Awakening

The smell of disinfectant, the rough texture of the bedsheets.

And the soreness and heaviness radiating through his limbs, as if he had been completely drained of all energy.

When the consciousness of Sawada Hiroki re-emerged from a deep darkness, the first thing he saw were the notifications within his mental space.

[Warning: Battery level below 5%, system has been forced into Sleep Mode.]

[Suggestion: Please connect to a power source immediately.]

[Power source connected. The power adapter currently connected to the computer has insufficient wattage. To prevent battery depletion, performance may be restricted.]

[Charging...]

Insufficient wattage?

Hiroki's consciousness gave a wry smile. Why did every notification have such a computer-like style? He took a glance; those seemed to be previous notifications.

The battery level had now recovered to about six percent.

This also seemed to be the reason he had woken up from his coma.

--Which meant that the pseudo-coma corresponding to Low Performance Mode was something he could wake up from at any time, but the low-battery sleep meant he had truly passed out?

He would have to be careful about that in the future; no matter what, he must ensure he never falls into a state of critically low battery.

Hiroki opened his eyes with difficulty. What came into view was the white ceiling of Konoha Hospital. Beside him, an IV drip was connected to a tube inserted into the back of his hand.

He was on an IV drip—this was likely that power adapter with insufficient wattage.

Soft sunlight spilled in from outside the window, carrying the haziness of just waking up, causing Hiroki to instinctively reach out to cover his eyes.

"...Hiroki?"

A voice with a heavy nasal tone, filled with both shock and joy, rang in his ears.

Hiroki turned his head and saw Uzumaki Kushina slumped by his bedside, tear tracks still visible on her face.

She seemed to have fallen asleep while crying. At this moment, startled by his slight movement, her red, swollen eyes were first filled with confusion, then immediately replaced by overwhelming ecstasy.

"Hiroki! You're awake! You're finally awake!"

Kushina stood up abruptly. Because of the sudden movement, the chair was knocked over, hitting the floor with a harsh clatter. But she didn't care at all; her hands gripped the edge of the bed tightly, her body trembling slightly from excitement, and tears welled up in her eyes once again.

"You scared me to death... The doctor said you were just exhausted from chakra depletion, but you were in a coma for a whole day and night... I..."

Watching her incoherent, tearful joy, Hiroki sighed, yet felt a warmth in his heart.

In his past life as a corporate slave programmer, who would have worried about him like this besides his parents?

Whether he wanted to or not, whether he admitted it or not, an unbreakable bond had already been forged between him and Kushina. He could no longer sit by like a bystander, watching her have the Nine-Tails extracted in the future, ignoring her death.

Even if he was reluctant, his original life plan of "living a stable and quiet life like a plant until old age" had been completely scrapped.

He had to become stronger.

At least strong enough... to intervene in the Nine-Tails attack caused by Uchiha Obito!

"I'm fine," Hiroki's voice was a bit hoarse, his body so weak he didn't even have the strength to lift his hand, "just... a little hungry."

Hungry, very hungry.

"I'll go call the doctor! I'll go get you something to eat!" Kushina wiped her face messily and turned to run out.

"Sorry to trouble you," Hiroki looked at her back and called out to her, "by the way, I haven't thanked you yet. You've been guarding here for a long time, right?"

She said he had been in a coma for a day and a night. It stood to reason that it was because she had been guarding here that she was able to notice the moment he woke up.

Kushina's footsteps faltered. She turned back, looking at the pale but clear-eyed boy on the hospital bed, her cheeks flushing for no reason. She shook her head vigorously, puffed out her chest, and tried to regain her usual spirit: "Stu-stupid! What are you saying! I should be the one thanking you! You... you were... very amazing back then... Hmph! I, I'm going to get you food first!"

Her voice grew quieter as she spoke. Seeing the smile on Hiroki's face, she gave a huff of annoyance and walked away quickly, almost as if fleeing in defeat.

Hiroki shook his head with amusement and turned his gaze toward his own body.

Kushina's footsteps faltered. She turned back, looking at the pale but clear-eyed boy on the hospital bed, her cheeks flushing for no reason.

Hiroki shook his head with amusement; this was just what a child was like. He then lowered his head to examine his own body.

His body, which had been quite well-proportioned before, had now become almost skin and bones; the fat that hadn't been very noticeable before had almost completely vanished without a trace.

Only a thin layer of skin remained stretched over his muscles and frame, looking quite ghastly, like a dried corpse.

Kushina hadn't mentioned this when she was complaining earlier, not knowing if it was out of consideration for his feelings.

This might be a side effect of his golden finger—battery level, judging by the literal meaning, was something that powered a computer. If his body were compared to a computer, then the thing powering him seemed to be fat.

So, consuming battery power turning into consuming fat seemed quite reasonable, and he wouldn't have to worry about obesity at all.

But, why did his battery level drop so fast?

--What kind of computer can't even last a minute when running in High Performance Mode?

Hiroki was a bit puzzled, but then guessed it might be an issue with Lightning Style: False Darkness—perhaps there was some bug in the process of performing the copied jutsu, causing the battery level to plummet.

Just as he was pondering, the door to the ward was knocked on twice gently.

"Please come in," Hiroki replied.

The door was pushed open, and a golden head poked inside.

Namikaze Minato, with his golden hair, walked in. Seeing Hiroki awake, a look of relief washed over his gentle face: "Thank goodness, Hiroki-kun, you're awake."

His gaze was complex; Hiroki couldn't quite name the emotions within it, but it seemed to hold a hint of envy mixed with something else.

With those complicated feelings and a heavy heart, Minato hesitated for a moment before pulling up a chair to sit down. He leaned forward slightly, his azure eyes locked onto Hiroki: "There is a question, and I'm not sure if I should ask you..."

"Go ahead and ask." Hiroki nodded, waiting for him to continue.

He knew that Minato hadn't come all this way just for a simple visit. After all, his relationship with Namikaze Minato was nowhere near as close as his relationship with Kushina.

"I followed the trail of hair left behind by Kushina... but by the time I reached the cave, the battle was already over." His voice was soft, almost like a girl's, very gentle.

"I examined the two corpses; they were pierced by the same jutsu, a fatal blow in an instant."

He paused, seemingly observing Hiroki's reaction, before enunciating the key question word by word:

"That was Lightning Style: False Darkness, wasn't it? A B-rank ninjutsu from Kumogakure. I once read about it in a book."

Here it comes.

Hiroki looked at Minato. He wasn't sure if Minato had discovered this on his own or if some other factor had led him to this conclusion, but one thing was certain: his answer was being scrutinized.

--Why would a student from the Konoha Ninja Academy be able to use a high-level secret technique from an enemy village?

Hiroki took a deep breath and stared at Minato. Minato's face still held a trace of conflict, yet also a glimmer of expectation, as if he were hoping for Hiroki to deny it.

After all, a student from the Konoha Ninja Academy shouldn't know foreign ninjutsu unless he were a spy for the Cloud Ninja. That would be the only way to explain why he knew Lightning Style, why he was captured alongside Kushina, and how he managed to escape.

But under Minato's expectant gaze, Hiroki slowly opened his mouth.

He said:

"Yes. That was Lightning Style: False Darkness."