|Orochimaru-Open-Signal|[Connected]
Found it!
Hiroki stared intently at the connection status flashing repeatedly on the screen, and suddenly everything became clear.
The root of the problem was this forced connection! The other party was using this port to continuously send malicious data packets and executable files to him!
Hiroki had no idea when the other party had connected to him, or how they had forced the connection!
That was simply impossible on a normal laptop! A WiFi network could only force a connection to a computer if the computer had been set to automatically connect to a specific WiFi network name.
And a WiFi signal would only automatically connect to the target computer if it disguised itself as the corresponding network name. But Orochimaru had completely defied that rule!
Using some unknown method, he had forcibly connected to Hiroki.
It was as if he had planted a virus program in Hiroki's computer ahead of time!
But no matter how he had done it, if he could do it once, he could certainly do it again. If Hiroki couldn't find the "virus" file hidden on him or figure out how Orochimaru had forced the connection, then disconnecting would be completely useless.
With the other party's methods, he could almost certainly force a reconnection.
So the only way forward was to build a barrier—a filter—before the data stream reached the system's processing core.
Hiroki's gaze sharpened!
A firewall!
This was his area of expertise!
At that moment, Hiroki's thoughts raced at full speed.
He immediately created a blank text document in his mental space and renamed it [Genjutsu Firewall v0.1.bat].
His thoughts became a keyboard, and he typed into the document at superhuman speed.
Every line of code targeted the core problem—monitoring that "Orochimaru_Mental Connection" and intercepting all malicious data packets containing keywords like "Technique," ".exe," and "Genjutsu."
In just a few seconds, the core code was complete:
--Code-- @echo off set monitor_target="Orochimaru" :monitor_loop ::Scan all incoming data packets check_network_connection %monitor_target%_temporary_data_packets.tmp ::Process the data packet information line by line for /F "tokens=*" %%packet in (temporary_data_packets.tmp) do ( if "%%packet" contains "Technique" ( immediately intercept and destroy "%%packet" log "Malicious program intercepted: %%packet" ) else if "%%packet" contains ".exe" ( immediately intercept and destroy "%%packet" log "Malicious program intercepted: %%packet" ) else if "%%packet" contains "%%Technique" ( immediately intercept and destroy "%%packet" log "Malicious program intercepted: %%packet" ) else ( allow "%%packet" through goto :monitor_loop --Code--
"Run!"
At his command, the [Genjutsu Firewall v0.1.bat] script immediately began running. A simple log window popped up in the lower-right corner of his mental space, and green characters began scrolling across it: [Firewall activated. Monitoring "Orochimaru"...]
Once that was done, Hiroki focused his attention on Task Manager again.
The [Hell Viewing Technique.exe], which had been devouring system resources, was still running rampant in the list. CPU usage had reached 89%, and its memory consumption had climbed to an astonishing 3.2 GB.
"End process!"
This time, after he clicked [Confirm], a miracle happened. The world truly fell silent.
CPU usage receded like the tide, rapidly dropping from 89% to 15%, while memory usage fell from 3.2 GB to a normal 800 MB.
After the malicious process named [Hell Viewing Technique.exe] disappeared completely, no new malicious processes appeared.
Almost simultaneously, two new entries appeared in the firewall's log window:
[Malicious program intercepted: Hell Viewing Technique.exe]
[Malicious program intercepted: Nirvana Hermitage Technique.exe]
It worked!
Hiroki's eyes snapped open, and the sight of the real world filled his vision again.
Kushina stood not far in front of him, her eyes vacant and her expression blank. A glistening thread of drool hung from the corner of her mouth. She was clearly still trapped in the nightmare created by the genjutsu.
Farther away, on a tree trunk, Orochimaru's pale figure wore an expression Hiroki had never seen on him before: humanlike astonishment.
But before Hiroki could catch his breath, the Task Manager in his mind sounded another alarm.
Countless densely packed venomous snakes slithered toward him, hissing with their tongues flicking. At a glance, there were too many to count!
Even worse, Hiroki noticed that his CPU usage was starting to climb, slowly but steadily: 15%... 23%... 35%...
Orochimaru's attack was still going!?
No!
He had fallen for another genjutsu. When had it happened? And what did this genjutsu do?
How had Orochimaru known he'd escaped the first two genjutsu?!
Hiroki immediately switched to the process details page and sorted by CPU usage. There was no obvious "Technique" process, but he quickly spotted something strange—several processes that should have been normal were consuming more resources than they should.
svchost.exe was using 28% of the CPU. The number made Hiroki frown.
svchost.exe was a core Windows system process, short for Service Host Process. Its purpose was to host multiple Windows system services.
He right-clicked the process and selected "Open file location."
When the File Explorer window appeared, the displayed path made his heart tighten: C:\Windows\Temp\svchost.exe
That was the wrong location!
"That's not right! The real svchost.exe should be in the System32 directory!"
Hiroki didn't remember his Golden Finger having a System32 directory, but he vaguely remembered that his system didn't distinguish between 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Its corresponding name was System(>^ω^<), marked with a Haji-Snake avatar!
This was a virus file disguised as a system file!
Hiroki quickly switched to the "Details" tab for the process.
Sure enough, the description field was blank, the version information read "None," and most crucially, the digital signature status showed "Unverified."
"Process disguise!" Hiroki instantly understood the other party's second method of attack.
