Chapter 31: The Best Working Man Kakuzu
"It will be soon."
Kenichi Amamiya clicked his tongue to himself. This "soon" did not refer to anything else, but to the night when the Nine Tails would go on a rampage.
Why was Minato Namikaze's life so short?
There were many reasons. For one, he did not have the thick skin of the Third Hokage. On top of that, he happened to have a disciple who had been tricked, broken, and then completely corrupted.
As everyone knows, once someone falls into darkness, their strength multiplies several times over. Obito, who had not even been the strongest in Minato's team, became terrifying after turning to the dark side. His Mangekyo Sharingan allowed him to successfully unleash the Nine Tails.
Kenichi quietly recalled that Obito had watched Rin Nohara die at the hands of his friend Kakashi, then completely snapped and awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan under that emotional impact.
At least, that was how it went. Anyway, that was what the Naruto commentary videos he had watched said.
But no matter how you looked at it, the appearance of the Nine Tails was the last straw that broke Minato Namikaze's back.
If the Nine Tails had been fully restrained and sealed again, Minato might not have died that night, and Konoha would have walked down a completely different path.
Minato was a Kage level ninja, and so was the Third Hokage. Danzo, disgusting as he was, still had considerable strength. With such a lineup, the Hidden Cloud Village would probably think very carefully before stirring up trouble.
Moreover, Minato was not like the Third Hokage, who always prioritized peace and compromise and would endure anything. If other villages wanted to cause problems, they would have had to weigh the risks carefully.
"Alright, that concludes today's experiment. Remember to write the lab report later."
Orochimaru wiped his hands clean. For now, he had almost no interest in continuing to study the First Hokage's cells.
If it were not for his cooperation with Root, he would not have wanted to touch this project at all. Especially since his disciple had recently given him a completely new research direction.
"Okay, teacher."
Kenichi had no complaints. This underground laboratory was a joint project with Root, and the place was crawling with informants and spies. It was not suitable for him to carry out his own personal research here.
Once he officially left the village, he would be able to focus properly on his own projects. Even with the secret funding from Root, the money still felt far from enough.
Kenichi had his own long term plans.
He felt that the Akatsuki organization was actually a very good option. Nagato's Rinnegan, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, and all those monsters who joined Akatsuki… which one of them was not a perfect research specimen?
And he did not even need to worry about money. After all, Kakuzu would be there.
Now that he thought about it, Akatsuki really did sound like a great place. Endless research subjects, endless research funding, and Nagato was always going on about making the world feel pain and achieving peace in the ninja world.
Kenichi even had a few little items on hand that might be able to tempt Nagato. He could then live off Konan's funding and do research day and night, all while delaying Black Zetsu's plans in the background.
Killing several birds with one stone.
"But Akatsuki is still a long way off."
Kenichi scratched his head. He had not even left Konoha yet. Thinking too far ahead was meaningless. It would be better to focus on how to get some benefits out of the night of the Nine Tails' rampage.
Even if he was definitely going to leave Konoha, that did not mean he planned to walk out empty handed. Before parting ways with the village, it would not hurt to collect a few things.
For example, some Nine Tails chakra.
The blood of the Ino Shika Cho clans, the blood of the Hyuga clan, and maybe even persuading his teacher to get access to the forbidden scroll so he could copy a few techniques for later use.
Since they were going to be labeled rogues anyway, whether they took the forbidden scroll or not, they would be branded as missing ninja. Leaving without taking anything would be a waste.
Of course, Kenichi did not intend to actually steal the scroll itself. He only planned to record some of the ninjutsu on it. If the scroll went missing, the scale of Konoha's pursuit would definitely be on a different level.
After leaving the underground base, Kenichi returned to the village streets. The night of the Nine Tails' rampage was drawing closer. Once it happened, he and his teacher would start making preparations to leave soon after.
Kenichi did not have any deep emotional attachment to the Hidden Leaf Village. The only thing he really cared about was the food.
The three color dumplings, Ichiraku Ramen… all of it was excellent. Unfortunately, once he left, he would probably not get to come back and enjoy them for a very long time.
So, he planned to eat well these next few days as a reward for all the effort he had put in.
"Kakashi?"
As soon as Kenichi stepped into Ichiraku Ramen, he spotted a familiar head of silver hair. Kakashi was already sitting at the counter. Today, he was dressed in plain clothes, so he probably was not on a mission.
Kenichi raised a brow at the sight, then quickly understood.
The Jinchuriki's delivery date was approaching, which was an absolutely critical event for Konoha.
ANBU and Root operatives, as well as jonin on external missions, had all been called back unless they were unreachable or their missions had reached a point where they could not be withdrawn.
"The Fourth Hokage really is cautious. What a pity," Kenichi muttered to himself, clicking his tongue softly.
He ordered a bowl of tonkotsu ramen and found a seat.
Kakashi still looked lifeless, his entire body giving off a drained, apathetic aura. Kenichi knew at a glance that there was no point going over to start a conversation. Trying to lure him in like this would probably fail.
However, to Kenichi's surprise, Kakashi took the initiative to pick up his own bowl and sit down right next to him.
Kenichi shot him a sidelong glance, genuinely puzzled.
Kakashi's expression remained as dead as ever, and he did not say a word. The silence stretched on until his ramen was finally served. Only then did he suddenly open his mouth.
"My teacher told me to make more friends."
Kakashi dropped that sentence out of nowhere. Kenichi's lips twitched.
So the reason you sat silently beside me is… because you came here to make friends?
Is this how you make friends? If someone did this in a crowded place, people would probably think they were crazy.
"Aren't we already friends? We were before, remember?"
Kenichi put on a perfectly measured honest expression, something he had learned from spending time with Guy.
Guy was the kind of person who was almost impossible to be wary of because all of his thoughts were written directly on his face. Whatever he wanted to do, he simply said it straight. That was called treating people with sincerity and a pure heart.
To put it bluntly, being friends with Guy was incredibly simple. There were no hidden schemes, no complicated calculations, just pure, straightforward friendship.
Kenichi did not really want to refer to himself as that kind of friend, but he had to admit that sometimes Guy's way of dealing with people was very useful.
Kakashi paused when he heard this. His dull eyes drifted sideways almost unconsciously, landing on Kenichi's very serious expression.
He looked as if he might raise a thumb at any moment and flash a set of sparkling white teeth.
"Hm."
Kakashi let out a small sound. In his eyes, this disciple of Orochimaru really was very similar to Guy.
No wonder the two of them could get along.
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