Chapter 4: The Passionate Minato Namikaze
"What insights did you gain from today's lesson? What did you learn?"
As one of the Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru was naturally given a quiet private room, and Kenichi Amamiya also enjoyed that privilege as his disciple.
This happiness would not last forever. Once Orochimaru defected, Kenichi would have to seriously consider his future. Staying in the village was not a bad option, but it would also leave him exposed to Danzo's attention.
Following Orochimaru into exile had its own problems. Once you defected from Konoha, coming back alive was no simple matter. And even if the village looked weakened now, its true foundation was still very much intact.
"Teacher, I think there are a few points we need to pay attention to in today's experiment."
Kenichi shared his thoughts honestly, not even glancing at the grilled meat Orochimaru was turning over with his chopsticks.
Orochimaru listened quietly, his expression unreadable. Kenichi had no idea whether his analysis matched his teacher's expectations, but he continued speaking, choosing to be completely straightforward.
After Kenichi finished, Orochimaru flipped the last slice of meat, then finally set his chopsticks down.
"Let us eat first. We can continue this discussion when we return."
Hearing that, Kenichi let out a silent sigh of relief.
So he had passed this little test.
He had paid careful attention during the experiments, and on top of that, he had combined them with the scientific knowledge he remembered from his previous life, proposing a few new theories that would probably satisfy Orochimaru.
With his worries set aside for the moment, Kenichi started to focus on the food.
The barbecue prepared by the Akimichi family was excellent. Their cooking skills truly lived up to their reputation, and the meat was delicious.
The sauce in particular was amazing. Kenichi felt that this was probably the best barbecue he had eaten in both of his lives.
After the meal, Kenichi followed Orochimaru out of the restaurant.
Just as they were about to leave, Kenichi saw Minato Namikaze walk in. He wore his usual warm smile, with Kushina Uzumaki by his side, her bright red hair impossible to miss. A silver haired boy followed behind them in silence.
Kakashi.
Minato greeted Orochimaru with great politeness, while Kenichi's eyes slid over to Kakashi, who stood with his head lowered.
That poor guy was probably still torturing himself over Obito's supposed death, and over having killed Rin with his own hands. His face was stiff and cold, and it was obvious at a glance that he was in a terrible mood.
What a tragic life.
My best friend is taken and used as a pawn. Then the girl who might have grown to love me is also dragged into a scheme. In the end, I am forced to kill her myself while my best friend watches.
Tsk.
Kakashi was a genius ninja with miserable luck.
He had been the son of Konoha's White Fang, but his father had died early.
After that, Kakashi had become a prodigy in his own right and joined Minato's team, making him a direct heir to the Hokage's line. But one of his teammates faked his death, and the other genuinely died before his eyes, leaving Kakashi drowning in guilt for years.
Later, he would find out that the friend he thought had died was actually alive, and had become the very culprit who killed his beloved mentor and his mentor's wife.
As far as Kenichi remembered, Kakashi remained single for a very long time, passing the lonely nights by reading Jiraiya's Icha Icha Paradise, the best selling work of the most shameless author in the ninja world.
Kenichi could not do anything about it.
There was no way he could walk up to Kakashi and say, "By the way, Obito is not dead. He is going to be one of the final bosses of this world."
"Oh my, is this Kenichi Amamiya?"
While Kenichi was lost in thought, a sudden warmth wrapped around him. A soft body pulled him into a hug, the faint fragrance in his nose making his face go bright red.
It was Kushina. This woman clearly had no concept of personal space.
Even so, being hugged by her suddenly gave Kenichi a new idea.
"Yes, this is my disciple, Kenichi Amamiya. He is an excellent student."
Orochimaru calmly rescued Kenichi from Kushina's arms.
This woman loved children. It was hard to tell whether she was simply fond of kids, or if she was already thinking about having her own.
Orochimaru's gaze briefly flicked down to her stomach.
"Since he is Orochimaru's student, he must be an outstanding ninja. This is my disciple, Kakashi Hatake."
Minato smiled warmly as he made the introduction, then enthusiastically pushed Kakashi a step closer to Kenichi.
Kenichi was speechless.
No wonder his teacher said he did not get along very well with Minato. The man was too enthusiastic. Even Orochimaru found it hard to deal with him.
Kakashi stared at Kenichi with a lifeless eye, his expression completely blank. Kenichi glanced at that eye.
It was the Sharingan Obito had given him, and it had already matured into a three tomoe Sharingan.
The Uchiha clan reportedly had a lot of opinions about that.
Kenichi really wanted to turn and leave. He could not imagine getting along with this gloomy version of Kakashi.
But he had no choice. For some reason, Minato kept pushing Kakashi toward him and even invited Orochimaru, who had just finished eating, to join them for another meal.
Orochimaru clearly did not want to deal with this overly friendly pair any longer. In the end, Kenichi was pushed out as the scapegoat and had to accompany Minato, Kushina, and Kakashi to eat together.
Kenichi did not mind too much.
He was still growing, and there was a saying that a half grown boy could eat his father into bankruptcy. That was not an exaggeration.
The only annoying thing was Kakashi.
He ate with the same blank expression, replying to anything Kenichi said with either "mm" or "oh." He was only one step away from saying, "I am going to take a shower," to complete the image of an unapproachable goddess.
"Kenichi, do you have any friends in Konoha?"
Kushina, who had fully embraced her role as the caring older sister, leaned over and asked him gently.
Kenichi's lips twitched, and he shook his head.
He had once had a few friends at the orphanage, but after Orochimaru took him as a disciple, they had lost contact.
At the same time, a bad feeling crept up his spine.
"If you do not mind, would you like to be friends with Kakashi?"
Kushina lowered her voice as she made the suggestion, bending close so that Kakashi would not hear.
Minato, however, heard her clearly. Judging from the smile on his face, he was clearly thinking the same thing.
Here it is. The bad premonition came true.
Does Murphy's Law exist in this world too?
To be honest, Kenichi wanted to refuse.
Friendship was not something that happened just because someone suggested it. But when he thought about the high chance of Orochimaru defecting in the future, and the fact that he would need escape routes and connections of his own, he swallowed his refusal.
He nodded and agreed.
Besides, Kakashi would be joining the Anbu soon. Once that happened, they would not see each other for several years.
In that case, it did not seem like such a big deal.