So, he's turning a blind eye.
Amemiya Kenichi scratched his head, suddenly understanding why Tsunade had left Konoha. After losing her loved ones and discovering her teacher desecrating their ancestors' remains, it was no wonder she felt disillusioned.
If the Third Hokage hadn't died and Naruto hadn't emerged, Tsunade probably wouldn't have returned to become the Fifth Hokage.
After training Amemiya Kenichi at the training grounds for a while, Orochimaru departed. Before leaving, he warned Kenichi to be cautious, as the Third Hokage seemed to be growing suspicious of him.
Kenichi wasn't surprised. As their resources dwindled, Root would inevitably target nearby villages. With more people disappearing, Anbu couldn't remain ignorant forever.
Exposure was inevitable.
"Your test subject—the one whose ribs you broke—is dead," Orochimaru said before leaving. "The medical team reported complete lung failure."
Hearing this, Amemiya Kenichi grew excited. It seemed cancer was still a terrifying threat to the Ninja World, something ordinary medical teams couldn't handle.
It looked like the development of the Cancer Empowerment Technique needed to be accelerated. However, he also had other ideas about how to increase his own strength.
"I remember, the First Hokage should still be in the Pure Land, right? With my current power, could I reincarnate him using the Impure World Reincarnation?" Amemiya Kenichi mused.
He wanted to enhance his strength, and Sage Mode seemed like a good option. However, Amemiya Kenichi wasn't particularly keen on learning it from his teacher.
In his view, the Sage Modes from Mount Myōboku and the Slug Sage were superior to the one from Ryūchi Cave. The problem was, Mount Myōboku required finding Jiraiya, and the Slug Sage required finding Tsunade.
But neither Jiraiya nor Tsunade were easy to locate right now. Naturally, Amemiya Kenichi turned his attention to another target: the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, whose Sage Art was exceptionally powerful.
Amemiya Kenichi didn't know where the First Hokage had learned Sage Art. He'd heard it was either from Shikkotsu Forest or that the First Hokage had figured it out himself.
"If I resurrected the First Hokage with Impure World Reincarnation and had him teach me Sage Art, would that even work?" Amemiya Kenichi hesitated. Teacher Orochimaru didn't know Sage Art.
Unless he asked his teacher to send him to Ryūchi Cave to face the White Snake Sage's trial, the best way to learn Sage Art was still the First Hokage.
After all, the First Hokage was famously laid-back, like an alternate version of Naruto. Someone like that probably wouldn't have any harsh feelings toward a junior from Konoha, right?
Amemiya Kenichi was less confident about summoning the Second Hokage. If his own strength wasn't up to par, things could easily go wrong. But he really coveted the First Hokage's Sage Mode.
After thinking it over, Amemiya Kenichi decided to give it a try. He'd just need to find a weak sacrifice. With Impure World Reincarnation, the strength of the living sacrifice affected the power of the resurrected.
In simple terms, the stronger the reanimator, the closer the resurrected can wield their full power from when they were alive. If the reanimator's strength is lacking, the resurrected will naturally be weaker.
For example, if a Genin were to use Impure World Reincarnation on the First Hokage, they definitely wouldn't be able to unleash his full power. The result would be severely diminished.
However, Amemiya Kenichi had no intention of using the First Hokage for combat. He merely wanted to learn Sage Art from him. After all, having inherited the First Hokage's Sage Body Constitution, it would be a waste not to master Sage Art.
So, for the next month, Kenichi busied himself preparing the materials for Impure World Reincarnation, honing his own strength, and further developing his signature Ninjutsu.
"Kenichi, I heard Kushina Uzumaki is pregnant," Orochimaru said, not looking up from his experiment. Recently, Orochimaru had acquired a rare test subject—a member of the Kaguya Clan.
Of course, this wasn't Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, but rather a modern Kaguya with the Shikotsumyaku. Kenichi's mouth watered at the thought, knowing how formidable the Shikotsumyaku's combat prowess was.
Research on the Three-Tomoe Sharingan was still progressing slowly, and Kenichi couldn't study the Shikotsumyaku yet. He just kept a sample for later.
"Really? I haven't heard anything about that in the village," Kenichi said, surprised. To be honest, he knew this was around the time Naruto would be conceived in Kushina's womb, but there was no official news.
But thinking about it, it made sense. Kushina wasn't just the Fourth Hokage's wife; she was also Konoha's Nine-Tailed Jinchūriki. A Jinchūriki's due date would be top secret, so a Chūnin like Kenichi wouldn't be privy to that information.
Yes, Kenichi had officially become a Chūnin during this time. He didn't have to take the Chūnin Exam. Instead, Orochimaru recommended him, and he fought a veteran Chūnin. That was enough.
During wartime, becoming a Chūnin would have been even easier. Promotions to Jonin happened quickly back then. Now that the war was over, things were more normal.
But it would still be a while before the Chūnin Exam made its comeback. Relations between the villages were still tense.
Forget about holding a joint Chūnin Exam—if we actually tried, we'd probably end up beating each other's brains out. Besides, with so many Chūnin in the villages, they can't just keep waiting for the exam every time, right?
So, the Chūnin Exam is really just another way for villages to show off their strength. They only organize these big joint tournaments at special times.
"Of course not," Orochimaru sneered. "The Jinchūriki is incredibly vulnerable during childbirth. If the Nine-Tailed were to break free... heh."
The Teacher probably won't die, right? He's been acting all peaceful and retired lately, but Orochimaru can tell he's not really content.
Yeah, how many people who've tasted power and know how sweet it is can truly let go without a fight? "Out of sight, out of mind" isn't just a saying.
So, if things really go wrong, what will our beloved Teacher choose?
"The Nine-Tailed! Can we get a piece to study?" Amemiya Kenichi practically vibrated with excitement. It's the Nine-Tailed! The strongest Tailed Beast in the Ninja World (for now, anyway).