Wi-Fi Network List
| Shanzhongcai – Secured – Signal: Medium |
| Ayumenfū – Secured – Signal: Weak |
| Aburame Ryōma – Secured – Signal: Weak |
| Yamanaka Sanmaru – Secured – Signal: Weak |
| Uchiha Inu – Secured – Signal: Weak |…
Most of these signal sources had prefixes like Yamanaka and Aburame—the names of Konoha's most secretive clans.
Considering Namikaze Minato's involvement, the Cloud Village kidnappers, and these clan identifiers, Hiroki quickly made a logical guess:
These so-called "Wi-Fi signals" were most likely his system's visual representation of other people's chakra perception networks.
After all, those clans were famous for their sensory abilities.
The Yamanaka clan, for instance, were renowned for their mental techniques across the ninja world—their mind-transfer and communication abilities were practically a spiritual version of Hiroki's own.
The Aburame clan, meanwhile, used insects for communication and surveillance. They rarely appeared in the original comics, but every ninja knew how terrifying their detection capabilities were.
Which meant…
At this very moment, Hiroki Sawada was being monitored by at least six or seven sensory-type ninjas.
His stomach dropped.
He had known he made a scene this time—the village was bound to keep an eye on him—but this level of surveillance was beyond what he'd imagined.
Taking a slow breath, he forced himself to calm down.
No… think it through, he told himself. Even if they're watching, I shouldn't be the main target. Most of their focus should be on Kushina Uzumaki.
He was probably just a secondary subject of observation.
Besides, when Minato found them before, he had sensed the kidnappers' chakra from far away. That meant these ninja weren't necessarily watching him directly.
Reassured, Hiroki dove back into his golden finger's interface.
He turned his thoughts into a cursor and clicked on [Shanzhongcai – Secured – Signal: Medium], the strongest signal in range.
[Connecting… Connected.]
Almost instantly, a familiar window appeared: [Yamanaka Fū's Computer].
Bingo.
A surge of excitement shot through Hiroki as he quickly opened the [Temp] folder—the section representing real-time thoughts.
File names began refreshing one after another:
| Meditating in the dormitory. Chakra stable.log |
| Nothing unusual. Could a kid like this really kill a jōnin?.log |
| Hokage-sama's orders. He may have a spiritually aware kekkei genkai. Could he be a branch of our clan?.log |
| Can read minds and copy ninjutsu? Also capable of remote communication? Sounds too much like our secret technique.log |
Hiroki's pupils tightened.
So they were ANBU.
And worse—they already had a working theory about his ability: mind-reading, ninjutsu replication, remote mental communication.
So they really are investigating me…
He tried opening one of the .log files.
Can read minds and copy ninjutsu? Also capable of remote communication? Sounds too much like our secret technique.log"According to intelligence, this child seems capable of memory reading. It's best to apply mental protection immediately."
What?!
His eyes widened.
They've already figured that much out? And what's this about mental protection?!
He frowned. He didn't sense any "protection" at all—or maybe it wasn't applied to their temporary folders. Cache folders usually didn't have access restrictions, after all.
Curious, he opened the other party's [D Drive (Memory Drive)].
Sure enough, it was filled with alluring folders:
[Yamanaka Clan Secret Techniques][ANBU Interrogation Methods][Mind-Link Communication Network Settings]
But no matter which one he clicked on, the same message appeared:
[Access denied. Administrator privileges required to copy this data.]
Figures.
The mental protection was blocking him from copying any clan secrets.
He could see the treasure—but it was locked behind glass.
With a sigh, Hiroki switched targets and tried connecting to another signal: [Aburame Fū – Secured – Signal: Weak]
[Connecting… Connected.]
He opened the Temp folder.
| No abnormalities. Target's mood stable.log |
| Did he really kill a jōnin? Unbelievable.log |
| Caution: target may possess reverse-perception and mind-reading capabilities. Remain vigilant.log|
| Monitoring bloodline-limit subjects is such a pain. I want some honey.log |
| Want to go home. Want to go home. Want to go home.log |
"I really want to go home. Heard the tribe found a new insect species… when can I see it?"
