The Key to Becoming Strong

A scorching sensation surged through Kenichi Amamiya's entire body. He let out a muffled groan and gripped the table tightly. It was happening again.

Whenever he gained abilities from these studies, his body would feel somewhat uncomfortable, but this time the discomfort was especially intense. Kenichi Amamiya felt as though someone were dissecting him alive.

By the time the sharp pain faded from his body, Kenichi Amamiya was drenched in sweat. He lay weakly on the bed, gazing at the dim ceiling with a faint smile.

His body felt different now. The amount of Chakra he could refine with a single thought now exceeded what he had painstakingly refined over an entire day before.

This was the difference between an ordinary person and a genius. This was the gap between Kenichi Amamiya, an orphan of the Hidden Leaf Village, and Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi.

Kenichi Amamiya sat up from the bed in delight. His guess had been correct. Hashirama Senju's Sage Body not only meant he could gain absurd aptitude for Senjutsu, but also talent.

Talent was a real thing. He was around the same age as Kakashi, yet Kakashi was already a Jonin. And him? He was still a Genin.

If his talent had remained as it was, he probably would not have become a Chunin until his twenties or thirties. But now, Kenichi Amamiya had grasped the key to becoming strong.

"Still, it seems I haven't awakened a talent for Wood Release." Kenichi Amamiya sensed the Chakra within his body and curled his lips.

It would have been nice if he could master Wood Release, but it did not matter that he could not. In fact, having Wood Release might have been a bad thing instead.

This was Wood Release—the ability that no one in the Hidden Leaf Village besides Hashirama Senju had ever mastered. If he possessed it, that would not necessarily be a good thing.

Especially when he was still under the watchful eyes of his teacher and Danzo. Kenichi Amamiya had no desire to end up lying on an operating table for experiments.

Current research task completed

Elective task list updated

Kenichi Amamiya rubbed the bridge of his nose, then looked at the notification that had appeared.

Aside from research-related things, his Cheat System also came with an elective task list, making Kenichi Amamiya feel as though he had returned to university.

Most of the tasks were very strange, but the rewards for completing them were unexpectedly good. The last time Kenichi Amamiya completed one, he had received a microscope set.

1. Obtain Kushina Uzumaki's body tissue and isolate the Uzumaki Clan's unique Gene Chain

2. Establish a laboratory entirely of your own

The good news was that, just like last time, there were two tasks. The bad news was that neither task would be easy this time.

"Kushina Uzumaki's body tissue? A strand of hair should work, but if I'm researching Gene Information, a blood sample would probably be better." Kenichi Amamiya frowned at the task objective before him.

The first task presented some difficulty. Obtaining body tissue would not be hard; the difficult part was figuring out how to identify the Uzumaki Clan's unique Gene Chain.

Kenichi Amamiya had his own understanding of Kekkei Genkai and hereditary clan traits in the shinobi world. In his view, Kekkei Genkai were simply Gene Information acquired through inheritance.

Just as the Sharingan belonged exclusively to the Uchiha Clan, someone who had not inherited Uchiha Clan genes could never awaken the Sharingan. Otherwise, Danzo would not have been so fixated on the Uchiha Clan.

The Uzumaki Clan worked by the same principle. As long as he found the Gene Information that set the Uzumaki Clan apart from ordinary people, he should be able to complete the task.

As for extracting the Gene Chain and inserting it into someone else's genes—

That was still somewhat difficult with the shinobi world's current scientific technology. Fortunately, Kenichi Amamiya's teacher was Orochimaru, who had mastered some similar techniques.

"The second task looks easier, but funding is going to be a problem." Kenichi Amamiya sighed. Sure enough, if he wanted gains, he had to make sacrifices.

"Looks like I need to find myself a way out as soon as possible." Kenichi Amamiya thoughtfully looked at the photo on his nightstand. It showed Orochimaru dressed in white, alongside a smiling younger him.

Orochimaru was a good teacher.

The next morning, after getting up and making himself breakfast, Kenichi Amamiya began his daily routine—tempering his body.

Kenichi Amamiya also had a training partner of his own: Might Guy, whose father had died heroically, prompting the Hidden Leaf Village higher-ups to value taijutsu, and who would later nearly kick his way to the Grand Finale with a single kick.

"Good morning, Kenichi! Another day overflowing with youth!" The moment he stepped outside, Kenichi Amamiya saw that dazzling set of white teeth.

"Good morning, Guy." Kenichi Amamiya smiled. Getting close to Might Guy had been intentional, naturally because of the Eight Gates Formation.

However, the Eight Gates Formation had already been placed in the Hidden Leaf Village's Forbidden Jutsu Scroll, and Might Guy had never mentioned it to him. The village higher-ups had probably issued some sort of order.

Kenichi Amamiya was not in a hurry. He knew he could not rush something like this. As long as he maintained a good relationship with Might Guy, he would obtain the Eight Gates Formation sooner or later.

"Kenichi, how about we do Frog Jump Around the Village today too?" Might Guy looked at Kenichi Amamiya expectantly. Kenichi Amamiya nodded noncommittally. If this had been just after he arrived in this world, he naturally would not have been able to do it.

Forget Frog Jump Around the Village—he would have struggled to frog-jump even two hundred meters. But his training over this period had greatly strengthened Kenichi Amamiya's body.

Frog-jumping around the village was exhausting, but it was not impossible to endure.

"Ohoho! This is youth!" Watching the fired-up Might Guy, Kenichi Amamiya followed after him. He did not dislike Might Guy. Though the other man was overly passionate, he truly was an excellent friend.

If other ninja became strong through talent and aptitude, then Might Guy had become strong through hard work. Being around someone like him was very relaxing.

Once their morning routine was over, Kenichi Amamiya smiled and bid Might Guy farewell. He still needed to find his teacher; today's research had yet to begin.

But as soon as he emerged from the forest, Kenichi Amamiya saw his teacher leaning against a tree trunk nearby, eating Dango.

"Teacher!" Kenichi Amamiya hurried over, delight written across his face.

No matter what happened in the future, at the very least, he still needed to maintain a good relationship with his teacher for now.

"The Chakra in your body has grown stronger. It seems becoming a Chunin is just around the corner." Orochimaru glanced at Kenichi Amamiya and revealed a faint smile.