[Dong~]
[New WiFi signal detected: "Scar_Soma Benigaki," signal strength: weak. Connect?]
Hm?
A perception signal had suddenly appeared!?
Scar? Soma Benigaki? Who were they?
He'd never heard of a ninja with that name, and he'd never seen anyone with the surname Soma in Konoha's WiFi list.
Were they enemies?
Hiroki was a little surprised, but showed no sign of it. He lowered his eyelids slightly and quickly connected to the other person.
Then he entered the thought folder.
Inside agent_ready_to act.|og:"That inside agent should be ready, right? The employer said he'd make a move too."
Target_Orochimaru_lure away.|ogl:"Damn it. Luring Orochimaru away could get us killed if we're too close! I hope Rattlesnake and Black Bear can draw him far enough away."
Assassinate_Nawaki_priority.|og:"Honestly, what's the point of killing an ordinary little Genin brat? Those damn politicians are always scheming."
Clear out_outpost_leave no survivors.|1ogl:"If Rattlesnake's signal comes late enough, we might as well take care of the others too. If we leave any traces, Orochimaru might follow them back here, and that would be bad!"
An inside agent!?
An assassination!?
So that was it!
Hiroki understood everything almost instantly!
No wonder. No wonder Nawaki had been Orochimaru's subordinate in the original story, yet had been killed by an Explosive Tag trap in his very first year on the battlefield, not long after graduating!
There was an inside agent, and a bounty on his head!
But the enemy had an inside agent and companions, and there was no detailed information about either in his thoughts. Hiroki was afraid he wouldn't have time to search through the other man's memories one by one to see how he interacted with his companions.
That meant he couldn't use the WiFi signal to alter the man's thoughts.
Hiroki said nothing, pressing his lips together.
But if he could get to the other man, there might still be a way.
For example, he could copy and run that muscle-growth-automation patch as a remote attack. The other man would probably die within two or three minutes from symptoms such as an irregular heartbeat, calcium deficiency, and kidney failure.
But would that alert the others or cause some other change?
After all, if he killed the man and the other enemies and the inside agent revised their plan, and nobody else sensed them, wouldn't Hiroki have no way to learn what was coming?
If he left this enemy alive, he might still be able to get information by reading his thoughts.
As he considered this, Hiroki glanced at Orochimaru, who was discussing defensive details with Kitagawa, then at Nawaki and Kushina beside him, both completely unaware of the danger.
But whether he killed the enemy or not, Hiroki had to warn Orochimaru.
He had no idea how strong the people planning to assassinate Nawaki were. All he knew was that they intended to attack them despite knowing this outpost was Konoha's forward base!
Enemies of that caliber were no ordinary threat!
They might even be more than the outpost could handle!
Or—
Hiroki glanced at Kitagawa. The strongest person at the outpost might be the inside agent himself.
But he couldn't reveal the truth directly.
If he did, and Kitagawa was the inside agent, there was no telling what Kitagawa might do when he realized he was in danger!
He had to find a way to pass on this deadly warning in a way only Orochimaru, Kushina, and Nawaki could understand.
Was there a way?
There was.
Hiroki looked down at his palm. He remembered discussing standard deviation when they'd talked about chakra control. It was something only Team 7 knew.
Neither the outpost nor the sensor ninja in the distance could possibly know about it.
"Teacher Orochimaru," Hiroki suddenly said.
Orochimaru turned to look at him with his golden, snake-like eyes.
Captain Kitagawa also stopped talking and frowned, seemingly displeased that a Genin would interrupt at a time like this.
Hiroki didn't bother to hide much. As calmly as usual, he asked, "Teacher Orochimaru, I have a question about chakra control."
"Yesterday, you taught us how to climb trees and said we should keep our chakra output at a steady level. But I feel like I've already gotten good at controlling my chakra. Why does the ground under my feet still feel so unstable, as if I could fall at any moment?"
"How much chakra do we need to use to stay stable?"
Nawaki and Kushina both froze.
Hadn't Hiroki done well yesterday? They'd seen him walk on walls and run on water. Why was he asking a question like that?
Hadn't he succeeded on his first try?
And hadn't they discussed chakra units and standard deviation yesterday?
Kitagawa's frown deepened.
At a time like this, he was asking about chakra control!
He was a little annoyed, but when he remembered that the village seemed to have no other jonin available to lead the mission, all he could do was sigh.
He felt the boy was wasting everyone's time.
