Minato Namikaze's Enthusiasm

"What insights did you gain from today's lesson? What did you learn?" As one of the esteemed Sannin, Orochimaru had naturally been assigned a relatively quiet private room, and Kenichi Amamiya got to enjoy the benefit as well.

But that bit of happiness would be short-lived. Once Orochimaru defected, Kenichi Amamiya would have to figure out a way forward. Staying in the village was not impossible, but it would make him an easy target for Danzo.

Leaving with Orochimaru also came with concerns. Once he defected, returning would not be easy. Though Konoha looked weak now, its foundation was still there.

"Teacher, I think there are several things we need to pay attention to in this experiment today..." Kenichi Amamiya honestly shared his thoughts and insights, not even glancing at the barbecue Orochimaru was turning beneath his chopsticks.

Orochimaru listened calmly, his expression unchanged. Kenichi Amamiya could not tell whether what he said suited Orochimaru's tastes, but he continued speaking honestly nonetheless.

By the time Kenichi Amamiya finished, Orochimaru had finished grilling the meat as well. He set down his chopsticks.

"Eat first. We can discuss it on the way back." Hearing Orochimaru's words, Kenichi Amamiya sighed in relief. It seemed he had passed this time. Fortunately, he had paid close attention too.

He had also proposed several new theories based on some scientific knowledge from his previous life. That should probably satisfy Orochimaru.

Relaxed now, Kenichi Amamiya began enjoying the Akimichi Clan's delicious barbecue. It had to be said that the Akimichi Clan truly knew their food, and everything they made tasted excellent.

Their barbecue sauce in particular was absolutely superb. Kenichi Amamiya felt that the best barbecue he had eaten in his previous life had probably been no better than this.

After finishing the barbecue, Kenichi Amamiya followed Orochimaru outside.

As they left the BBQ Restaurant, Kenichi Amamiya noticed Minato Namikaze entering with red-haired Kushina Uzumaki and a silent white-haired boy, Kakashi, Minato's face wearing a warm smile.

Minato Namikaze politely greeted Orochimaru, while Kenichi Amamiya glanced at Kakashi, who had his head lowered.

That unlucky kid was probably still immersed in Obito's "death" and Rin dying by his own hand. His face was still stiff, making his terrible mood obvious at a glance.

What a tragedy. His best friend was abducted and turned into someone else's pawn, then the girl he might have had feelings for was plotted against too. They even made his best friend watch him kill that girl with his own hands. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Kakashi could be considered a genius ninja with truly terrible luck.

When he was little, he had been the son of Konoha's White Fang, only for his father to die.

After finally becoming a genius ninja and joining Minato Namikaze's team, making him a genuine member of the Hokage Faction, one teammate faked his death while the other truly died, leaving Kakashi drowning in guilt for a long time.

Only later did he learn that his best friend had not died at all, but had instead become the main culprit behind the deaths of his Esteemed Teacher and Teacher's Wife.

He also seemed to have stayed single for a long time, able only to get through endless nights by reading Icha Icha Paradise, written by the greatest old pervert in the ninja world, Jiraiya. But there was nothing Kenichi Amamiya could do about that.

After all, he could not possibly tell Kakashi that Obito was not dead, but had become a major villain, could he?

"Oh my, is this little Amamiya?" Just as Kenichi Amamiya was lost in thought, he felt himself being hugged. The warm body heat made him uncomfortable, and the fragrant scent filling his nose made his face flush.

It was Kushina Uzumaki. This woman truly had no sense of personal boundaries. Still, while being held, Kenichi Amamiya came up with some New Ideas.

"Yes, this is my disciple, Kenichi Amamiya. He is a good student." Orochimaru pulled Kenichi Amamiya out of Kushina Uzumaki's embrace.

This woman was very fond of children. Perhaps she was planning to have one herself.

Orochimaru glanced at Kushina's stomach.

"Lord Orochimaru's student must certainly be an outstanding ninja. This is my disciple, Kakashi Hatake." Minato Namikaze wore a warm smile as he enthusiastically introduced his own student.

He even nudged Kakashi closer to Kenichi Amamiya, leaving Kenichi Amamiya somewhat speechless.

No wonder his teacher said he and Minato Namikaze did not get along particularly well. Minato Namikaze was simply too enthusiastic—so enthusiastic that even Orochimaru could not handle it.

Kakashi Hatake looked at Kenichi Amamiya with dead-fish eyes, expressionless. Kenichi Amamiya glanced at Kakashi's eye. That was the eye Obito had given him, and it was even a Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

The Uchiha Clan was said to have quite a few objections to This Matter.

Kenichi Amamiya really wanted to leave. He genuinely could not get along with Kakashi, who wore a gloomy face every day.

But he had no choice. Who knew what Minato Namikaze was thinking? He insisted on pushing Kakashi toward Kenichi Amamiya, and even enthusiastically invited Orochimaru, whom he had only eaten with once, to join them for another meal.

Orochimaru clearly could not handle such excessive enthusiasm from this man and woman, so in the end, Kenichi Amamiya was pushed out as the scapegoat to accompany Minato Namikaze and the others to eat.

Kenichi Amamiya did not mind much. He was still growing, after all. Teenage boys could eat their fathers into poverty—that was no exaggeration.

The only problem was that Kakashi remained expressionless. Even when he occasionally spoke during the meal, it was only "Mm," "yeah," or "oh." All he needed was to say, "I'm going to take a bath," and he would have completed the standard goddess phrases.

"Kenichi, do you have any friends in Konoha?" Kushina Uzumaki, like a caring older sister, looked at Kenichi Amamiya with concern and asked. Kenichi Amamiya's mouth twitched before he shook his head.

He did know a few friends at the Orphanage, but after Orochimaru had taken an interest in him, they lost contact.

But he suddenly had a very bad feeling.

"If you don't mind, would you be willing to be friends with Kakashi?" Kushina Uzumaki asked softly, leaning close to Kenichi Amamiya so Kakashi would not hear.

Minato Namikaze heard it, though. Judging from his smile, Kenichi Amamiya knew that this was what he had been thinking as well.

Here it comes. My bad feeling came true. Does this world have Murphy's Law?

Honestly, Kenichi Amamiya had intended to refuse.

Just because they told him to be friends with Kakashi did not mean he actually had to become friends with Kakashi. But considering that his teacher would defect in the future and that he needed to plan an escape route early, he agreed anyway.

Kakashi would be joining the Anbu soon enough. By then, they would not see each other for years, so it did not really matter.