Mind-Reading Technique

Hatake Sakumo, whose Anbu codename was White Fang, was a top-tier shinobi who had been active during the Second Shinobi World War. He wielded a short blade infused with Light Release chakra and was known as Konoha's White Fang. In the original story, he was Kakashi Hatake's father and a tragic hero. Though he didn't appear in many scenes, he left a deep impression.

Li Tong was still dazed. He could clearly see the data in his left eye, like "character information," but he had no idea where the words had come from. Instinctively, he waved a hand in front of his eyes. The data disappeared as soon as his hand blocked his view.

"What is this..." Li Tong waved his hand back and forth, then looked at another shinobi in a flak jacket.

--

Name: Chen He (Kato Ki).

Identity: Torture specialist in the Anbu Special Assassination and Tactical Squad of Konohagakure, Land of Fire.

Reputation: 5199 points.

--

"Chen He... that's his Anbu codename... Kato Ki... that's his real name... So this really is information about his identity? Why can I see this with my eye..." Li Tong muttered under his breath, staring blankly. He felt like his brain couldn't keep up.

Being transported to another world was already bizarre enough. So why was this Naruto world different, too?

Li Tong was acting strangely. Now and then, he waved a hand in front of his left eye; at other times, he shook his head and cast odd glances around the interrogation room at the two men. He muttered to himself, but no one could tell what he was saying.

Hatake Sakumo watched the boy slumped on the straw mat with an indifferent gaze. He wasn't surprised by the boy's behavior.

To their enemies, Konoha Anbu was a terrifying place. Though Hatake Sakumo hadn't been Anbu Captain for long, he'd seen all kinds of people. Some prisoners went so mad they even ate themselves alive.

"Can you answer my questions?" Hatake Sakumo asked hoarsely from behind his mask.

"Hm?" Li Tong focused on the shinobi before him again, swallowed, and said, "Th-that... what question?"

"Damn brat, playing dumb again," Chen He muttered irritably beside them.

"How many shinobi like you did Amegakure send this time, and what is your ultimate goal?" Hatake Sakumo asked calmly and seriously.

"Uh... well..." Li Tong blinked hard, his brow furrowing.

He tried his best to remember!

Since he'd possessed this body, it was possible that its original owner's memories remained, though they might not... A few fragments flashed through Li Tong's mind like edited scenes in a movie, each one flying past before he could make anything out.

Li Tong couldn't.

Because he really couldn't remember!

"Brat," Hatake Sakumo said indifferently. "You should know that if you give me important intelligence, you won't have to die. If you're willing to leave Amegakure, a shinobi your age could even join Konoha... But if you refuse to tell me anything and hold out to the end, then..."

As Hatake Sakumo's words trailed off, the interrogation room seemed to grow colder.

He simply stood there, perfectly still, his expression calm. Yet he seemed to have become a dark abyss where an ancient beast lay in wait, making the room feel chillingly oppressive.

"I... um... wait..." Li Tong's heart leaped into his throat. There was a lot he still didn't understand, but one thing was clear: if he didn't say something, he might be executed!

The original owner of this body had been a shinobi from Amegakure, captured by Konoha and brought in for interrogation...

The situation was simple enough, but Li Tong truly had no idea what to say.

"Really don't want to talk?"

"I have amnesia!"

"What?"

"I have amnesia!" Li Tong shouted again, pointing at his head and shaking it. "I-I can't remember. Really, I can't. I might..."

"Cunning brat!" Chen He sneered.

"Amnesia..." Hatake Sakumo murmured, then fell silent in thought.

Creak! The iron door suddenly opened again, and two shinobi filed in. One was the black-robed shinobi who had left on orders earlier; the other was the medical shinobi he had gone to fetch.

Li Tong glanced at them. The black-robed shinobi's Anbu codename was Hunter, while the medical shinobi's was Qingsuo. Both were Konoha Anbu, and their reputations were fairly close: one had over seven thousand points, the other over five thousand.

"Captain!" Qingsuo greeted him respectfully.

"It's fine now." Hatake Sakumo raised a hand slightly behind him.

Qingsuo glanced at Li Tong. He still had a few injuries, but they weren't serious. Without saying a word, he bowed to Hatake Sakumo and hurried out.

Hatake Sakumo looked at Li Tong and asked again, "If you keep refusing to talk, I'll have no choice but to execute you. You're so young; your life has barely begun. Don't you think that would be a shame?"

"I really have amnesia!" Li Tong said quickly.

"I don't believe you," Hatake Sakumo replied.

"You... you people..." Li Tong was truly panicking. As someone who'd crossed into another world, getting killed right after arriving was about as tragic as it got. Where was his protagonist's halo?

"Oh, right!" Li Tong's eyes lit up, as if he'd just thought of something. "Don't you have the Yamanaka Clan here? They can... can examine memories, right? Go ahead and check mine! I'll let you examine my memories."

"Oh? You know quite a bit," Hatake Sakumo said, genuinely surprised. But his tone turned strange. "But didn't you say you had amnesia? How do you remember that?"

Li Tong's face stiffened, and his shoulders slumped. He lowered his head.

It was over. There was no explaining his way out of this!

