Chapter 87: What Exactly Is Needed to Learn the Flying Thunder God Technique?
Even though his teacher was one of Konoha's three legendary ninja, had taken countless missions, and had even received funding from Root, research was still a bottomless pit.
Instruments cost money. Hiring people cost money. Food cost money. Buying every kind of raw material cost money. If not for the fact that ninjutsu could dispose of bodies cleanly, they would have had to keep spending even more.
So in truth, his teacher was not swimming in wealth. Even if he had savings, it usually went straight back into equipment or whatever new curiosity had caught his attention.
Kenichi could not help but sigh. Doing scientific research in this era was not easy. He could only hope that when Nagato demanded money from Konoha, he would include research expenses and the cost of the thermobaric bomb. Otherwise, Kenichi would be taking a massive loss.
Every time he used it, he was burning money.
"Teacher, are you planning to build a ninja village in the Land of Rice Fields?" Kenichi asked as they traveled.
"I do not have that plan for now," Orochimaru replied with a calm shake of his head.
He was still fascinated by Nagato's Rinnegan, and he wanted to study it. For that reason alone, he had no intention of leaving any time soon.
Orochimaru also found Akatsuki itself interesting. The organization clearly hid secrets, and he was eager to uncover them.
Discovering secrets always brought him joy. The answer was not the most important part, though a worthwhile harvest would be welcome.
Kenichi walked behind his teacher. As he watched Orochimaru move, he noticed something subtle. Sometimes his teacher's steps carried an unintentionally delicate rhythm.
But it corrected itself quickly, so fast that most people would never notice unless they stared.
Kenichi only caught it because he had observed Yuki before and recorded some unconscious habits, including walking posture.
The way someone walks was fascinating. It could even be used to identify a person. In some arrests, gait alone was enough to confirm identity.
Someone who had injured a leg might unconsciously lift one side a little higher, or favor the other.
These were tiny details, like micro expressions. A person's unguarded habits could reveal far more than their words. Some experts could even infer physical traits just from footprints.
"So even if the soul changes, the body still keeps some muscle memory," Kenichi murmured, rubbing his chin. The thought genuinely interested him.
"Have you heard what happened in Kumogakure?" Orochimaru asked suddenly, cutting through Kenichi's train of thought.
"I heard about it, Teacher," Kenichi answered with a nod.
Of course he had heard about it. He had watched it with his own eyes. The mushroom cloud had been beautiful as it rose, though it was a pity it was not a nuclear weapon. That would have been even more spectacular.
"You did it?" Orochimaru asked directly.
Kenichi nodded.
His teacher had witnessed the experiments, so it was not strange that he had guessed.
Orochimaru watched his disciple admit it without hesitation. His face stayed neutral, but his mood lifted slightly.
At least Kenichi had not tried to hide anything from him.
"Your research is promising," Orochimaru said. "But you also need to improve your own strength. I heard Kumogakure has placed a bounty on Heavenly Punishment. I am tempted."
Kenichi's lips twitched.
Kumogakure moved fast.
"Teacher, how much did they offer?" Kenichi could not help asking.
It always gave him the odd feeling of stepping into the wrong world, like he had wandered onto the set of some pirate story next door. Any moment now, someone would start talking about emperors and sea kings.
"Three hundred million ryo," Orochimaru replied calmly.
Kenichi sucked in a sharp breath.
Three hundred million.
In the shinobi world, places like the underground bounty exchange were secretive. Kenichi had only learned of it by chance through his teacher, and it carried bounties on various ninja.
But most prices were not that high.
A jōnin's head might only be worth thirty five million ryo. There were even bounties on Kage level figures. Of course, those listings existed mostly as jokes, because no one could actually claim them.
But three hundred million ryo was far beyond an ordinary jōnin. It even surpassed elite jōnin by a wide margin. It was already pressing against the threshold where people started whispering about Kage level.
"These people are really rich," Kenichi muttered. "They can throw three hundred million ryo at my head, but I cannot even gather that much funding."
And he still did not know how things were going with Nagato. If that went smoothly, the lab's money problem might be solved for a while.
"Use this time to train properly," Orochimaru said. "If there is any ninjutsu you want to learn, tell me."
"Any ninjutsu?" Kenichi's eyes lit up instantly.
His teacher had mastered a frightening number of techniques. During the Nine Tails incident, Orochimaru had probably read through most of the forbidden scrolls.
"You know that is impossible," Orochimaru said, giving him an annoyed look. If this disciple wanted the Reanimation Jutsu, Orochimaru would never teach it.
Kenichi immediately adjusted his tone. "Then what about the Flying Thunder God Technique?"
He was envious of it, but his goal was practical. If he could master rapid movement once he set markers, traveling would become absurdly convenient.
Orochimaru did not refuse outright. He had studied it himself and confirmed one uncomfortable truth.
He could not learn it.
"That technique demands extreme talent from the user," Orochimaru said.
It required fast reflexes and a large chakra reserve. And through his research, Orochimaru had discovered something else.
It also demanded a high level of sensory ability.
That combination made it brutally difficult to learn.
As far as Orochimaru knew, only the Second Hokage and Minato Namikaze had truly used the Flying Thunder God effectively in real combat.
From that alone, Minato's strength and talent were more than enough to justify his position as the Fourth Hokage.
"I still want to try," Kenichi said, refusing to let it go.
His real goal was to study space time ninjutsu like the Flying Thunder God and see if he could develop something like a teleportation portal from its principles.
If he succeeded, the research base could be placed somewhere far more remote, far harder to reach, and far safer.
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