Ding-dong.
[New connectable host detected: Kakuzu. Temporary link established through Chakra Communication Protocol.]
[Open and view files?]
Hiroki's fingers brushed over the thin sheet of Kakuzu's discarded skin—so fragile it felt like it would tear with a poke—when the system prompt chimed crisply in his mind.
Even like this… just skin…As long as the host isn't fully dead, the system can still connect?
Hiroki blinked, genuinely surprised.Then he selected "Yes."
A familiar interface unfolded in his consciousness.
C: Drive (System Disk)D: Drive (Memory Disk)
The usual System folder.A Thought Cache directory.Hiroki let out a small breath of relief.
Even a bizarre creature like Kakuzu—with his stitched body and distributed chakra organs functioning like a cluster of server nodes—still followed the same fundamental architecture as every other "living computer" in this world.
Good.Predictable.
He navigated quickly to Kakuzu's Ninjutsu folder.
This one was cleaner than any he'd ever opened. Everything was meticulously sorted: general memory logs, a library of personal experiences, and even a highlighted index of important events.
Kakuzu's combat data, battle records, and personal contacts all had their own folders.
Hiroki scanned the list rapidly.He understood exactly what he was looking at:
A century's worth of accumulated knowledge—every technique, every scar, every secret of a creature that refused to die.
But now wasn't the time to leisurely browse someone else's life like an online marketplace.
Kakuzu's skin wasn't going anywhere. He could copy the Earth Grudge core files later, whenever he wanted.
Right now…He needed to deal with Orochimaru.
At that moment, Orochimaru's golden eyes locked onto him—sharp, unreadable.
Kushina and Nawaki were still recovering from the shock, but their eyes were glued to Hiroki.
How did he do that?
That was Kakuzu.
Even Orochimaru himself wouldn't confidently claim he could escape from Kakuzu at this point in his life.
A moment ago everything had been falling apart…
And then Hiroki stepped into fire, seized control of Kakuzu's tentacles, hijacked his elemental masks, and made them turn on each other like puppets.
Orochimaru watched him with a complicated expression.
He knew Hiroki wasn't physically strong.He lacked chakra reserves.His taijutsu was weak.His battle experience was thin.
But Hiroki had terrifying advantages:
He could copy ninjutsu.He could read memories without effort.He could destroy a person's mind with a single glance.He could seize control of an enemy's body parts from across the battlefield.
If Hiroki lived long enough to grow up, Orochimaru doubted he—or anyone—could ever surpass him.
Was this the true face of a kekkei genkai?
Orochimaru inhaled slowly, forcing his voice to steady.
He didn't rush forward to interrogate Hiroki.Instead, he summoned a giant snake to clear the battlefield and motioned for the three children to prepare to move.
Every second they stayed here increased the chance of another ambush.
"I'll erase as many traces as I can. You three, check for anything we missed. Then we head to the rendezvous point—exactly as Lord Danzo instructed."
His voice, rough like scraping scales, cut through the silence.He shot Hiroki one last look.
"We'll talk on the way."
Hiroki nodded and drew his hand back.
Inside his mind, he issued the command to copy Earth-Grudge_Core Driver.dll.
The progress bar crawled forward—estimated completion: 50 minutes.
While walking, he split his focus between following Orochimaru and maintaining the background copy process.
Nawaki trudged behind them silently.
Kakuzu's voice—"I'll take the brat's life"—echoed in his head.If not for Hiroki, he would already be a corpse.
Hiroki, barely ten… two years younger than him…Had saved him, saved Orochimaru, and dismantled an S-class threat.
The weight of that truth pressed on Nawaki like a mountain.
His dream of becoming Hokage suddenly felt naïve.Heavy.Almost foolish.
For the first time, he felt truly ordinary.
Just a kid.
…
Kushina kept glancing at Hiroki's profile.
She could barely reconcile him with the quiet, polite boy who avoided group activities at school… and the boy who had just made a legendary criminal's summons slaughter each other.
It felt like her favorite toy had transformed into something powerful and unfamiliar.
A cold urgency flooded her chest.
She peeked at Orochimaru.
At Nawaki.
Both staring at Hiroki.
Everyone was looking at him.
If I don't work harder… I'll be left behind.
She clenched her fists.
Even if she wasn't destined to become Hokage…Even if she couldn't match Hiroki's talent…She refused to stand still.
She would keep up.
…
After ten minutes of weaving through dense rainforest, the group reached a small, concealed cave—one of Root's preset safe houses.
Finally, they stopped to rest.
Hiroki's copy progress hit 98%…
And then shadows flickered at the cave entrance.
Figures emerged silently—ghostlike.
At their head:
Danzo Shimura, leaning on his cane, one eye hidden beneath a bandage.
His gaze swept over the team with predatory precision.
Orochimaru was a mess—burn scars, cuts from wind release, scorch marks, holes in his clothing.
Nawaki looked crushed, utterly defeated.
Kushina wasn't injured badly, but she looked shaken.
And Hiroki…
Hiroki looked like something out of a nightmare.
He was carrying a rolled sheet of Kakuzu's tanned skin.A severed hand hung from his belt, wrapped in cables of dark chakra like exposed wiring.A spear of hardened black tendrils rested in his grip—and skewered along its length were five masks.
Even Danzo's trained, expressionless face twitched—just slightly.
This was supposed to be the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain.
What on earth had they been fighting?
His single exposed eye fixed squarely on Hiroki.
"Orochimaru," Danzo rasped, voice drier than before."Explain. Now."
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