The soul is a wondrous thing.
"In the past, there was no way to prove the existence of the soul. Although the famous '21-gram soul theory' existed, it never gained widespread acceptance." Amemiya Kenichi sat in his home, recording his thoughts in Chinese characters.
Kenichi wrote certain things in Chinese characters as a way to keep them private. In the world of Hokage, where knowledge of Chinese characters was limited, they served as an absolute code.
The 21-gram soul theory had been a popular idea in his previous life. Kenichi knew about it, but it had never been scientifically proven. People believed the missing 21 grams were simply exhaled gases or something else.
"But here, souls exist, and people can apparently see them. However, souls don't seem to reincarnate. Instead, they simply exist in the Pure Land," Kenichi mused.
If this discovery were made in his previous world, it would have shaken the world to its core, potentially triggering a cascade of consequences.
Who doesn't have regrets? Who doesn't long to see their deceased loved ones again?
What would happen if death wasn't the end of life, but the beginning of something else?
Amemiya Kenichi shook his head. That was a question for philosophers. He had more pressing concerns.
"If the soul can control the body, could the body influence the soul in return?" Kenichi thought of his teacher, Orochimaru.
Could he manipulate his teacher's soul through physical means, gradually transforming his habits and thoughts into those of a woman?
Kenichi was intrigued.
Come to think of it, Orochimaru's personality had become extreme after defecting from Konoha. Could this be because his soul was being influenced by his body?
"But this kind of research would probably have to be done by me alone. If Teacher found out..." Kenichi shivered.
His teacher's personality was strange. He was gentle and caring towards Kenichi, his disciple, yet equally ruthless.
Kindness and ruthlessness seemed like contradictory traits for one person, but Kenichi genuinely felt that Orochimaru embodied both.
His teacher was always strict, demanding, and quick to punish, but he was also generous with rewards and, so far, had always kept his word.
He had fulfilled every promise made to Amemiya Kenichi.
Silently, Kenichi tore the paper on which he'd written his thoughts, crumpled it, and tossed it into the furnace, watching it burn to ashes.
He had never underestimated his teacher. Orochimaru was brilliant—exceptionally so. Otherwise, he wouldn't have become one of the Three Great Sages. If Orochimaru ever learned Chinese characters, things would become much more complicated.
Still, Kenichi decided to proceed with the experiment. He might stumble upon unexpected insights and deepen his understanding of the soul.
The next day, Kenichi attended the Third Hokage's inauguration ceremony.
"He just got his arm transplanted yesterday, and today he's already announcing his return as Hokage?" Kenichi clicked his tongue. Lord Third was certainly eager.
But considering Danzo's watchful gaze and Orochimaru's growing influence, the Third Hokage's haste was understandable.
Besides, striking while his popularity was at its peak—seizing the moment to reclaim the Hokage position—made perfect sense.
The village truly needed to appoint a Hokage quickly to reassure the people and send a message to the outside world. Yesterday's incident had caused too much of a stir, and other ninja villages might try to take advantage of the chaos.
"Kenichi, let's go. We haven't finished today's tests yet." Orochimaru watched coldly with his arms crossed. When the Third Hokage began his speech about the Will of Fire, Orochimaru turned and left, taking Amemiya Kenichi with him.
Kenichi silently followed his teacher's footsteps. He had no desire to hear the Third Hokage's lecture on the Will of Fire; he had memorized it word for word long ago.
Arriving at the laboratory, Kenichi grew more serious. He was growing tired of helping Root with their experiments—they were tedious and progressed at a snail's pace.
If not for the money, Kenichi suspected even his teacher would have abandoned them. But Orochimaru seemed to be using Root's resources and funding for his own research.
There were some experiments Orochimaru completely forbade Kenichi from touching, though these were rare. Kenichi suspected they involved the unique ninjutsu, Immortality Reincarnation.
"Kenichi, I have a research task for you." The Teacher changed his clothes, put on gloves, and addressed Amemiya Kenichi.
Kenichi immediately straightened up.
"This task is simple. Investigate how to make the proliferation of that cell stable and controllable." Orochimaru delivered the assignment with utmost seriousness. Kenichi paused, momentarily stunned.
"Teacher, are you suggesting..." Kenichi hesitated, uncertain.
"Just focus on the research. If successful, this could be a groundbreaking discovery." Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, leaving the rest unsaid.
Kenichi understood his Teacher's intent. Their thoughts likely aligned.
As everyone knew, cancer cells were cells that had broken through their limits. With sufficient nutrients, they could proliferate almost infinitely, with no observed upper limit.
Could cancer cells hold the key to human evolution?
Or perhaps the key to immortality itself? The problem was that no human body could withstand the damage and resource depletion caused by cancer cells.
"Oh dear, I wanted to grant everyone eternal life, but you all collapsed before I could even get started," the cancer cell lamented.
"Understood, Teacher," Amemiya Kenichi nodded. This experiment wasn't particularly difficult.
Through his recent research, Kenichi had discovered striking similarities between cancer cells and First Generation Cells. In essence, Senju Hashirama was like a massive human cancer cell, his cells possessing such extraordinary vitality that ordinary people couldn't withstand them.
This discovery led Kenichi to question whether the First Hokage was even human anymore. How could his cells be so monstrous?
The First Hokage's cells functioned like specialized cancer cells, each performing specific tasks while proliferating endlessly without side effects. They seemed capable of granting eternal life.
Yet the First Hokage was dead, though the exact circumstances remained unclear.
Whether he could truly achieve immortality remained an open question.
"I hope Teacher leaves soon. Conducting experiments here is too restrictive," Kenichi muttered, shaking his head. But that day was likely approaching; Teacher's intentions were clear.