"I need to learn ninjutsu that matches my chakra attributes," Hiroki said. "And… I'll need the Shadow Clone Technique."
Orochimaru's thin smile widened. "Of course."
He wasn't about to refuse — not when this was exactly the opportunity he'd been waiting for. To observe Hiroki Sawada's bloodline ability up close, to see how it truly worked.
Moments later, several assistants dragged a man into the center of the room. He was strapped to a reinforced chair, eyes covered by a black cloth, body covered in talismans and electrodes monitoring every physical response.
Orochimaru folded his arms and studied Hiroki, anticipation gleaming in his eyes.
He wanted to know everything — how Hiroki accessed memories, how he processed data. Did he need a specific target, or could he browse through a person's mind like a hard drive?
And right now, the perfect test subject sat before him.
Hiroki glanced at the bound man, then looked at Orochimaru for confirmation.
"He has what you want," Orochimaru said simply.
Hiroki nodded, stepped forward, and placed a hand on the man's shoulder.
[Ding—]
[New connectable device detected: "Yakushi Jiro." Temporary link established via Chakra Communication Protocol.]
[Access target's memory drive?]
Hiroki mentally selected [Yes].
Instantly, a glowing interface unfolded before him — the file structure of Yakushi Jiro's mind.
[Folder: Medical Ninjutsu]
[Folder: Combat Ninjutsu]
A mental directory? Hiroki's eyebrows rose. He quickly opened the Combat Ninjutsu folder.
[File: Shadow Clone Technique.exe]
[File: Basic Physical Skills.dat]
[File: Wind Style – Vacuum Sphere (Mastery Level).exe]
His heart skipped. Shadow Clone Technique!
With this, he could multitask — analyze and code simultaneously, distribute mental processes across multiple clones.
He couldn't help but grin. This was a divine-level skill, invaluable for training, reconnaissance, even combat.
Without hesitation, Hiroki selected [Wind Style – Vacuum Sphere (Mastery Level).exe], then pressed Ctrl + C.
[Copying… Calculating required time and space.][Total: 3 files | Size: 19.5MB][Transferring data from: Yakushi Jiro → Sawada Hiroki | Destination: Memory Drive | Folder: Ninjutsu Backup]
| File Name | Size | Estimated Time |
| ------------------------------ | ----- | -------------- |
| Basic Physical Skills.dat | 1.2MB | 1m 15s |
| Shadow Clone Technique.exe | 8.5MB | 8m 30s |
| Wind Style – Vacuum Sphere.exe | 9.8MB | 9m 45s |
But just as the copying began, the man in the chair convulsed. His head twitched, as though he suddenly felt Hiroki's presence in his mind.
At that instant, a red warning flashed across Hiroki's consciousness.
[Error: Target file access locked. Administrator privileges required.][Copy failed.]
What?!
A sudden burst of panic. Did his awareness trigger the firewall?
Hiroki's gaze flicked to Orochimaru — who watched in eerie silence. If Orochimaru realized Hiroki couldn't even copy from a restrained target…
No. I can't stop now.
If this man's mind was the computer, then being restrained meant his defenses were down — no active firewalls. Just force a system crash.
Without hesitation, Hiroki executed one of his own mental programs.
[Running Brain_Overload_Script.bat…]
Yakushi Jiro's body went rigid. Every muscle froze. Behind the blindfold, his eyes turned vacant. Consciousness—terminated.
Hiroki skimmed the man's mental cache:
[I've been caught!.log]
[Someone's in my head!.log]
[Memory_Seal_Activated!.log]
No need to open them — the names said it all. So he did know sensitive information.
And sure enough—
[Recalculating required time and space… Copying resumed.]
The progress bar reappeared, data flowing freely this time.
Hiroki smirked. So, as long as the target's mind is stunned, I can bypass permissions.
A potential exploit — worth remembering.
He switched to High-Performance Mode.
[Warning: Battery consumption increased. Ensure sufficient power.]
He ignored it. Speed first.
Moments later, a torrent of new data flooded his mind — the structure of Medical Ninjutsu: Mystical Palm Technique. Every pathway, every cell manipulation, every chakra flow.
But something felt… off.
The deeper he read, the more inconsistencies he found. Missing experiential data, theoretical gaps. The "Mastery" label didn't match the actual proficiency.
Wait… who labeled this?
Then it clicked.
These tags aren't objective—they're self-assigned!
The "Mastery Level" wasn't system-determined; it was Yakushi Jiro's own belief about his skill. Meaning, every copied file reflected the owner's self-perception, not reality.
Which meant the wrong file could be a trap—corrupted data, false expertise, even mental malware.
He made a mental note: build an antivirus for future downloads.
The transfer completed. Hiroki even skimmed an encrypted archive:
[memory.zip] (encrypted)
[Folder: Personal Memory]
Before he could investigate, Orochimaru's voice sounded behind him.
"Finished?"
Hiroki released his hand and nodded. "Yes."
Under the astonished gazes of Orochimaru's researchers, he formed hand seals — fluid, confident, natural.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!"
He inhaled, then exhaled sharply. Compressed air bullets blasted from his mouth, slamming into the far wall and leaving deep craters.
The lab fell silent.
Orochimaru's eyes burned with fascination. "Incredible…"
It had taken mere minutes — and Hiroki had already mastered it. No training, no repetition — just raw data replication.
Perfect, Orochimaru thought. This is the power I've been seeking.
Meanwhile, Hiroki checked his internal monitor.
[Battery: 99%]
Only a 1% drop — even with high performance mode active.
He smiled faintly. So, I really can analyze and execute ninjutsu instantly.
Far beneath Konoha, in the Root division's underground base…
Shimura Danzo's office was as dark and silent as ever.
A masked Root operative knelt on one knee. "Lord Danzo, permission to enter Orochimaru's lab. He's withholding information about Hiroki Sawada — clearly plotting something."
Danzo didn't respond immediately. He closed his one visible eye, deep in thought.
Orochimaru's secrecy didn't bother him — not yet. Once the Third Hokage's chosen successor took office, both he and Hiruzen would retire. Orochimaru would naturally take over Root.
Assuming nothing… unfortunate happens to the successor.
And Hiroki Sawada? A talented ten-year-old boy was hardly a concern. No one escaped Danzo's grasp for long.
Still… something nagged at him.
Yakushi Jiro… that traitor's brother.
He remembered — the one who leaked intel to the Hidden Cloud. How else would they have known about Konoha's new Jinchūriki candidate?
Danzo's lone eye narrowed.
A traitor's kin… captured by Orochimaru himself.
Interesting.
He turned to the kneeling operative. "Very well. Go — but remember who you serve. No unnecessary actions."
"Yes, Lord Danzo!"