"Kamui, huh?" Amemiya Kenichi was studying the Sharingan. The eye in his hand was a Three-Tomoe Sharingan, but not quite—it was a Mangekyō Sharingan in disguise.
This was the eye he'd taken from Kakashi. A week had passed since Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze's funeral.
Konoha Village had astonishingly returned to its usual rhythm. The Fourth Hokage was rarely mentioned anymore, and no one knew that the hero who sacrificed himself for the village had left behind a child.
"Still, it's not really suitable to transplant right now, since the Kamui Space already has another owner," Amemiya Kenichi said, flipping the eyeball over and putting it away.
He'd considered replacing his own eye with Kamui and building his own lab inside the Kamui Space, but he'd rejected the idea.
After all, Obito was still alive, and he had the other eye.
So, he had no intention of replacing his own eye for now, especially considering the cost. Just look at Kakashi.
While transplanting Obito's eye had boosted his strength, it had also left him weakened, his chakra reserves barely enough for prolonged battles.
Amemiya Kenichi had his own plans for this eye.
First, he intended to investigate why using the Mangekyō Sharingan consumed Eye Power, and what exactly this Eye Power was.
The fact that blindness resulted from exhausting Eye Power seemed to suggest it was the retina being depleted, but something didn't quite add up.
He'd have to wait until he installed the eye and used Kamui a few times to study it properly.
Second, he planned to keep the eye. Once he finished his thermobaric bomb, he'd add a biometric lock and drop it in.
He wondered if Obito would be thrilled to receive this little gift.
Amemiya Kenichi gazed at the peaceful Konoha Ninja Village and sighed.
Konoha had been quiet lately, everyone busy with recovery efforts after the Night of the Nine-Tailed Beast. Teacher Orochimaru had also been doing well, since the Third Hokage needed his help.
With the Third Hokage's tacit approval, Root even sent a small group of injured ninja to Orochimaru's Experimental Base.
The teacher often visited, bringing tobacco and other things, creating a harmonious scene of teacherly kindness and student devotion.
This made Amemiya Kenichi briefly wonder if Orochimaru had abandoned his plans to defect and intended to stay in Konoha.
But then an unexpected event shattered the fragile peace, throwing everything into chaos.
"Orochimaru! What the hell are you doing?!" Amemiya Kenichi watched Jiraiya burst into the underground experimental base, and he knew his teacher was likely about to defect.
Kenichi never imagined Jiraiya would discover the experimental base where his teacher collaborated with Root, let alone witness the horrors within.
Just moments before, Orochimaru had removed an injured villager from the operating table. The man, implanted with First Generation Cells, was beyond saving. His body was ravaged by Hashirama cells, leaving him a grotesque mockery of humanity.
Now Jiraiya stormed in, seemingly unopposed. Kenichi knew this was only because Danzo didn't want to reveal his own collaboration with Orochimaru. He'd probably already informed the Third Hokage.
"Oh, it's Jiraiya? Can't you see? I'm conducting experiments," Orochimaru said coldly, glancing at his former friend. He casually tossed the villager's body at Jiraiya's feet.
The sight enraged Jiraiya, and the battle between the Three Great Sages erupted.
Though Jiraiya would ultimately die at the hands of his own disciple, Nagato, anyone who dismissed him as an unworthy ninja would be a fool.
Jiraiya was no pushover; he was a true member of the Three Great Sages.
He was also incredibly clever. Right from the start, he ripped off the ceiling and summoned a massive toad—Gamabunta.
"Lord Jiraiya is so smart," Amemiya Kenichi muttered, scratching his head as he stared at the giant toad. "Is he trying to make such a scene that the Third Hokage can't sweep it under the rug?"
With such a commotion, the entire village would surely notice. The more witnesses there were, the harder it would be for the Third Hokage to downplay the incident.
And this was just Jiraiya's first move in the battle.
"Jiraiya, you never change," Teacher said, his expression grave. He spat out a small snake, then pulled a sword from its mouth and gripped it tightly.
Amemiya Kenichi knew this wasn't a fight he needed to get involved in. Teacher, whatever else he might be, was a master of escape.
Besides, the Anbu and Root ninja would be arriving soon. Staying here would only complicate things for Teacher.
So Amemiya Kenichi decisively chose to leave.
Teacher Orochimaru was clearly covering for Amemiya Kenichi, blocking several of Jiraiya's attacks to allow him to escape their main battlefield.
But Kenichi hadn't even made it out of the area when he stopped. A masked ninja had appeared before him.
It was a Root ninja.
Kenichi recognized him. The man was responsible for security at Orochimaru's experimental base, though his duties also included surveillance.
"Does Lord Danzo have any instructions?" Kenichi asked cautiously, knowing the man's strength.
A Jonin.
"Die." The Root ninja wasted no time. The word was barely out of his mouth when he teleported behind Kenichi, his sword already thrusting forward.
But it only pierced a shadow clone.
"Hey, hey, hey! I thought villains were supposed to monologue? Aren't you going to say something more?" Kenichi's voice echoed from the jungle, laced with amusement.
From the moment he saw the ninja, Kenichi knew he meant trouble and had prepared accordingly.
"..." The Root ninja didn't reply. Instead, he whirled around and unleashed the Dragon Fire Technique.
At that moment, an ear-splitting bird cry pierced the forest.
Even though the Chidori was deafening, why was this ninjutsu still so powerful? The answer was simple: speed.
Almost instantly, Amemiya Kenichi appeared behind the Root ninja, but he'd only pierced another clone.
Kenichi clicked his tongue. Fighting these guys was such a pain.
"Time to try that technique," he thought, closing the distance again. Having trained with Guy for so long, his taijutsu skills were decent enough to hold his own against the Root ninja for a while.
While fighting, Kenichi conjured a needle in his hand—a needle formed from Yang Chakra.
As the ninja thrust his sword, Kenichi caught the blade with his palm and simultaneously stabbed the needle into the ninja's lung.
Why study cancer first? Naturally, for immortality!
And why seek immortality? Well, obviously... so I can do that forever!