"Teacher, I want to collect some of the Nine-Tailed Beast's chakra," Amemiya Kenichi said, scratching his head. He admitted his idea honestly.
To be precise, he also wanted to seize the opportunity to gather experimental materials. Many people had died on the Night of the Nine-Tailed Beast, even with the entire Anbu mobilized.
Root might have made a difference, but so far, Kenichi had only seen Anbu, with no sign of Root ninja.
He figured they were probably at the Uchiha compound.
After all, the Mangekyō Sharingan in the eyes of that massive Nine-Tailed Beast was hard to miss.
And everyone knew that in the Ninja World, only the Uchiha Clan possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan. It was no surprise the Uchiha were under surveillance.
Since people would die if he didn't collect it, he might as well grab as much as he could. Maybe he could even scavenge some funding for his experiments—that would be a nice bonus.
"The Nine-Tailed Beast's chakra? That's a dangerous idea," Orochimaru said, glancing at the rampaging monster and the ninjas rushing forward only to be swatted away. He chuckled.
The Nine-Tailed, the strongest of the Tailed Beasts, was currently wreaking havoc on your beloved Konoha Village.
So, where was the Third Hokage, who always claimed to be devoted to Konoha and willing to sacrifice everything for it?
Orochimaru's gaze turned cold as he spotted his teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen, leading Anbu ninja in an attack on the Nine-Tailed, trying to lure it away from Konoha.
This irritated Orochimaru. He had expected the Third Hokage to sit back and watch, waiting for the Fourth Hokage to handle the situation, not put on this ridiculous show.
"What hypocrisy, Teacher. You alone should be enough. Sending those Chūnin to their deaths is pointless." Orochimaru despised his teacher's theatrics. How could the "Professor of Ninjutsu" fail to draw the Nine-Tailed's attention?
Wasn't this just a performance to prove how much he cared about Konoha?
"Teacher, shouldn't we seize this opportunity to gather experimental materials and funding? Everyone's too busy to notice right now," Amemiya Kenichi couldn't help but ask.
Teacher had been staring intently in the direction of the Nine-Tailed Beast, and Kenichi couldn't figure out what he was planning.
Amemiya Kenichi remembered that Teacher hadn't seemed to play any significant role during the Night of the Nine-Tailed Beast Uprising. He was certain Teacher wouldn't attack the Nine-Tailed Beast directly; otherwise, it would have been mentioned somewhere.
"Alright," Orochimaru said, shifting his attention away from the chaos. The Nine-Tailed Beast's appearance was dangerous, but it also presented opportunities. He could use this chance to collect valuable resources, like the Forbidden Technique Scrolls in the Hokage Building.
As for the Nine-Tailed Beast itself?
Orochimaru couldn't care less. With the Third and Fourth Hokages around, a single Nine-Tailed Beast couldn't cause too much trouble.
So, Amemiya Kenichi was assigned to gather supplies and scavenge funds. Orochimaru, as he put it, had more important things to collect.
Kenichi was initially confused, but he quickly understood his teacher's intentions.
Having followed Orochimaru for so long, Kenichi knew his teacher's ultimate goal was to master every ninjutsu in the world. And right now, the Hokage Building's defenses were practically nonexistent.
If Teacher made his move, he could easily obtain the Forbidden Technique Scrolls and learn more powerful ninjutsu from them.
This was a stroke of luck for Amemiya Kenichi.
He immediately set about collecting funds. After all, compared to lively, squirming, crying, and screaming "materials," these silent, unresisting, and easily stored coins were far more convenient to gather.
Just as Kenichi was happily gathering his loot, he noticed a strange, wriggling mass nearby. The moment he looked at it, a wave of terror washed over him, as if he had glimpsed the most malevolent thing in the world.
"Chakra energy?" Kenichi frowned, then his face lit up with wild excitement. This was almost certainly the Nine-Tailed Beast's chakra.
Only a Tailed Beast's chakra could retain its form after separating from its host. Without hesitation, he pulled out a Sealing Scroll and sealed the chakra inside.
Kenichi gazed at the scroll with satisfaction. This trip had been well worth it—he had even managed to acquire the Nine-Tailed Beast's chakra.
As Kenichi was inwardly celebrating, he suddenly sensed a surge of ninjutsu. Without hesitation, he teleported to the right, narrowly avoiding the Water Dragon that had been launched at him from behind.
Kenichi swiftly formed hand seals.
"Fire Release! Dragon Fire Technique!" As he channeled a massive amount of chakra, a torrent of flames erupted toward the spot where he'd previously unleashed the Water Dragon. But as the fire engulfed the buildings, Kenichi saw no one.
Even the sounds of movement had vanished, leaving only the roar of the flames and the crash of collapsing structures.
Kenichi remained on high alert. The sudden, wordless ambush made it clear his attacker was out for blood.
But he soon had to flee. The blazing fire, so conspicuous in the night, would undoubtedly draw the attention of the Anbu. If he lingered, he'd be trapped.
"A direct assault like this could be Root, but it's more likely the guy who collected Nine-Tailed Beast chakra during the Night of the Nine-Tailed Beast," Kenichi thought as he ran.
He figured the latter was more probable. Root ninjas were ruthless and never abandoned their missions. If it were them, they'd likely pursue him relentlessly.
But no further attacks came. This could only mean his opponent was afraid of attracting the Anbu's attention.
The most likely culprit was the guy who'd collected the Nine-Tailed Beast chakra. Amemiya Kenichi couldn't remember his name—he wasn't exactly a major character.
What surprised him was that the guy had just brazenly attacked, completely disregarding that they were in Konoha and the trouble it might cause later. Talk about decisive!
"Looks like I'll need to have a serious chat with you later," Amemiya Kenichi muttered, his expression grim. If he hadn't reacted quickly, things could have gone sideways.
Kenichi didn't know the guy's exact name, but he knew he was one of the Fire Country Daimyo's Twelve Guardian Ninja. When the time came, he'd just wipe them all out—except for Asuma, of course.
Wait, maybe Asuma could die too. He'd decide later.
Just then, Kenichi sensed a massive surge of energy gathering. He glanced toward the Nine-Tailed Beast and saw the giant monster's maw agape, a swirling mass of ominous energy coalescing within.
A Tailed Beast Ball.
***
More on patreon.com/whycry
30 advanced chapters.
Support if u can :")