Chapter 35: What? Orochimaru's JK Pictures?
Hiruzen took a slow drag on his cigarette while Biwako quietly poured him tea.
"Old man, your disciple does not seem as bad as you make him out to be," Biwako said softly as she gathered up the cups that had just been used to entertain Orochimaru and his student.
"I do not believe that guy could be that kind," Hiruzen muttered. He flipped through the things piled on the table, his gaze lingering on the tobacco. He could tell at a glance that it was top quality.
He even knew exactly where it came from.
It was from one of Konoha's oldest shops, the general store run by Shikamaru's family. There was no way there would be anything wrong with it.
"Then why does he keep sending it?" Biwako asked. "He has been delivering tobacco for seven or eight months now."
Just by looking at it, she could tell how expensive it was.
If Orochimaru truly had malicious intentions, then why would he keep sending such high grade tobacco for seven or eight months straight? Why would he keep reminding the old man to go to the hospital for regular checkups and to take care of his health?
For this period of time, Orochimaru had been the very picture of a devoted disciple.
"It is exactly because I cannot figure it out that I am so frustrated," Hiruzen snorted, turning away and leaving the room.
No wonder Biwako spoke up for Orochimaru. She had never seen him smoke the cigarettes his disciple brought. Hiruzen sold all that tobacco off to supplement the family income, even though, with the Sarutobi clan's current wealth, they did not really need it.
"Cough, cough, cough."
Hiruzen broke into a rough bout of coughing. Biwako listened for a moment, then went to fetch a packet of chrysanthemum tea. She was already used to him hacking like that after smoking too much.
Even so, she still had to take care of him. The Sarutobi clan's current position in the village was entirely thanks to him.
Back at his own home, Kenichi Amamiya had already started packing.
He did not own much, but there were some things he absolutely had to take with him.
For example, all the materials he had managed to gather for researching thermobaric bombs and similar weapons.
Of course, Kenichi did not intend to build anything in Konoha.
He already had the blueprints, but certain key materials were still impossible to obtain here. Those would have to wait until after he left the village. Only then could he truly begin manufacturing them.
"Since I am already working on thermobaric weapons, I should add more types of thermobaric weapons to the agenda," Kenichi clicked his tongue. "But all of this research costs so much money."
That saying about cannons roaring and gold pouring in was no joke.
The cost of production alone was high, and that was before even counting the additional expenses of research and development. Research was even more expensive than building finished weapons.
That was the main reason he had not formally started yet.
Only after joining the Akatsuki organization and tapping into their financial support would he be able to fully unleash his potential.
Kenichi was very curious about how a fully mobilized ninja army would fare when faced with thermobaric weapons raining down on them.
"Still, the top tier combat power in this world is terrifying," he murmured. "Just look at Madara's Meteorite. That thing is outrageous."
Before he transmigrated, Kenichi had studied why modern technology, despite its advancement, still could not reliably intercept meteorites entering the atmosphere.
The conclusion was simple.
Human technology just was not there yet.
Whichever country first mastered that kind of interception technology would, in effect, hold the entire planet in the palm of its hand.
So what if he could control something like that here?
With starships in orbit and space based weapons at his command, dominating the ninja world would be a matter of course.
And this world had chakra on top of everything else.
What kind of sparks would fly when chakra and high level technology were combined?
The more he imagined it, the more Kenichi's heart raced. He even wanted to test whether chakra could be integrated directly into such powerful weapons.
For instance, what sort of changes would occur if he infused chakra into a thermobaric shell?
It was a shame he did not have the necessary materials yet.
Otherwise, Kenichi felt he could have conducted a spectacular demonstration experiment right in the heart of Konoha and let the village witness history with its own eyes.
"Kenichi, what are you laughing at?"
Kakashi looked across the table at his friend with a strange expression. They were midway through their meal, yet Kenichi was still chuckling to himself, and the laugh sounded particularly off.
"Hiss. It is nothing. I just thought of something that made me happy," Kenichi said quickly, shaking his head.
He had not slept properly the previous night. His mind had been spinning nonstop, evaluating the feasibility of chakra enhanced explosions.
He had even ended up with dark circles under his eyes, which was rare for him.
At this rate, joining the strongest ninja organization in the world did not seem far off at all.
"What is making you so happy?" Kakashi asked, genuinely curious.
Spending time with Kenichi had eased some of the gloom in his heart.
"Nothing, really." Kenichi waved his hand.
Most of the jokes he remembered were from his previous life and needed the right cultural context to land. Telling them in Konoha would just sound strange.
But he had indeed come across some of Konoha's more unique humor as well, such as his teacher's collection of scandalous illustrations.
Kakashi pressed his lips together and focused on his ramen again.
Kenichi glanced sideways at him.
These days, Kakashi had not left the village at all. He had not even worn a mask, and all the Anbu members seemed to have gone to ground.
That kind of quiet was obvious to anyone paying attention.
It was the stillness before a storm.
Kushina's due date was drawing near.
The seemingly peaceful Konoha was about to be hit by a violent upheaval.
If he remembered correctly, it had even been Kakashi who casually mentioned Kushina's due date to him.
Most of the detailed analysis, however, came from the commentary videos he had watched in his previous life, so Kenichi himself could not be completely sure about every detail.
But he knew one thing.
Kakashi liked to talk to himself in front of Obito and Rin's graves.
If Obito happened to be lurking nearby, overhearing it would be all too easy.
"Kakashi, do you want to come to my place for a few nights and hang out?" Kenichi asked lightly.
"What would we be doing?" Kakashi paused with his chopsticks in mid air, then still asked. He had not been particularly busy recently.
The Fourth Hokage had only ordered him to remain in the village and not go out on missions. Visiting a friend's house would be fine.
"Reading, of course." Kenichi smiled innocently. "I bought some very good books. And I also picked up some of the popular games everyone is playing lately."
The games in Konoha were not video games but simple paper or wooden games, similar to board games, and quite popular.
Kenichi had bought the latest release, which was all the rage at the moment.
"Alright," Kakashi said at last.
He had planned to decline since he wanted to train that night, but when he saw the expectation in Kenichi's eyes, he found himself unable to say no.
Kenichi's smile widened.
He did not know Kushina's exact due date, but having Kakashi come over to his house, or going over to Kakashi's place himself, were both excellent options.
If something happened, that moment of distraction would be the perfect opening to seize the Mangekyou Sharingan.
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