Configuring Windows Updates

[Configuring Windows updates...]

[99% complete]

[Do not turn off your computer]

The only pursuit in Sawada Hiroki's life was to lead a stable and quiet existence, much like a plant.

Soak up the sun, space out, don't participate, don't take initiative, don't take responsibility, and quietly complete photosynthesis until the end of his life cycle.

This was the only correct life plan he had tailored for himself as a transmigrator, after spending nine years observing this world filled with murderous intent while burdened by a progress bar that had been stuck at 99%.

Damn it all to hell! Nine years!

From the moment Hiroki opened his eyes and realized he had gone from a man approaching forty in the corporate grind to a war orphan in Konoha, that damned progress bar had been floating in his consciousness, never changing.

[Configuring Windows updates...]

[99% complete]

[Do not turn off your computer]

At first, he was ecstatic. What was this? This was a golden finger!! This was the standard system for a transmigrator! This was the foundation for him to establish himself in this dangerous Naruto world!

Then came the long wait.

He waited for a day, a week, a month.

The progress bar didn't budge.

He waited for a year, three years, five years.

That "99%" seemed welded in place, carrying a sense of eternal, unchanging mockery, reminding him day and night: you have a golden finger, but it just won't finish loading—isn't that infuriating?

Today, Hiroki is nine years old.

He has waited for nine whole years! Even a Windows update shouldn't take nine years! In short—Hiroki has completely stopped holding any expectations for this thing.

It is a bug, a defective piece of soul that followed him through transmigration, a compressed file that can never be extracted.

Life, in the end, must be relied upon by oneself.

And as an ordinary war orphan who neither carries the name Uchiha nor Senju, and lacks red hair, the best way to survive in this world where bloodline is supreme is—to lie flat completely and stay away from all trouble.

Especially staying away from those guys whose names appeared in the original work and who wear the "plot character" label on their heads.

"Hey! Sawada Hiroki! You're spacing out in the hallway again!!"

A vibrant, energetic shout, which sounded incredibly grating to Hiroki's ears at this moment, interrupted his train of thought.

He didn't even need to turn around to know who it was.

A head of long, flame-red hair, as flamboyant, fiery, and full of vitality as she was.

She is Uzumaki Kushina, the "outsider" of Konoha, his nominal classmate, and the number one existence on his list of "high-risk plot characters" to strictly avoid.

Because she is the future Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the biological mother of the future protagonist, and the wife of the man hailed as the most perfect ninja in the shinobi world—Uzumaki Kushina.

Her influence on the plot is simply number one in the current era.

"Walking without looking where you're going is dangerous, Little Pepper." Hiroki didn't even lift his eyelids, stepping aside with precision to let the rushing Kushina pass, his mouth subconsciously spitting out the nickname circulating in class.

He generally didn't like calling people by nicknames.

But since everyone else did, if he didn't, wouldn't he seem like an outcast? What if that affected the plot and he couldn't survive?

"Don't call me Pepper! You bean sprout!"

Kushina bristled as expected; she hated it when others brought up her red hair and round face.

She stopped in front of Hiroki, huffing with her hands on her hips like an angry kitten, "The teacher told us to gather at the back mountain for extracurricular shuriken practice. Are you trying to slack off and sneak away again?"

"That's not called slacking off," Hiroki adjusted his non-existent glasses, saying with the weary tone of someone who had seen through the world, "That's called 'strategic avoidance of collective activities,' a necessary means to maintain inner peace."

"I don't understand that! Just hurry up and come with me!" Kushina ignored his sophistry and grabbed his wrist with surprising strength, "If you dare to sneak away again today, I will... I will pull out all your hair!"

The warm sensation on his wrist made Hiroki frown involuntarily.

This wouldn't do—he was hiding here specifically to avoid interacting with the plot characters in his class!

He wasn't in an ordinary class, after all. More than half of his classmates were war orphans, and more importantly—Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, also war orphans, were in this very class.

