"Summoning Beasts need checkups too?" Amemiya Kenichi was genuinely surprised. He'd never heard of such a thing before.
Come to think of it, his teacher's teacher was none other than Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage. And Hiruzen's Summoning Beast was Enma, the Monkey King, who Amemiya remembered could transform into a weapon—pretty handy.
But Enma seemed to make very few appearances. Later on, the Summoning Beasts from the Three Great Sage Lands were the ones who showed up most often.
"Why wouldn't they?" Orochimaru scoffed. "Sarutobi's Summoning Beast enjoys Jonin-level treatment—two checkups a year." He chuckled derisively. "A Summoning Beast with Jonin privileges? You really know how to milk the system, don't you?"
Teacher Sarutobi...
Amemiya Kenichi's lips twitched. To be honest, he'd never imagined Summoning Beasts could get Jonin-level perks these days. Back in his previous life, that would have been a guaranteed government job with full benefits.
And not just any government job—a high-ranking one. So the ultimate truth of the universe really is that everything leads back to bureaucracy? Is it too late for me to take the civil service exam now?
"But if it's the Summoning Beast of the former Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the chances of it getting cancer are pretty high," Amemiya Kenichi said, stroking his chin.
"Oh? Didn't you say lung cancer is mainly caused by smoking?" Orochimaru asked, watching his disciple with interest.
When it came to this new disease, his own understanding paled in comparison to Kenichi's. Orochimaru even suspected Tsunade might not know as much as his disciple.
"That's right. But if the former Hokage smoked a lot around his Summoning Beast for long periods, its risk of lung cancer would be much higher," Kenichi said with a shrug. "Secondhand smoke is far more dangerous than firsthand."
That's why some families in his past life discovered their children had lung cancer—the root cause was family members smoking around them. Otherwise, you could argue older kids picked up the habit, but what about the little ones? Their parents were always watching them.
"Is that really true?" Orochimaru grew even more excited. If Kenichi was right, wouldn't all those old geezers on Konoha's council, and Danzo too, be at high risk of cancer?
"That's just fantastic."
"Well, cigarette filters block some of the harmful substances. After the smoke passes through the lungs, some of these substances are absorbed by the body, while the rest become smoke." Amemiya Kenichi gestured.
"...And when others inhale that smoke, the harmful substances it carries can also cause cancer." This point hardly needed mentioning; it had been proven countless times in his previous life.
This was why smoking was banned in so many public places. While inconvenient for smokers, it was ultimately for the health of others.
"I discovered this during an experiment." The dangers of secondhand smoke were clear, but that was in his previous life. To make it sound plausible in this world, he added this explanation.
Of course, if Teacher Orochimaru insisted on conducting his own experiment to verify this, Amemiya Kenichi wouldn't mind. He had already done similar experiments before, just as a precaution. He never expected it would come in handy now.
Orochimaru didn't seem particularly concerned. He vaguely recalled seeing this mentioned in Amemiya Kenichi's earlier experimental reports.
So Orochimaru still remembered something.
Orochimaru was more concerned about those hypocritical old men who constantly surrounded his teacher. His teacher loved to smoke, and meetings dragged on forever. It wouldn't be surprising if he developed lung cancer someday.
Even though they had regular check-ups, there were gaps between them. If Orochimaru could continuously infuse them with Yang Chakra...
Even if it didn't work, it didn't matter. Orochimaru just wanted to plant a seed and leave it alone. Whether it bloomed or not was another matter entirely.
He'd always done things this way—casually scattering seeds. If they sprouted, great. If not, no loss. He wasn't losing anything anyway.
This time, Orochimaru decided to give it a try. If it worked, it would make things easier for him in the future. If not, no harm done.
"Let's go. Not the usual spot today. I'll give you some proper training. Your skills are still too weak!" Orochimaru's mood brightened considerably as he said this to his disciple.
Amemiya Kenichi felt a shiver run down his spine. His teacher didn't hold back during training, often leaving him covered in bruises and welts—though thankfully, they were all superficial.
As his teacher put it, this was to teach him a lesson. If he faced real enemies later, the wounds might be fatal.
"Yes, Teacher," Kenichi replied without complaint. He knew his teacher was right; his current strength was indeed lacking. Only after reaching Jonin rank would he be considered a significant force in the Ninja World.
During combat training, Kenichi seized the opportunity to test the practicality of the Ninjutsu he had developed with Orochimaru. He had initially hesitated, fearing that if something happened to Orochimaru, he would be held responsible.
But Orochimaru assured him there was no need to worry, claiming he had his own countermeasures. Reassured, Kenichi proceeded with the experiment.
I wonder if Teacher has nearly perfected his Immortality Reincarnation? Kenichi mused. I wonder whose body he's preparing. If it's a cute girl... His thoughts drifted.
He remembered that in the future, his teacher had indeed taken over a female body, and she had been quite attractive.
What if his filial piety turned sour someday?
Amemiya Kenichi shook his head violently. Impossible, absolutely impossible. Look at Teacher Orochimaru now—even in a new body, he's still Teacher Orochimaru. His soul remains unchanged.
"Daring to daydream in the middle of a fight?!" Orochimaru's cold voice snapped him back to reality. A sharp pain pierced Amemiya Kenichi's ribs.
He gasped and forced himself to focus. Another lapse in concentration would mean more pain.
"Teacher, please instruct me!" Amemiya Kenichi charged forward, channeling a wisp of converted Wind Release Chakra. He directed a specially prepared nicotine spray toward Orochimaru.
Orochimaru retreated without a word, unleashing a Great Fireball Technique at Amemiya Kenichi.
Amemiya Kenichi narrowed his eyes. This Ninjutsu still needs refinement. It's ineffective at a distance—the fireball completely vaporized the spray.