After a steaming bowl of ramen, Kushina's worries seemed to melt away with the broth, and her face lit up with her signature, energetic smile.
As for Hiroki, the warmth of the food helped him finally get his thoughts in order.
He agreed to Kushina's request and would find a way to teach her how to become stronger. But he needed some time to "research" it, so he asked her to focus on her studies for now.
Kushina seemed happy with that, then dashed off in a flurry of energy.
Watching her disappear into the distance, Hiroki turned and headed home.
Though his parents were dead, Hiroki still had his house. With no parents around, it was quiet enough to use as a laboratory.
Without wasting a moment, Hiroki sat cross-legged on the floor and let his consciousness sink into that familiar deep-blue space.
He needed a clear, rigorous, actionable project plan.
Create the project, then write the code. It was already second nature to him.
His thoughts became a mouse cursor, and he created a folder on the D Drive called [Project: Feasibility Report on Self-Ascension and Technology Migration].
Next, he created the first document inside the folder: [V1.0_Experiment_Plan.txt].
He double-clicked it and began "typing" his plan, item by item, working from the simplest to the most difficult:
[Experiment Plan V1.0 - by Sawada Hiroki]
Objectives: 1. Achieve efficient, sustainable growth in personal strength. (Note: At a minimum, reach the level needed to prevent the Nine-Tails' rampage.)
2. Explore how to safely and effectively "install" one's own "programs" or "files" into someone else's system (brain). (Note: This could help Kushina, but also serve as a means of attack.)
Phase One: Basic System Exploration and Writing Personal Scripts (Note: Tentative)
Experiment 1.1: System Resource Monitor Script.
Purpose: Monitor "battery level" (fat and energy reserves), "CPU usage," and "memory usage" in real time. (Note: Later, if possible, compile all of his bodily measurements and conditions into a system table for easy reference.)
Method: Write a simple .bat script that displays the data in real time in a floating window in his consciousness.
Risk assessment: Low. It only involves reading data, not modifying it.
Difficulty assessment: Should be fairly simple.
Experiment 1.2: Passive Self-Optimization Script.
Purpose: Verify whether scripts can modify his underlying physiological instructions.
Method: Write [Muscle_Growth_Efficiency_v0.1.bat]. The idea is to bypass the usual "exercise -> damage -> overcompensation" process and directly send "proliferate" and "strengthen" commands to the muscle fibers when energy is plentiful.
Risk assessment: Moderate. It may consume energy too quickly or cause unpredictable physiological rejection. Strict limits must be set for run time and energy consumption.
Difficulty assessment: Uncertain.
After thinking it over, Hiroki added another line to the risk assessment: If possible, first find a lab rat or another volunteer to experiment on.
Then came Phase Two.
Phase Two: Reverse Engineering External Programs (Ninjutsu)
Experiment 2.1: Unpacking and Analyzing the "Lightning Style: False Darkness" Code.
Purpose: Understand the internal "code structure" of a complete B-rank ninjutsu file, and figure out why running it consumed so much energy.
Method: Try opening [Lightning Style: False Darkness.exe] in "read-only mode" and analyze its code logic.
Risk assessment: Low. Read-only access without modification should theoretically be safe. Still, it would be best to have a medical ninja nearby in case of complications.
Difficulty assessment: High to extremely high (the logic behind the ninjutsu's code is still unknown, but judging by the file size, this will probably be difficult).
Phase Three: Preliminary Testing of Cross-System Technology Migration (To Be Determined)
Experiment 3.1: Transferring an Executable File Between Systems.
Purpose: Copy a simple [Brain Overload Attack] program into someone else's brain (target: undetermined), observe their reaction, and see how they understand and use the file.
Method: Copy [Brain Overload Attack] into the target's [D Drive (Memory Disk)].
Risk assessment: Unknown. There is a chance it could destabilize the target's system (mind). It must be done in an absolutely safe and controlled environment.
Difficulty: Low to moderate (the biggest problem is that the target probably won't be able to use it).
With the plan complete, Hiroki took a deep breath, his eyes shining with the excitement and focus of a programmer facing a new project. Without hesitation, he began the first experiment.