Orochimaru had abandoned directly injecting a complete genjutsu program. Instead, he had disguised the malicious program as a system process in an attempt to slip past unnoticed!
Could genjutsu really do all this!? Haji-Snake, just how did you manage it!?
Hiroki didn't hesitate. He immediately modified the firewall code and added a new detection rule:
--Code-- @echo off ::Add process disguise detection set system_process_list="svchost.exe,winlogon.exe,csrss.exe" set valid_path="C:\Windows\System(>^ω^<)\" :scan_processes ::Use the "tasklist" command to get detailed information about all current processes tasklist /V > process_snapshot.tmp ::Check each system process in the list for %%process_name in (%system_process_list%) do ( findstr "%%process_name" process_snapshot.tmp | findstr /V "%valid_path%" > disguised_process.tmp if exist disguised_process.tmp ( ::Extract the process ID from the disguised process file and terminate it for /F "tokens=2" %%process_id in (disguised_process.tmp) do ( taskkill /F /PID %%process_id log "Malicious disguise detected and removed: %%process_name" ::Memory protection mode :monitor_memory if external_write_detected (visual_cache) ( if source is not equal to "Hiroki_Main_System" ( block_write_operation log "Illegal memory write blocked: visual cache area" if external_write_detected (audio_cache) ( if source is not equal to "Hiroki_Main_System" ( block_write_operation log "Illegal memory write blocked: audio cache area" goto :scan_processes --Code--
The code update was complete, and he ran it immediately!
The upgraded firewall sprang into action.
The disguised svchost.exe process in Task Manager was forcibly terminated, and CPU usage dropped from 35% to a normal 8%.
At the same time, the illusion of venomous snakes beginning to take shape before Hiroki's eyes malfunctioned badly—parts of their bodies turned into mosaic-like blocks, the swarm's movements began to stutter and skip frames, and the hissing that should have been terrifying became broken static.
Green characters raced across the firewall's log window:
[Process disguise removed: svchost.exe]
[Illegal memory write blocked: visual cache area]
[Illegal memory write blocked: audio cache area]
The fragmented snake illusion lasted less than three seconds before vanishing into thin air like a deleted file.
But the crisis was far from over.
Orochimaru knitted his brows, apparently realizing that his technical attacks weren't working. He changed tactics. This time, there would be no clever disguises or infiltration—just the most primitive, most brutal frontal assault!
The Task Manager screen in Hiroki's mind began flashing wildly.
CPU usage leaped like mad: 8%→34%→67%→89%→98%! Memory usage soared at a visible rate: 800 MB→2.1 GB→3.7 GB, nearly reaching his system's 4 GB limit!
Task Manager also began to lag noticeably!
More importantly, Hiroki could feel his head starting to spin uncontrollably, and his vision was beginning to darken!
His brain couldn't take much more!
Task Manager→Details→Select Columns→Handles/Processes/Privileges. Every second, who knew how many new programs were flashing into view, attacking him!
His firewall was holding them off every moment, but Hiroki could feel his "system"—his brain—under a strain it had never experienced before.
"I can't just tank it... I have to limit it myself!"
Hiroki clenched his teeth, enduring the immense pressure on his brain as he began writing one last emergency protection routine:
--Code-- @echo off ::Emergency resource limit mode set max_CPU_usage=60 set max_memory_usage=2048 set max_network_connections=50 :emergency_mode ::Force restrictions on all external processes get_system_status > system_status.tmp set current_CPU <read from file (system_status.tmp, "CPU") set current_memory <read from file (system_status.tmp, "Memory") set current_connections <read from file (system_status.tmp, "Connections") if %current_CPU% is greater than %max_CPU_usage% ( pause all high-usage processes for 10 seconds log "CPU overloaded; circuit-breaker protection triggered" if %current_memory% is greater than %max_memory_usage% ( clear system temporary files log "Memory overflow warning; automatic cleanup performed" if %current_connections% is greater than %max_network_connections% ( disconnect all newly established external connections log "Network connections saturated; new connections rejected" goto :emergency_mode --Code--
The instant the code executed, Hiroki felt the strain on his system ease. CPU usage began to fall: 98%→78%→52%, and memory usage dropped from a dangerous 3.8 GB to a relatively safe 2.3 GB.
His thoughts were still stuttering, but the dizziness in his head had begun to fade, and his vision was starting to return to normal.
It worked.
Though he still felt somewhat overloaded, his "system" had stabilized!
On a distant tree trunk, Orochimaru's Shadow Clone furrowed his brow, his golden snake-like eyes full of confusion and bewilderment.
His chakra had clearly connected to the child's mind. Whether through exquisite Genjutsu techniques or sheer chakra suppression, the attack should have been enough to shatter an ordinary ninja's will.
But this child... His way of resisting was completely beyond Orochimaru's understanding. How had he managed it? Was this also the effect of that kekkei genkai?!
Mental resistance almost on par with the Sharingan!? No, at first he hadn't been able to ignore Orochimaru's Genjutsu, much less forcibly withstand it!
He had evolved step by step! Adapted step by step! This ability, this rate of evolution and improvement, was something even the Sharingan couldn't begin to match!
But just as Orochimaru was thinking this, his hands suddenly stopped as he prepared to form more Hand Seals.
This is bad!
Orochimaru's expression turned cold.
This Shadow Clone was about to run out of chakra!
Before you continue