent the host from being infested by pests, thus possessing certain ecological value."
Listening to the other party's words, Kabuto subconsciously widened his eyes and said in astonishment:
"Aizen-sama."
"Are you saying that the Chakra Pathway System is a... plant parasite that lives inside the human body?"
"Originally, I couldn't be sure."
Aizen turned his head back to look at the blade embryo in front of him: "Until I isolated the complete Chakra Pathway System from dozens of corpses and conducted a precise comparison with Orochimaro-sama's Wood Release cell research, I found that there was indeed a high degree of similarity in some genetic structures."
"I named it the 'god tree factor'."
"That well-known legend is probably indeed the origin of all Chakra in the Ninja World... Kabuto-kun should have heard of it."
Kabuto had certainly heard of it.
The god tree, born at the world's origin, bore fruit. The goddess Kaguya swallowed it, thereby gaining the power to quell all wars in the world, becoming a deity standing among humans.
However, over a long period, she transformed into an unprecedented evil god.
Eventually, the Six Paths Sage stepped forward and sealed her on the moon.
This was a myth that all Konoha children had heard.
But, wasn't this just a myth?
If all of this had truly existed, then... just imagining the scenes described in that myth sent shivers down Kabuto's spine.
Just how terrifying was that power?
So, this man's goal is to recreate the powers that existed in those myths?