Chapter 322: Akatsuki Organization in Action
Transplanting Uchiha clan genes into so many ninja and then helping them awaken the Sharingan turned out to be an unbelievably tedious task. Worse, no one else could take over that work, which made it even more agonizing.
After all, this experiment required extremely precise manual control from the operator. For example, when inducing emotional stimulation, the amount of chakra had to be perfectly balanced, neither too much nor too little. That kind of judgment was highly subjective.
"It looks like I still need to standardize chakra output as soon as possible. That way, future experiments will at least have a relatively unified measurement," Kenichi said with a sigh.
He had been trying to calculate the ratio between chakra output and ninjutsu power, but the problem was that it was absurdly hard to pin down. The variables between individuals were far too great, and the data gaps were enormous. Even now, Kenichi still could not claim to understand it very well.
Still, that was not the main issue at hand. That problem could wait. For now, what mattered was improving the plan already in motion.
"There are 1,372 ninja in the capital of the Land of Snow. Of those, 895 are Genin, 425 are Chunin, and only 52 are Jonin. And these are already the most elite ninja in the capital," Kenichi said with a sigh.
Most of the ninja in the other towns were Genin or Chunin. Jonin were already considered the strongest in their local areas. And among those 52 Jonin, quite a few were only there because of seniority rather than ability.
Those were the sort people he internally labeled as honorary Jonin.
Overall, the Land of Snow gave him one overwhelming impression.
Weak.
Still, he was not picky. Once these people awakened the Mangekyo, they would become usable combat power. With the nature of the Mangekyo, it was not impossible for even a Genin to contend with a Jonin under the right circumstances. So Kenichi worked with complete dedication.
Right now, he was in the middle of awakening the Sharingan in those Genin.
A painstaking, exhausting process.
To ensure the operation ran smoothly and the experimental data remained accurate, each of Kenichi's Shadow Clones could handle only ten test subjects at a time, while another ten were responsible solely for recording the results.
He had tried making more Shadow Clones before, but this number was the safest. It kept the process relatively stable. Any more than that and the chance of errors rose sharply. And these experiments had to be handled with extreme caution. Even a small mistake could ruin the data.
So for now, quality came before quantity, and he could only push forward step by step.
"At the current pace, ten subjects take thirty minutes. Add in the time needed to clean the lab, and each round takes about forty five minutes. That means..." Kenichi scratched his head, then arrived at a number that made his stomach hurt.
Even if he and his Shadow Clones worked nonstop without rest, it would still take four and a half full days to process all the ninja in the capital who had already received parasite eggs. If rest time and schedule adjustments were factored in, it could easily stretch to five or six days, maybe even a full week.
A week did not sound long, but maintaining this level of high intensity work for an entire week was enough to make several office workers from his old life drop dead from overwork.
"Forget it. I'll just take it slowly. This also gives me time to work on the rocket launcher. That thing is troublesome to make too," Kenichi said with a sigh, glancing at the busy laboratory before stepping outside.
He left everything inside to the Shadow Clones.
With them handling the current workload, he could free up more time for his own research.
"Brother Amamiya!"
The moment he stepped out of the yard containing the lab, Hikari suddenly darted out from the side, holding something in both hands.
Kenichi froze as soon as he saw it.
Gloves.
It had to be gloves.
"Ah, Hikari, did you make another pair of gloves?" Kenichi asked, his expression becoming a little subtle. But when he saw her innocent, expectant gaze, he truly could not bring himself to say anything harsh.
After all, this was her earnest effort.
It was just that her earnest effort was a little too heavy.
Three kilograms heavy.
"Yes! Brother Amamiya, look, this time I made them black and gray!" Hikari said happily as she handed them over.
Kenichi took them and had to admit that they really were black and gray.
And compared to the first pair, her glove making skills had improved by leaps and bounds. It was honestly astonishing. Kenichi was left speechless.
There were already many such pairs of gloves piled up in his room. Together they already weighed around three kilograms. With this new pair added in, he did not even want to think about the total.
This affection was truly too heavy.
"Thank you, Hikari. From now on, just call me Brother. No need to say Brother Amamiya," Kenichi said with a smile, reaching out to rub her head again.
The phrase Brother Amamiya always poked at some buried memory from deep in his past. It had genuinely startled him the first time he heard it.
"Okay..." Hikari's face reddened a little, but she still obediently said, "Brother."
That sounded much better.
"Brother, you look a little tired. Do you want me to transfer some chakra to you?" Hikari asked quietly when she noticed the exhaustion in his eyes.
Kenichi paused.
Then his thoughts shifted at once.
He reached out and rubbed her head again, but his mind had already turned elsewhere.
This little girl even knew how to worry about him.
Still, what truly interested him was another aspect of Hikari's ability.
Everyone in the Ninja World knew that chakra was formed from spiritual energy and physical energy. Every ninja possessed chakra, and chakra was essential for maintaining high intensity combat.
Yet there were very few ways to store chakra.
Most ninja could only obtain it by refining it themselves. Others with special constitutions could replenish someone else's chakra, like Karin. But Karin's ability required the target to physically bite her. That meant if the person in need was far away, there was no way to use it.
Hikari's Eight Thousand Spears was different.
Her ability could transfer chakra across distance and even draw chakra back in. All it required was a mark.
