Orochimaru was an outstanding shinobi and a brilliant scientist.
But deep down, Amamiya Kenichi suspected his teacher might also be… a psychologist.
The more time he spent with Orochimaru, the more he noticed it.
When it came to Jiraiya, Orochimaru was blunt and merciless, never once showing a gentle side.
But with subordinates? He was perfect—the very picture of an ideal leader.
He rewarded generously and never broke a promise.
If he said you'd be compensated, you would be compensated.
He gave trust easily and fully, to the point his followers genuinely felt:
"For someone like this, I'd die without regret."
Sometimes Kenichi couldn't help wondering:
were their casual conversations, the fleeting looks, the small gestures Orochimaru made…
…all part of some test?
"Not that much. About…" Orochimaru finally finished calculating.
Kenichi swallowed.
That number… was twice his total savings.
He glanced around the lab again.
So if he wanted a lab of his own, with his current funds, he'd only be able to afford… half of this?
No, that wasn't quite right.
He didn't need everything this lab had. Some of these machines had nothing to do with his current projects. If he only purchased the equipment necessary for his research, he could trim a lot of the costs.
A blast room was non-negotiable though.
He wasn't stupid enough to test explosions inside his main workspace, but accidents happened. If something went wrong during production, like last time—when he blew up Orochimaru's lab—he needed a space that could take the hit.
A sterile room would probably be necessary too.
And once he added that to the list… the money was starting to look painfully tight again.
"Take a look at this."
A book slid into his lap, interrupting his spiraling thoughts.
Kenichi blinked, then read the title on the cover:
A Compendium of Common Barrier Formations
"Sensei, this is…?"
"I heard that when Kumogakure was attacked, the initial blast didn't pierce their defensive barrier," Orochimaru said, sitting elegantly in his chair and taking a calm sip of tea. "I thought you might find this useful."
Kenichi ran his fingers over the cover.
Yeah. He really, really would.
When it came to thermobaric bombs, his research directions currently fell into three major branches:
Chakra integration.
Mixing the thermobaric fuel and chakra directly. So far, no success, but Kenichi was convinced that once it worked, the yield would spike dramatically—maybe even trigger new secondary reactions.
Barrier penetration.
Just like Orochimaru mentioned: punching through defensive seals and village barriers. If he could crack that, every hidden village would be in real danger.
Anti-interception.
Now that the news had spread, every major power knew there was a weapon that attacked from the skies. They'd absolutely start preparing counters.
If the bomb was intercepted mid-air, its effect would be greatly reduced—or completely neutralized.
All three needed solutions. Kenichi planned to tackle them, one by one.
"Thanks, sensei," Kenichi said, grinning.
He could've bought this kind of book himself, sure—but this was a gift from his teacher. That made it different.
"Mhm." Orochimaru's expression didn't change as he raised his cup again.
Tea had become a habit for him after taking Kenichi as a disciple.
Back in Konoha, whenever Kenichi pulled all-nighters for research, he always made tea to stay awake. And he'd always brew an extra pot for Orochimaru. Over time, the habit stuck.
Now, tea had become part of the lab.
Book in hand and mind newly inspired, Kenichi moved on to his next problem: his own lab.
The solution came after some discussion with Orochimaru:
Shrink the building area.
Only install the equipment required for current projects.
Expand later when he had more funds.
Kenichi agreed immediately.
And then he took all his savings…
…and handed them over.
Just like that, Amamiya Kenichi officially became a man with no money at all.
"Time to make money, huh…"
He slumped into a chair, frowning.
He was broke in the most literal sense.
Every last ryo he'd ever saved had gone into his future lab. Now, he was truly penniless.
He wasn't a Konoha shinobi anymore, so the village mission office was off-limits.
The black market bounty exchange was… doable, but troublesome.
Which brought his mind back to Nagato.
Nagato had said he'd negotiate on Kenichi's behalf with Konoha over the Cloud Village incident—but so far, there'd been no news. Negotiations involving money were always a slog, in any world.
Arguments over budgets—whether in modern governments or ninja villages—were a kind of eternal curse.
"And without cash, I can't even buy raw materials for more thermobaric fuel…"
That was the killer.
Whether Konoha would actually pay up for the "Cloud Village special event" was still uncertain. If they demanded proof, he'd definitely need a second bomb to recreate the effect.
Which meant he needed more funds.
Should I go fleece Gato again…?
He rubbed his temples. The shady merchant's current whereabouts were unknown, and if he kept hunting rich businessmen, eventually the major villages would get annoyed enough to coordinate a real crackdown.
Kenichi himself didn't care about being wanted everywhere.
But if his antics dragged Akatsuki into the crosshairs, that would be a problem. He still wanted to enjoy his life as a scientist-hooligan under their umbrella.
"Sensei, aren't you partnered with Kakuzu right now?" Kenichi asked, a new idea lighting up in his mind.
A walking, talking cash vault had just popped into his memory.
If he could get his hands on Kakuzu's savings, all of this would be solved.
"Mhm. That man is quite strong—he uses some sort of secret technique," Orochimaru replied, his attention still on the culture dish in front of him.
White chunks of flesh pulsed and squirmed in the transparent fluid.
Kenichi took one look and decided he absolutely did not want to know more.
"But he also has a bad habit of attacking me mid-mission."
"…Right." That sounded exactly like Kakuzu.
"So, do you happen to know where he keeps his money?" Kenichi asked bluntly.
There was no point beating around the bush. Orochimaru instantly picked up what he meant.
His golden eyes flicked over to Kenichi, interest gleaming faintly.
So his disciple was already scheming about funding?
"I don't," Orochimaru said with a shrug. "He never takes his money out. When we took missions together, he even stopped halfway through once to do a side job and earn travel expenses."
Kenichi was silent for a moment.
Yep. That was Kakuzu.
Orochimaru continued, almost amused.
"He's completely obsessed with money. If you go after his savings, it won't just be robbery."
He glanced meaningfully at Kenichi.
"That's the kind of grudge that only ends with someone dying."