Chapter 89: Research Directions for Thermobaric Weapons and Making Money!
Orochimaru was an exceptional shinobi and a brilliant scientist, but Kenichi had started to suspect his teacher was also something of a psychologist.
Not because Orochimaru sat people down and asked about their childhood, but because he was terrifyingly good at reading people. The only difference was whether he felt like using that skill.
With Jiraiya, he was blunt and sharp, never bothering to show a gentle side. With subordinates, he was flawless, almost like the ideal leader carved out of a textbook.
He rewarded people generously, always kept his promises, and gave trust so directly that it made you feel like you should repay it with your life.
Which was exactly why Kenichi sometimes wondered if his teacher's tone, expressions, and little habits were tests in disguise.
"Not much, probably," Orochimaru said at last, as if he had only just remembered.
Kenichi swallowed.
That was still more than double his savings.
If he followed this plan, he could only afford to build half of what he had imagined.
No, that was not quite right. He did not actually need every instrument in Orochimaru's laboratory. If he bought equipment based on his current research topic, he could cut the cost sharply.
One thing was non negotiable, though.
An explosion proof room.
Kenichi was not foolish enough to detonate explosives inside his own lab, but accidents did not ask for permission. What if something went wrong during the manufacturing process?
Just like the time he had blown up his teacher's lab.
So an explosion proof room was mandatory. A sterile lab might be necessary too. And once he calculated it like that, the money still felt tight.
"Look at this."
A book smacked into Kenichi's arms, cutting off his thoughts. He froze, then read the cover.
A Comprehensive Guide to Common Barriers.
"Teacher, what's this?" Kenichi asked.
"I heard that when Kumogakure was attacked, the sealing barrier did not break immediately," Orochimaru said, sitting upright and taking a calm sip of tea. "You should understand why that matters."
Kenichi ran his fingers over the book's cover.
He absolutely needed it.
Right now, his thermobaric research had three main directions.
The first was combining the weapon with chakra. It had not worked yet, but if it succeeded, Kenichi believed it could multiply the bomb's power and possibly trigger other reactions.
The second was exactly what Orochimaru was pointing at. If he could reliably breach defensive barriers, the threat to any hidden village would rise to an entirely different level.
The third was interception.
After the strike on Kumogakure, every major force in the shinobi world would understand one thing clearly.
An attack could fall from the sky.
They would prepare for it.
And if his thermobaric weapon got intercepted before it reached the target, it would never achieve the intended effect.
So he had to solve these problems one by one.
"Thank you, Teacher," Kenichi said, smiling with genuine delight.
He could have bought the book himself, but a gift from Orochimaru carried a different weight.
"Hm." Orochimaru's expression did not change as he continued drinking tea.
It was a habit he had picked up after taking Kenichi as a disciple.
Kenichi liked tea because it kept him sharp during long research sessions. He would always brew an extra pot for Orochimaru without even thinking about it. Over time, Orochimaru had gotten used to drinking it too.
With the barrier guide in hand, Kenichi decided to settle his own laboratory plan properly. He pulled out every last bit of his savings.
After discussing it with Orochimaru, they reached a workable solution.
Reduce the building area. Equip only the essential research tools. Expand later when funding allowed.
Kenichi agreed immediately.
And just like that, he became completely broke.
"I need to make money," Kenichi muttered, sitting in his chair with a troubled look.
He had poured everything into building his own lab, and now he was truly penniless.
Since he was no longer a Konoha ninja, he could not simply walk into the mission hall and pick up commissions. Even exchanging gold was annoying and risky.
So Kenichi thought of Nagato.
Nagato had said he would ask around, but there had been no news yet. Kenichi assumed the negotiations were still ongoing. Anything involving money tended to crawl, no matter what world you lived in.
"The problem is, without money, I can't even buy raw materials for thermobaric explosives," Kenichi said, rubbing his temples.
Whether Konoha would pay was still uncertain. What if they demanded proof? In that case, making another launch capable thermobaric weapon would be necessary anyway.
Should he take advantage of Gato's offers again?
The thought gave Kenichi a headache. He did not even know where Gato was right now, and a wealthy merchant who had robbed too many people was bound to draw attention from the great villages sooner or later.
Kenichi was not too worried about being noticed himself.
But if it dragged Akatsuki into the spotlight, he would not be able to stay comfortably within the organization anymore.
"Teacher, aren't you partnered with Kakuzu?" Kenichi asked the moment the idea surfaced. He rushed off to find Orochimaru.
If he could get his hands on Kakuzu's savings, the funding problem would vanish instantly.
The only issue was that Kakuzu valued money above everything. Taking his money openly and honestly was basically impossible.
When Kenichi found Orochimaru, his teacher was in the middle of an experiment.
Kenichi did not know what the experiment was. He only saw pale flesh writhing inside a petri dish, and decided that not knowing was a form of mental self defense.
"Hm. That man is quite strong," Orochimaru said without looking up. "He's mastered some kind of secret technique. And he really likes attacking me."
"Then, Teacher, do you know where Kakuzu usually keeps his money?" Kenichi asked bluntly.
Orochimaru immediately understood what he meant.
He glanced at Kenichi with interest, amused in a quiet way.
So soon, and he was already thinking about profits.
"I don't know," Orochimaru said with a shrug. "He's never taken any money out in front of me. When we did missions together, he even worked part time to cover travel expenses."
Even without being paired for long, Orochimaru could tell how greedy Kakuzu was.
And laying a hand on a man's money was the kind of grudge that did not end.
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