"The war's over! The war's over!" Amemiya Kenichi watched the jubilant crowd before him, feeling no joy. He simply found them too loud.
But when he remembered that the Third Shinobi World War had finally ended, he thought it wasn't so bad after all. At least he wouldn't be sent on any suicide missions, though he hadn't received any orders anyway.
It was remarkable, considering Konoha had suffered heavy casualties during the war. Genin like Amemiya Kenichi were considered expendable. Fortunately, he had a good teacher.
"The war's over, Kenichi," a gentle voice said. Kenichi didn't need to turn around to know who was behind him.
Orochimaru, one of Konoha's Three Great Sages and the future Snake Lord, was a man who had nearly lost all hope of redemption before miraculously finding it. This man was his teacher.
"Teacher, now that the war is over, Third Hokage must be getting old. Will he retire?" Kenichi's voice still held a hint of childishness. After all, he was only ten years old. Yet his maturity and composure impressed Orochimaru.
The reason for his composure was that a grown man's soul had been crammed into this small body.
He hadn't always been called Amemiya Kenichi. One rainy night after working overtime, he lost consciousness. When he woke up again, he found himself in this world, a war orphan in Konoha, fostered in an orphanage.
Unfortunately, he encountered Orochimaru, who was secretly collecting human test subjects. Fortunately, his performance caught Orochimaru's attention, transforming him from a potential lab rat into Orochimaru's student.
Even now, thinking back on the perilous path he'd walked, Amemiya Kenichi felt like he'd been treading on thin ice. One wrong step, and he could have ended up as an experiment.
Though Amemiya Kenichi hadn't watched all of *Naruto*, skipping many of the flashback episodes, he still remembered some key plot points. He'd also seen some *Naruto* explanation videos, giving him a rough understanding of the timeline and major events.
He wasn't particularly knowledgeable beyond that, but Amemiya Kenichi figured it was enough.
"Don't be so disrespectful next time, Kenichi. Even though the Third Hokage is old, he's still the Hokage of Konoha." Orochimaru's voice was flat, betraying no emotion. In truth, he wasn't angry, and Kenichi probably knew why.
When had it started? Sometime ago, Orochimaru had begun harboring dissatisfaction toward the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, though he managed to keep it in check.
Kenichi knew that Orochimaru still secretly hoped to become the Fourth Hokage. But when he learned that the position would go to Namikaze Minato, his views would likely change completely.
"Teacher, has the experiment made any progress?" Kenichi hurried to catch up with Orochimaru. He wasn't a naturally gifted ninja; even at ten years old, he could barely qualify as a Genin. Someone like him shouldn't have survived under Orochimaru's command.
Fortunately, Kenichi had demonstrated a talent for science.
In this field, he could assist Orochimaru. His novel ideas and inspirations had earned him a small place in Orochimaru's heart. Orochimaru found him intriguing, and that was Kenichi's survival strategy.
"Not bad," Orochimaru said. "Even though Danzo is rushing us, our experiments have made some progress. Maybe we can start live trials soon." A faint smile appeared on his face as he spoke about his passion, and Amemiya Kenichi smiled too.
Orochimaru and Danzo were researching the First Hokage's cells, trying to create a child who could master Wood Release. Kenichi didn't remember all the details, but he knew they'd succeeded—though many people had died in the process.
But what did that matter? Orochimaru was like that, and Shimura Danzo was dangerous too. He'd repeatedly tried to recruit Kenichi into Root, but Orochimaru had always refused.
Later, Danzo had even suggested placing a Tongue Curse Seal of Silence on Kenichi's tongue. Thankfully, Orochimaru had rejected that as well.
This made Kenichi deeply resent Danzo, but he skillfully suppressed his anger. He only allowed a hint of displeasure to show. A little cunning was fine, but too much would only breed suspicion.
Until his strength was sufficient to reveal his hand, Amemiya Kenichi would never openly oppose Danzo.
Back in Orochimaru's secret laboratory, Amemiya Kenichi relaxed. The lab had servants whose sole purpose was to clean and attend to his needs. These poor souls would never leave; their only escape was death.
Amemiya Kenichi had grown accustomed to this life. In this cruel world, strength was the only thing that mattered. The thought of the overwhelming power he would eventually possess only intensified his burning desire to grow stronger.
[Current Research Subject: Senju Hashirama's Sage Body Constitution]
[Research Progress: 99.8%]
A interface only he could see appeared before Amemiya Kenichi. It was this very thing that gave him unwavering confidence in his future.
When he transmigrated, he had gained a cheat: the ability to research and analyze anything in this world. All he needed was a sample. Once the analysis was complete, he could graft the ability onto himself.
It was precisely because of this cheat that Amemiya Kenichi, an ordinary person who never could have become a ninja, managed to become a Genin.
But that was about as far as he could go. His physical abilities were too poor to advance further, so he set his sights on improving his constitution—or rather, his bloodline.
Originally, Amemiya Kenichi's target had been the Uzumaki Clan. Uzumaki Kushina seemed like a promising candidate, given the clan's naturally robust constitution.
However, Orochimaru later took an interest in him, causing him to shift his focus. Leveraging his unique position, he acquired cells from Senju Hashirama.
Unfortunately, the First Hokage's constitution was exceptionally unique, and his analysis progressed at a snail's pace. It took two and a half years to nearly complete.
But the wait was worth it. This was the First Hokage's Sage Body Constitution—it would undoubtedly enhance his potential.
"Bring me that thing," Amemiya Kenichi called out. A test tube was immediately handed to him. He was currently researching the Sharingan.