"Teacher, who's that girl in the cell?" Kenichi asked, giving his teacher a strange look.
"She's a disposable asset sent by Root. We left Konoha in a hurry," Orochimaru replied bluntly, continuing to eat the pork cutlet rice bowl Kenichi had prepared.
After all, they weren't in Konoha Village anymore. Back there, Orochimaru could easily grab a meal at any shop—many even offered him discounts.
But now that they'd left Konoha, they had to fend for themselves. After tasting Teacher Orochimaru's cooking once, Kenichi had abandoned any thought of letting his teacher cook again. He'd taken over the kitchen himself.
Kenichi nodded. So even though his teacher had defected from Konoha, he still maintained some connections with Root.
That seemed reasonable enough. Kenichi remembered the strange-looking man he'd seen in another room earlier—someone his teacher clearly valued.
But in the underground cell, Kenichi had also recognized someone familiar: the female ninja from the team they'd captured.
The other person had been brought here too, and it seemed they were being treated slightly better. At least they were getting enough to eat, unlike the rest of us.
This only strengthened Kenichi's conviction that his teacher was planning to use this girl for his Immortality Reincarnation technique.
Kenichi quickly finished his meal.
"Teacher, I'm done," he said, setting down his chopsticks and leaving. He still had to collect the meal trays from the imprisoned expendables.
But that wasn't the main reason for his eagerness.
"The human brain is truly fascinating. It stores memories, and it's also the source of our subconscious and habits," Kenichi mused as he slowly walked through the dimly lit stairwell.
He was about to do something quite unique.
"Yuki, did you finish your meal today?" Kenichi asked cheerfully, placing his hand on the head of the imprisoned female ninja.
Lightning Release Chakra gathered in his palm, surging through Yuki's body. The ninja trembled violently, staring at Kenichi with pure terror in her eyes.
Yuki was convinced these two were insane, especially the young man before him. Despite his age, his actions were terrifyingly demonic.
"I'm done eating," Yuki mumbled, head bowed in fear, his body trembling uncontrollably. He knew that if he didn't answer Kenichi's questions, he would be punished.
This daily torment had instilled in Yuki a deep-seated terror of Kenichi.
Watching Yuki tremble, Kenichi's lips curled into a faint smile. This was exactly the effect he wanted.
Kenichi had once heard of a scientific experiment called Pavlov's dog.
The experiment was fascinating. It showed that after a period of consistent training, living beings could develop specific responses to certain stimuli. For example, if a dog was consistently fed after a light was turned on and a bell rang, after a while, the dog would instinctively salivate whenever the light and bell were activated, even if no food was presented.
This became an ingrained reflex, beyond the dog's conscious control.
This was the essence of a conditioned reflex.
Kenichi wasn't entirely sure if memories were solely controlled by the brain, given the existence of souls in the Ninja World. But this experiment was just something he was doing on a whim.
If it worked, great. If not, no big deal.
The only real hassle was that the experiment needed to be maintained for a long time to strengthen the conditioned reflex.
The thought of casually patting his teacher's head in the future and watching him flinch made Kenichi feel a peculiar sense of satisfaction.
Of course, that would be incredibly dangerous. But luckily, he had plenty of time to set things up the way he wanted.
After leaving Yuki's cell, Kenichi went to other rooms to collect the meal trays. These "expendables" didn't get any special treatment.
His teacher's only requirement was that they stay alive.
Kenichi wholeheartedly agreed.
"Even a skilled cook can't make a meal without rice," Kenichi muttered, clicking his tongue. Everything cost money after he left the facility. If he hadn't scavenged some supplies and valuables during the Night of the Nine-Tailed Beast, he'd be bankrupt by now.
So he certainly wasn't interested in improving the living conditions of these expendables.
After clearing the dishes, Kenichi returned to the floor where he lived and conducted experiments with his teacher. He found Orochimaru already finished eating and sipping tea.
Kenichi wasn't surprised. His teacher had a deep fondness for tea, drinking it daily—a habit he'd developed long ago.
"Kenichi, do you know about the Land of Rain?" Orochimaru suddenly asked. Kenichi paused, then nodded. Of course he knew about the Land of Rain.
He was well aware of how dangerous it had become. Akatsuki was based there, though Yahiko was likely dead by now. Kenichi wasn't entirely sure, as the timeline of the Ninja World remained a mystery.
"I plan to establish my own power in this chaotic Ninja World. There seems to have been some upheaval in the Land of Rain recently. Go investigate," Orochimaru said calmly.
"Understood, Teacher," Kenichi replied without hesitation. A temporary departure from the base would be a welcome change. He only regretted the "training" he'd been giving Yuki lately.
The thought made him pause. Could Teacher Orochimaru have discovered what I've been doing to Yuki? Is that why he's sending me away?
Fortunately, Kenichi knew that ninjas were often sent on missions, so he had been deliberately increasing Yuki's training regimen every day.
"Well, Teacher, I'll be going now." Kenichi packed his things and left. It was certain he would go to the Land of Rain to make contact with Akatsuki; it was just a matter of time.
Originally, Kenichi had planned to implant Obito's eyes, but now it seemed best to wait. He didn't know if Obito was currently involved with Akatsuki, and if Obito saw him, it would be troublesome.
Fortunately, his research was nearing completion. Soon he would obtain the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. He wasn't sure if he could control it, but it was likely.
Watching his disciple leave the base, Orochimaru closed the door and set up multiple protective barriers and formations. He planned to test his new ninjutsu.
His recent battles with Jiraiya and Sarutobi Hiruzen had been difficult, and he had sustained some injuries. Now was the perfect time to test the Immortality Reincarnation.