Chapter 6: The Key to Becoming Strong
A burning sensation surged through his entire body.
Kenichi groaned, fingers digging into the edge of the table as he hunched over. It was happening again.
Every time he completed one of his research projects and gained a new ability, his body would go through a period of discomfort. But this time, the pain was especially intense. Kenichi felt as if someone had laid him out on a dissection table and taken him apart piece by piece.
When the torment finally faded, Kenichi was drenched in cold sweat. He collapsed onto his bed, staring up at the dim ceiling, and a faint smile slowly tugged at his lips.
The feeling in his body had completely changed.
The amount of chakra he used to squeeze out after a full day of hard work was now nothing compared to what he could draw out with a single thought.
This was the difference between an ordinary person and a genius. It was the gap between Kenichi, a Konoha orphan, and Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi.
Kenichi pushed himself upright, excitement lighting up his eyes.
His guess had been right.
Hashirama's Sage Body did not just mean he had the potential to learn that broken level Sage Art. It also meant he now possessed true talent.
Talent was real.
He was about the same age as Kakashi, but Kakashi was already a jonin, while he was still stuck at genin.
If he had relied only on his original talent, he might not have become a chunin until his twenties or even thirties. But now, Kenichi had grasped the key to becoming strong.
"Although… it looks like I do not have the talent to awaken Wood Release."
Kenichi sensed the flow of chakra in his body and curled his lips slightly.
It would have been amazing to use Wood Release, but it was not a necessity. In fact, mastering it might even cause more trouble than it was worth.
This was Wood Release, after all. In Konoha, only Hashirama had ever truly possessed that power. If a no name genin suddenly displayed it, it would not be a blessing.
Especially with Orochimaru and Danzo watching him so closely, Kenichi had no desire to end up strapped to one of those operating tables.
[System: Current research task completed.]
[System: Elective course list updated.]
Kenichi pinched the bridge of his nose and glanced at the translucent notification in front of him.
In addition to his main research topics, his cheat ability also provided a list of elective tasks, giving him the illusion of having returned to university.
Most of these tasks were very strange, but the rewards for completing them were surprisingly generous. The last time he had finished one, he had received a microscope.
[1. Obtain body tissue from Kushina Uzumaki and isolate the unique gene chain of the Uzumaki clan.]
[2. Establish your own laboratory.]
The good news was that, just like before, there were only two tasks.
The bad news was that neither of them would be easy.
"Kushina's body tissue, huh? A single hair might work, but for genetic analysis, blood would be better."
Kenichi frowned as he studied the first objective.
Getting her tissue was not the real problem. The difficulty lay in isolating the Uzumaki clan's unique gene chain from the sample.
Kenichi had his own understanding of bloodline limits and inherited constitutions in this world. In his mind, all those so called bloodlines were simply genetic information passed down through heredity.
Just as the Sharingan belonged only to the Uchiha clan, no one without Uchiha genes could awaken it. If it were possible for outsiders to gain it, Danzo would not have cared so much about the clan's existence.
The same logic applied to the Uzumaki clan. If he could pinpoint their unique genetic information, that should be enough to complete the mission.
As for extracting those genes and inserting them into someone else…
With the current level of technology in the ninja world, that was still extremely difficult. Fortunately, his teacher was Orochimaru, who had already developed some similar techniques.
"The second task looks simple, but money is a problem."
Kenichi let out a sigh.
As expected, you always had to pay a price if you wanted a reward.
"It seems I need to secure a way out as soon as possible."
The next morning, after making himself breakfast, Kenichi began his daily routine: physical training.
He was not doing it alone either. He had his own workout companion.
Guy.
Guy's father had died a hero, and that sacrifice had finally forced Konoha's higher ups to recognize the value of taijutsu. Later, Guy himself would nearly kick an endgame enemy right out of existence.
"Good morning, Kenichi! Today is another blazing day of youth!"
The moment Kenichi stepped outside, he was greeted by Guy's blinding smile and shining teeth.
"Good morning, Guy."
Kenichi returned the smile.
He had approached Guy with a clear purpose in mind: the Eight Gates, the ultimate taijutsu technique.
However, the Eight Gates Formation was sealed away in Konoha's forbidden scrolls, and Guy had never so much as mentioned it to him. Kenichi suspected that this was due to an order from the village leadership.
He was not in a rush. Techniques like that could not be forced. As long as he maintained a good relationship with Guy, the chance to learn it would eventually come.
"Kenichi, how about we do another frog jump around the village today?"
Guy looked at him expectantly.
Kenichi nodded without much expression.
When he had first arrived in this world, he would not have been able to do it at all. Forget circling the village; even jumping two hundred meters would have been difficult.
But after this period of training, his body had become much stronger.
Doing frog jumps for an entire lap around the village for a week straight was exhausting, but no longer impossible.
"Oh! This is youth!"
Fired up, Guy burst into motion, and Kenichi followed.
He did not dislike Guy. Even though the other boy was a bit too intense, he was a genuinely excellent friend.
If other shinobi became strong through talent and bloodlines, then Guy became strong through pure effort. It was very easy to get along with someone like that.
After finishing his morning training, Kenichi said goodbye to Guy with a small smile.
He still had research to do with Orochimaru today.
However, as soon as he stepped out of the forest, he saw his teacher already there, leaning casually against a tree and eating dango.
"Teacher!"
Kenichi quickly walked over, unable to hide the happiness on his face.
No matter what happened in the future, maintaining a good relationship with his teacher was crucial.
"Your chakra has grown stronger. It seems you will become a chunin soon."
Orochimaru glanced at him, a faint smile curving his lips.
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