Hiroki shook his hand, but couldn't break free.

The constitution of the Uzumaki Clan, even in childhood, was far beyond that of an ordinary person like him.

Hiroki shook his hand again, still unable to break free, so he could only sigh helplessly and say, "Fine, let go. I'll walk on my own."

Getting involved with Uzumaki Kushina was definitely the biggest accident in his life plan.

As a war orphan, he intentionally kept a low profile and was completely inconspicuous in class, while Kushina, due to her status as an outsider and her red hair, had become the center of isolation and bullying.

Hiroki didn't want trouble, so he never participated; he neither bullied her nor helped her. He just wanted to be a quiet plant.

But he was always dragged into her world by the little girl without a word, forced to accompany her in her antics.

Heaven knows why, even though he had followed the trend and started calling her "Little Pepper."

Perhaps, for Kushina, who was also an orphan, this peer who was always quiet, seemingly harmless, and withdrawn was the only one who didn't look at her with strange eyes.

Sawada Hiroki sighed inwardly, finally giving up his resistance and letting Kushina pull him toward the mountain behind the Ninja Academy.

Forget it, it's just shuriken practice; there shouldn't be any danger.

However, he clearly underestimated the "plot character's" natural ability to attract trouble.

The practice session was as dull as ever.

Hiroki used mediocre results to hide himself perfectly within the crowd.

Kushina, on the other hand, was so eager to show off that her performance was a complete mess, drawing mockery from several boys in the class.

After the practice ended, the sky began to darken.

Kushina, moved to tears by anger, rushed away from the crowd alone, running toward the deeper forest in the opposite direction of the village.

"Don't bother with her, that Red Pepper."

"Exactly, let's just go home."

The classmates left in twos and threes, and no one went after her. The instructor in charge also had matters at home, so after giving a few reminders to stay safe, he returned to the village first.

Hiroki stood where he was, watching the direction in which Kushina had disappeared, his brows tightly locked.

His reason was screaming wildly: Run! Sawada Hiroki! This is a sign of trouble! She is the future Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, a natural trouble magnet! If you get involved with her, your peaceful plant-like life will be over!

He turned around and took a step.

One step, two steps...

He stopped.

In his mind, the image surfaced of the red-haired girl shoving a piece of bread at him at school, fiercely saying, "I'm not pitying you, you just look as skinny as a bean sprout."

He also pictured her secretly wiping away tears after being mocked, only to immediately puff out her chest and pretend nothing had happened the moment she saw him.

Hiroki realized he couldn't just turn and leave; he was, after all, an adult from the modern world.

Adults are the least capable of watching children cry.

"...Damn it."

Why is she so easily moved to tears? It was just a few words, wasn't it?

Hiroki cursed under his breath, finally resigning himself to his fate as he turned around and chased after her into the depths of the forest.

Just consider it... watering a plant.

The light in the forest grew dimmer, and the surroundings became increasingly quiet, leaving only the rustling of the wind through the leaves.

Hiroki's footsteps were light, and he followed the traces on the ground, moving forward with caution.

He wasn't worried about Kushina; that girl had boundless energy, her taijutsu grades were excellent, and her physical constitution was terrifyingly strong.

He was only afraid that she would have an emotional breakdown alone and cause some kind of mess.

Suddenly, a very faint sound of something cutting through the air came from the canopy behind him.

Years of caution made him roll on the ground without a second thought!

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two cold-glinting kunai grazed his scalp, pinning themselves exactly where he had been standing a moment ago!

Hiroki's heart jumped into his throat, and a cold chill shot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

Not a beast! It's a ninja!

He looked up abruptly to see three ninjas wearing unfamiliar tactical vests and headbands, dropping from the trees like ghosts and surrounding him in a triangle formation.

On their headbands were three parallel lightning bolts—the symbol of Kumogakure!

"Oh? There's actually a fish that slipped through the net." The lead Cloud Ninja's voice was hoarse, carrying a hint of cat-and-mouse playfulness. "Bad luck, kid."

