Chapter 40: So in the End, Creating an Iron Man Like Youth in the Ninja World Is Not Such a Big Problem
Orochimaru had been gone for a long time.
The Fourth Hokage's funeral started in the morning and did not end until noon, yet even after the ceremony was over, Kenichi Amamiya still had not seen his teacher return.
"Is teacher really going to become the Fifth Hokage?" Kenichi scratched his head.
If that turned out to be true, it would be almost laughable.
After all, his teacher had once desperately wanted to become Hokage, to stand as the new leader of Konoha. Even if Orochimaru rarely spoke of it now, Kenichi knew very well that this expectation had existed in his heart.
But after Minato Namikaze had been chosen as the Fourth Hokage, it had seemed as if Orochimaru had quietly abandoned that ambition.
"No. There is another possibility."
Kenichi thought of the Third Hokage's missing arm.
Although the Third had lost his left hand, who was his former disciple? Orochimaru, a man who commanded the most advanced medical and biological techniques in the ninja world.
If the Third Hokage wanted to sit in that chair again, he first had to solve the problem of his missing arm.
And if there was anyone in Konoha most likely to fix that problem, Kenichi believed it could only be his teacher.
"Forget it."
Kenichi stopped overthinking, turned, and headed back to the laboratory that he and Orochimaru used. Outwardly, it was a perfectly normal research base, a smokescreen that his teacher had deliberately prepared.
There were no excessive experiments or obviously forbidden research inside. Because of that, Kenichi could come and go relatively freely, as long as he did not act too suspiciously.
"Kenichi, you need to understand that the more openly you show yourself, the less others will care. But if you hide something too carefully, that is when people start to pay attention."
That was what Orochimaru often told him.
Kenichi felt it made perfect sense.
If the Third Hokage ever decided to investigate and traced things back here, this was still a situation that could be handled.
"Assuming teacher really does have to help the Third fix his arm, there are about three possible solutions."
Research that crossed certain lines was banned in this lab, so Kenichi did not have much to do at the moment.
He sat down and started to think seriously about how he would solve the problem if it were up to him.
"First, clone a new arm for the Third and transplant it."
Kenichi felt this was the most reasonable option on paper.
However, there was one major issue.
His teacher did not seem to have fully mastered cloning technology yet, at least not to a mature, reliable level, so this method might not be chosen in practice.
"The second option is to create an arm using cells from the First Hokage."
Kenichi shook his head and crossed this idea out almost as soon as it surfaced.
That plan was completely unrealistic.
The cells of the First Hokage were terrifyingly corrosive. Even Danzo had needed to rely on multiple Sharingan to maintain a delicate balance. There was no way the Third Hokage would accept such a method.
He was the Hokage of the village. Once word got out, it would damage his reputation and further worsen the already tense relationship with the Uchiha clan.
So the most realistic path was still the first one: cloning and transplanting an arm.
Kenichi twirled his pen between his fingers. There was, however, a third idea in his mind.
"I remember there are metals in the ninja world that can conduct chakra. If we make a mechanical arm out of those metals, wouldn't that also solve the problem?"
The more he thought about it, the better the idea sounded.
Flesh and blood are weak and fragile, while machinery can soar to new heights.
In the end, the biggest problem with losing an arm was not just the lack of a limb, but the inability to form hand seals and channel chakra properly. For a ninja, that was fatal.
If a metal could conduct chakra, it could replace much of that function.
And with the Third Hokage's status and resources, obtaining the finest chakra conductive metal in the Land of Fire should not be difficult.
Most importantly, a mechanical arm also meant one thing: a hidden failsafe could be built into it.
If Kenichi ever had to face the Third Hokage as an enemy, that arm could be sabotaged at a critical moment, disabling his combat ability or even inflicting serious injury.
Kenichi was not entirely sure which option the Third would choose in the end.
As he slowly sketched out a rough design on the desk, the sound of the lab door opening echoed from above. He looked up and saw Orochimaru descending the stairs.
"Kenichi, what are your thoughts on restoring Hiruzen Sarutobi's arm to normal?"
Orochimaru's expression was dark, but when his eyes fell on the drawing on his disciple's table, a flicker of interest appeared.
He decided to ask directly.
Kenichi immediately understood.
So in the end, the Third Hokage did not intend to let Orochimaru succeed Minato. Instead, he wanted to repair his own arm and return to the position of Hokage himself.
"Teacher, I have three ideas."
Kenichi quickly laid out his thoughts.
Orochimaru's face remained unreadable as he listened to the first and second options, clearly already having considered them himself.
But when Kenichi mentioned the third idea, Orochimaru's eyes sharpened with curiosity.
"Using chakra conductive metal to build a mechanical arm to replace a normal limb?"
Orochimaru leaned closer, clearly intrigued. He had expected his disciple to suggest something else.
"Yes, teacher. An arm built like that would actually be very practical," Kenichi nodded.
In terms of raw power, how could ordinary flesh and bone compare to cold, reinforced metal?
Of course, there were special cases, such as taijutsu monsters like Guy, who had pushed their bodies far beyond normal limits.
"Hmm. Interesting. Since you have this idea, do you also have thoughts on how to manufacture it?"
Orochimaru wanted to hear the details.
Hiruzen already had a plan in mind, but the concept of a mechanical arm itself deeply appealed to him.
Since teacher had asked, Kenichi gave a concise explanation of his design.
In general, the mechanical arm could be constructed by following the puppet crafting methods of Sunagakure as a reference, but with far finer precision.
The problem of nerve conduction could be handled using similar principles to chakra threads and puppet control.
The arm would be able to form hand seals at high speed, synchronizing with the user's will, and it would also be able to channel chakra. In battle, it could block kunai or poisoned weapons and serve as a durable shield when needed.
Of course, the investment would be considerable.
Metals that could conduct chakra were very expensive, and the higher the quality, the higher the price.
"A very interesting idea." Orochimaru nodded in satisfaction.
"As expected of my disciple. You always manage to offer something new. I will allocate some experimental funds to you later. Study this in your spare time."
"So, teacher, what did the Third Hokage decide on?" Kenichi could not help asking.
"He chose to transplant someone else's arm. It is the fastest approach. He wants me to clone a suitable arm for him as soon as possible."
Orochimaru let out a cold sneer.
It seemed that even their revered teacher was starting to feel anxious.
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