For the next few days, Kenichi Amamiya threw himself completely into training.
He didn't know exactly what was coming, but his instincts screamed that a big event was about to hit the village. In a world like this, if you sensed a storm coming and didn't sharpen your blade in advance, you were just volunteering to be cannon fodder.
Oddly enough, Orochimaru didn't show up at all during those days.
No daily experiments.
No casual "Kenichi, bring me data."
Nothing.
On the surface, it was peaceful. But Kenichi knew very well—this was the calm before the storm.
Unless the Third Hokage suddenly dropped dead on the spot, there was no way Orochimaru would become the Fourth. And if Sarutobi Hiruzen was still alive… then the result was already decided.
Sure enough, not long after, the streets of Konoha were full of chatter.
"Have you heard? The Fourth Hokage will be Namikaze Minato!"
"The Yellow Flash! Of course it's him!"
The moment Kenichi heard that name, his door finally opened.
"Kenichi. Let's go. We have experiments to do."
Orochimaru stood there as calm as ever, his pale face expressionless as usual. But Kenichi, who had watched him closely for years, could see it clearly—
Behind those snake-like eyes, anger burned.
Kenichi had rarely seen his teacher like this. And he also knew one very important thing:
Now was definitely not the time to ask.
So he just silently grabbed his gear and followed behind.
Walking through the forest, Orochimaru's voice suddenly broke the quiet.
"Kenichi, you're a smart child. I want to ask you something… What do you plan to do in the future?"
He didn't say it directly.
But Kenichi understood exactly what he meant.
The higher-ups already knew: the next Hokage would be Namikaze Minato, not Orochimaru. Sarutobi would officially announce his successor any day now.
Once that happened, a lot of things would start moving in the shadows.
Kenichi thought for a moment, then answered honestly.
"Sensei… I want to follow you."
Orochimaru knew too much about him. Strictly speaking, the two of them were already tied to the same boat. Kenichi couldn't just jump off any time he wanted.
Not to mention—Shimura Danzo also knew of his existence.
If he stayed in the village, sooner or later he'd fall into that old viper's hands.
Hearing his answer, Orochimaru nodded lightly and continued moving forward.
"You are clever," he said softly. "I intend to leave this rotten village that reeks of decay. If you stay… it's very likely they'll use you as my scapegoat when the time comes."
The tone was light, almost casual.
But Kenichi knew he wasn't joking.
Strictly speaking, Kenichi was the most convenient person to throw under the bus.
If the experiments on the First Hokage's cells were exposed, the village would have to give the Senju clan—and Tsunade—an explanation. The higher-ups, Danzo, Root, Orochimaru… none of those people would willingly lie down and take the blame.
So who would they throw out?
Someone with no clan.
No background.
No power.
A war orphan.
A lowly genin.
Kenichi Amamiya. Perfect scapegoat.
"I can already guess the script," Kenichi sighed. "Danzo will definitely push for me to 'atone for my sins' by joining Root. After that, he'll use me as a tool to keep the experiments going."
Orochimaru's footsteps stopped at the hidden entrance to the underground base. He glanced back with a faint smile.
"And if the situation becomes too difficult to manage, he'll dispose of you to calm public outrage."
Kenichi shrugged.
"Exactly. That's why I'd rather be your tool, Sensei, than become Danzo's disposable puppet. At least if I follow you, I won't be silenced with some cursed seal on my tongue… or sacrificed as a 'necessary sacrifice for Konoha.'"
"Very clever," Orochimaru chuckled. "Talking to you is so much easier than talking to idiots."
Like a certain white-haired sage, for example.
Jiraiya had actually come to "comfort" him recently, telling him not to be too upset about losing the Fourth Hokage seat.
As if he'd be depressed over something like that.
The Fourth Hokage?
Such a trivial position…
"Sensei, you… look a little unwell," Kenichi tried tentatively, sneaking a glance at his expression.
"You're seeing things," Orochimaru replied coldly.
Kenichi made a small sound of agreement and shut his mouth.
But inside, he couldn't help laughing.
As expected of Orochimaru.
Obviously furious about losing the Hokage position, yet still acting like he didn't care at all. Classic.
The two entered the underground lab—the place where Kenichi had spent the second-longest amount of his life, right after the orphanage.
"You mentioned that 'rejection rate' concept last time," Orochimaru said, casually flipping through a stack of experiment logs. "It's been officially incorporated into our future procedures. If you have any more… interesting ideas, you can share them with me."
Kenichi nodded.
So experiments hadn't stopped. They'd simply continued without him.
Danzo was probably pressing hard for results.
Which made sense.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, for all his supposed "Will of Fire," was in truth an extremely skilled politician—sly, shameless, ruthless. His methods for suppressing Danzo were truly effective. As long as the Third was alive, Danzo could never fully crawl out from under his shadow.
Kenichi glanced at the numbers recorded on the pages and silently sucked in a breath.
Eighty-two test subjects.
In just this short period.
Root really lived up to its reputation.
"Sensei, could you… give me the failed test subjects?" Kenichi asked, trying to sound as "scientific" as possible.
They were all people who had already undergone preliminary Hashirama-cell experimentation, but survived thanks to Kenichi's rejection-screening method. For him, that meant:
Perfect materials for his own research.
Orochimaru didn't even hesitate.
"I'll take fifty. The rest are yours."
"Thank you, Sensei."
Kenichi licked his lips unconsciously.
Thirty-two experimental bodies.
More than enough for the next stage of his work.
And this time, he wouldn't need to worry about them dying too easily. If anything, the strong vitality boosted by Hashirama's cells made them hard to kill.
In fact, with enough yang chakra poured into the lungs, he could even treat some of their injuries.
A healing technique on the surface.
A cancer curse buried underneath.
Kenichi smiled to himself.
The scapegoat had no intention of quietly waiting to be slaughtered.
If he was going to be dragged into the darkness anyway…
Then he would forge a power that even the darkness wouldn't be able to control.