"Sensei, that girl in the cell… who is she?"
Amamiya Kenichi's tone was casual, but his expression was… complicated.
Orochimaru didn't even look up. He was halfway through a bowl of pork cutlet rice—Kenichi's cooking.
"A test subject Root sent over," he replied blandly. "We left Konoha in a bit of a hurry."
So simple. So clean.
Kenichi nodded.
Even after defecting, Sensei was still in contact with Root.
Honestly, that wasn't even surprising.
Danzo's like a cockroach, Kenichi thought. You stomp him flat, he'll still move somehow.
He also remembered the other "guest" in the adjacent room—the strange, dangerous man Orochimaru valued so highly.
But the girl downstairs was different.
He'd seen her earlier in the underground cells—a kunoichi from the four-man squad they captured before fleeing Konoha. Her food was better than the others', her cell cleaner, her treatment… softer.
Not kind. Just… reserved.
It didn't take a genius to guess why.
So that's the body you want, huh, Sensei?
Orochimaru's future Living Corpse Reincarnation vessel.
Kenichi shoveled down the last few bites of rice.
"Sensei, I'm done eating. I'll go collect the trays."
He set his chopsticks down and slipped away.
That wasn't the main reason he was in such a hurry.
"The human brain really is a mysterious thing…" Kenichi muttered to himself as he walked down the dim stairwell toward the cells.
"Memories stored there. Habits formed there. Reflexes hardwired there."
He was in the middle of a… special experiment.
A purely personal one.
"Yuuki, did you finish your meal today?"
He stopped in front of the girl's cell and opened the viewing slot.
Inside, the kunoichi—Yuuki—flinched like she'd been struck just from hearing his voice.
Kenichi opened the door, stepping in with an easy smile.
He gently placed a hand on her head.
Lightning-natured chakra crackled silently across his fingers, seeping into her scalp and spine like a cold electric shock.
Yuuki's entire body jerked.
Her breath caught. Her eyes widened in raw, animal fear.
She stared at him as if he were the devil himself.
Which, from her point of view, wasn't far off.
"D–done… I finished it…" she stammered, head bowed so low her bangs hid her face. Her shoulders trembled visibly.
Every day was the same.
If he spoke to her and she didn't answer fast enough, didn't respond properly, didn't meet his standards—
Punishment.
She had learned. Fast.
Now, just hearing his footsteps in the corridor was enough to make her body lock up.
Kenichi watched her for a moment, then the corners of his mouth curled up.
Good. It's taking.
He'd once read about a famous experiment in his previous life.
Pavlov's dog.
You ring a bell every time you feed the dog.
After long enough, you ring the bell without food—
And the dog still drools.
Conditioned reflex.
The body reacts before thought kicks in.
Whether it wants to or not.
"In theory," Kenichi thought, eyes flickering with amusement, "souls exist here, so it's possible the brain doesn't control everything…"
But honestly?
He didn't care.
This experiment was half science, half joke.
If it worked—amazing.
If it didn't—oh well.
The only downside was that this kind of conditioning needed a long, steady buildup.
Repetition. Routine. Time.
But if he pulled it off…
If one day Orochimaru reincarnated into this girl's body—
And Kenichi casually put a hand on his "Sensei's" head…
And that proud, terrifying man's new body shuddered on instinct—
Just like Yuuki was trembling now…
Kenichi almost laughed out loud at the thought.
I really am a terrible person, he thought cheerfully.
He patted Yuuki's head one last time and withdrew his hand.
Her shoulders slumped in visible relief.
Experiment for the day: complete.
He moved on, collecting trays from the other cells.
Those test subjects weren't as "lucky" as Yuuki.
They got bland, barely-nutritious rations. Just enough to keep them alive.
That was all Orochimaru asked for:
"Don't let them die. Yet."
Kenichi fully agreed.
"Even a talented chef can't cook without ingredients," he muttered as he stacked tin plates.
"Money, too…"
Leaving Konoha had been brutal on his wallet.
If he hadn't looted what he could during the Nine-Tails' night, he'd probably already be bankrupt.
He definitely wasn't going to waste resources pampering experimental material.
He finished his rounds, then headed back upstairs.
Orochimaru had finished eating and was now sitting with a cup of tea in hand.
Of course. Sensei loved tea.
Every day, no matter what, he drank it.
Kenichi had no idea when that habit started… but the image of Orochimaru calmly sipping tea in a hidden lab somewhere fit disturbingly well.
"Kenichi," Orochimaru said suddenly.
"Do you know of the Land of Rain?"
Kenichi paused, then nodded slowly.
"Yeah. I know it."
A small, war-torn country drowning in endless rain.
Home of Amegakure.
And, more importantly…
Akatsuki.
By now, Yahiko should be dead.
Nagato and Konan should be taking over from the shadows.
Probably.
The Naruto timeline was never that precise anyway, he thought dryly.
"I intend to establish a power base of my own in this chaotic world," Orochimaru continued calmly. "There were… interesting changes in the Land of Rain recently. Go investigate."
Kenichi blinked.
Then he bowed his head.
"Understood, Sensei."
Leaving the base for a while actually sounded nice.
Fresh air, new data, and—most importantly—contact with the group he fully planned to join sooner or later.
Akatsuki wasn't just a terrorist organization.
To him, it was a walking research buffet.
As he returned to his room to pack, a stray thought hit him:
Did Sensei notice what I've been doing to Yuuki and decide to move me away from her?
Possible.
But also… this was just normal shinobi life.
Ninja got sent on missions.
Assistants got dispatched to scout.
Apprentices got used.
Knowing that, he'd actually increased the intensity of Yuuki's conditioning sessions recently.
In case he had to leave early.
"Sensei, I'll head out now," Kenichi said once he was ready.
Orochimaru gave him that thin, familiar smile.
"Go."
Kenichi stepped out of the base and melted into the forest.
Heading toward the Land of Rain.
Heading toward Akatsuki.
The thought of implanting Obito's eye flickered across his mind again.
He decided against it.
He didn't know if Obito was already openly active there.
If they crossed paths while he was literally wearing the guy's Mangekyō… yeah, no thanks.
Besides, his own research into Sharingan was nearly complete.
Once that was done, he'd have his own three-tomoe eye to play with.
One thing at a time, he reminded himself.
Behind him, the door to the underground base shut with a soft, final click.
Orochimaru turned away, sealing several layers of barriers and protection jutsu over the entrance.
Then he walked deeper into the lab.
Today, he wasn't going to be the one experimenting on someone else.
Today, he was going to test that jutsu—
Living Corpse Reincarnation.
***********
Note: Early access up to chapter 99+ is on patreon.com/nakai01. A Power Stone = more chapters for you.