Chapter 187: What? The Eight Tails Attacked Konoha?
"The teacher really does have them."
Kenichi flipped through the book in his hands. Setting everything else aside, his teacher truly was born for research. Anatomy diagrams like these had plenty of uses, but very few people would bother to draw them specifically, let alone in such detail.
Yet Orochimaru had done exactly that. The diagrams were comprehensive, cleanly organized, and almost obsessively complete.
"As expected, the neural networks of civilians and shinobi are different," Kenichi muttered, eyes scanning the pages. "But he calls this thing the Chakra Pathway System?"
According to Orochimaru's notes, there were real structural differences between shinobi and ordinary people. Shinobi had more of these so-called Chakra Pathway System throughout their bodies.
To Kenichi, they looked far closer to nerves than anything mystical.
The diagrams were also split by gender, with separate male and female anatomical charts, each one just as detailed as the other.
"But there's nothing about the nerves behind the eyeball," Kenichi said, frowning slightly. He tapped the area where the eye and brain were shown, noticing the lack of labels. "Did he not notice them, or do ordinary shinobi not have those extra connections in their eyes?"
It felt like Kenichi had wandered into a private library, the kind only a true researcher would ever build. His teacher's work was broad, meticulous, and unreasonably practical.
Kenichi gathered the documents and left the archive, returning to Orochimaru's lab with the papers tucked under his arm.
"Teacher, I have a question," he said.
"What is it?" Orochimaru replied calmly, looking at him with steady eyes.
Orochimaru usually answered questions without holding back, except when it came to certain special jutsu.
For example, the Reanimation Jutsu.
That was his ultimate taboo. Even Kenichi knew better than to poke at it casually.
"It's this," Kenichi said, pointing at the diagram. "Have you done any research on the nerves behind the eyeball? The networks in the eye and brain aren't marked here."
Orochimaru glanced once, then understood immediately.
"Oh, that." His tone was indifferent, almost bored. "Those nerves are connected to the brain. They break easily. I ran an experiment before. Breaking one or two didn't have much impact, so I didn't bother marking them."
Kenichi froze for a beat, then felt both amused and exasperated.
So that was the whole reason.
No wonder the teacher barely noted it.
If Kenichi had not tried eye transplantation today, he would never have guessed the Uchiha eye structure could hide three extra nerves compared to ordinary people.
Still, even if it left him with questions, this anatomical work was a huge help.
Now he only needed to confirm one thing: whether those extra nerves existed in all shinobi, or only in the Uchiha.
"It looks like you found something interesting," Orochimaru said, watching him with clear curiosity. "You have that look."
"Teacher, please look at this." Kenichi handed over the lab report he had just finished, then sat down across from him.
Orochimaru began reading.
Kenichi, meanwhile, instantly regretted sitting there.
It was not that he was distracted easily, but his teacher clearly had not adapted to his current body very well. Especially not with the outfit he had chosen.
Kenichi only glanced down for a moment as he sat, and his eyes caught a painfully distinct pattern.
Blue and white stripes.
For a second, he felt oddly dazed.
Teacher's current appearance… could there be a problem with the development of the Reanimation Jutsu?
The thought rose, then he immediately buried it.
That subject was off limits.
Kenichi wisely kept his mouth shut, lifted his tea, and drank as if nothing was wrong.
As for the posture, he decided not to correct it either. If he did not deliberately look for it, he could almost pretend he had not noticed.
After a short while, Orochimaru lowered the report.
"You mean the Uchiha Sharingan has three extra nerves compared to ordinary people?" he asked.
"Yes," Kenichi said. "Compared to other shinobi, Uchiha have three more nerves in their eyes. But it's still unclear whether all shinobi have special eye structures, or if it's unique to the Uchiha."
Orochimaru's lips curved into a faint smile.
He understood Kenichi's real intention perfectly.
Kenichi wanted supplies. Fast.
When it came to experimental materials…
"Do you remember the Hyuga we used before?" Orochimaru asked suddenly.
Kenichi paused, then a face surfaced in his memory.
That Hyuga illegitimate son, the one who had somehow avoided being branded with the Caged Bird Seal despite not being from the main family.
Kenichi still remembered him.
"Of course," Kenichi said. "But he was about to die, wasn't he?"
"He is," Orochimaru replied calmly. "Do you want him? If you do, he's yours. You can even study the Byakugan."
He picked up his teacup, poured himself another cup, and took a slow sip as if he were offering spare tools, not a living person.
Kenichi felt temptation flicker through him, cold and precise.
A Hyuga was perfect material.
He could study the Byakugan, and he could dissect and compare a Hyuga body to a civilian body to see what truly changed with a bloodline limit.
He nodded decisively.
Orochimaru smiled again.
"But I'm not giving him to you for free," he said, lifting a brow. He crossed his long legs, fair skin catching the light with an almost distracting clarity. "You know what I mean."
"Is there something you need me to do, teacher?" Kenichi asked.
He understood.
Orochimaru was an excellent teacher, but he was also strict about reward and exchange. If Kenichi wanted resources, he would pay for them.
The good news was that Orochimaru kept his word.
Unlike the kind of bosses who made grand promises and never delivered, Orochimaru would give exactly what he offered, as long as you met his conditions.
"There is," Orochimaru said.
He tossed a file across the table.
Kenichi caught it, opened it, and saw two profiles inside.
The first was a boy with an ordinary face and glasses. The name, however, made Kenichi's eyes sharpen.
Kabuto Yakushi.
The second file belonged to a woman.
Yakushi Nonou.
Kenichi looked from the file to his teacher.
So that was the game.
"Teacher," Kenichi said slowly, "do you want me to recruit these two?"
"Something like that." Orochimaru's answer was casual. "Kabuto has potential. He's young, but he's completed several missions well. More importantly, he has the talent of a medical ninja."
After leaving Root, Kabuto had already entered Orochimaru's sight.
Smart. Efficient. Useful.
As for Nonou…
"She's a bonus," Orochimaru continued, tone almost dismissive. "I'm not particularly interested in her, but she matters to Kabuto. If she's in our hands, controlling him becomes simple."
His smile deepened, calm and chilling.
"And if necessary," he added, "she can die. Then the resurrected version can be dangled in front of him. A carrot works best when it is just out of reach."
Kenichi did not react outwardly.
Inside, he quietly admitted the logic was clean.
That kind of leverage would make someone work until they dropped, without complaint.
"Alright," Kenichi said. "I understand. But I have things to handle first. I may need to wait a while before I go."
"No rush," Orochimaru replied. "Danzo isn't planning to kill them yet."
Kenichi nodded, closed the file, and prepared to leave.
That was when someone hurried to the lab door.
It was Shiori.
Kenichi glanced at her. Since she had survived the genetic programming, she had become Orochimaru's secretary.
Easy work, a salary, holidays during festivals.
In this world, that was practically a dream job.
"Lord Orochimaru. Lord Amamiya." Shiori knocked, then entered only after Orochimaru allowed it.
"What is it?" Orochimaru asked, sitting cross legged on the sofa.
Shiori spoke quickly, her voice tight with urgency. "Lord Orochimaru, according to intelligence, a conflict has broken out within Konoha. The Eight Tails has appeared in Konoha and launched an attack!"
Kenichi's mouth slowly fell open.
What?
What did she just say?
The Eight Tails attacked Konoha?
That meant Gyuki.
No, that meant Killer B.
How was that even possible?
Kenichi had just seen the current Fourth Raikage, A, among the Kumogakure delegation.
Under those circumstances, how could the Eight Tails possibly storm Konoha and start attacking?
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