"How's the experiment going?" Amemiya Kenichi, engrossed in recording the latest results, suddenly heard Orochimaru's voice.
He was used to it by now. His teacher was always appearing out of nowhere, sometimes walking right up behind him without making a sound.
"Two casualties," Amemiya replied, glancing at the black cloth covering the lifeless test subjects beside him. "But that actually improves the data's accuracy. The rejection reaction is definitely real, and..."
They weren't from Konoha; they were from the Land of Wind.
Even though the war was over, border tensions would remain high for a while. Test subjects were still easy to find for now, but that wouldn't last.
"And I've discovered that the First Hokage's cells are incredibly active and aggressively invasive." Amemiya handed his teacher the experimental report.
Even a tiny injection of these cells posed a threat to normal cells. Their insane rate of proliferation reminded Amemiya of cancer cells.
The two were remarkably similar: an unusually rapid rate of division and a lethal threat to the host. Unless the affected tissue was immediately excised, death was almost certain.
This gave Amemiya Kenichi a novel idea: could he develop a ninjutsu that stimulated the rapid proliferation of cancer cells in others, inducing full-blown cancer instantly?
Normal human bodies produce cancer cells, but most are eliminated. Those that survive and develop become cancer.
Did cancer even exist in the Ninja World? Amemiya Kenichi suddenly found himself curious.
"Send the one without a hand to Laboratory No. 3," Orochimaru said, glancing at the results. The experiment was similar to his own, but Amemiya Kenichi's version allowed the subjects to survive longer.
This was convenient; he could now run multiple experiments simultaneously.
"Understood, Teacher," Amemiya Kenichi replied without emotion. Laboratory No. 3 focused on the Sharingan.
His teacher seemed obsessed with turning ordinary people into Uchiha, but the war was over, and Uchiha corpses were becoming scarce.
Still, with Danzo around, that shouldn't be too much of a problem.
"I seem to recall you being quite interested in genjutsu," Orochimaru said, glancing at Amemiya Kenichi as he casually tossed him a scroll.
Curious, Amemiya Kenichi took the scroll and opened it. He immediately recognized the genjutsu it contained.
The Nirvana Temple Technique—a wide-area genjutsu that would later appear in the Chūnin Exams. More importantly, it was an A-rank technique.
"Thank you, Teacher," Amemiya Kenichi said with a child-like smile, though he was indeed still a child.
The Nirvana Temple Technique was a range-based ninjutsu that demanded a significant amount of chakra and precise control. As a Genin, Amemiya Kenichi hadn't met the requirements to learn it.
Now that he had a chance to advance to Chūnin, Orochimaru was naturally willing to reward his disciple.
"While genjutsu can help you overcome stronger opponents, it's ultimately just a support technique. You still need to focus on improving your ninjutsu," Orochimaru reminded him.
Despite his cruelty, Orochimaru was surprisingly dedicated to his disciples. Amemiya Kenichi adopted a humble and attentive demeanor.
"What did Namikaze Minato say to you yesterday?" Orochimaru asked casually after finishing with his disciple's training.
Amemiya Kenichi found it a little strange. His teacher had always known about Namikaze Minato, but he'd never shown much interest before. Why the sudden curiosity?
"Namikaze Minato-sensei said..." Despite his confusion, Kenichi recounted the previous day's events in detail. Orochimaru snorted derisively when he finished.
"Such tiresome sentimentality. No surprise he's Jiraiya's disciple—just as dull as his master," Orochimaru scoffed.
Kenichi remained silent. His teacher's relationship with Jiraiya and Tsunade was strained, but they still exchanged polite greetings when they met.
"The Hatake Clan has some impressive swordsmanship. His father was known as Konoha's White Fang. It might be useful to stay on good terms with him," Orochimaru concluded.
Though he despised Jiraiya, even Orochimaru acknowledged the Hatake Clan's swordsmanship prowess. Unfortunately, such brilliance often fades quickly. Konoha's White Fang had ultimately fallen victim to Danzo's schemes.
Amemiya Kenichi nodded. This was perfect. On one hand, it allowed him to connect with Namikaze Minato, and on the other, he didn't have to worry about his teacher's disapproval.
Orochimaru was a truly unique leader. Amemiya Kenichi felt that his teacher still retained some humanity, which was evident in the fact that Orochimaru would give him time off after experiments were completed.
"If this were a regular company, you'd have to keep working even after finishing your own tasks. Leaving early? Forget about it," Amemiya Kenichi said, stretching comfortably. The sun felt pleasantly warm on his skin.
Amemiya Kenichi mused that if his previous company boss had been Orochimaru, they would have expanded rapidly, achieved great success, and reached new heights of glory long ago.
As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Amemiya Kenichi pulled up his research panel to check his progress.
Yesterday, after completing his research on the First Hokage, Amemiya Kenichi had immediately started the next phase. After careful consideration, he had chosen to study the Sharingan.
Initially, Amemiya Kenichi had considered researching the Byakugan instead. However, the Byakugan's distinctive features were too obvious, and the reputations of the Hyuga and Uchiha clans were vastly different.
Besides, the Uchiha Clan was destined for annihilation, while the Hyuga Clan would remain unchanged.
Current Research Subject: Three-Tomoe Sharingan
Research Progress: 0.12%
"Not bad progress, but why the Three-Tomoe? I thought I'd jump straight to the Mangekyō. Could it be that the owner of this eye's potential only reaches the Three-Tomoe?" Amemiya Kenichi stroked his chin.
Still, getting a Three-Tomoe Sharingan right away wasn't bad.
Amemiya Kenichi glanced at the proud Uchiha clansmen strutting down the street. They were members of the Konoha Military Police Brigade, but their leader only had a One-Tomoe Sharingan.
"Tsk tsk, Konoha's higher-ups sure have a twisted sense of humor. They give the Uchiha such a thankless job, yet expect them to change their arrogant ways," Amemiya Kenichi clicked his tongue.
The Uchiha Clan's reputation in Konoha was terrible. Pride, arrogance, and looking down on others were the labels stuck to them.
While Amemiya Kenichi suspected their position in the police force might contribute to this, he knew many Konoha villagers and ordinary Genin secretly called them "black dogs" behind their backs.