A searing heat surged through Kenichi's body. He grunted and gripped the desk tightly. It was happening again.
Every time he gained a new ability from his research, his body felt uncomfortable. But this time, the discomfort was excruciating, as if he were being dissected alive.
When the pain finally subsided, Kenichi lay drenched in sweat. He stared at the dim ceiling, a faint smile playing on his lips.
His body felt different. The amount of chakra he could now produce with a mere thought far surpassed what he'd painstakingly refined over an entire day before.
This was the difference between ordinary people and geniuses. This was the gap between Kenichi, a Konoha orphan, and Senju Hashirama, the God of the Shinobi World.
Kenichi sat up excitedly. His hunch had been right. Senju Hashirama's Sage Body Constitution not only granted him monstrous Sage Art aptitude but also bestowed innate talent.
Talent was real. He and Kakashi were about the same age, yet Kakashi was already a Jonin. And him? Still a Genin.
If his talent remained as it was, Kenichi figured he wouldn't become a Chūnin until his late twenties or early thirties. But now, he'd grasped the key to becoming truly strong.
"Looks like I haven't awakened the Wood Release talent," Kenichi muttered, feeling his Chakra. He pursed his lips.
It would be great to master Wood Release, but not having it now wasn't a big deal. In fact, it might even be a good thing.
After all, this was Wood Release—a power no one in Konoha had mastered since Senju Hashirama. If he possessed it, it wouldn't exactly be a blessing.
Especially since he was still under the watchful eyes of his Teacher and Danzo. Kenichi had no desire to end up strapped to an experimental operating table.
Current research task completed.
Optional task list updated.
Kenichi pinched the bridge of his nose and glanced at the notification that popped up.
Besides the research projects, his golden finger also had an optional task list, giving him a nostalgic feeling of being back in college.
Most of the missions were bizarre, but the rewards were surprisingly good. Last time, Amemiya Kenichi got a microscope.
Mission 1: Obtain bodily tissue from Uzumaki Kushina and isolate the Uzumaki Clan's unique genetic sequence.
Mission 2:Establish your own fully equipped laboratory.
Good news: just like last time, there were two missions. Bad news: these ones weren't going to be easy.
"Uzumaki Kushina's bodily tissue? A strand of hair should do, but a blood sample would be better for genetic analysis," Amemiya Kenichi muttered, frowning at the mission objectives.
The first mission was already tricky. Getting the tissue itself wasn't the problem; the challenge lay in identifying the Uzumaki Clan's unique genetic sequence.
Amemiya Kenichi had his own understanding of the Ninja World's Kekkei Genkai and inherited clan traits. In his view, these so-called Kekkei Genkai were simply genetic information passed down through heredity.
Just like how the Sharingan belonged exclusively to the Uchiha Clan, no one without Uchiha genes could awaken it. Otherwise, Danzo wouldn't have been so obsessed with the Uchiha.
The Uzumaki Clan was the same way. To complete the mission, all he needed to do was find the genetic information that made them different from ordinary people.
As for extracting their genes and inserting them into others, that was still quite difficult with the Ninja World's current technology. Fortunately, Amemiya Kenichi's teacher was Orochimaru, who had mastered a similar technique.
"The second mission seems easy enough, but the funding is a problem," Amemiya Kenichi sighed. *Looks like you can't get something for nothing.*
"I need to find a way out soon," Amemiya Kenichi thought, gazing thoughtfully at the photo on his bedside table. It showed Orochimaru in his white robes, and himself smiling beside him.
Orochimaru was a good teacher.
The next morning, after making his own breakfast, Amemiya Kenichi began his daily routine of physical training—honing his body.
He had his own special training partner too: Guy, whose father's heroic sacrifice had made Konoha's leaders take taijutsu seriously. Later, Guy himself would nearly kick the final boss into oblivion.
"Good morning, Kenichi! Another day bursting with youthful energy!" Amemiya Kenichi had barely stepped outside when he was greeted by Guy's blindingly white teeth.
"Good morning, Guy," Kenichi replied with a smile. His interactions with Guy were deliberate, of course, all for the sake of learning the Eight Inner Gates, a powerful taijutsu technique.
However, the Eight Inner Gates had already been classified as a forbidden technique by Konoha and sealed in the Forbidden Technique Scroll. Guy had never mentioned it to him, likely due to orders from the village's higher-ups.
Kenichi wasn't worried. He knew this kind of thing couldn't be rushed. As long as he maintained his friendship with Guy, he was confident he'd eventually learn the Eight Inner Gates.
"Kenichi, how about we do frog jumps around the village again today?" Guy asked, his eyes shining with anticipation. Kenichi nodded noncommittally. If he'd just arrived in this world, he wouldn't have stood a chance.
Back then, even frog-jumping two hundred meters would have been a struggle. But his recent training had significantly strengthened his body.
While a full circuit of frog jumps would be exhausting, he was confident he could endure it.
"Whoa! This is what youth is all about!" Watching the fiery Guy, Amemiya Kenichi followed after him. He didn't dislike Guy; even though the guy was a bit too enthusiastic, he was a truly excellent friend.
If other ninjas became strong through talent and natural aptitude, Guy had achieved his strength through sheer hard work. It was easy to get along with someone like that.
After their daily morning training, Amemiya Kenichi smiled and bid farewell to Guy. He still needed to find his teacher; today's research hadn't even started yet.
But as soon as he stepped out of the forest, Amemiya Kenichi spotted his teacher leaning against a tree trunk, munching on tricolor dango.
"Teacher!" Amemiya Kenichi hurried over, his face lighting up with delight.
No matter what the future held, he needed to maintain a good relationship with his teacher for now.
"Your chakra has grown stronger. It seems your Chūnin promotion is just around the corner," Orochimaru glanced at Amemiya Kenichi and gave a faint smile.