Chapter 113: The Core Criterion for Judging a Villain Is Whether They Can Destroy Konoha
Everyone goes through a stage where life suddenly feels meaningless, and the fear of death hits like a cold wave.
It might happen right after finishing a game, lying in bed after work, taking a shower, or even eating. Out of nowhere, a question slips into your mind.
If I die, then everything in this world will have nothing to do with me anymore, right?
All the wonderful things in the future will go on without me. I will fall asleep and never wake up. I will never know what happens to my friends, my online friends, or my family. My awareness will sink into endless darkness.
And once that thought takes root, people start realizing that no matter what they do, it all feels meaningless the moment death arrives. That is why people fear death, and some are even scared of falling asleep.
Right now, in the Land of Fire, a great figure had fallen into exactly that kind of fear.
"Teacher, I really don't understand." Kenichi frowned, genuinely puzzled. "If there's a Pure Land and souls, why are people still afraid of death?"
Only after leaving the laboratory did Kenichi finally understand the task Orochimaru had mentioned.
In short, the daimyo of the Land of Fire had contacted Orochimaru and wanted him to inject an anti aging drug.
Kenichi could not help being impressed. His teacher really was terrifyingly talented. He had even created an anti aging drug, even though Orochimaru insisted it was only a simple cell nutrition drug.
It was something he had extracted by accident while researching First Hokage cells. It could make human cells more active and even smooth out wrinkles, giving people the illusion of becoming younger.
But that was enough.
The wealthy still flocked to it, especially ordinary people who were not shinobi.
"The bigger the figure, the more they fear death," Orochimaru said calmly. "Those who have tasted power and money are even less willing to let go."
Orochimaru had feared death too, but what he feared was far simpler. He feared dying before he could learn more ninjutsu, more knowledge, more truths.
That was why he developed the Reanimation Jutsu. In a sense, it was his version of immortality.
Of course, there were flaws, but for now, aside from not being able to fully control some of the body's muscle instincts, the rest of the problems were not serious.
And finding a suitable body was not easy. This one was the most compatible out of everything currently available.
"Then the Impure World Reincarnation could be used for business too," Kenichi said with a shrug. "They're still alive anyway. Those people probably wouldn't mind living in a different body."
"It's not the same." Orochimaru did not agree.
So far, none of the people resurrected through Edo Tensei had been willing to remain in the living world. And Orochimaru suspected that if the sacrificial body developed problems, the technique might automatically cancel itself.
For example, if the body decayed, even though no decay had been observed yet.
Kenichi nodded. Being able to live in a normal body was obviously best, especially for someone like the daimyo, whose situation was far more complicated.
A daimyo was roughly like an emperor in Kenichi's previous life, but in reality, they did not hold that kind of absolute authority. The ninja world had no truly unified country.
Each daimyo was simply the ruler of his own land, a minor emperor in his own court. And since they were still royalty, fighting for power and scheming against each other was normal.
Honestly, if the daimyo died, the happiest person might be his son, finally able to inherit.
If the daimyo lived as long as some legendary empresses from Kenichi's past, there would probably have been a bloodbath already. After all, who could endure being crown prince for seventy years?
So he could not die.
And if he did die, then he had to be resurrected immediately, or his rights would be torn apart before the funeral incense even burned out.
But Edo Tensei had its own obvious problem. The cracks and marks on the body were extremely visible and nearly impossible to hide. Anyone with eyes could tell something was wrong.
"Still, the Land of Fire's daimyo is an interesting person," Orochimaru said, looking toward the familiar territory ahead. A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I've heard he's not the type to settle for mediocrity," Kenichi replied. He had heard a few things about the daimyo as well.
Konoha had been founded in the Land of Fire, and a new Hokage's appointment required the daimyo's document. It was mostly symbolic, but it still showed that the village maintained at least a surface level of respect.
Not much more than that.
Whether it was because Konoha's status was too high or for some other reason, the Land of Fire's daimyo seemed to have opinions about the village's position.
When Kenichi chatted with Kakashi before, Kakashi had mentioned that the daimyo appeared to have formed his own shinobi force.
It was probably the Twelve Guardian Ninja, a name that was honestly a bit of a mouthful.
Kenichi remembered that group clearly, because on the night the Nine Tails rampaged, he had run into someone who resembled Kazuma. That man had tried to collect the Nine Tails' chakra, but Kenichi had intercepted him.
As for the Nine Tails' chakra, Kenichi had his own ideas. He had even considered integrating it into thermobaric bullets.
But that would be absurdly difficult.
So he set it aside for now.
Still, Kenichi remembered that someone in that small group had mastered a secret technique, rumored to have the power to destroy Konoha.
Konoha was truly pitiful. It got destroyed every other day.
It was almost like villains who could not destroy Konoha were somehow lesser villains.
If Arkham Asylum existed in the ninja world, the admission requirement would probably be the ability to destroy Konoha.
Of course, every one of those people who dreamed of destroying Konoha eventually got taught a lesson by Naruto or other Konoha shinobi.
"Yes." Orochimaru nodded. "The daimyo has established his own organization, and it's quite strong."
Kenichi hesitated, then asked what had been bothering him. "But teacher, did you really need to bring me along for something like this?"
Up ahead, the city where the Land of Fire's daimyo lived was already in sight. It was a bustling capital, even larger than Konoha.
"You'd better put on a good show," Orochimaru said casually, "so we can earn more money."
Kenichi went silent.
So he was just there to fill the headcount.
No, that was not quite right.
He was there to help his teacher secure more research funding.
Kenichi sighed in his heart, then accepted it. This was the capital of the Land of Fire, a place he had never visited before. Even if he was only here as decoration, he could at least broaden his horizons.
Who knew? Maybe he would gain something unexpected.
So Kenichi followed Orochimaru inside.
As usual, it was dawn today.
Happy New Year 🎆 🎇