Konoha's hospital was huge.
And right now, it was packed.
Kenichi figured it was normal—war had only just ended. The injured weren't going to vanish overnight.
As soon as he walked through the doors, the sharp smell of disinfectant rushed into his nose. He twitched it slightly.
He didn't like the smell.
But he didn't hate it either.
The real problem is… how do I even find the kind of patients I'm looking for?
He wanted to confirm something.
—Whether cancer existed in the Naruto world.
His anime knowledge was patchy at best. He remembered main plot points, big names, key battles… but diseases? Normal human medicine?
No chance.
And he had no one reliable to ask.
Once upon a time, he might've had a connection here—Tsunade and her disciple.
But after the Second Great Ninja War, Tsunade had left Konoha.
So that path was closed.
Still, a little money could make a lot of things easier.
After slipping a small "consultation fee" to a medical-nin, Kenichi got his first answer.
"There's no such disease?"
He stared, dumbfounded.
The medic had never even heard of the strange illness he described—cells going out of control, spreading through the body, slowly killing the host from the inside.
Here, most injuries were straightforward: external wounds, internal trauma, damage from ninjutsu, sometimes sword cuts or explosions.
But the kind of creeping, invisible sickness Kenichi spoke of?
They had never seen it.
Just to be sure, he went to talk to an older, more experienced doctor.
After more questions, Kenichi finally confirmed it:
At least in Konoha—
There were no recorded cases of cancer.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
He walked out of the hospital with a complicated expression.
In his previous world, cancer was basically a death sentence.
If you had money, you struggled on a bit longer.
If you didn't… you might at least donate your body to science.
But here, in the world of shinobi—no cancer.
Or at least, none anyone had noticed.
And that, to Kenichi, was impossible.
People here were still human. Not aliens. Not a different species.
There was no reason they couldn't develop cancer.
So either:
Chakra somehow suppressed cancerous cell growth, or
Konoha simply hadn't encountered it yet, or
The medical-nin didn't understand the disease even if it was in front of them.
"If only Tsunade-neesan were still around…"
Kenichi sighed.
As Konoha's greatest medical-nin, she must've seen countless strange and rare illnesses. If anyone knew, it would be her.
"Oh? You know Tsunade too, little one?"
A slightly hoarse voice came from behind him.
Kenichi turned—and froze.
Standing in front of him was the Third Hokage himself.
Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"T–Third Hokage-sama?!"
Kenichi blinked rapidly, staring at the legendary shinobi in surprise.
He had never expected to bump into the Hokage like this.
And definitely not here.
"Haha, no need to be so tense," Hiruzen chuckled, eyes kind. "You know, I'm actually your teacher's teacher."
Yeah. I know.
"Of course, Third Hokage-sama! Sensei said you're an incredibly powerful shinobi!"
Kenichi put on his best "excited fan" face.
Years of living under Orochimaru's pressure had trained his expressions well.
Inside, though, he was fully on guard.
What does the Hokage want with me?
After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi was an old lion on the verge of stepping down—but still very much a lion.
"Hoho, you little rascal," Hiruzen laughed. "I doubt Orochimaru really said it that nicely. He probably called me a stubborn old man instead."
Kenichi forced an awkward smile.
…That was, in fact, exactly what Orochimaru had called him.
But only Orochimaru could say that.
If Kenichi repeated it, he'd be dead.
Hiruzen casually asked why he'd come to the hospital today, then, as if nothing was wrong, chatted a little more and walked away.
Leaving Kenichi standing there, dazed.
That's it?
No lecture.
No warning.
No threats.
Just a casual conversation and a friendly pat on the shoulder.
Kenichi's mind whirled.
He turned and went home, keeping the excited, starstruck expression on his face the entire way.
Only when he closed the door behind him did he drop the act.
"…Something's off."
He frowned deeply.
He was a nobody. A disposable genin.
There was no reason for the Hokage to talk to him personally.
And especially not during a period when Konoha's leadership was about to change.
Yet Hiruzen hadn't looked troubled or pressured at all.
Kenichi checked his clothes carefully, feeling every seam, every fold.
Nothing.
Just in case, he burned the part of his outfit where the Hokage had patted his shoulder.
Even then, he didn't feel completely at ease.
If I'm a honey badger… then he's a lion at the end of his reign. Old or not, a lion is still a lion.
There was no reason for Hiruzen to focus on him—
Unless his real target… was the teacher behind him.
"Maybe this was a warning shot," Kenichi muttered. "A way to test Orochimaru's reaction."
He couldn't be sure.
But it felt very possible.
Later, when Orochimaru came to find him, Kenichi's eyes lit up and he excitedly retold his "chance encounter" with the Third Hokage—tone, expression, everything perfectly in line with a fanboy meeting his idol.
Orochimaru said nothing.
He just glanced at Kenichi once, then waved a hand.
"Come. We're taking a mission."
"A mission, Sensei?"
Kenichi wasn't surprised.
His teacher often used missions as an excuse to leave the village and… collect experimental material.
"So we're going to snatch some new test subjects again, huh…"
"In the final phase of the war," Orochimaru said calmly, "a squad of Konoha shinobi defected. Our mission is to find them."
Kenichi blinked.
A whole squad?
A standard squad meant one captain and two subordinates.
The captain was at least chūnin level.
"Sensei… you're really planning to take me along on this one?"
This didn't feel like a simple "fetch some bodies for the lab" kind of trip anymore.
It felt like something more serious.
And maybe… more dangerous.
(End of Chapter)