Only Orochimaru's pupils contracted instantly.
He knew Hiroki better. He'd seen Hiroki's perception and control abilities in his laboratory while working with Uzuki.
He also knew that Hiroki had the mind of a mature adult, not a child!
There was no way Hiroki would ask a meaningless question at a time like this.
Besides, they hadn't mentioned standard deviation or chakra amounts.
What did that mean?
"Very unstable." "I could fall at any moment"—
He was saying that they were in extreme danger.
And the fact that he hadn't used new terms like standard deviation meant he was worried someone might be listening in—which could mean there was an inside agent or an enemy capable of eavesdropping from afar.
Orochimaru didn't change expression. He smoothly continued the "lesson," his voice still hoarse and calm. "I understand your difficulty. Your total output isn't precise enough yet. The trick is simple."
He held up one finger.
"You only need to maintain about one-sixth of the chakra output you used when you performed the Transformation Technique," Orochimaru said, staring into Hiroki's eyes. "Would you like to try it here?"
Orochimaru understood.
His first words had been, "I understand your difficulty."
And he hadn't mentioned standard deviation either.
Hiroki drew a deep breath.
If he'd wanted to pass the message to Nawaki or Kushina, it wouldn't have been so complicated. He could simply establish a physical connection.
But that old snake Orochimaru had avoided making physical contact with him ever since their last encounter, when there hadn't even been a prompt for a physical connection.
Hiroki shook his head and answered Orochimaru, "But Teacher, I used more than four times as much as you said, and it still didn't feel any more stable..."
More than four times?
There were more than four enemies.
Orochimaru understood. He'd gotten all the key information he needed: there was an inside agent, there were at least four enemies, and they were about to act.
The encrypted conversation had lasted only a few seconds, but the amount of information it conveyed made the atmosphere in the command post grow tense.
Kitagawa wasn't a fool. He couldn't understand what they were talking about, but he could sense the unusual tension in their conversation.
How could a kid who'd just learned to climb trees prompt an elite jonin to discuss chakra consumption ratios at such a critical moment?
They were passing on information.
Kitagawa's gaze sharpened at once. His battle-honed instincts told him something was wrong. His hand moved unconsciously toward his ninja tool pouch, his body tensed, and his eyes shifted warily between Hiroki and Orochimaru.
Hiroki noticed Kitagawa's change as well. He lowered one hand to his side, his fingertips quietly gripping a kunai hidden in his sleeve. He didn't know whether Kitagawa was the inside agent, but until they knew for sure, everyone here was a potential enemy.
A silent standoff formed between them.
Just then, the command post door was flung open.
The exhausted-looking guard ninja at the entrance rushed inside in a panic. His voice wavered with fear. "Captain Kitagawa! Lord Orochimaru! The—The western defensive line has spotted signs of a large force from Amegakure gathering! Their numbers are—unprecedented!"
Here they came.
The same thought flashed through Hiroki's and Orochimaru's minds.
Kitagawa froze and instinctively glanced at Hiroki. Then he turned to Orochimaru, his voice urgent. "Lord Orochimaru, the situation is critical! Please go and confirm it at once! No, I'll go myself! Please stay here and guard the outpost."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.
Had Kitagawa understood what they'd been discussing?
No, he'd probably just relied on the instincts he'd developed from years of fighting on the front lines. He clearly knew that such a perfectly timed report could be a diversion.
So Kitagawa was trying to prove his innocence by leaving the outpost, to make sure he wouldn't be mistaken for the inside agent.
"I understand." Orochimaru looked grave, as if the false report had truly alarmed him. "Kitagawa, leave this place to me! I'll protect it until you return."
"Thank you, Lord Orochimaru."
Without hesitation, Kitagawa's figure blurred as he sped toward the "western defensive line." Just before leaving, he even transformed into Orochimaru.
!?
Interesting.
Orochimaru gave a cold smile and transformed into Kitagawa.
And then—
"Boom!"
A deafening crash rang out as a terrifying force smashed through the command post's sturdy side wall from outside!
Dust and chunks of stone burst through the air. A dark figure shot through them, fast as a black bolt of lightning. The kunai in his hand flashed with a lethal gleam in the dim light, aimed straight at Nawaki, the most unprepared person in the room!
Who was it!?
Almost as soon as the wall exploded, several violent blasts and bloodcurdling screams rang out from outside the command post. The outpost was under attack from both inside and out.
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