"Oh? You want to research the Impure World Reincarnation?" Orochimaru took a sip of tea, then rested his chin on his hand, watching his disciple with amusement.
"Yes, Teacher. I believe the Impure World Reincarnation has great practical potential," Amemiya Kenichi replied honestly. He truly wanted to study the technique, hoping to uncover insights from the First Hokage that would suit him better.
Although Kenichi's strength had surged dramatically after acquiring the First Hokage's Sage Body, he hadn't inherited the Wood Release ability.
Therefore, Kenichi aimed to approach it from the perspective of the First Hokage's Sage Body Constitution. Given the First Hokage's innate talent for Sage Art, mastering it would undoubtedly lead to astonishing growth in power.
"I don't recommend using the Impure World Reincarnation just yet," Orochimaru said, shaking his head. "This forbidden technique is still being refined. If you insist on experimenting, you should reincarnate some weaker ninja."
This disciple of mine is too impatient, Orochimaru thought. It's as if he feels time is running out, wanting to meddle in everything.
Moreover, summoning the First Hokage now would be extremely risky. Even the slightest trace of evidence could arouse suspicion, which would be troublesome.
Hearing this, Amemiya Kenichi finally understood his teacher's concerns. After all, he had a decent grasp of Orochimaru's way of thinking.
"Speaking of which, how's that research you were pushing forward on your own coming along?" Orochimaru asked with genuine interest. He had reviewed his disciple's experimental records earlier and found the research quite intriguing, though he also saw its limitations.
"It's progressing well, Teacher. With a few more experiments, I should be able to achieve a breakthrough," Amemiya Kenichi replied, a faint smile appearing as he spoke of his research.
Recently, Amemiya Kenichi hadn't been able to focus much on his own research. He had been occupied with the daily studies of Hashirama cells and the Sharingan that he conducted alongside Teacher Orochimaru.
This ongoing research was sustained through their collaboration with Danzo, with Root providing substantial funding and experimental materials.
However, Amemiya Kenichi's true passion lay in his personal project: perfecting the Cancer-Granting Ninjutsu, his uniquely developed technique.
For now, Amemiya Kenichi was quite pleased with his progress. He could now induce lung cancer in a target's lungs by spraying nicotine onto their skin.
After refining his technique, he could even create late-stage lung cancer in a Genin's lungs.
The drawbacks were the time it took and the need to spray nicotine. It still needed improvement.
"I see your experiment significantly impairs the target's combat ability. But will your research work on Chūnin and Jonin?" Orochimaru was genuinely interested in his disciple's work.
After all, this disciple had already drained a considerable amount of research funding from him, even taking five Genin-level consumables.
If Orochimaru hadn't seen tangible results, he would have urged his disciple to abandon this path.
"I haven't obtained any Chūnin or Jonin-level consumables yet, so I can't say for sure," Amemiya Kenichi replied, shaking his head. He coveted Chūnin materials, but had never managed to acquire any.
This wasn't wartime, after all, and such resources weren't easy to come by.
"Human bodies are fundamentally the same, so it should work," Orochimaru said, quite optimistic about his disciple's research.
This stuff might seem useless, but cancer cells have some incredible properties. Studying them might help us figure out how to make bodies immortal.
Still, Orochimaru wasn't putting all his hopes on cancer cell research. He was still working on his Immortality Reincarnation technique.
The problem was that this Ninjutsu seemed to damage the soul. Even if it could probably recover with rest after reincarnation, he hadn't tested it yet, so he couldn't be sure.
If cancer cells weren't so similar to Hashirama cells, Orochimaru might have tried using them to make himself a new body.
"Teacher, you can't rely entirely on theories and data in science!" Amemiya Kenichi said sternly. Orochimaru glanced at him and waved dismissively.
"I'll give you a Chūnin-level test subject, but you better not waste it," Orochimaru snapped, annoyed. This disciple was getting too bold for his own good.
Amemiya Kenichi was thrilled that he dared to ask for such a thing.
"Thank you, Teacher!" he exclaimed. A Chūnin-level test subject! Not that he couldn't defeat one himself, but turning a ninja into a test subject was incredibly troublesome.
Amemiya Kenichi couldn't exactly go around kidnapping Chūnin from villages, could he? Though he had certainly considered it—he was genuinely curious about the differences between Chūnin and Genin when faced with his Cancer-Granting Ninjutsu.
But the risks of exposure kept him in check. Still, Amemiya Kenichi had a plan: the Nine-Tailed Beast Uprising would be the perfect time to "harvest" some test subjects.
"Teacher, will you be observing the experiment?" Amemiya Kenichi asked, giving Orochimaru a strange look.
Normally, Orochimaru paid little attention to his research. He wondered what had changed today, why his teacher was suddenly interested.
"Hmm, I have nothing else to do today," Orochimaru replied calmly. Aside from research, he rarely spoke much.
Amemiya Kenichi didn't mind. He followed his teacher to collect the test subject, then brought it back to his lab.
"Teacher, please disinfect first," Amemiya Kenichi said politely. Though cancer cells wreaked havoc within the body, they were utterly vulnerable to external bacteria and viruses.
That's why a sterile environment was crucial. Amemiya Kenichi had put considerable effort into transforming his lab into such a space.
Orochimaru disinfected himself without comment and followed Amemiya Kenichi inside.
After securing the materials, Amemiya Kenichi skillfully began his experiment.
He sprayed nicotine, then precisely infused refined Yang Chakra into the lungs. Lung cancer cells immediately appeared.
Amemiya Kenichi was pleased. He had been diligently researching how to precisely target cancer cells with Yang Chakra, and now he had achieved a breakthrough.