Chapter 46: Pavlov's Dog

Chapter 46: Pavlov's Dog

"Teacher, who is that girl in the cell?" Kenichi Asked his teacher with a curious expression.

"She's just expendable material sent by the Root, we had to leave Konoha in a hurry," Orochimaru replied succinctly, as he was eating his meal, a pork cutlet rice bowl made by Kenichi.

After all, they were not in Konoha Village. If they were, Orochimaru could easily find a place to eat, and many shops would even offer him discounts.

But now, having left Konoha, they had to fend for themselves. After tasting the dishes made by Orochimaru, Kenichi decided to give up on the idea of letting his teacher cook and chose to do it himself.

Kenichi nodded, realizing that although his teacher had defected from Konoha, he still had some connections with the Root.

This seemed quite normal to Kenichi, especially after seeing someone in another room who looked strange but was highly valued by his teacher.

However, just now in the underground cell, Kenichi saw a familiar person, a female ninja from the ninja squad they had captured earlier.

She was also brought here, and it seemed her treatment was slightly better; at least she was well-fed, unlike the others.

This made Kenichi more certain that his teacher intended to use this girl as a subject for his Reanimation Jutsu.

Kenichi quickly finished his meal.

"Teacher, I'm done eating," Kenichi said as he put down his chopsticks and left. He still had to collect the dishes from those imprisoned in the cells.

But that wasn't the main reason for his eagerness.

"The human brain is fascinating, with memories stored inside, and the subconscious and habits are also related to the brain," Kenichi mused as he walked down the dimly lit staircase.

He was doing something quite unique.

"Yuki, have you finished your meal today?" Kenichi asked, placing his hand on the head of the female ninja in front of him, smiling.

At the same time, lightning chakra gathered in his hand, passing over the imprisoned ninja Yuki, causing her to shiver and look at Kenichi in fear.

Yuki thought these two must be mad, especially the young boy in front of her, who, despite his age, acted like a demon, instilling fear in her.

"I've finished eating," Yuki replied fearfully, her body trembling. If she didn't answer, she would be punished.

Being treated like this every day made Yuki deeply fear Kenichi.

Seeing Yuki tremble, Kenichi's lips curled slightly. This was the effect he wanted.

Kenichi had heard of a scientific experiment called Pavlov's Dog.

The experiment was interesting, showing that after a period of regular training, organisms could develop specific responses to certain stimuli, like salivating at the sound of a bell before being fed, even without food being presented.

This was a kind of instinct, beyond the control of the dog itself.

This is what is known as a conditioned reflex.

Although the ninja world acknowledges the existence of souls, Kenichi wasn't sure if memories were entirely controlled by the brain, but he decided to conduct the experiment casually.

If it worked, great; if not, it didn't matter.

The only trouble was that the experiment required a long time to reinforce the conditioned reflex.

Kenichi found pleasure in the thought of his teacher shivering whenever he casually touched his head.

Of course, that would be very dangerous, but fortunately, he had enough time to arrange what he wanted to do.

After leaving Yuki's cell, Kenichi went to other rooms to tidy up the dishes. Those expendables didn't receive such good treatment.

Being alive was enough, as per the teacher's requirement.

Kenichi deeply agreed.

"A good cook can't do much without rice," Kenichi muttered. Everything cost money after leaving home, and if it weren't for looting some items and wealth during the Nine-Tails' attack, he would be nearly bankrupt.

So, naturally, he had no interest in improving the lives of these expendables.

After collecting the dishes, Kenichi returned to the floor where he and his teacher lived and conducted experiments. His teacher had finished eating and was drinking tea.

Kenichi wasn't surprised; his teacher loved drinking tea, a habit developed at some unknown time.

"Kenichi, do you know about the Land of Rain?" Orochimaru suddenly asked. Kenichi was taken aback, then nodded. He was well aware of the Land of Rain.

He even knew how dangerous the Land of Rain was, with the Akatsuki organization based there. However, he wasn't sure if Hidan was already dead.

The timeline of the ninja world was always a mystery.

"I plan to establish my own force in this chaotic ninja world. There seems to have been some changes in the Land of Rain recently. Go and investigate," Orochimaru said calmly.

"Okay, teacher," Kenichi replied without hesitation. It would be nice to leave the base for a while, though it was a pity about the conditioning of Yuki.

Thinking about it, Kenichi wondered if his teacher had discovered what he was doing to Yuki and deliberately sent him away.

But it was okay; ninjas often needed to go on missions, so he specifically increased Yuki's training every day.

"Then, teacher, I'll be going," Kenichi said as he packed up and left. Contacting the Akatsuki organization in the Land of Rain was inevitable; it was just a matter of time.

Kenichi had planned to implant Obito's eyes, but now it seemed he could wait, especially since he didn't know if Obito would appear in the current Akatsuki. It would be troublesome if Obito saw him.

Fortunately, his research was almost complete, and soon he would obtain the Mangekyō Sharingan. It was uncertain if he could control it, but it was likely controllable.

Watching his disciple leave the base, Orochimaru closed the door and set up several protective barriers and formations. He planned to try his ninjutsu.

The battle with Jiraiya and Hiruzen Sarutobi was not easy, and he had been injured. Now was the time to test the Reanimation Jutsu.

Sorry, relatives came over today, and they talked a lot. I couldn't use the computer until now.

I'll update as soon as possible.

(End of Chapter)