Days passed smoothly. Amemiya Kenichi continued to maintain a good relationship with Kakashi, and he had successfully mastered the Chidori.
Kakashi, in turn, became slightly less gloomy in the face of Amemiya Kenichi's deliberate efforts to befriend him.
Everything was going so well. All that was left was for Obito to show up, stir up trouble, and release the Nine-Tailed Fox to distract the village.
But just as Amemiya Kenichi was busy preparing for the impending disaster, Teacher Orochimaru dragged him into the lab.
"Teacher, can I have these materials?" Amemiya Kenichi had initially planned to ask Orochimaru what he was up to, but the moment he entered the lab, he grew excited.
Four Konoha ninja—and it looked like a Jonin leading his squad! This was an incredibly rare find!
While Jonin might seem less impressive later on, they were fundamentally the backbone of a village's military strength, making them extremely valuable.
In all of Teacher Orochimaru's recent experiments, he had used Genin and Chūnin from neighboring villages, as well as Konoha villagers and Genin, but he had never seen a Jonin before.
Amemiya Kenichi was thrilled to see a Jonin still alive. A Jonin, no less!
"Absolutely not. This is an extremely rare experimental subject," Orochimaru refused without hesitation. He still had plans for this Jonin.
Security in the village had increased recently, though most people hadn't noticed. Orochimaru, however, was well aware of it. Capturing a Jonin-led ninja squad at this time was an extraordinary opportunity.
"Then why did you call me, Teacher?" Amemiya Kenichi felt a twinge of disappointment, but he knew his teacher's temperament. Orochimaru would never summon him without a good reason.
"You've been wanting to see the Impure World Reincarnation, haven't you? I'm planning to test it now." Orochimaru glanced at his disciple, who had been obsessively interested in the technique.
The constant questions had been grating on Orochimaru's nerves. If this disciple weren't still useful, Orochimaru would have lost his temper long ago.
"Impure World Reincarnation!" Amemiya Kenichi's excitement surged anew. Was this finally his chance to become a Necromancer?
"Don't get too excited. Focus on observing the experiment," Orochimaru said sternly. Amemiya Kenichi immediately pulled out his paper and pen, ready to record his teacher's next steps.
Teacher brought in another ordinary villager—not a ninja. Yet the Impure World Reincarnation still worked. Teacher reincarnated a ninja.
"Am I still in the Pure Land? What's going on?" A peculiar-looking man stared in disbelief at his hands. Kenichi blinked. He actually recognized this ninja.
Before the man could realize something was wrong, a kunai pierced the back of his head, silencing him instantly.
"Record: Katō Dan's Impure World Reincarnation successful," Orochimaru announced calmly. Kenichi could sense his teacher remained cautious.
Is he worried about the Spirit Transformation Technique? But Katō Dan doesn't even have a ninja body anymore. He probably can't use any of his old powers.
Kenichi nodded and continued writing. He hadn't expected his teacher to preserve Katō Dan's physical remains.
"Use the Spirit Transformation Technique to kill that bound ninja," Orochimaru commanded. But Katō Dan remained motionless, and the restrained Genin could only stare in terror.
It seems ordinary people can't let the Impure World Reincarnation reach its full potential.
Kenichi silently noted this observation, even before his teacher could point it out, and continued observing.
"Walk, crouch, dance," Orochimaru tested other commands. These were all executed without issue.
It wasn't a failure of control, but something else. Most likely, Kenichi thought, the civilian body couldn't handle a ninja's power.
Orochimaru promptly canceled the Impure World Reincarnation and tried again with the Genin. This time, it worked better, allowing the Genin to perform basic Ninjutsu.
"Ugh... ugh..." The restrained Jonin on the operating table struggled violently, his eyes bulging as if they might pop out.
Kenichi figured if he could, the Jonin would have lunged at Orochimaru and bitten him to death without hesitation.
Once the Ninjutsu was released, the Genin was dead. Orochimaru showed no interest in continuing the experiment, instead sitting deep in thought, studying the experimental report Amemiya Kenichi had given him.
Kenichi didn't disturb his teacher. He glanced at the Jonin glaring angrily at them and yawned.
One Genin from the four-person ninja team was dead. The remaining three included a young kunoichi who was trembling violently.
Kenichi noticed her pants were damp, and a foul odor wafted over.
"These days, ninjas are getting more and more cowardly," Orochimaru muttered, his train of thought interrupted. He was furious, but surprisingly, he didn't lose his temper.
Kenichi was surprised. When his teacher was pondering something, he usually kept quiet to avoid provoking his wrath.
Yet this kunoichi hadn't been scolded.
Kenichi couldn't help but glance at her again. He realized she was quite pretty, though still young—a diamond in the rough.
"Wait a minute... I remember Teacher Orochimaru using Immortality Reincarnation on a beautiful woman. Could this be her?" The thought flashed through Amemiya Kenichi's mind.
The more he considered it, the more plausible it seemed. Her age even matched up. By the time Teacher Orochimaru launched the Konoha Crush Plan, she'd likely be around the same age.
This made Amemiya Kenichi take another look at the female ninja. Her looks were undeniably striking, with a delicate, almost pitiful charm. He couldn't help but imagine his teacher's personality inhabiting that body.
"Whoa, this is wild," Amemiya Kenichi muttered, smacking his lips.
He recalled that Teacher Orochimaru's Immortality Reincarnation only transferred the soul, leaving the original body intact. This meant that after the reincarnation, his teacher could indeed become a perfect woman.
Moreover, Amemiya Kenichi remembered that Teacher Orochimaru's chosen vessels were always those with exceptional compatibility. If the Third Hokage hadn't sealed his hands, he might never have given up on this method.
Thinking about it this way, Teacher Orochimaru would have spent a significant period in the future living as a girl.
"I wonder if Teacher Orochimaru will get his period..." Amemiya Kenichi mused thoughtfully.