Chapter 326: Jiraiya in Amegakure
"If that's the case, then I'll have to check my own genetic information... though I already have a few guesses." Kenichi sighed softly. It seemed there was still some preparatory work he needed to finish before he could awaken his Mangekyo Sharingan.
He felt his speculation was most likely correct.
So far, he had only confirmed that the Mangekyo Sharingan was related to the Uchiha clan's genetic information. But if even the Mangekyo followed that rule, then the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan above it would most likely be the same, just as he had speculated.
Although all of this was still in the theoretical stage, with some partial experimental support, Kenichi felt his conclusion was already very close to the truth.
After all, the Uchiha clan still existed.
He had compared the genes of many Uchiha, and only a very small portion of them possessed the qualifications to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Kenichi felt the reason was probably simple. After generations of intermarriage, the Uchiha bloodline had gradually become diluted, and the genetic information originally inherited from Indra had been continuously broken apart.
That could be seen clearly from the difference between the number of Mangekyo Sharingan users in the Uchiha clan during the Warring States Period and the number of Mangekyo users in the present era.
In the past, the Uchiha had even fought among themselves over the Mangekyo Sharingan, trying to avoid blindness by plundering the eyes of others. But now, if an Uchiha could awaken the Three Tomoe Sharingan, they were already called a genius.
The Mangekyo Sharingan had practically become a legend. Only a tiny number of Uchiha whose genetic information remained closer to their ancestors still had the potential to awaken it.
"Then that means my eyes..." Kenichi touched his own.
Although he had not brought a genetic chain detection device to the Land of Snow, he already had some guesses about himself.
After all, he now possessed the First Hokage's Sage Body, which meant his genetic information had to contain Hashirama's genes, in other words, Asura's genes. At the same time, he also had the Three Tomoe Sharingan, so he almost certainly possessed part of the Uchiha clan's genes as well.
The problem was whether those genes specifically included Indra's.
If they did, then he would not need to carry out any additional genetic programming and could directly attempt to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan. But if they did not, then what came next would depend on a detailed examination of his genetic information.
To put it simply, if his genes were merely similar to Obito's, then awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan would not be an issue, but awakening the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan would be impossible. To take that final step, the genetic information had to be closer to Indra's.
Kenichi even had another theory.
If a person's genetic information could be pushed even closer to that of the Otsutsuki clan, then perhaps their eyes would evolve more easily toward their final form.
The Rinnegan.
"It looks like I'll have to find some relics related to the Sage of Six Paths when I get the chance. Hair would be ideal. Blood too, if possible." Kenichi walked out of the laboratory, still thinking.
The work in the lab had been tedious, and he knew his own temperament well. When he was focused on research, he hated being interrupted. If someone disturbed him in the middle of work, his temper became as explosive as a volcano.
But once he stepped away from the work, he became much easier to deal with.
His Shadow Clones inherited the same personality, so Kenichi was certain they also hated being interrupted while concentrating on something. He had no intention of annoying them.
Still, he added the idea to his list of future priorities. He even decided that if the process of awakening the Sharingan was still unfinished after the rocket launcher project, then he would personally set out to search the shinobi world for anything related to the Sage of Six Paths.
According to Kenichi's idea, genes were a key. A key that opened the door to greater power.
The genes of ordinary Uchiha and Hyuga opened the first lock. Indra's and Asura's genes opened the second. The Sage of Six Paths stood at the third. And the final, highest level, required the true bloodline of the Otsutsuki clan itself.
To be precise, what he really needed was Kaguya's bloodline.
Or rather, Isshiki's.
Isshiki's would be even better.
After all, Kenichi knew the truth. Kaguya had originally been intended as a sacrifice for the God Tree, but she had ambushed Isshiki, allowing herself to survive while he became the offering instead.
"By the standards of the novels I used to read, Kaguya was the branch family, and Isshiki was the main family, right?" Kenichi almost laughed.
