"Looks like I really need to move that hybrid rice project up the schedule…"
Amamiya Kenichi scratched his head.
That talk with Nagato wasn't for nothing—at least the guy had shown a hint of interest.
Sure, he wanted to see actual results first, but that was normal.
Back in his previous world, it worked the same way:
first you paint a nice, big pie in the sky, then you use that pie to scam—
cough
—to secure research funding.
Capital never moves without seeing the rabbit.
And Akatsuki was the perfect "capital" in this world.
Research was expensive, and having a big organisation behind you was practically mandatory.
Root's support had made Orochimaru's experiments much easier, and from there he'd built his own network of labs.
Kenichi fully intended to copy that blueprint.
Besides, Akatsuki was full of talent… and top-tier experimental material.
He glanced at the tiny fleck of Zetsu's skin in his hand and couldn't help but smile.
"Kenichi, that 'A.I.' you mentioned before… is it really possible?"
The quiet question from beside him reminded him he wasn't walking alone.
"It's called artificial intelligence," Kenichi corrected gently. "And if you don't mind… just call me Kenichi."
Sasori nodded. "Alright, Kenichi. So how do we make this 'artificial intelligence' real?"
Kenichi rubbed his temples.
He'd basically brought this on himself.
To find some common ground with Sasori, he'd started talking about puppets.
In his old world, the ultimate "puppets" were robots—machines walking on their own, no chakra threads, no human hands needed.
And once you started talking robots, you couldn't avoid that topic:
Artificial. Intelligence.
Robot uprisings, machine rebellions, virtual reality prisons…
In his old life the question "Will AI destroy humanity?" had been discussed to death.
In the ninja world, though, this was sci-fi from three timelines ahead.
"That's something we'll need to research step by step," Kenichi said. "First, we'd need a power core—chakra infused into some kind of engine so a puppet can move on its own…"
He was pulling half of this from real science, half from pure nonsense, but with his prior-world knowledge, it sounded just plausible enough.
"Then we'd design behavioral logic," he continued. "Rules and responses, so it can act on its own instead of waiting for your strings. That part's… complicated."
The two of them walked slowly through the streets of Amegakure, Sasori listening with rapt attention.
Kenichi suddenly felt like he'd swapped roles and become a teacher.
Just thinking about artificial intelligence made his feelings complicated.
The more time he spent in this world, the more the tech level bothered him.
There were computers—he'd seen them in Konoha.
Monitors, keyboards, files on screens… all very normal.
But for some reason no one had thought of connecting them into a network, sharing information, or building tools on top of them.
No phones, no internet, no anything.
And then there was Orochimaru in the future, who somehow managed to build something like "Mecha Naruto," a walking technological war crime that could absorb Nine-Tails chakra and become a pseudo–Jinchūriki.
Kenichi could only conclude one thing:
Sensei is hoarding this world's core technology.
"If that's the basic idea," Sasori mused, "it might be worth attempting. It'll be complicated… but fascinating."
For a puppeteer, the thought of a construct that could follow spoken instructions, act on its own, and execute missions without direct control…
That was beyond tempting.
"In that case, you want to stick with me for now?" Kenichi asked, a little torn.
Having Sasori as a partner was great.
But taking Sasori back to Orochimaru's base… would definitely earn him some looks.
And if he did bring him there, Orochimaru would want to dissect every bolt and joint on the guy's puppets.
"Mm. Since I've joined Akatsuki, I was thinking of establishing my own base here in the Land of Rain," Sasori said. "Kenichi, would you like to come?"
Kenichi eyed him.
Sasori, in this state, was talkative and expressive—nothing like the cold, fully mechanised "eternal art" version from the future.
Maybe turning himself into a puppet had fried something in his brain, too.
"Building a base sounds expensive," Kenichi said honestly.
He did have some money now.
If he could finish this Akatsuki "fundraising mission" properly, that would tick off one of his own long-term objectives—establishing his own lab.
Building it in the Land of Fire always felt too dangerous.
But here, in the Land of Rain? It was actually perfect.
In the future, the country barely suffered any invasions until Akatsuki itself was exposed.
And it was nicely central—easy to reach all the great nations.
"I have more than enough," Sasori replied casually.
Kenichi blinked, then remembered—
Right. This guy had the Third Kazekage puppet.
No way that wasn't making bank.
"Brother. Soulmate."
Kenichi clapped Sasori on the shoulder, feeling instant affection.
Of course, it wasn't like he needed to cling to Sasori's wallet.
If he wanted to "hug a thigh," why not choose Konan's black-stocking legs instead?
Konan was loaded, in her own way.
Kenichi still suspected she could mass-produce explosive tags.
How else do you get six hundred billion of them?
Even if Kakuzu ran himself to death doing missions, those numbers were insane.
In the end, though, he shook his head.
"Not yet. I'll come visit once things are more settled," he said.
First, he needed to report back to Orochimaru.
Then he had to get Zetsu's sample into a proper lab setup and extract its genetic material.
He was dying to see what kind of weirdness existed in an Ōtsutsuki-based lifeform.
On top of that, he still had fuel-air explosives to refine.
And the hybrid rice project needed to at least reach the "preliminary results" stage before he went back to Nagato.
All in all, his schedule was full.
But fuel-air bombs still ranked first in priority.
With the looming war between Kumo and Konoha, there wouldn't be a better testing ground than an actual battlefield.
If he didn't test them there, it'd be a crime against science.
"Sensei, I'm back!"
Kenichi pushed open the door to the underground base, stepping inside with his usual bounce.
Then he froze.
Orochimaru was standing in the middle of the room, calmly holding up a severed arm and staring straight at him.
P/S: If you're interested, you can read up to Chapter 103+ at patreon.com/nakai01.