Hiroki blinked. Okay, that one's… kind of relatable.
He tried opening the Memory Drive again—only to be met with the same cold response:
[Access denied. Administrator privileges required to copy this data.]
"Tch…"
If all copying attempts were blocked like this, then his power was far more limited than he'd hoped.
Did that mean he could only copy from people he had close physical contact with—friends, allies, or restrained enemies?
That was impractical.
And if his ability became known, the whole ninja world would treat him like a walking security breach. How was he supposed to copy ninjutsu then?
If he couldn't copy, he couldn't grow. And if he couldn't grow—how was he supposed to survive in this world?
Just as frustration began bubbling up—
Knock, knock.
"Come in," he called out automatically.
The door opened—and Hiroki froze.
Standing in the doorway, wearing the Hokage's robes and holding a pipe, was none other than the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
…Why is he here?!
"Hokage-sama!" Hiroki immediately tried to get out of bed and bow.
"No need for that, child," Sarutobi said with a kind smile, gesturing for him to stay put. He sat down beside the bed, the faint scent of tobacco curling around him. "How are you feeling?"
"I've recovered completely. Thank you for your concern, Hokage-sama."
"That's good to hear." The Third nodded, pulling a folded document from his robe. His smile faded slightly, replaced by a calm seriousness.
"I came here today to inform you of two things."
He handed over the paper.
"First—given the remarkable performance you, Namikaze Minato, and Uzumaki Kushina showed during the recent Kumogakure incident, the village council has decided to grant you early graduation from the Ninja Academy."
Hiroki froze mid-reach. His heart skipped.
There it is. Goodbye, peaceful civilian life.
The Third raised two fingers.
"Second—to ensure the fairness of this decision, and to properly evaluate your abilities, the village will arrange a special graduation assessment for the three of you."
"I've already sent word to Minato and Kushina," he added, watching Hiroki with a gentle but sharp gaze. "You'll be informed separately when the exam is scheduled."
Compared to Minato and Kushina, Sarutobi found the boy before him even more intriguing.
Anyone who would risk himself to protect his comrades—and trust his back to the village—was not a bad person.
He rose to leave, hand on the doorknob, when he suddenly paused and looked back.
"Oh, one more thing, Hiroki-kun."
"There are… differing opinions in the village regarding your bloodline limit." His voice softened, but his eyes turned unreadable. "Some believe it may be dangerous."
A faint smile curved his lips—kind, but layered with meaning.
"So, during this assessment, you'd better demonstrate something… less dangerous to prove yourself."
"Perform well. Don't disappoint me—and try not to disappoint certain others either."
With that cryptic remark, he opened the door and left, the faint smell of tobacco lingering in the air.
Hiroki sat there, gripping the early graduation notice, cold sweat slicking his palms.
There was definitely something else hidden behind the Hokage's words.
Less dangerous?
Was he referring to Lightning Release: False Darkness? Or his Kekkei Genkai itself? What exactly did "prove yourself" mean?
"Something less dangerous"… "Don't let certain people down too much"…
This wasn't a normal exam.
The Third's tone wasn't that of a leader talking to a child—it was like a warning.
Who are these 'certain people'? he wondered. Don't tell me Konoha's politics have already caught up to me?
Danzo, you old fossil—don't tell me you've got your eye on me now!
Why did that man always sniff out talented kids like some kind of talent-hungry vulture?!
Hiroki groaned inwardly.
So what did the Hokage mean by "something less dangerous"? Did he want Hiroki to come up with new techniques to prove his worth—but not too threateningly?
Just what were those two old men—Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo—trying to test?
Couldn't they stop speaking in riddles for once?!
Seriously, who talks like that to a ten-year-old?!
If it were anyone else, they'd have no idea what the Third Hokage was even trying to say!