Hiroki's mind went blank.

Cloud Ninja? Why are they here? Could it be...

A terrifying thought rose in his mind.

Their target is Kushina! Because of the Uzumaki Clan's powerful vitality and unique chakra! This is... a kidnapping!

Right, this is the Cloud Ninja kidnapping incident!

The Cloud Ninjas crossed the Konoha barrier to head to Kushina's residence and capture her, hoping to turn her into the Jinchuriki for the Eight-Tails!

Jinchuriki, in this era, were equivalent to human nuclear weapons for every nation!

Damn it! Why did I have to run into this at a time like this!

Why do I always run into the plot?

According to probability, with a population of two or three hundred thousand in Konoha, the chance of me encountering a plot-relevant character of the right age should be less than one in ten thousand, and in terms of time, there have only been a few dangerous events since the founding of Konoha.

To think such a slim probability could actually land on me? Why wasn't I this lucky when I was pulling for gacha cards!?

"Grab him, and don't let him make a sound." The lead Cloud Ninja waved his hand, and the other two immediately closed in.

Hiroki felt as if the blood in his entire body was about to freeze.

He was just a nine-year-old student at the ninja academy who couldn't even master the Three Basic Jutsu, while the people in front of him were three experienced ninjas from an enemy village!

Run? Where could he run?

Fight back? With what?

The massive gap in strength brought a suffocating sense of despair. For the first time, the shadow of death loomed over him so realistically.

"Wait!"

Just then, a tearful, trembling cry came from the bushes not far away—it was Kushina.

Ah, she hadn't been caught? She hadn't gone home yet!?

Hiroki was stunned!—No, why are you coming out now! Since you saw them, you should have gone to report it to the Anbu or the Hokage's office!

But the red-haired girl had already stepped out. She gripped a kunai tightly in her hand, her small face pale, yet she still stubbornly blocked the path in front of Hiroki.

"You... are not allowed... not allowed to bully him!"

When the lead Cloud Ninja saw Kushina, a flash of greedy joy crossed his eyes: "Red hair... a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan. I thought we'd have to put in more effort to find her! This is great, it fell right into our laps without any effort at all!"

It's over.

It's completely over now.

Hiroki looked at the small, trembling back blocking him, and the feeling that welled up in his heart wasn't being touched, but a profound bitterness at being dragged into this mess.

See? This is the consequence of getting involved with plot-relevant characters!

One Cloud Ninja vanished from his spot in an instant, appearing behind Kushina the next second. With a clean, swift motion, he delivered a hand-chop to the back of her neck.

Kushina didn't even let out a whimper before she went limp and collapsed, only to be hoisted onto the Cloud Ninja's shoulder.

"As for this brat..." The lead Cloud Ninja looked at Hiroki, his murderous intent fully exposed, "Take him along too. Once we're out of the village, find a place to dispose of him! We can't leave any traces in a place like this!"

Another Cloud Ninja grinned hideously, walking toward Hiroki step by step. The kunai in his hand reflected a deadly, cold light in the dim surroundings.

Death was closing in.

Hiroki's body was paralyzed by fear. His brain was frantically searching for a countermeasure, but it remained a complete blank.

He was going to die. Even if not right this second, he would be dead the moment they dragged him out of the village.

Nine years since he transmigrated, nine years of being cautious, only to end up dying in a flashback scene from Kushina's life...

How ridiculous.

The progress bar that had been stuck in his consciousness for nine whole years finally, at this very moment, gave a gentle twitch.

[99%...]

It changed to...

[100%]

[Updating, please do not turn off your computer. This may take some time.]

Ding-dong—!

A crisp, pleasant system startup sound, as if coming from another world, exploded in Hiroki's mind!

The world before his eyes was instantly covered in a familiar deep blue!

His thoughts seemed to be accelerated, accelerated, and accelerated again without limit. Everything around him seemed to have frozen in amber. The hideous grin on the Cloud Ninja's face stalled, and his movements became incredibly slow.

