[Low Performance Mode Active]
Hiroki's consciousness felt like it was sinking into the deep sea.The outside world became slow and distant, as if muffled underwater.
The only thing anchoring him to reality was the slowly climbing progress bar—the fragile rope keeping him from falling into the abyss. Every tiny pixel of progress meant one step closer to survival.
The fear hadn't gone away.
Even though the Task Manager forcibly ended the process named panic.exe and suppressed the symptoms of a racing heart and trembling hands, it couldn't delete his deep understanding of death.
It wasn't just fear anymore—it was a cold, rational realization. A truth as fundamental as the system's core code.
Every ten to twenty minutes, fear.exe would relaunch on its own, consuming massive CPU memory.And each time, Hiroki had to manually end it again, over and over, just to stop the system from crashing.
He forced himself to become a machine—emotionless, mechanical, focused on executing one single, absolute command: survive.
Ding Dong.
A pleasant chime echoed in his mind. The progress bar for [Rope-Escape Technique.dat] finally reached 100%.
[The file "Rope-Escape Technique.zip" has finished downloading. Extract now?]
"Install!" Hiroki ordered without hesitation.
A torrent of intricate data surged through his consciousness.
In an instant, it felt like he had lived the life of a man who'd spent decades studying knots and restraints. Every fiber, every type of rope, every tying method and knot structure unfolded in his mind like a complex formula.
His nervous system simulated the ideal muscle angles for breaking bindings. His mind clearly visualized every weak point in the knots around his body.
It was an incredible sensation. His body was still immobile, but his soul had already learned freedom.He could untie the ropes and escape at any moment.
But—not yet.Even if he broke free now, he couldn't defeat these Cloud Ninjas. He had to wait.
Wait… until when?
He didn't know.At least until all three jutsu were copied—and until either Minato or the Anbu caught up.
"Stop."
The Cloud Ninja captain's voice echoed like a death sentence, slicing through Hiroki's fading consciousness.
"We've reached the border. This area's remote—perfect place to dispose of him. Sakuchi, finish it."
So fast!?
Hiroki's mind went into overdrive. The "suspended death sentence" he'd barely earned was already being enforced.
He could feel the killing intent enveloping him.
What do I do?!
His thoughts raced.
The "Captain Wants All the Credit" cache had been cleared. Using it again now wouldn't work—it'd be suspicious.He needed a new exploit. Something primal, unavoidable—rooted in biological instinct!
Physiological instinct…
Wait—got it.
A spark of inspiration shot through his consciousness. He invaded Sakuchi's system again, this time targeting one specific directory:
|BIOS_Physiological_Sensation|
Inside, he found a subfolder named "Bladder Control."No encryption, no complicated programs—just countless temporary cache files recording body sensations.
Then he spotted it: |urine_signal_critical.tmp|
Perfect.
He selected the file, pressed Ctrl+C, and then—Ctrl+V. Ctrl+V. Ctrl+V.
Hundreds of "urgent urge to urinate" signal packets flooded the folder, spamming Sakuchi's sensory processor like a denial-of-service attack.
Instantly, Sakuchi's brain received one overwhelming message: "I need to pee. NOW!"
The kunai in his hand froze midair. His entire body went rigid.
A desperate, almost painful urge surged through him. His legs clenched together, his face contorted.
"U-uh… Captain…" he stammered, voice trembling, "I… I can't hold it anymore! I need to—use the bathroom!"
The captain and another ninja turned, frowning in disgust.
"Useless fool," the captain muttered, waving a hand impatiently. "Go! You have thirty seconds."
Sakuchi didn't need to be told twice. He practically rolled into the nearby bushes.
But just as he disappeared, the captain's expression changed sharply. His instincts screamed—danger.
He snapped his head toward the direction they'd come from.
"Oh no… pursuers! Fast ones—it's Konoha's Anbu!"
"How did they catch up so soon?!"
"No time to think!" the captain barked. "Forget killing the brat—take him with us! Move! Full speed! Out of Fire Country!"
Sakuchi burst from the bushes, scooped up Hiroki, and slung him over his shoulder again.
But before he could take two steps—
"Wait."
The captain's voice was cold. His gaze locked onto Hiroki like a blade.
"Don't you think this is… too convenient?"
Sakuchi froze.
"Outside the village, you suddenly decide the boy's important. Now, just as I order his execution, you're struck by an urgent need to piss?" His tone sharpened. "Coincidences happen once, not twice. Once is luck—twice is a problem."
Hiroki's alertness spiked.
Damn it. The captain was far sharper than expected.
He immediately checked his system—still in Low Performance Mode.Good. Maybe that would help him pass as unconscious.
The captain approached, the scent of blood and sweat thick in the air.He pressed two cold fingers against Hiroki's neck.
The boy's pulse was faint but steady—unnaturally steady for someone facing death.
The captain frowned. His suspicion deepened. Then, abruptly, he pried open Hiroki's eyelids.
The orange sunset filtered through the leaves, reflecting off Hiroki's eyes—eyes utterly still, like lifeless glass beads.
After a long silence, the captain exhaled slowly.
"…Maybe I'm overthinking it." His tone softened, though unease lingered beneath it. "He's probably just a lucky civilian kid."
He turned away, waving his hand. "Enough. Full speed ahead!"
The squad vanished into the forest once more, moving like shadows toward the border.
Hiroki let out a silent breath of relief.
There's still a chance.
Wait for Lightning Release: Pseudo-Darkness to finish copying.Wait for the Anbu.Wait for Minato.Wait—for the right moment.
As night fell, exhaustion finally caught up to the Cloud Ninjas. They stopped in a secluded cave to rest.
Believing they were safe within Lightning Country's borders, they relaxed. To make guarding easier, Sakuchi tied the "unconscious" Hiroki and Kushina back to back, resting one foot on Hiroki's body as he sat.
The rough rope bit into Hiroki's arms—but he barely noticed.
Because the instant his arm brushed against Kushina's back, a soft blue pop-up window appeared in his mind.
Ding Dong.
[New device detected: "Uzumaki Kushina." Would you like to connect?]