The Enemy Attacks!

[Ding-dong~]

[New WiFi signal "Scar_Soma Benigaki" detected, signal strength: weak. Connect?]

Hmm?

A sensory signal suddenly appeared!?

Scar? Soma Benigaki? Who is this?

He had never heard of a ninja by this name, and he had never seen the surname Soma in the Konoha WiFi list either.

Is it an enemy?

Hiroki felt slightly surprised, but his expression remained unchanged. He merely lowered his eyelids slightly and quickly connected to the other party.

Then, he entered the thought folder.

Mole_In-position_Ready-to-act.|og:"That mole should be ready by now, right? The employer said he would make a move too."

Target_Orochimaru_Lure-away.|ogl:"Damn it, luring away someone like Orochimaru—if the distance is too close, things could go south and people might actually die! I hope Rattlesnake and Black Bear can drag that guy far enough away."

Assassination_Nawaki_Priority.|og:"Seriously, I don't know what's worth killing a common genin brat for. Those damn politicians have such complicated minds."

Clear-out_Outpost_No-survivors.|ogl:"If Rattlesnake's signal is late, I might as well take care of the others too. If I leave traces that allow Orochimaru to track us down, that would be quite troublesome!"

A mole!?

Assassination!?

So that's how it is!

Hiroki understood everything in an instant!

No wonder, no wonder Nawaki was clearly Orochimaru's subordinate in the original story, yet he was killed by an explosive tag trap in the first year of the war, shortly after graduation!

It turns out there was a mole and a bounty!

However, the enemy had a mole and accomplices, and their thoughts didn't contain detailed information about them. Hiroki probably wouldn't have time to sift through the enemy's memories one by one to see how they interacted with their companions.

In that case, it would be difficult for him to modify the enemy's thoughts via the WiFi signal.

Hiroki didn't speak; he pursed his lips.

But if it was just the other party, there were ways.

For instance, the muscle-growth-automation patch—if used as a remote attack and copied over to execute, the target would likely die within two or three minutes from symptoms like abnormal heart rate, calcium ion deficiency, and kidney failure.

But would that alert the enemy or trigger some other unforeseen change?

After all, if he killed this person, and the remaining enemies and the mole regrouped to discuss a new plan without anyone else performing sensory duties, wouldn't he, Hiroki, lose any way to foresee the danger?

By keeping this enemy alive, he might be able to gather intelligence by reading his thoughts.

Thinking this, Hiroki glanced at Orochimaru, who was discussing defensive details with Kitagawa, and then at Nawaki and Kushina, who were completely unaware of the danger beside him.

But regardless of whether he killed him or not, Hiroki had to alert Orochimaru.

Hiroki didn't know the skill level of these people planning to assassinate Nawaki; he only knew that they were preparing to attack despite knowing this outpost was a Konoha forward base!

An enemy of this caliber was no longer a run-of-the-mill threat!

They were very likely an enemy the outpost couldn't handle!

Or perhaps—

Hiroki glanced at Kitagawa. This person, the strongest in the outpost, might be the mole himself.

But he couldn't just blurt out the truth.

If he revealed the truth and Kitagawa happened to be the mole, Kitagawa might do something unpredictable in the face of danger!

He had to find a way—a message that only Orochimaru, Kushina, and Nawaki could understand—to deliver this fatal warning.

Was there a way?

Yes.

Hiroki's gaze fell upon his own palm. He thought of the standard deviation they had discussed when talking about chakra control; this was information only Team 7 knew.

The forward outpost and the sensory ninja in the distance could never possibly know about it.

"Orochimaru-sensei." Hiroki suddenly spoke up.

Orochimaru turned his head, his golden snake-like pupils fixed on him.

Captain Kitagawa also stopped talking and frowned, seemingly displeased that a genin would interrupt at such a time.

Hiroki didn't put on much of an act; he simply asked in his usual calm tone: "Orochimaru-sensei, I have a question regarding chakra control."

"You taught us to climb trees yesterday and said to maintain chakra output at a stable level. But even though I feel like I've controlled my chakra well, why do I still feel like my footing is unstable, as if I'm about to fall off at any moment?"

"About how much chakra should we use to maintain stability?"

Nawaki and Kushina were both stunned.

Didn't Hiroki do very well yesterday? They had seen him walk on walls and run on water with their own eyes; how could he ask such a question?

Didn't he succeed on the first try?

Besides, didn't they discuss chakra units and standard deviation yesterday?

Kitagawa's brow furrowed even deeper.

At a time like this, at such a critical juncture, to actually be asking questions about chakra control!

He felt a slight sense of dissatisfaction, but upon remembering that this seemed to be the only jonin leader available in the village to complete the mission, he could only sigh.

