Chapter 9: Mitarashi Anko

Kenichi felt sympathy for the plight of the Uchiha clan, but he had no intention of helping them. In fact, he even considered getting involved to make some extra money, as experiments were indeed very costly.

As a low-ranking ninja, Kenichi could only take on so many missions. Making ends meet wasn't an issue, but setting up a laboratory was a different story.

The elective mission he triggered yesterday included establishing his own laboratory, a task that was not easy to accomplish.

His teacher owned a laboratory partly because of his fame and strength, and also because the Root organization provided financial support.

"Making money, I didn't expect that I would need to worry about money in this world too," Kenichi rubbed his face, pondering how to secure the necessary funds.

Kenichi had calculated that the money he had saved up recently could probably cover the framework of a laboratory, but not the equipment. What kind of laboratory would it be without equipment?

This certainly meant he couldn't complete the mission.

"The big money-making events in Konoha right now seem to be only the Nine-Tails' disturbance and the teacher's defection," Kenichi was somewhat troubled.

The best way to make money would naturally be to take it directly from others. The annihilation of the Uchiha clan would have been the perfect opportunity, but unfortunately, that event was still a long way off.

If his teacher defected, Kenichi's best chance would be to inherit his laboratory. However, he would then have to face a purge, and without sufficient strength, he would only become a puppet of Danzo.

This was unacceptable.

While pondering these issues, Kenichi walked into a ramen shop—not the famous Ichiraku Ramen, but another one he preferred for its taste and reasonable prices.

Kenichi planned to eat something, then go back to refine his chakra and practice the ninjutsu his teacher had taught him.

Before he could sit down, however, he spotted a familiar face.

"BrotherKenichi!" A girl ran excitedly to Kenichi's side. Recognizing the girl, he took a deep breath.

He somewhat regretted letting little Anko call him 'brother.' It was meant to be a joke, but she took it seriously.

"Anko, what brings you here?" Kenichi asked with a gentle smile.

The girl before him was another disciple of his teacher, Orochimaru—Mitarashi Anko. However, she was unaware of the experiments.

Only Kenichi truly understood the darkness of his teacher, which worried him about what his fate would be when the teacher planned to defect.

But Mitarashi Anko had not died and would appear later, so perhaps the teacher wouldn't be too harsh?

Nevertheless, Kenichi didn't want to entrust his life to someone else. It was better to keep control in his own hands.

"I just completed a low-ranking ninja mission, and I'm going to become a middle-ranking ninja!" Anko declared, squinting her eyes with excitement.

Kenichi's mouth twitched. His little sister's talent was quite good, unlike his own lack of natural ability to be a ninja.

But all that was in the past.

"That's great, you must continue to train hard," Kenichi said with a smile, then casually ordered a pork bone ramen. Seeing Anko's eager look, he also ordered her a serving of glutinous rice balls and red bean paste.

"Long live brother!" Watching the happy Anko, Kenichi shook his head helplessly. The girl was good in all aspects, but she had a sweet tooth, especially for sweets like glutinous rice balls mixed with red bean paste.

"Danzo, you've aged, it's time to step down." Meanwhile, the Hokage's building was not very peaceful. Danzo was bluntly telling his friend Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Although Konoha had won the Third Great Ninja War, the victory came at a great cost. Now, for stability, the Third Hokage needed to step down.

"I will retire. Prepare to elect the Fourth Hokage," Hiruzen took a drag on his cigarette, then glanced at the excited Danzo.

Had his old friend finally been unable to suppress his ambition?

"I think Orochimaru would be a good choice," Danzo unexpectedly recommended another candidate, prompting Hiruzen to take another look at him.

"Orochimaru, that seems like a good idea," Hiruzen said lightly, taking another puff of his cigarette.

Watching his friend's smug expression, Hiruzen felt no inner turmoil.

As the teacher of the Sannin, Hiruzen knew his student well, especially since Orochimaru had become paranoid and dangerous. Such a person could not become the Hokage.

Otherwise, Konoha would fall into even greater danger. Therefore, Hiruzen planned to support another ninja who had performed exceptionally well in the war.

Moreover, Orochimaru had recently seemed to be getting closer to Danzo. While Danzo controlled the Root organization, Konoha's Anbu was not to be underestimated.

'That said, according to Anbu intelligence, Orochimaru's disciple Kenichi seems to be frequently out and about,' Hiruzen pondered.

Wherever people go, they leave traces.

Although Orochimaru and Kenichi were particularly careful and mindful of these issues, the Anbu had still noticed some clues.

Unaware that he was being watched by the Third Hokage, Kenichi had returned home.

He couldn't go to the laboratory alone; as his teacher said, it would be too easy for the Anbu to detect him, which would be troublesome.

"I might have to clean house, Kenichi," Orochimaru said gently, but his eyes were dangerous. Kenichi believed his teacher was speaking the truth.

Unless Orochimaru took him, Kenichi would act as if he knew nothing about the laboratory.

"I really want to go to the laboratory," Kenichi lay on his bed, feeling restless.

He wanted to research his idea in the laboratory to see if it was feasible. If so, he might be able to create a dangerous forbidden technique.

Unfortunately, he couldn't go there alone.

But then he sat up. Although he couldn't go to the laboratory, he could probably go to the hospital, and it was even more likely that the hospital would have what he needed.

(End of Chapter)