[Experiment 1.1: System Resource Monitor Script]
He deftly created a new text document, renamed it [System_Resource_Monitor], and began writing the logic in Chinese. It came naturally to him, and in less than five minutes, he had finished a simple monitoring script.
He changed the file extension to .bat and double-clicked to run it!
"Run!"
As he willed it, a translucent command-line-like window popped up in the lower-right corner of his consciousness. Three lines of data refreshed in real time:
|Item|Status| |Battery Level|87.3%| |CPU Usage|15%| |Memory|42%|
Success! It was a small first step, but one of great significance. It meant that Hiroki's understanding of his own body had advanced from vague impressions to precise, measurable data.
He immediately moved on to the next experiment.
[Experiment 1.2: Passive Self-Optimization Script]
Hiroki created another document and named it [Muscle_Automated_Growth_v0.1].
But before he began writing, Hiroki first needed to figure out the underlying architecture of his "biological computer."
He needed to find where the core file controlling muscle growth was stored.
"This file could be in the personal user folder, or it could be a system-level driver in the root directory." Hiroki thought it through, then mused aloud, "Muscle growth, heartbeat, breathing... They probably need high-level permissions."
His thoughts became a file browser, and he began a thorough search of his [C Drive (System Drive)].
The C:\Users\Sawada Hiroki\ directory opened right away.
Hiroki began browsing through the files inside.
Soon, Hiroki saw a file structure that was both familiar and strange:
Personal Folder:
Desktop - It stored everyday "shortcuts" from the conscious level, but right now, apart from My Computer and the two drives, there were no other shortcuts.
Next was Documents - It contained all kinds of study notes, ninjutsu theory, personal reflections, and so on. The key points from the lessons Hiroki had studied over the past few days were in there.
Downloads - This folder was empty for now. After all, the WiFi Hiroki had connected to so far was actually a chakra signal emitted by certain sensory ninja.
They weren't connected to the internet, either.
Pictures - These were images Hiroki remembered vividly. They seemed to have been singled out from his memories and stored in this folder.
Music - Sounds and melodies Hiroki knew and liked, including all kinds of catchy tunes from his previous life.
Videos - Scenes Hiroki remembered vividly, such as clips of lines like "Palace Jade Liquor, two hundred and eighty a cup," or memorable comedy sketches like "Selling Crutches."
There was also a heap of application data.
Application Data:
AppData\Roaming\Personality Core Configuration - Hiroki didn't open it, but figured it was probably the fundamental file that determined why he thought and acted the way he did.
AppData\Local\Emotion Processing Engine - This folder was much the same. Hiroki didn't dare open it, afraid it might cause a problem or affect his sense of right and wrong.
AppData\Local\Memory Indexing System - This seemed to be a database for quickly searching and retrieving memories, but his current plan didn't include doing anything with it.
AppData\Local\Ninjutsu Learning Cache - This seemed to contain temporary data generated while practicing ninjutsu. Hiroki thought that after dealing with the muscle program, he could read through and analyze this code.
As expected, these were all rather superficial files.
Hiroki frowned. As a programmer, he had anticipated files like these, but he was still a little disappointed. He needed more low-level system files.
His thoughts continued upward through the directories until he reached the root of the C Drive.
Soon, he spotted a key system-level folder:
C:\System(>^ω^<)\Biological Drivers
Hiroki's eyes lit up. This was probably what he was looking for!
He double-clicked to enter. Sure enough, there were all sorts of low-level physiological driver files inside:
Heartbeat Controller.sys
Breathing Regulator.sys
Muscle Manager.sys
Chakra Flow Controller.sys
Metabolism Engine.sys
"Found it!" Hiroki excitedly located [Muscle Manager.sys].
But the next moment, as he stared at the [Muscle Manager.sys] file, he suddenly realized something.
".sys files... Those are system driver files." He frowned. "Normally, they should be binary. If I open one in Notepad, all I'll see is gibberish."
Did that mean he also needed a binary compiler?
There was no way to get online in the Shinobi World to download compilers or other tools. Even if he were a god, he couldn't just read a file like that.
Frowning, Hiroki decided to make a copy, then switch it to .txt to check its contents. Maybe the language wasn't binary after all.
The next moment, the copy opened.
Hiroki's eyes widened.
Before you continue