Creak! The heavy iron door opened again, but this time only a narrow gap. A cold draft blew into the interrogation room. A shadow flickered, and a figure appeared beside White Fang, speaking in a low voice. "Captain, I'm back."

"Did the mission go smoothly?" Hatake Sakumo asked, tilting his head.

"Mm." The newcomer nodded.

Li Tong looked up at the person beside Hatake Sakumo.

--

Name: Gui Xin (Yamanaka Oniichi).

Identity: Second squad leader of the Anbu Special Assassination and Tactical Squad of Konohagakure, Land of Fire.

Reputation: 19788 points.

Relationship: Hostile.

--

"The Yamanaka Clan... an Anbu squad leader..." Complicated thoughts flashed through Li Tong's mind. He blinked, then abruptly stood up. As his chains rattled, he shouted in agitation, "I really have amnesia! I swear! If you don't believe me, have someone examine my memories! I really have amnesia! Believe me!"

As a magician, Li Tong was highly skilled at performing onstage. He didn't dare ask anyone to examine his memories outright, because he couldn't explain how he knew their identities. He could only try this way and hope for a chance to survive.

"Amnesia?" A glint flashed in Gui Xin's eyes as he tilted his head toward White Fang.

"Since you're here, go ahead and examine him," White Fang said indifferently.

"Mind-Reading Technique?"

"Mm."

"But... you know the technique demands an exceptionally high level of talent. Right now, I'm the only one in the Yamanaka Clan who can use it, and even then, it might fail. If it does, the shock to his consciousness could turn him into an idiot."

"It doesn't matter. This brat won't tell us anything anyway."

"Very well." Gui Xin nodded, then flickered behind Li Tong like a ghost.

Li Tong couldn't react in time. He felt a hand tap his shoulder, and his legs gave way, sending him to the floor. A violent current of energy rose from Gui Xin's body. He reached out with his right hand, pressed it against the top of Li Tong's head, and closed his eyes.

At that moment, Li Tong was incredibly nervous. First, he was afraid he'd end up an idiot. Second, he was worried that if Gui Xin succeeded, he might uncover Li Tong's memories from before he crossed worlds.

"Ding! Brainwave intrusion detected. Host's consciousness defense barrier forced to activate... Host's past-life memories have been blocked... Host's brain-consciousness space has been reinforced..." The cold electronic voice sounded in Li Tong's mind again, and this time, he was awake.

"Wh-what was that sound?" Li Tong cried out. Hearing a strange voice out of nowhere was terrifying.

Hatake Sakumo, who had his arms crossed, narrowed his eyes slightly. He didn't understand why Li Tong had suddenly shouted. What had he heard?

Gui Xin was unaffected. His eyes remained closed, his palm still pressed to the top of Li Tong's head as he examined Li Tong's memories.

Ninja Art: Mind-Reading Technique!

This was an A-rank secret technique of the Yamanaka Clan, and could also be considered a forbidden technique. Forbidden techniques were dangerous, but the danger of the Mind-Reading Technique didn't lie in harming the user. It could harm the target instead. As a result, during training, practitioners sometimes ended up hurting people. They couldn't keep turning people into idiots just to practice. There were safer methods, of course, but training too cautiously slowed progress considerably.

That was why so few members of the Yamanaka Clan trained in this technique. Without enough talent, it was a waste of time that harmed both the user and others.

Though Yamanaka Oniichi had mastered the technique, he couldn't be considered an expert. So he was very cautious. Unless it was necessary, he wouldn't turn anyone into an idiot. It was a taboo among the Yamanaka Clan.

Li Tong's eyes widened. He strained to listen, but the strange voice didn't come again.

More than ten minutes passed like this.

Yamanaka Oniichi slowly opened his eyes and lifted his hand from the top of Li Tong's head. He turned to Hatake Sakumo and said, "His brain suffered a powerful impact in the past. His memories are fragmented and badly damaged."

"Hm? So he really does have amnesia?" Hatake Sakumo asked.

"Yes." Yamanaka Oniichi nodded.

Hatake Sakumo turned his gaze to Li Tong and studied him from head to toe, deep in thought. He finally spoke after a long while. "Take him to a solitary cell." With that, Hatake Sakumo flickered and vanished on the spot.

Late at night, deep inside the Konoha Anbu headquarters, in a solitary cell.

The room was damp and cold, with no windows. The only light came through the small opening in the cell door, cast by a torch in the corridor outside. Li Tong had been locked up here for several hours and couldn't sleep. He sat curled up in a corner, shivering.

He wasn't shivering because he was afraid or cold. It was because... the place was filthy!

He felt as if he were soaking in a mud pit full of filth. There wasn't a clean spot anywhere.

Midnight.

"Ding! Host reminder: You still have an awakening gift pack that hasn't been used." The cold electronic voice suddenly sounded in Li Tong's mind.

"Hm?" Li Tong, already on edge, froze for a moment. This time, he didn't shout. He took a deep breath and asked quietly, "What was that sound?"

Silence.

There was no response.

"W-who are you?" Li Tong asked again.

"Ding! I am the Card Emperor Sprite. I'm happy to serve you."

"Card Emperor... Sprite... Holy crap!" Li Tong nearly jumped up, because he knew what the "Card Emperor Sprite" was. It was the intelligent customer service assistant from the mobile game Card Emperor that he'd played before crossing worlds.