Teacher Orochimaru had been gone for a long time.
The Fourth Hokage's funeral started in the morning and ended at noon, but even after the ceremony concluded, Amemiya Kenichi still hadn't seen his teacher.
"Could Teacher really be aiming for the Fifth Hokage position?" Amemiya Kenichi scratched his head. If that were true, it would be utterly ridiculous.
After all, Teacher had always dreamed of becoming Konoha's next Hokage. While he wasn't overly eager, Kenichi knew this ambition burned within him.
But after Namikaze Minato was chosen as the Fourth Hokage, Teacher seemed to have abandoned that dream.
"Wait, there's another possibility," Kenichi thought, remembering the Third Hokage's missing arm.
Though the Third Hokage had lost his left arm, who was Teacher? Orochimaru—the man who wielded the Ninja World's most advanced technology.
Now that the Third Hokage had lost an arm, he would need to solve this problem if he wanted to reclaim the Hokage position.
If anyone in Konoha could help Lord Third with this, Kenichi believed it was none other than his own teacher.
"Forget it," Amemiya Kenichi muttered, pushing the thoughts aside. He returned to the lab he shared with his teacher—a carefully constructed smokescreen.
There were no ethically questionable experiments or shady secrets here, so Kenichi could come and go freely, though he still needed to be discreet.
"Kenichi," his teacher had said, "the more openly you display something, the less others will care. But if you try to hide it too carefully, they'll become even more suspicious."
Kenichi found the logic sound. If the Third Hokage ever investigated, this lab would serve as a plausible explanation.
"If Teacher were to help Lord Third with this, there are probably three main approaches." Since the lab couldn't be used for anything too controversial, Kenichi had nothing else to do.
He decided to brainstorm solutions.
"First, cloning. We could clone an arm for the Third Hokage and transplant it." Kenichi thought this was the most practical option.
The problem was that his teacher didn't seem to have fully mastered cloning technology yet, so he might not choose that method.
"Second, we could try creating an arm using the First Hokage's cells." Amemiya Kenichi shook his head and crossed out the idea.
This approach was completely unfeasible.
The First Hokage's cells were highly corrosive. Even Danzo needed Uchiha eyes to maintain a delicate balance. The Third Hokage wouldn't risk it.
After all, he was the Kage of the village. If word got out, it would damage his reputation and further inflame tensions with the Uchiha Clan.
That left the first option as the most likely: cloning an arm for transplantation.
Amemiya Kenichi twirled his pen between his fingers. He did have a third idea.
"I remember there are metals in the Ninja World that can conduct Chakra. If we made a mechanical arm from those, wouldn't that solve the problem?" Amemiya Kenichi thought this was a pretty good idea too.
Flesh is weak; mechanical ascension is the way.
Ultimately, the biggest problem with losing an arm was the inability to form hand seals and manipulate Chakra—a serious handicap for a ninja.
Metals with good conductive properties could also serve as a replacement. Given the Third Hokage's status and wealth, obtaining the best metals wouldn't be a problem.
Most importantly, a mechanical arm would allow for hidden mechanisms. If necessary, they could be activated to disable the arm or even seriously injure the Third Hokage.
However, Amemiya Kenichi wasn't entirely sure what the Third Hokage would choose.
As Kenichi slowly sketched his design, he heard the base door open. Turning around, he saw his teacher, Orochimaru, walking in.
"Kenichi, what are your thoughts on restoring Sarutobi Hiruzen's arm to normal?" Orochimaru's expression was grim, but his interest piqued when he saw the diagrams on his disciple's desk.
He decided to ask directly.
Kenichi understood immediately. The Third Hokage had no intention of making Orochimaru the Fifth Hokage. Instead, he was focused on fixing his arm and reclaiming his position as Hokage.
"Teacher, I have three ideas," Amemiya Kenichi said, quickly sharing his thoughts with Orochimaru. Orochimaru remained calm upon hearing the first two, as they aligned with his own considerations.
However, when Kenichi mentioned the third idea, Orochimaru's expression shifted to one of genuine interest.
"Using conductive metal to create a mechanical arm as a replacement for a regular one?" Orochimaru asked, intrigued. He had expected his disciple to propose a different solution.
"Yes, Teacher. An arm like that would be quite practical," Kenichi nodded. "And it would enhance combat capabilities. After all, how could flesh and bone compare to the durability of cold metal?"
However, he acknowledged that taijutsu specialists like Guy, who constantly honed their physical bodies, might be an exception.
"Hmm, interesting. Since you've conceived this idea, do you have a specific plan for its construction?" Orochimaru asked, eager to hear his disciple's thoughts.
Although the old man Hiruzen had already devised his own solution, Orochimaru found the concept of a mechanical arm genuinely intriguing.
Hearing his teacher's question, Amemiya Kenichi outlined his general plan.
In essence, we could try making a mechanical arm using Sunagakure's puppet-making techniques, but with greater precision. The nerve transmission issue could also be resolved using puppet manipulation methods.
This mechanical arm could rapidly form hand seals according to the wearer's will and even conduct Chakra. It could occasionally block kunai and toxic weapons, making it quite practical.
The main drawback would be the high cost. After all, metals capable of conducting Chakra are quite expensive, and the higher the quality, the more expensive they become.
"A very interesting idea," Orochimaru said, pleased. "I'll allocate some experimental funds for you. You can research this in your spare time." His disciple always came up with novel ideas.
"Then, Teacher, what did Lord Third choose?" Amemiya Kenichi asked, curious.
"He plans to transplant someone else's arm—the quickest solution—and ordered me to clone him a new one as soon as possible," Orochimaru sneered.
Looks like even my teacher is getting impatient.