Orochimaru-sensei had been gone for a long time.
The Fourth Hokage's funeral began in the morning and ended by noon, yet even after the ceremony, Kenya Ryujin hadn't seen his teacher.
"Sensei isn't really going to become the Fifth Hokage, is he?" Kenya muttered, scratching his head. The idea seemed absurd—almost laughable.
He knew Orochimaru had once aspired to become Hokage, though not with desperation. Kenya had always sensed that ambition smoldering beneath his teacher's calm exterior. But after Minato Namikaze was chosen as the Fourth, Orochimaru had seemed to relinquish that dream.
"No, there's another possibility," Kenya thought, recalling the Third Hokage's missing arm.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had lost his left arm in the battle against Orochimaru during the invasion of Konoha. But if anyone could help with such a wound, it would be none other than Orochimaru himself—a man who had pushed the boundaries of medical and forbidden ninjutsu further than anyone else in the world.
If the Third Hokage wanted to return to active leadership, he would need to replace his arm. And the one person in the village with the knowledge—and audacity—to attempt such a feat was his former student.
"Forget it." Kenya shook his head and returned to the lab—one of the many hidden laboratories Orochimaru had constructed under the guise of official research. This one was relatively benign, at least on the surface. No grotesque experiments, no human test subjects. That made it easy for Kenya to come and go without raising suspicion.
"Kenya," his teacher had once said, "the more you hide something, the more people want to find it. But if you leave it in plain sight? No one bothers."
It was true. If the Third Hokage ever investigated, this lab would serve as an effective smokescreen.
"Assuming Sensei is helping the Third Hokage with his injury, there are three likely approaches." Bored with lab maintenance, Kenya began to theorize how Orochimaru might solve the problem.
"First, cloning the original arm and transplanting it." This seemed the most straightforward. But Kenya wasn't sure if Orochimaru had fully perfected cloning yet. His earlier experiments—like the failed Wood Release clones—suggested the process was still unstable.
"Second, using the First Hokage's cells to regenerate the arm." Kenya crossed this off immediately. The cells of Hashirama Senju were notoriously dangerous, often causing severe side effects. Danzo Shimura had used them, sure, but only by balancing their power with multiple Sharingan implants and intense suppression.
The Third Hokage—old, injured, and prideful—would never agree to such a risky and ethically questionable procedure. Not to mention the political backlash if the Uchiha clan caught wind of it.
That left the third option.
"A mechanical arm... made from chakra-conductive metal." Kenya's eyes lit up. It was unorthodox, but not impossible.
Such materials existed—chakra-reactive alloys were used in ninja tools and prosthetics in other lands. If engineered well, the arm could mimic chakra flow and even enable basic hand seals. With enhancements, it might surpass a natural arm in function.
Best of all, Kenya thought with a shiver, it could be rigged.
If Orochimaru ever wanted to turn against the Third Hokage again, embedding a mechanism within the prosthetic would be easy—something that could disable it or even harm the old man at a critical moment.
"Flesh is weak," Kenya whispered, twirling a pen between his fingers. "Mechanical ascension."
Yes, this could work. And knowing his teacher, it may have already begun.
However, Kenya Ryujin wasn't sure what the Third Hokage would decide.
Just as Kenya was carefully sketching out some design concepts, the sound of the lab door creaking open drew his attention. He turned to see his teacher descending the stairs.
"Kenya, what are your thoughts on restoring Hiruzen Sarutobi's arm?" Orochimaru's tone was unreadable, but his gaze flickered with curiosity upon noticing the sketches spread across his disciple's desk.
He approached, hands tucked into his robe. "I assume these are related?"
Kenya Ryujin had heard whispers. The Third Hokage, after his fatal battle with Orochimaru during the invasion of Konoha, had lost both arms—not physically, but spiritually, due to the Reaper Death Seal. Kenya understood that Hiruzen could no longer use ninjutsu, and with Tsunade refusing to let Orochimaru become Hokage, the old man might be looking for a way to restore his strength.
"Sensei, I've considered three approaches," Kenya said, standing and flipping through his sketches. Orochimaru remained impassive through the first two ideas—both of which he'd clearly already considered.
But the third idea made the Snake Sannin raise an eyebrow.
"A mechanical arm? Constructed from chakra-conductive metal?"
Kenya nodded. "Yes, Sensei. Not just any metal—something akin to the materials used in the puppets from Sunagakure. With improvements in chakra circuitry, it could allow for seal formation, chakra flow, and even chakra-enhanced strength."
Orochimaru folded his arms, intrigued. "You believe you can replicate the finesse of organic movement through puppet-like mechanisms?"
"In theory," Kenya replied, "by studying puppet-master techniques and refining the internal framework. The mechanical limb would need micro-adjustments for precision hand seals and nerve-channeling mechanisms to allow chakra to flow seamlessly."
Orochimaru chuckled darkly. "To think my student would suggest puppetry from the Sand Village. But this... this is bold."
"Of course," Kenya added, "it would be costly. Chakra-conductive metals aren't cheap, especially if we want durability in combat. But it could even offer an advantage over regular limbs in some cases."
"Except for taijutsu specialists," Orochimaru mused. "Might Guy, for example, would scoff at such a thing."
Kenya smiled slightly. "Naturally. Some things only the human body can do."
After a pause, Orochimaru nodded. "Interesting. I'll allocate some experimental funds for this research. You can continue developing it in your spare time."
Kenya bowed slightly. "Thank you, Sensei. Then… what did Lord Third decide in the end?"
Orochimaru's smile faded into a sneer. "He wants to transplant another arm—using one of my old cloning techniques. He's in a rush. Desperate, really. Cloning is quicker than inventing something new, and time isn't on his side."
Kenya didn't reply, but he understood. For someone like Hiruzen, being powerless—especially after once being called The Professor—was worse than death.
Still, something about the mechanical arm idea lingered in his mind. Perhaps, in time, it wouldn't just be a replacement... but an evolution.