The sharp scent of disinfectant.The rough texture of hospital sheets.A dull ache weighed down every limb, like his entire body had been drained of life itself.
When Hiroki Sawada's consciousness finally clawed its way up from the depths of darkness, the first thing he saw was the system prompt floating in his mind.
[Warning: Battery level below 5%. System forced into hibernation.][Recommendation: Please connect to a power source immediately.][Connected. Current adapter insufficient — performance may be limited to prevent battery drain.][Charging…]
"...Insufficient power, huh?"
Hiroki gave a wry smile. Everything—even the warnings—still sounded like a computer interface.
A quick glance showed his battery at a meager 6%. That must be why he'd finally regained consciousness.
So, in low-performance mode, he could technically "wake up" at any time. But when the battery hit zero and forced a full hibernation… that meant he was truly unconscious.
Note to self: never, ever let the power drop that low again.
He opened his eyes with some effort. The first thing he saw was the pristine white ceiling of Konoha Hospital. A transparent IV line trailed from his hand to a bottle hanging beside the bed.
IV drip… right. Guess that's my underpowered adapter.
Sunlight streamed softly through the window, filling the room with a warm, drowsy glow. Instinctively, Hiroki raised a weak hand to shield his eyes.
"…Hiroki?"
A voice—hoarse, shaky, full of relief—broke the silence.
He turned his head and saw Kushina Uzumaki slumped beside his bed, her face streaked with dried tears. She must have dozed off while crying. At the sound of his movement, her puffy red eyes blinked open—confused at first, then overflowing with joy.
"Hiroki! You're awake! You're finally awake!"
She shot up so fast that her chair clattered to the floor behind her. Not that she cared—her trembling hands gripped the bedrail tightly, her voice breaking between sobs and laughter.
"You scared me to death… The doctor said it was just chakra exhaustion, but you were out for a whole day and night… I—"
Her words dissolved into hiccups.
Watching her cry and scold and stumble over her words, Hiroki couldn't help but smile faintly. A strange warmth spread through his chest.
In his previous life—as a worn-out programmer—no one had ever worried about him like this except his parents. Whether he liked it or not, whether he admitted it or not, his bond with Kushina was now something unshakable.
He couldn't just sit back and let her die when the Nine-Tails was extracted from her in the future.
His plan for a quiet, uneventful life had been completely destroyed.
He had to get stronger—Strong enough to change what he knew was coming.Strong enough to intervene when Uchiha Obito attacked.
"I'm fine," Hiroki croaked. His voice was hoarse and thin, every word scraping out of a dry throat. "Just… hungry."
Very hungry.
"I'll call a doctor! I'll get you something to eat!" Kushina wiped at her face, spun toward the door—
"Hey, wait," Hiroki said weakly. "Thanks… for staying here with me. You've been watching over me for a while, haven't you?"
She froze mid-step, then turned back.
The pale boy on the bed was smiling faintly at her. For some reason, her cheeks flared red. She shook her head hard, puffed out her chest, and tried to sound indignant.
"S-stupid! What are you talking about? I should be thanking you! You—you were amazing back there!"
Her voice trailed off as her blush deepened. Then, scowling to cover it up, she huffed, "Hmph! I'll go get your food!" and bolted from the room like she was fleeing a battlefield.
Hiroki chuckled softly. Such a kid.
Then he glanced down at himself.
His body—previously healthy—looked almost skeletal now. Every bit of fat was gone, leaving only thin skin stretched tight over bone and muscle.
Kushina hadn't mentioned it at all. Maybe she was being considerate.
So the "battery" really is just my body fat, he thought grimly. Makes sense, I guess—energy consumption and all that. Guess I don't have to worry about getting fat…
But then another thought struck him.
Still, how did my charge drop so fast?
Not even a full minute of "High Performance Mode," and he'd crashed completely.
Probably a bug—something unstable about the Lightning Release: Pseudo Darkness technique he'd copied. Maybe it overloaded his system during execution.
He was still pondering when someone knocked on the door twice.
"Come in," he said.
The door opened, and a familiar head of blond hair peeked in.
Minato Namikaze entered, that calm, gentle smile on his face softening with relief.
"Thank goodness, Hiroki-kun. You're awake."
But his blue eyes held something else—confusion, maybe admiration, maybe something unspoken.
Minato hesitated for a moment, then pulled a chair close and sat beside the bed. Leaning forward slightly, he met Hiroki's gaze.
"I have a question," he said quietly. "And… I'm not sure if I should ask it."
"Go ahead." Hiroki nodded. He knew this wasn't just a courtesy visit. His connection to Minato wasn't close enough for that.
"I followed Uzumaki-san's hair trail all the way to the cave," Minato said softly. "By the time I arrived, the battle was over."
He paused. "I checked the bodies. Both were killed instantly—pierced clean through by the same jutsu."
His tone grew cautious. "That technique… it was Lightning Release: Pseudo Darkness, wasn't it? A B-rank ninjutsu from the Hidden Cloud. I've read about it before."
There it was.
Hiroki studied Minato's expression. The older boy's face was calm, but his eyes were searching—probing for answers.
Why would a Konoha Academy student know a Cloud Village secret technique?
Was Minato testing him? Or had he simply put the pieces together?
Hiroki took a slow breath. Under Minato's watchful gaze, he could tell the young genius was hoping—almost wanting—him to deny it.
Because the alternative was unthinkable.
A Konoha student using enemy ninjutsu? Captured with Kushina, yet escaping unharmed? The easiest explanation would be that he was a spy.
But instead of denying it, Hiroki met Minato's eyes.
And said evenly,
"Yeah. That was Lightning Release: Pseudo Darkness."