Chapter 8:New Research Subject:

The Three-Tomoe Sharingan

"How is the experiment going?" Kenichi, who was focused on recording the experiment's data, suddenly heard Orochimaru's voice.

He had grown accustomed to his teacher's sudden appearances, as Orochimaru had a way of showing up unexpectedly, sometimes silently appearing right behind you.

"Two have died, but this has increased the accuracy of our data. The rejection is real, and," Kenichi glanced at the black cloth beside him, under which lay two test subjects devoid of life signs.

They were not from Konoha but from the Land of Wind.

Though the war had ended, friction and vigilance at the borders persisted for a while, making it relatively easy to find test subjects. Waiting any longer would have made it difficult.

"Moreover, I've discovered that the First Hokage's cells are highly active and possess a strong invasive quality," Kenichi handed the experimental report to his teacher.

Even a small injection of these cells posed a threat to other normal cells, their rapid expansion reminiscent of cancer cells.

Both shared unusual rates of division and posed a fatal threat to the host. Unless the affected tissue was immediately removed, death was almost certain.

This sparked a novel idea in Kenichi: could a ninjutsu be developed to stimulate the rapid proliferation of cancer cells within someone's body, advancing them directly to a terminal stage? Normal bodies produce cancer cells, but most are destroyed before they can develop into cancer.

"Do shinobi get cancer?" Kenichi suddenly became curious.

"Take the one without a hand to Laboratory 3," Orochimaru glanced over, noting that Kenichi's experiment was similar to his previous ones but allowed the test subjects to last a bit longer.

This was beneficial, as it allowed multiple experiments to be conducted simultaneously.

"Understood, teacher," Kenichi responded without much thought, as Laboratory 3 focused on the Sharingan.

His teacher seemed particularly interested in how to grant ordinary people the powers of the Uchiha, but with the war over, Uchiha corpses were hard to come by.

However, with Danzo around, it probably wasn't a big issue.

"I remember you have an interest in genjutsu?" Orochimaru looked at Kenichi and tossed him a scroll.

Curious, Kenichi opened it and immediately recognized the genjutsu it contained.

Nirvana Samsara Technique, a wide-ranging genjutsu that had appeared in the Chunin Exams before, was notably an A-rank technique.

"Thank you, teacher," Kenichi smiled like a child, which he indeed was.

The Nirvana Samsara Technique, being an area-of-effect ninjutsu, required significant chakra and control, which Kenichi, formerly a Genin, lacked the qualifications to practice.

Now, with the potential to advance to Chunin, Orochimaru naturally wouldn't skimp on rewarding his disciple.

"Genjutsu can help you overcome stronger opponents, but it's ultimately a supplementary technique. You still need to strengthen your ninjutsu training," Orochimaru reminded Kenichi.

Despite his cruelty, Orochimaru was quite dedicated to his disciples, and Kenichi showed a willingness to learn.

"What did Minato Namikaze tell you yesterday?" After addressing his disciple's needs, Orochimaru casually inquired.

Kenichi found it odd, as his teacher hadn't shown much interest in Minato before. Why the sudden curiosity?

"Jonin Minato said…" Despite the oddity, Kenichi recounted yesterday's events in detail, prompting a scoff from Orochimaru.

"Such trivial emotions, typical of Jiraiya's idiot disciple, as boring as his teacher," Orochimaru huffed.

Kenichi remained silent, aware of his teacher's strained relations with Jiraiya and Tsunade, though they still greeted each other when they met.

"The Hatake clan has a fine swordsmanship technique. His father was known as the White Fang of Konoha. It wouldn't hurt to get on good terms with him," Orochimaru concluded.

Though not fond of Jiraiya, Orochimaru acknowledged the strength of the Hatake clan's swordsmanship, lamenting its fragility and the White Fang's demise in Danzo's scheme.

Kenichi nodded, pleased with the prospect of connecting with Minato Namikaze and not worrying about his teacher's opinion.

Orochimaru was a unique leader, and Kenichi felt his teacher retained some humanity, evident in the breaks granted after experiments.

"In a company, you'd continue working on other tasks after finishing your own, with no hope of leaving early," Kenichi stretched lazily, enjoying the sunlight.

Kenichi mused that if Orochimaru had been his company's boss, they would have grown stronger and achieved greater success.

While pondering this, Kenichi checked his research panel.

After completing research on the First Hokage, Kenichi immediately began his next project, ultimately choosing to study the Sharingan.

He had considered the Byakugan, but its distinct features and the differing reputations of the Hyuga and Uchiha clans made the Sharingan more appealing, especially since the Uchiha clan's future was grim.

**Current Research Subject: The Three-Tomoe Sharingan**

**Research Progress: 0.12%**

"The progress isn't slow, but why three tomoe? I thought it would go straight to the Mangekyo Sharingan. Perhaps this eye's owner can only reach three tomoe?" Kenichi pondered.

Acquiring the Three-Tomoe Sharingan was still a significant achievement.

Kenichi noticed the proud Uchiha clan members on the street, members of the Konoha Police Force, led by one with a single-tomoe Sharingan.

"Tsk, Konoha's higher-ups are interesting, assigning such an unpopular duty to the Uchiha, whose arrogance is well-known," Kenichi mused.

The Uchiha's reputation in Konoha was not favorable, marked by arrogance and disdain for others.

Kenichi understood that their assigned duties might contribute to this perception, knowing many villagers and lower-ranked shinobi secretly resented them, referring to them as "black dogs."

(End of Chapter)