[Hello]

[Preparing for you, this may take a few minutes]

The loading animation on the screen rotated elegantly.

But Hiroki couldn't feel elegant at all.

Hello? Hello my ass! I'm fucking dying here! A few minutes? The opportunity will have long passed by then!

Hiroki roared frantically in his mind, but the calmness he had cultivated over his forty years of life told him that this might be his only chance at survival.

This thing that had been trolling him for nine years had finally started up at the most impossible, yet most critical, moment.

[Is this the correct country (region)?]

[Naruto-Land of Fire-Konohagakure]

Yes! Yes! It absolutely is! Please, can you just hurry up!

Hiroki used every ounce of his strength to scream in his mind as he selected [Yes]. He didn't know what this thing was, but now he could only choose to believe and cooperate.

[Is this input method layout suitable? "(>^ω^<) Thought Input"]

Suitable! It's perfect! Can you stop asking questions! Hiroki felt his soul trembling as he selected [Yes].

[Let us connect to the network for you!]

[Ninja World Chakra Internet 1 connected]

[Please review the license agreement:]

[Last updated: Year 1 of (>^ω^<)]

Immediately, a dense wall of user agreement terms, long enough to be outrageous, instantly plastered across the blue screen. The corner of Sawada Hiroki's eye twitched violently.

Are you kidding me?! Who has the mood to read this at a time like this! He didn't hesitate to turn his consciousness into a mouse wheel, scrolling all the way to the bottom and "clicking" hard on the sole [Accept] button.

I'd sign a contract selling my soul if I had to! As long as I can survive! His only choice right now was to finish this damn process as fast as possible!

[Let's name your device]

[Hello, Sawada Hiroki]

[Next, let's add your "(>^ω^<)" account]

[Account "Sawada Hiroki" created]

[Please create a password]

[Please confirm your password]

Password... password...

Sawada Hiroki's brain raced. The threat of death made it impossible for him to think of any complex combination, so he subconsciously input his birthday from his previous life with his thoughts, then confirmed it again.

[Choose privacy settings for your device]

[Inking and typing]...[Yes]

[Tailored experiences]...[Yes]

[GGID]...[Yes]

Yes! Yes! Yes! Select them all! You can look at my privacy all you want! Just for the love of god, hurry up and get moving!

Sawada Hiroki was nearing a breakdown; he didn't know how long this blue screen could pause time.

If it suddenly failed while he was halfway through, he'd be in serious trouble. Therefore, he had only one choice—to satisfy every requirement of this system at the fastest possible speed.

[Let's customize your experience]

[Gaming]...[Yes]

[Family]...[Yes]

[Creativity]...[Yes]

[School]...[Yes]

[Entertainment]...[Yes]

[Business]...[Yes]

Looking at the rows of options, Sawada Hiroki felt an unprecedented sense of absurdity. He was a nine-year-old orphan about to be finished off by an enemy ninja, yet the system was thoughtfully asking if he wanted to enable "Family" and "Business" experiences?

But he had no room to choose, so he continued to frantically click [Yes] on the entire list with his thoughts.

[Try Hajimi 365 premium office apps for free]

[Free trial]

I'm about to die, and you're asking if I want a free trial of premium office apps?! Use them for what, exactly!

Even though he was venting frantically in his mind, his survival instinct made Sawada Hiroki choose [Free trial] without a moment's hesitation. Heaven knows if there would be any penalties or delays if he refused. At a time like this, he absolutely could not afford any complications!

Finally, the long setup seemed to reach its end.

[You're all set]

[Checking for updates]

[Almost finished, please keep your device on and plugged in]

[Almost there]

Almost there...

Sawada Hiroki's consciousness stared fixedly at this last line of text, his heart pounding. He had made every choice he could and pinned all his hopes on this inexplicable "Windows update."

But the next moment, time seemed to resume its flow.

With a swish, the ninja knocked him unconscious.