"Let's go. It's time to head back to the village."
Orochimaru checked the Hyūga bastard one last time.
Confirming that the man really wasn't dead yet, he calmly sealed him back into the nutrient tank.
Kenichi Amamiya nodded obediently, though his eyes lingered on the test subject with a hint of regret.
That guy was precious—a rare, high-value experiment.
If there was a chance in the future, he definitely wanted to "borrow" him from Orochimaru for personal research.
Still, it wasn't like leaving now ruined his plans.
He already had his basic direction:
Use nicotine to focus damage on the lungs, then use Yang chakra to force those cells into cancerous growth—manufacturing lung cancer on demand.
The theory was there.
The problem was execution. He still had no successful prototype and needed a mountain of data.
He could only hope Orochimaru-sensei would bring back more test subjects next time.
On the way back, Orochimaru spent most of the time teaching.
Kenichi was, after all, a lightning–fire dual attribute type, so Orochimaru tailored the journey to drilling him in various fire and lightning jutsu. The more his disciple could do, the more useful he would be—both in battle and in the lab.
By the time Kenichi's chakra reserves were almost dry, they finally took a short break.
"Sensei," Kenichi asked as he caught his breath, "do you know anything about the Cloud Village's lightning body techniques? I heard they can use Lightning Release to train their bodies."
Cloud-style body enhancement—if he could learn something like the Raikage's passive armor style, that would be a huge survival buff.
"The muscle-brains in Kumogakure?" Orochimaru smiled faintly. "Of course I know them. Those guys are terrifying in close combat."
He sounded amused, but his eyes were still evaluating Kenichi.
At first, seeing Kenichi stuck as a mere genin, progressing at a snail's pace, had genuinely disappointed him.
In the shinobi world, power was everything.
If Orochimaru himself weren't strong, Danzo would never be so "polite," nor would they be cooperating as equals. He'd just be another disposable tool in Root.
In Orochimaru's view, Kenichi had been a near-perfect disciple: sharp mind, scientific talent, good instincts.
The one flaw was his combat ability—just a bottom-tier genin, good for dying on the front lines.
But now Kenichi's chakra pool had grown. His techniques were more refined.
His strength was finally catching up to his value.
That, Orochimaru found… satisfying.
When the two of them finally returned to Konoha, the entire village was buzzing.
The biggest news on the streets:
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was preparing to step down.
And the selection for the Fourth Hokage was about to begin.
A change of leadership in the village that stood at the top of the shinobi world was no small matter. Every alley, every shop, every bar was talking about it.
Orochimaru quietly instructed Kenichi:
"For the time being, stay at home. Don't wander. Don't go to the lab.
Until the Fourth is chosen, you don't need to show up there."
Kenichi had no objections.
"If Sensei's acting this cautious, he really is serious about the position," Kenichi thought, shrugging inwardly.
But he knew how it ended.
The one who became Fourth Hokage wouldn't be Orochimaru.
It would be Namikaze Minato.
And once that result came out, Orochimaru would begin preparing to defect. His disappointment would harden into resentment—against Sarutobi Hiruzen, against the village—and one day that would bloom into the "Konoha Crush" plan.
Kenichi couldn't stop any of that.
But he could make sure that when it happened, he wouldn't be dragged down with everyone else.
If he couldn't go to Orochimaru's lab for now, it was actually a good chance.
He could start building his own lab—at least the basic framework.
And while he was at it, there was another task to handle:
Contacting Hatake Kakashi.
Using Kakashi to get close to Uzumaki Kushina… and obtain a sample of her body tissue.
A hair would be perfect.
So, in a very good mood, Kenichi headed straight for Minato's house.
At this time of day, Kakashi wasn't likely to be home alone. If he went to their house, he'd get both Kakashi and Kushina in one trip. Efficient.
"Eh? Isn't this little Amamiya?"
Minato's house wasn't hard to find. After all, he was the golden superstar of Konoha right now. Kenichi had barely turned into the right street when his target walked right into him.
Uzumaki Kushina.
Her looks were honestly quite good; the only problem was that temper of hers.
Kenichi sometimes suspected Sakura's whole personality template might have come from her.
"Hello, Kushina-neechan. I came to look for Kakashi."
In front of Kushina, Kenichi stuck to his "ordinary kid" persona: soft smile, bright eyes, a bit of baby fat in his cheeks—every inch the harmless, cute little boy.
"Ahh, you're looking for Kakashi? He went to the training field with Minato. You can probably find him there."
Kushina smiled with crescent-moon eyes, reached out, and happily pinched his cheeks.
Kenichi wanted to sigh.
Yes, he knew he looked cute now.
But could everyone please stop treating his face like a stress ball?
Still, being treated like a kid had its advantages.
"Thank you, Kushina-neechan," he said sweetly.
He finally escaped from her grasp—but not before noticing something.
A single red strand of hair slid off her shoulder, drifting down in a slow curve.
Kenichi's gaze sharpened for a fraction of a second.
By the time the hair touched the ground, it had already quietly vanished into his hand.
Target acquired.
With this sample, he could analyze what made the Uzumaki clan's genes different from normal people. As long as he could isolate the unique gene chain, the elective quest would be as good as cleared.
Still, to avoid looking suspicious, he did make a show of going to the training grounds.
He didn't find Kakashi.
But he did find someone else.
"Yo, Kenichi! Back from your mission already?"
Might Guy, drenched in sweat, was hammering out one-armed push-ups, his grin shining as bright as his teeth.
Kenichi had to admit, when you ignored the green spandex, Guy's dedication really was admirable.
All those years of mind-breaking training, all for that one moment of brilliance later in life.
If anyone deserved their final "cutting the story short" moment, it was this guy.
"Yeah," Kenichi smiled. "Sensei just took me out on a mission. Hey, Guy—want a little spirited youth showdown?"
"Ohhh! How could a man of youth refuse a friend's challenge?!"
Guy's eyes burned. He hopped to his feet like a coiled spring.
"Then let's do frog jumps around the training field—twelve laps!"
Kenichi almost laughed.
Guy really was easy to please.
But he nodded anyway.
"Sure. Let's do it."
Training with Guy cost him nothing and only made him stronger.
And right now, power, money, and data were all things he couldn't have enough of.