The logic fit surprisingly well. A branch family member, unwilling to become a sacrifice for the main branch, betrayed and killed one of them instead.
In a sense, that might well become the future of the Hyuga clan too.
If the Hyuga clan failed to resolve the issue of the Caged Bird Seal, then the resentment of the branch family would only continue to build. Sooner or later, it would become karmic fire and burn the entire clan down.
"But obtaining Otsutsuki genetic information won't be easy... Either I go to the moon and get it there, or I find something Kaguya once used." Kenichi sighed.
Although he knew Otsutsuki genetic information was the ideal option, the problem was finding it.
Relics of the Sage of Six Paths were already incredibly hard to come by. As for the divine tools associated with him, at best they would only preserve his fingerprints.
What Kenichi needed was something from which genetic information could actually be extracted, like hair or blood.
Sweat could also work, technically, but it would have evaporated long ago. The Sage had been dead for far too long.
"Master, I found what you wanted~"
Just as Kenichi was lost in thought, he heard Koyuki's seductive voice. He looked up, then paused.
Koyuki's current outfit could only be described as dangerously suggestive. It concealed just enough to tempt the imagination while revealing just enough to make the imagination work overtime. Every step she took seemed to threaten some kind of incident.
"Why are you dressed like that?" Kenichi asked.
He had originally almost blurted out, Why are you dressed like Pinru? but this world obviously had no Pinru.
"Of course it's to make Master happy~" Koyuki looked at him with eyes like silk, waves of invitation practically spilling out of them.
Kenichi felt that if he made a single wrong move right now, Koyuki would immediately collapse into some truly unmanageable state.
"Fine. Just give me the things first." Kenichi shook his head.
Koyuki was really beyond saving.
He had to admit it, though. The sight before him was genuinely tempting. He was not some saint carved out of ice. There was no way he could be completely unaffected.
But as the saying went, age was a problem that simply could not be ignored.
Koyuki pouted a little in grievance, then handed him the scroll in her hand. Kenichi took it expressionlessly and turned back toward the laboratory, his posture just slightly stiff.
Koyuki watched him leave, thoughtful.
After a while, she seemed to realize something and broke into a mischievous, triumphant smile. Then she placed a hand lightly over her belly and walked away in a thoroughly pleased mood.
Kenichi, naturally, had no idea what Koyuki was thinking.
By the time he returned to the lab, he had already calmed down and begun researching propellant ratios. The work itself was defined by one thing above all else.
Tediousness.
Under normal circumstances, it would not have been too bad. Shadow Clones could have helped speed things up. But right now, all of his clones were occupied with genetic programming and Sharingan activation work, so this part could only be done by him personally.
"Sigh... Hopefully this won't take too long, and hopefully I get lucky. Otherwise, I have no idea whether these raw materials will even be enough." Kenichi pinched the bridge of his nose.
He was not especially worried about the time.
Experiments always consumed time. He had long accepted that.
What concerned him was the supply of materials. Some of the ingredients existed in very limited quantities. If the number of failed attempts got too high, he might reach the absurd stage of being unable to produce a finished result because he had run out of ingredients.
So all he could do was hope his luck held. Otherwise, he would have to go out and buy another batch.
[The first propellant ratio experiment begins. This time, I mixed the ingredients according to a specific ratio in an attempt to produce a chemical propellant suitable for rockets.]
Kenichi immersed himself in experiment after experiment.
Meanwhile, in the Akatsuki base, Konan looked at her friend with concern.
"Nagato, are you alright?"
Nagato was eating, but even that simple act seemed painful for him now. The black rods and tubes piercing into his body made him look increasingly frail.
"I'm fine. This body can still last a few more years." Nagato smiled faintly.
He knew his own condition very well. He could hold on for a little while longer.
The only question was whether he could survive long enough to see his plan completed.