And she could also act like a central hub, transmitting and receiving chakra from multiple people at once.
"Isn't this basically the internet?" Kenichi thought immediately.
There was no internet in the Ninja World.
He had no idea whether Boruto's era eventually developed something like that, since he had never bothered watching it. But right now, the current Naruto world had no internet, no communications network, and nothing resembling a proper modern information system.
And the internet, in any world, was a terrifyingly powerful invention. A genuine revolution.
If something like that could be created in the Ninja World, the results would be astonishing.
In Kenichi's eyes, Hikari's potential was outrageous.
If every marked ninja was like a terminal, then Hikari was like a server node, receiving information and relaying it out again.
Of course, that did not mean Kenichi wanted to use Hikari herself as some kind of living server. Her ability relied on the Mangekyo, and her brain could never truly process information from an entire world of people.
What he actually wanted to do was study the mark itself and see whether he could derive a special method from it, something similar to a chakra based network. Once he found an initial breakthrough, he could hand the rest to his cheat.
If that worked, he might be able to kick open the door to the Industrial Revolution in this world, then kick open the Information Revolution right after.
The Ninja World would become far more interesting then.
"No need, Hikari. Your ability is very interesting. I may need your help with it in the future," Kenichi said as he narrowed his eyes.
An actual internet would require too many supporting technologies. It would not be easy to build from scratch. It was better to begin with the mark from Eight Thousand Spears, figure out a starting point there, and try to create a ninja version of the internet.
Still, that was a matter for the future. For now, it could only be added to the project list.
"Okay, Brother..." Hikari covered her face shyly, clearly embarrassed.
Kenichi could not help but smile. Having this little girl around was genuinely pleasant.
He had just been about to take her out for a break when the ring on his hand suddenly grew hot.
Kenichi's expression changed at once.
The [Jade] ring was glowing faintly.
Nagato was calling for him.
Why now?
Had Nagato finally thought things through and decided to cooperate with him? If so, that would be perfect. At that point, he could deal with Obito and Black Zetsu first and prevent those two from sabotaging everything. If he could not kill them outright, then he would seal them. One way or another, he would solve that problem.
"Sorry, Hikari. I have something to deal with first," Kenichi said with a smile, rubbing her head once more.
Hikari did not complain. She obediently went off to wait for him outside.
Kenichi steadied his mind, and in the next instant, he felt himself being drawn into that familiar mental space.
The thought wave world.
But the moment he entered, he immediately noticed something unusual.
There were many more people here than usual.
Almost everyone in Akatsuki who held a ring had appeared.
Kenichi also saw Orochimaru.
His teacher gave him a slight nod after noticing his arrival.
Then Kenichi turned and saw that Obito and Black Zetsu were here as well.
At the moment, however, Obito's attention was fixed on Nagato.
"Leader, why have you gathered all of us here?" Kakuzu asked lazily as he stretched.
Standing beside him was Kisame.
Kenichi's eyes narrowed slightly.
So after his intervention, the plot had truly shifted quite a bit. Kisame had ended up paired with Kakuzu this time. Then again, Hidan was still soaking in Orochimaru's lab, so he obviously was not coming out anytime soon to form a team.
"There are two matters." Nagato's voice was cold as his gaze swept over all the Akatsuki members. When his eyes passed over Kenichi, though, Kenichi very clearly noticed that Nagato's gaze lingered for a fraction of a second longer than normal.
"First, the organization's new member, Uchiha Shin, has officially joined Akatsuki, and he will..."
Nagato's first sentence instantly confused Kenichi.
He looked again.
Sure enough, there really was one extra figure in the gathering.
The exact appearance was indistinct inside the thought wave world, but the person clearly possessed a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan. And when Nagato introduced him, the newcomer even waved enthusiastically.
"Uchiha Shin? You actually came to Akatsuki," Orochimaru said.
Everyone's attention shifted to him.
"I brought him in," Obito said calmly, not hiding it in the slightest.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. Obito's Mangekyo also emerged at once, directly meeting Orochimaru's gaze.
"We have two people on our side too," Kenichi said as he stepped forward.
There was no way he would just stand there and watch his teacher face two opponents alone. At the same time, he had already put some pieces together.
This Uchiha Shin was probably the experimental subject Orochimaru had worked on before, that strange existence whose body could accept any organ without rejection. Kenichi did not know what had become of him after that.
But he had not expected this man to appear here now, much less to join Akatsuki under Obito's guidance.
So he had renamed himself Uchiha Shin.
"Enough."
Nagato's voice cut through the tension.
Obito immediately stopped. Uchiha Shin was also very obedient. Orochimaru glanced at Nagato, then said nothing more.
"Second, for the next period of time, Akatsuki will begin widely accepting war mercenary missions. Every member must take war commissions unless they have already completed one, or pay one billion ryo in a single sum to be exempt."
Kenichi raised an eyebrow.
So Akatsuki was about to accelerate its expansion?
Logically, before Naruto graduated, Akatsuki should still have been in a relatively covert development stage.
This was far too active.
"Leader, can I get a discount? Say, if I pay one hundred million, then I don't have to..." Kenichi raised a hand.
"No," Nagato said flatly, cutting him off without a trace of hesitation.
.....
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