"How's the experiment going?"
Kenichi's pen paused over the report at the sound of Orochimaru's voice.
He didn't even flinch anymore. His teacher always moved like a ghost—sometimes he could walk right up behind you without a single footstep.
"Two died," Kenichi answered calmly. "But that also makes the data more accurate. Rejection definitely exists, and…"
He glanced at the black cloth on the side table.
Under it lay two test subjects with no remaining vital signs.
They weren't from Konoha.
They were from the Land of Wind.
The war was over, but border skirmishes and "heightened vigilance" would continue for a while. For now, it was still easy to acquire test subjects.
Give it some time, and even that would become troublesome.
"…and I found that the First Hokage's cells are extremely active," Kenichi continued. "They have a very strong invasive tendency."
He handed over the experiment report.
Even the tiniest injection of those cells would immediately begin threatening the host's normal cells.
The insane rate of expansion made Kenichi think of cancer cells.
Divide rapidly.
Devour the host.
Unless you cut that section out immediately, it was basically a death sentence.
The idea sent his thoughts drifting.
I wonder if I could develop a jutsu to stimulate someone's cancer cells, force them into explosive growth… instant terminal cancer?
Normal bodies produced cancer cells all the time.
Most people's immune systems wiped them out. The ones that slipped through and kept growing became tumors.
Does the shinobi world even have cancer? Kenichi wondered idly.
"Send the one who's still intact to Lab Three."
Orochimaru skimmed the report. The results were similar to his previous experiments, but Kenichi's "rejection test" at least increased the survival window.
That was good. It meant he could run more experiments in parallel.
"Yes, Sensei."
Kenichi's tone didn't change.
Lab Three was for Sharingan research.
His teacher seemed very keen on turning ordinary people into pseudo-Uchiha.
The only problem was that the war was over—Uchiha corpses were harder to "source" discreetly.
Still… with Danzō in the picture, that problem was never unsolvable.
"I recall you being very interested in genjutsu?" Orochimaru said suddenly.
He tossed Kenichi a scroll.
Kenichi caught it, unrolled it, and his eyes brightened the moment he saw the name.
Temple of Nirvana Technique.
A wide-area genjutsu. Shown during the Chūnin Exams in the story he remembered.
More importantly: an A-rank technique.
"Thank you, Sensei."
This time, his smile was genuinely childlike.
Temple of Nirvana was a large-scale genjutsu and demanded a lot of chakra and control.
Back when he was just a measly genin, he simply didn't meet the conditions to practice it.
But now he was on the verge of chūnin-level reserves. Naturally, Orochimaru wouldn't be stingy with rewards.
"Genjutsu can help the weak defeat the strong," Orochimaru said lightly. "But in the end, it's only a support tool. You still need to strengthen your ninjutsu."
For such a cruel man, he was surprisingly conscientious as a teacher.
Kenichi put on his most earnest, receptive expression.
"I understand, Sensei."
"…What did Namikaze Minato say to you yesterday?"
Having given the reward, Orochimaru casually circled back with a question.
Kenichi blinked.
That was rare.
Before this, his teacher had known of Minato, but hadn't paid him much attention.
Why the sudden interest?
"Jōnin Namikaze said…"
Kenichi relayed the events of yesterday honestly.
After listening, Orochimaru let out a soft, contemptuous chuckle.
"How tedious. As expected of Jiraiya's idiot disciple—his emotional nonsense is just as dull as his master's."
Kenichi stayed silent.
Orochimaru's relationships with Jiraiya and Tsunade weren't exactly warm, but at this stage at least, they still exchanged greetings when they met.
"Hatake's family kenjutsu is impressive," Orochimaru added after a moment. "His father was the 'White Fang of the Leaf.' It won't hurt to maintain a good relationship."
Kenichi nodded.
That worked perfectly for him.
On one side, he tied himself to Minato's future faction.
On the other, his own teacher had no objections.
Orochimaru was a very… unique kind of leader.
Kenichi thought his teacher actually had more "humanity" than many bosses from his previous life.
For one thing, when experiments were done, Orochimaru let him go home.
If this were my old company, Kenichi mused as he stretched lazily in the sunlight, finishing my work early would just mean they'd dump more on me. Leaving early? Keep dreaming.
Honestly, if his former boss had even half of Orochimaru's management instincts, that company would probably have gone big by now.
Still smiling faintly, Kenichi called up his research panel.
After completing his analysis of the First Hokage's cells, he hadn't wasted any time picking a new target.
And after careful consideration, he had chosen—
Sharingan.
He'd thought briefly about the Byakugan, but its traits were too obvious, and the Hyūga's reputation was very different from the Uchiha's.
More importantly, the Uchiha were destined for a massacre in the future.
The Hyūga would still be the Hyūga.
[Current Research Target: Three-Tomoe Sharingan]
[Research Progress: 0.12%]
"The progress isn't that slow… but why three tomoe?" Kenichi rubbed his chin. "I thought I'd go straight to Mangekyō. So the original owner's limit was only three tomoe?"
Still, being able to directly gain a mature three-tomoe Sharingan was nothing to complain about.
He glanced up at a passing patrol of Uchiha.
Proud faces, Konoha Police armbands, chakra pressure that made ordinary civilians shy away.
The leader's eyes flickered red for a moment—
Only single tomoe.
"Tsk. Konoha's upper brass really are something else," Kenichi thought, clicking his tongue. "Give them an annoying job to turn them into the village's villains… and their personalities do the rest."
Among the villagers and low-ranking shinobi, the Uchiha had a terrible reputation.
Arrogant.
Overbearing.
Looking down on everyone.
He'd even heard people call them "black dogs" behind their backs.
And so, step by step, the clan was nudged closer to the cliff's edge.
Kenichi watched them pass, eyes calm.
One day, he'd pry open the secrets of those scarlet eyes—
Not as a victim.
But as the one holding the scalpel.
(End of Chapter)