Looking at his own thin, almost skeletal arm, Nagato let out a quiet sigh. His gaze drifted toward the dim distance, hesitation flickering in his eyes.
"Nagato... do you think what that guy said has any credibility?" Konan asked as she tidied away the bowls. Nagato had barely eaten anything. In truth, Konan felt that if he had his way, he might not eat at all. But no matter what, a person still needed something to keep going.
"None." Nagato gave the answer without hesitation.
He did not believe Kenichi's words. Claims about being a successor of will, hating war, and bringing peace, those all sounded good, but from this latest meeting, one thing had been especially clear.
Orochimaru knew that man.
"But he can still help the Akatsuki organization complete its plan more quickly. Under the pressure of my eyes, he has no way to resist."
Nagato added the second part in an even tone. He was confident in the power of his Rinnegan.
After all, what Akatsuki members contacted was not his true body, but merely Pain, a puppet he controlled from afar. His real location remained hidden. There should have been no flaws.
Konan glanced at him, opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, then swallowed the words.
She did not want to undermine Nagato's confidence. After all, up until now, Nagato had never truly met anyone who could threaten him whenever he chose to act.
But even so... was that really enough?
Jiraiya-sensei was strong.
If he truly clashed with Nagato...
Nagato's gaze became distant again. When he had met Kenichi this time, the man had still looked as unserious and careless as ever, yet the moment Nagato saw him, he found himself remembering those earlier words.
Perhaps that method really was better.
For the first time in a long while, Nagato felt uncertain.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Nagato sensed something unusual.
Under the effect of the Rain Tiger at Will Technique, he felt an outsider enter Amegakure.
Who?
Nagato did not hesitate. He immediately sent the Deva Path of Pain toward the location indicated by the rain. Konan also noticed the change in his expression. Her own face instantly grew serious. Nagato himself could not move around freely, but she could. So she grabbed her tools and rushed out as well.
As Pain and Konan approached, Nagato finally saw the intruder clearly.
White hair.
A peculiar outfit.
Squatting beside a bush.
And the direction he was facing was...
The women's bathhouse.
Konan stared blankly at the figure before her. Even though she could only see his back, this person, this person...
In the next instant, the Deva Path pulled Konan aside. The man also turned his head suspiciously and glanced behind him.
"Hm? Was that just my imagination? But this village really is strange." Jiraiya scratched his head.
Ever since entering Amegakure, he had sensed something odd. The rain itself carried extremely faint traces of chakra.
The traces were subtle, but he was Jiraiya, one of the Sannin. Naturally, he noticed immediately.
But now, those chakra fluctuations had vanished.
And just a moment ago, he had distinctly felt that someone was watching him.
Could it be Akatsuki?
Jiraiya's expression grew serious.
He had come to Amegakure this time partly to avoid that lunatic Orochimaru, and partly to investigate the Akatsuki organization.
Originally, he had known nothing about Akatsuki. After leaving Konoha, he had focused entirely on searching for the Child of Prophecy, the destined one foretold by the Great Toad Sage.
He had not found anything.
Then, by pure chance, he had seen a hot air balloon. Shocked, he had started gathering information and only then learned the names Akatsuki and Heavenly Demon.
That had led him here.
His arrival in Amegakure had not even been carefully planned. He had simply ended up here while being chased by Orochimaru.
"I really don't understand that guy Orochimaru. He's been chasing me forever." Just thinking about it made Jiraiya shiver.
This time Orochimaru had genuinely wanted to kill him.
"It's Jiraiya-sensei. What is he doing in Amegakure?" Konan whispered with certainty.
Nagato said nothing.
He very much wanted to say that Jiraiya-sensei had come to peep into the women's bathhouse, but what if his teacher had other intentions this time?
And besides, Jiraiya had already noticed the Rain Tiger at Will Technique.
Jiraiya-sensei...
"I just hope you didn't come here to investigate the Akatsuki organization, Sensei."
.....
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