Sarutobi Hiruzen took a puff of his pipe as his wife, Biwako, poured him tea.
"Old man," Biwako said softly, "this disciple of yours doesn't seem as bad as you make him out to be." She then cleared away the cups they had used to serve Orochimaru and his apprentice.
"That guy? I don't trust his good intentions," Hiruzen grumbled, shuffling through the items on the table. The tobacco was top-grade, he could tell.
He even knew where it came from—the Shikamaru family's old-fashioned general store in Konoha. There was no way there could be anything wrong with it.
"Then why has he been sending it for seven or eight months now?" Biwako asked, examining the tobacco. She could also tell its value.
If Orochimaru truly had ulterior motives, why would he send tobacco for so long? And why would he constantly remind Hiruzen to get regular check-ups and take care of himself?
Lately, Orochimaru had been the very model of a perfect disciple.
"It's precisely because I don't know that I'm so irritable," Sarutobi Hiruzen grumbled, waving his hand dismissively as he turned and left.
Biwako wasn't surprised. The old man never smoked Orochimaru's cigarettes; those were sold to supplement the family income. Though the wealthy Sarutobi Family didn't really need the extra money.
"Cough, cough, cough," Hiruzen coughed. Hearing this, Biwako paused thoughtfully before fetching a packet of chrysanthemum tea. He always coughed when he smoked too much—she was used to it.
Still, she had to take care of the old man. The Sarutobi Clan's current status was entirely due to his efforts.
Back in his small home, Amemiya Kenichi began packing. He didn't have much to take, but some essentials were necessary.
Like the materials he'd been collecting to make thermobaric bombs.
Of course, Kenichi had no intention of building thermobaric bombs in Konoha. He already had the blueprints, but some materials were impossible to find. He'd have to set the project aside until he could gather everything he needed.
"Now that we have the thermobaric bomb, should we start working on fuel-air explosives too? But all this research is so expensive," Amemiya Kenichi clicked his tongue.
"A single cannon shot costs a fortune," as the saying goes.
The manufacturing costs alone are astronomical, let alone the research and development Amemiya Kenichi is currently undertaking. That's why he hasn't started the project yet.
Once he joins Akatsuki and has their financial backing, that's when he'll truly unleash his full potential.
Amemiya Kenichi wondered how a ninja army would fare against thermobaric and fuel-air explosives.
"Still, the Ninja World's top-tier fighters are incredibly powerful. Just look at Uchiha Madara's Heavenly Obstacle Shaking Star—that thing is insane," Amemiya Kenichi licked his lips.
Before he was reincarnated, Amemiya Kenichi had researched why modern technology couldn't intercept meteorites entering the atmosphere. He discovered that humanity's current capabilities simply aren't up to the task.
Any nation that masters that technology would rule the world.
What if he could control it himself? A Starship combined with these space-based weapons... dominating the Ninja World would be a piece of cake!
And this world had Chakra! What kind of sparks would fly when Chakra and technology collided?
The thought made Amemiya Kenichi restless. He even wanted to experiment with whether Chakra could be integrated into these powerful weapons.
For example, what would happen if a thermobaric bomb was infused with Chakra?
Too bad he didn't have the materials. Otherwise, Kenichi would have conducted a massive experiment right in the heart of Konoha in a heartbeat.
It would have been a historic moment for Konoha to witness.
"Kenichi, what are you laughing about?" Kakashi stared curiously at his friend. They were eating, but Kenichi was still chuckling strangely.
"Ah, nothing. I just thought of something funny." Kenichi shook his head abruptly. He hadn't slept well last night, too busy pondering the feasibility of Chakra-infused thermobaric bombs.
He even had dark circles under his eyes now.
Looks like he wasn't far from joining the Ninja World's First-Tier Group.
"What's so funny?" Kakashi asked, showing a hint of interest. Spending time with Amemiya Kenichi lately had lifted some of the gloom in his heart.
"Nothing much," Amemiya Kenichi waved dismissively. He only knew lame jokes that relied on context, and they'd sound weird in Konoha.
Still, he had seen some Konoha-themed jokes online, like the ones about their teacher's embarrassing photos.
Kakashi pursed his lips and went back to eating his ramen.
Amemiya Kenichi glanced at Kakashi. Kakashi hadn't left the village recently, nor had he worn his mask. The Anbu seemed to have gone completely underground.
But this very quietness was a clear sign to anyone paying attention: something big was coming. Uzumaki Kushina's due date was fast approaching.
Konoha, seemingly calm, was about to be hit by a storm. Speaking of which, Amemiya Kenichi had heard that Kakashi himself might have leaked the news about Kushina's pregnancy.
That was just something he'd seen video bloggers speculate about in his past life, so he wasn't entirely sure. But he did know that Kakashi often talked to himself at Obito and Nohara Rin's graves.
It wouldn't be surprising if Obito's spirit had overheard.
"Hey Kakashi, wanna come over to my place and hang out these evenings?" Amemiya Kenichi asked casually.
"What's there to do?" Kakashi paused, but asked anyway. He really didn't have anything else going on these days.
His teacher had told him to stay put in Konoha, but going to a friend's house wouldn't be a problem.
"Oh, you know, the usual! I got some really cool books, and that new game everyone's talking about," Kenichi said with a genuine smile.
Konoha's games weren't video games, of course. They were paper or wooden board games, still pretty popular.
Kenichi had bought the latest release, which was all the rage.
"...Alright," Kakashi said. He'd wanted to refuse—he needed to train at night—but he couldn't resist his friend's hopeful eyes.
Kenichi's smile widened.
He didn't know when Kushina was due, but keeping Kakashi at his place, or going to Kakashi's, would work just fine.
When the time comes, the moment Kakashi is distracted, that's when I'll seize the Mangekyō Sharingan.
***
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