Konoha's hospital was huge and bustling. Amemiya Kenichi figured it was probably because the war had just ended, and there were still so many wounded.
As he stepped inside, the strong smell of disinfectant hit him. Kenichi wrinkled his nose—he didn't exactly hate the smell, but he didn't like it much either.
The real problem was figuring out how to get the patient information he needed. After all, Kenichi wasn't even sure if cancer existed in the Ninja World.
He hadn't watched many anime, only remembering the basic plotlines. He wasn't very familiar with the rest.
And who could he ask?
Kenichi used to know someone at the hospital: Tsunade and her apprentice. But Tsunade had left Konoha after the Second Great Ninja War, so Kenichi didn't know anyone anymore.
Luckily, after slipping a little money to a Medical Ninja, Kenichi got the information he needed.
"No cancer? How is that possible?" Kenichi was shocked. After paying, he asked a Medical Ninja working there about the strange disease he described, but the ninja had never heard of anything like it.
In the Ninja World, most injuries were either external wounds, internal injuries, or damage caused by Ninjutsu. Occasionally, you'd see knife wounds and the like, but they'd never encountered anything like the illness Amemiya Kenichi described.
Naturally, the hospital had no patients with such conditions.
The Medical Ninja admitted she was new and might not be familiar with everything, suggesting Kenichi consult someone else.
After speaking with an older doctor, Kenichi confirmed that Konoha had indeed made no such discoveries. (1)
"Could it be due to Chakra? Or maybe people in the Ninja World just don't live long enough to develop cancer?" Kenichi muttered, then left the hospital.
His feelings were mixed. In his past life, cancer had been an incurable terminal illness. A diagnosis was practically a death sentence. If you had money, you might fight it, but those without could only choose whether to donate their bodies to science.
But in the world of Hokage, cancer didn't exist—or at least, Kenichi hadn't found any evidence of it yet.
Amemiya Kenichi was convinced that cancer existed in this world. His reasoning was simple: despite the Ninja World's peculiarities, its inhabitants were fundamentally human, not aliens.
There was no logical reason why cancer wouldn't exist here. Either the presence of Chakra suppressed cancer cells, or Konoha simply hadn't encountered any cases, or perhaps the Medical Ninja hadn't yet recognized the disease.
"If only Tsunade-sama were here," Kenichi sighed. As Konoha's most skilled Medical Ninja, she had seen countless rare illnesses and might actually know about cancer.
"Oh? Little one, you know Tsunade?" A slightly hoarse voice spoke. Kenichi looked up and froze.
Standing before him was the Third Hokage—Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Lord Third?!" Kenichi stared in astonishment at the legendary ninja.
He had never imagined he would meet the Third Hokage one day, especially not under these circumstances.
"Heh, young man, don't get so excited. Technically, I'm your teacher's teacher," Hiruzen chuckled. Though elderly, he hadn't yet reached the frailness of his later years.
"I know, Lord Third! My teacher told me you're an incredibly powerful ninja!" Amemiya Kenichi said, putting on an appropriately excited expression. Years of enduring Orochimaru's oppressive presence had taught him to control his facial expressions.
Inside, however, Kenichi was on high alert. He couldn't understand why the Third Hokage had appeared before him.
He'd have to play it by ear.
"Haha, you little rascal! Your teacher definitely didn't say that about me. He probably called me a grumpy old man," Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled heartily, patting Kenichi on the shoulder.
Kenichi forced an awkward smile. Teacher Orochimaru *had* indeed called Hiruzen that, but Orochimaru could get away with it—Kenichi couldn't.
"Are you here at the hospital because you're feeling unwell? I was just wondering," Hiruzen asked about Kenichi's reason for being there, then promptly walked away, leaving Kenichi stunned.
Kenichi turned and left, still wearing his "excited to meet a great man" facade. Only after returning home did he drop the pretense.
"Something's not right," Amemiya Kenichi muttered, frowning. He'd never met the Third Hokage before, and this great man shouldn't have any interest in someone like him.
Moreover, Konoha was on the verge of a political transition, yet the Third Hokage seemed completely unconcerned.
Amemiya Kenichi checked his clothes thoroughly but found nothing amiss. He'd even burned the jacket Sarutobi Hiruzen had patted, but a lingering unease remained.
If Amemiya Kenichi were a honey badger, Sarutobi Hiruzen would be a lion king nearing his twilight years. But even an aging lion king was still a lion king.
There was no reason for him to target Amemiya Kenichi, unless his real target was Amemiya's teacher.
"Could this be a warning shot?" Amemiya Kenichi wasn't certain, but he suspected it was possible.
When Orochimaru came to find him, Amemiya Kenichi excitedly told him about his chance encounter with Sarutobi Hiruzen that day, his expression and tone perfectly mimicking a fervent Third Hokage fan.
Orochimaru said nothing. He glanced at Amemiya Kenichi and waved for him to follow as he went to pick up a mission.
"Teacher, are we taking on a mission this time?" Amemiya Kenichi wasn't surprised. His teacher often used missions as excuses to leave Konoha for experiments or to capture test subjects.
Amemiya Kenichi figured this was probably the same.
"Yes. During the war, a ninja squad deserted. We're going after them." Orochimaru spoke calmly. Amemiya Kenichi froze. A mission like this?
A typical squad consisted of three members: a captain and two subordinates. The captain's minimum rank was Chūnin.
Amemiya Kenichi was confused. Was his teacher actually planning to take him on a real mission?