He felt this child was wasting everyone's time.

Only Orochimaru felt his pupils constrict instantly.

He knew Hiroki better and was clearer on the perception and control abilities Hiroki had displayed regarding Uzuki in his laboratory.

He knew even better that Hiroki's mind was absolutely that of a mature adult, not a child!

It was impossible for Hiroki to ask such a meaningless question at a time like this.

Furthermore, they hadn't mentioned standard deviation or chakra volume.

What did this mean?

"Very unstable." "Could fall at any moment."

This was saying that their current situation was extremely dangerous.

The lack of new definitions like standard deviation was to guard against eavesdropping—this could mean there was an inside man, or the enemy possessed long-range eavesdropping capabilities.

Orochimaru's expression didn't change at all; he seamlessly continued this "lesson," his voice remaining hoarse and flat: "I understand your trouble; it is because your total output is not yet precise. The trick is simple."

He held up a finger.

"You only need to maintain about one-sixth of the chakra output you used when you first performed the Transformation Technique." Orochimaru stared into Hiroki's eyes. "Do you want to try it here now?"

Orochimaru had understood.

His first sentence was "I understand your trouble."

He also hadn't mentioned standard deviation.

Hiroki took a deep breath.

If he were passing information to Nawaki or Kushina, it wouldn't be this troublesome; he would just establish physical contact directly.

But this old fox Orochimaru hadn't given him a physical connection prompt when he touched him last time, and now he was avoiding direct contact with him entirely.

Hiroki shook his head, refuting Orochimaru: "But Teacher, I used more than four times what you said, and I didn't feel any more stable..."

More than four times?

There are more than four enemies.

Orochimaru understood in his heart. He had already obtained all the key information he needed: there was a mole, there were more than four enemies, and they were about to act.

This encrypted conversation lasted only a short dozen seconds, but the amount of information conveyed caused the atmosphere in the entire command post to freeze.

Kitagawa was no fool. Although he couldn't understand what they were saying, he could feel the unusual tension in this conversation.

How could a brat who had just learned to climb trees make an elite jonin discuss the multiplier of chakra consumption in such depth at such a critical moment?

They were passing intelligence.

Kitagawa's gaze turned sharp instantly. His battle-hardened intuition told him there was a problem here. His hand moved unconsciously toward the ninja tool pouch at his waist, his body tensed slightly, and his eyes scanned vigilantly between Hiroki and Orochimaru.

Hiroki also noticed Kitagawa's change. He also dropped one hand to his side, his fingertips quietly gripping a Kunai hidden in his sleeve. He didn't know if Kitagawa was the mole, but until confirmed, everyone here was a potential enemy.

A silent standoff formed between the two.

Just then, the door to the command post was pushed open violently.

The exhausted guard ninja at the door rushed in with a panicked expression, his voice changing pitch from fear: "Captain Kitagawa! Lord Orochimaru! The west—the western defense line shows signs of a large Amegakure force gathering! The scale—the scale is unprecedented!"

It's here.

This thought flashed through the minds of Hiroki and Orochimaru simultaneously.

Kitagawa froze, subconsciously glancing at Hiroki, then turned to Orochimaru, his tone urgent: "Lord Orochimaru, the situation is critical! Please go and confirm immediately! No, I will go confirm it myself! Please, Lord Orochimaru, stay here and guard the outpost for me."

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.

Did Kitagawa understand their discussion?

No, it should just be the intuition of someone who has fought on the front lines for a long time! He knew very well that this perfectly timed report sounded like a ruse to lure the tiger away from the mountain.

So Kitagawa was now trying to prove his innocence, using his departure from this outpost to verify his identity so he wouldn't be treated as a mole.

"I understand." Orochimaru wore a grave expression, as if he had truly been stirred by this false intelligence. "Kitagawa, leave this place to me! I will protect it well until you return."

"Thank you, Lord Orochimaru."

After speaking, Kitagawa didn't hesitate at all; his figure turned into an afterimage and sped toward the "western defense line." Before leaving, he even transformed into the appearance of Orochimaru.

!?

Interesting.

Orochimaru also sneered and transformed into the appearance of Kitagawa.

And the next moment.

"BOOM—!"

With a deafening roar, the sturdy side wall of the command post was shattered by a terrifying force from the outside!

Dust and debris exploded outward as a black shadow surged through the chaos, moving as fast as a bolt of black lightning. The Kunai in its hand traced a lethal, cold arc in the dim light, aimed directly at the most unguarded person in the crowd: Nawaki!

Who is it!?

Almost at the exact same moment the wall burst open, several violent explosions and shrill screams erupted from outside the command post; the outpost was being attacked from both the inside and the outside.