Chapter 9: Mitarashi Anko
Kenichi felt a twinge of sympathy for the Uchiha clan's situation, but he had no intention of helping them. If anything, he wanted a slice of their resources for himself. Research was expensive, and someone had to pay for it.
As a mere genin, the number of missions he could accept was limited. It was enough to cover his living expenses, but to establish a proper laboratory? That was a different story altogether.
One of the elective tasks that had appeared yesterday was to build his own laboratory, and it was anything but easy.
His teacher had a laboratory because he had the reputation, the strength, and the backing of his clan.
"Making money. I never thought I would still have to worry about money after coming to this world."
Kenichi rubbed his face. He needed to think very carefully about how to earn it.
He had calculated things yesterday. The savings he had painstakingly built up were barely enough to construct the basic frame of a lab. As for equipment? There was no way he could afford that. A laboratory without equipment was no laboratory at all.
And without a real lab, he would never clear that task.
"The only big events in Konoha that can really make money right now… are probably the Nine Tails' attack and my teacher's defection, right?"
Kenichi frowned.
The best way to make a fortune was, of course, to take it from others directly. The future extermination of the Uchiha clan would have been a golden opportunity, but that was still a long way off.
If Orochimaru defected, his biggest chance would be to inherit his teacher's laboratory in the chaos. But that would bring a purge in its wake. Even if he escaped that, without enough power he would end up as nothing more than Danzo's puppet.
That was unacceptable.
Lost in thought, Kenichi wandered into a ramen shop. It was not Ichiraku, but another place he liked. The food was decent and, more importantly, cheaper.
He planned to eat, go home, refine chakra, and then practice the ninjutsu Orochimaru had taught him.
But before he could even sit down, a familiar figure burst into view.
"Senior Amamiya!"
A young girl ran up to him excitedly. Kenichi took a deep breath when he saw her.
He regretted telling little Anko to call him "senior brother" back then. He had only been teasing her. He had not expected her to take it so seriously.
"Oh, it's Anko. What brings you here?"
Kenichi gave her a gentle smile.
The girl in front of him was another disciple of Orochimaru, Mitarashi Anko. But Anko knew nothing about the experiments.
Only Kenichi truly understood the darkness behind their teacher's smile. That was what worried him. What would happen to him once Orochimaru chose to defect?
Anko, at least, had not died. She would appear again in the future, very much alive. So Orochimaru probably would not go too far with her.
But Kenichi had no intention of placing his life in someone else's hands. Matters of life and death were better controlled by himself.
"I just finished a genin mission, senior brother. I'm going to become a chunin soon!"
Anko's eyes were curved into crescents as she grinned.
Kenichi's lips twitched. His junior's talent really was excellent, completely unlike his own lackluster talent as a ninja.
Fortunately, all of that was in the past now.
"That's not bad at all. You'd better train hard."
Kenichi smiled and ordered a bowl of tonkotsu ramen. When he noticed Anko eyeing the menu with blatant longing, he also ordered her a serving of glutinous rice dumplings with red bean paste.
"Long live senior brother!"
Watching the delighted Anko, Kenichi could only shake his head. This girl was fine in every way, except for her obsession with sweets. Especially glutinous rice dumplings drenched in red bean paste. It was almost painfully sweet.
At the same time, the Hokage Building was far from peaceful.
"Hiruzen, you are getting old. It is time for you to step down."
Danzo stared at his long-time friend without the slightest courtesy.
Konoha had won the Third Shinobi World War, but the price had been far too high. Now, to stabilize the village, someone had to take responsibility for the peace agreement. That someone was the Third Hokage.
"I will step down. Prepare to elect the Fourth Hokage."
Hiruzen took a slow drag from his pipe and glanced at the visibly excited Danzo.
Has my old friend finally lost the ability to suppress his ambition?
"I believe Orochimaru would be a fine choice," Shimura Danzo said, unexpectedly recommending someone else, which made Hiruzen take a longer look at him.
"Orochimaru, huh? He does seem quite capable," Hiruzen replied casually, smoke curling from his lips.
Seeing the faint pride on Danzo's face, Hiruzen remained unmoved.
As the teacher of the Legendary Sannin, he understood his disciple well. Orochimaru had gradually grown twisted and dangerous. A man like that could not be allowed to become Hokage.
Otherwise, Konoha would face an even greater crisis. Hiruzen had already decided to support another ninja who had distinguished himself in the war.
On top of that, Orochimaru had recently grown closer to Danzo. Danzo might control Root, but Konoha's regular Anbu were not so easily handled.
"Now that you mention it, according to Anbu intelligence, Orochimaru's disciple, Kenichi Amamiya, seems to be away from home quite often."
Hiruzen frowned slightly.
Wherever people walked, they left traces behind.
Orochimaru and Kenichi might have been extremely careful, but eventually the Anbu had still picked up a faint trail.
Kenichi, ignorant of the Third Hokage's growing suspicion, had already returned home by then.
He could not go to the laboratory alone. Orochimaru had made that clear. If Kenichi went by himself, the Anbu would quickly notice and problems would follow.
"It is hard to say whether I will have to clean house, Kenichi."
Orochimaru's tone had been gentle when he said this, but his eyes had been cold and dangerous. Kenichi believed him.
So unless he was personally led there by Orochimaru, Kenichi treated the underground lab as if it did not exist.
"I really want to go to the lab."
Kenichi lay sprawled on his bed, feeling restless.
He wanted to test his new idea and see if it was viable. If it was, he might be able to create a deadly forbidden technique.
Unfortunately, he could not go there alone.
He suddenly sat up.
He could not go to the lab, but he could still go to the hospital. And if there was any place in the village that might have the kind of patients he needed to observe, it would be there.
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