Mind Reading

Hatake Sakumo, codenamed White Fang in the Anbu, was a top-tier powerhouse active during the Second Shinobi World War. He was known for his mastery of a short blade that glowed with chakra, earning him the moniker "Konoha's White Fang." In the original story, he was the father of Hatake Kakashi and a tragic hero. Though he did not have much screen time, he left a profound impression.

Li Tong was still in a daze. Although he could clearly see the data in his left eye that resembled "character information," he had no idea where these words were coming from. Subconsciously, he raised his hand to wave it in front of his face, and as his hand blocked his vision, the data vanished simultaneously.

"What is this..." Li Tong waved his hand back and forth, then looked at the other ninja wearing a tactical vest.

--

Name: Chen He (Kato Ki).

Identity: Konoha Anbu Interrogation and Torture Force, Land of Fire.

Reputation: 5199 points.

--

"Chen He... that's his Anbu codename... Kato Ki... that's his real name... Is this really identity information? Why can my eye see these things..." Li Tong muttered to himself, looking blank. He felt as if his brain couldn't keep up.

Transmigrating was already bizarre enough, but why was this Naruto world slightly different?

Li Tong's current behavior was strange; he would occasionally raise his hand to wave in front of his left eye, then tilt his head to observe the two people in the interrogation room with a weird gaze, muttering to himself without anyone knowing what he was saying.

Hatake Sakumo looked at the big boy slumped on the straw mat with an indifferent expression. He was unfazed by the boy's actions.

To enemies, the Konoha Anbu was a terrifying place. Although Hatake Sakumo had not served as an Anbu captain for very long, he had truly seen all kinds of people. Some prisoners would even go insane and try to eat themselves alive.

"Can you answer my questions?" Hatake Sakumo, wearing a mask, asked in a hoarse voice.

"Huh?" Li Tong refocused his gaze on the ninja in front of him, his throat bobbing as he said, "Th-that... what question?"

"Damn brat, starting to play dumb again," Chen He muttered from the side with a displeased tone.

"How many brat ninjas like you did Amegakure send this time, and what is your ultimate goal?" Hatake Sakumo asked in a calm, serious voice.

"Uh... about that..." Li Tong blinked hard, his brows furrowing.

He tried very hard to remember!

Since he had transmigrated and possessed this body, the memories of the original owner might exist, though it was also possible they didn't... Fragments flashed through Li Tong's mind like edited movie clips, flickering past one after another, but he couldn't see anything clearly.

Li Tong didn't speak.

Because he really couldn't remember!

"Brat," Hatake Sakumo spoke again, his tone indifferent. "You should know that if you can provide me with important intelligence, you won't have to die. If you are willing to defect from Amegakure, a ninja of your age could even join our Konoha. But if you refuse to say anything and hold out to the end, then..."

As Hatake Sakumo finished speaking, the temperature in the interrogation room dropped a few degrees.

Hatake Sakumo stood there, motionless, his eyes calm, yet he seemed to have transformed into an abyss of black mist harboring an ancient beast, making one's hair stand on end.

"I... that... wait..." Li Tong's heart was in his throat. Although he hadn't figured many things out, he understood one thing: if he didn't say something, he might be executed!

The original owner of this body was an Amegakure ninja, captured by Konoha, and was now being interrogated...

The situation was simple, but Li Tong really didn't know what to say.

"You really don't want to talk?"

"I have amnesia!"

"What?"

"I have amnesia!" Li Tong repeated loudly, pointing at his head and shaking it. "I, I don't remember. Really, I can't think of anything. I might have..."

"Cunning brat!" Chen He sneered.

"Amnesia..." Hatake Sakumo murmured, then fell into a silent contemplation.

Creak! The iron door suddenly opened again. Two ninjas filed in: one was the black-robed ninja who had left earlier under orders, and the other was the medical ninja he had retrieved.

Li Tong scanned them with his eyes. The black-robed ninja's Anbu codename was Hunter, and the medical ninja's codename was Qingsuo. Both were Konoha Anbu ninjas, and their reputations were similar—one over seven thousand, the other over five thousand.

"Captain!" Qingsuo greeted respectfully.

"It's fine," Hatake Sakumo gestured slightly behind him.

Qingsuo glanced at Li Tong. Although there were still some injuries on his body, they were minor issues. He said nothing, bowed to Hatake Sakumo, and hurried away.

Hatake Sakumo looked at Li Tong and asked again, "If you stubbornly refuse to speak, then I have no choice but to execute you! Your life has barely begun at your age; don't you think that's a pity?"

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

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

"You... you guys..." Li Tong was truly anxious. As a transmigrator, being executed right after arriving was the most pathetic thing imaginable. What about the protagonist's halo?

"Oh, right!" Li Tong's eyes lit up as if he had remembered something. "Don't you, don't you guys have the Yamanaka clan who can, can check memories? Come on, check my memory! I'll let you check."

"Oh? You know quite a lot?" Hatake Sakumo was rather surprised, though his tone became somewhat strange. "But didn't you say you had amnesia? How do you remember these things?"

Li Tong's expression stiffened, his shoulders slumped, and he hung his head.

It was over; he couldn't explain his way out of this!

Creak! The heavy iron door opened again, but this time only a crack. Cold wind blew into the interrogation room as Lueying flickered, appearing beside White Fang, and said in a low voice, "Captain, I have returned."

"Did the mission go smoothly?" Hatake Sakumo tilted his head to ask.

"Yes," the newcomer nodded.

Li Tong looked up at the person standing beside Hatake Sakumo.

Name: Gui Xin (Yamanaka Oniichi).
Identity: Captain of the Second Squad, Anbu Tactical Special Operations Department, Konoha Hidden Village, Land of Fire.
Reputation: 19,788 points.
Relationship: Hostile.

"Yamanaka clan... an Anbu captain..." Complex thoughts flashed through Li Tong's mind. He blinked, then abruptly stood up. As his chains rattled, he shouted excitedly, "I really have amnesia! I really do! If you don't believe me, send someone to check my memories! I really have amnesia! Believe me!"

As a magician, Li Tong possessed exceptional stage presence. He dared not let anyone check him directly, as he couldn't explain how he knew the other's identity, so he could only use this method to seek a glimmer of survival.

"Amnesia?" Gui Xin's gaze flickered, and he tilted his head toward White Fang.

"As it happens, go ahead and check him," White Fang said indifferently.

"Mind Reading?"

"Yes."

"But... you know that Mind Reading requires too much talent. Currently, among our Yamanaka clan, only I can barely perform it, and there is still a possibility of failure. Once it fails and impacts his consciousness, he will become an idiot."

"It doesn't matter. This guy doesn't know anything anyway."

"Very well!" Gui Xin nodded. His body flickered, and he appeared behind Li Tong like a ghost.

Before Li Tong could react, he felt a tap on his shoulder, and his legs went weak, causing him to collapse to the ground. A violent current of air surged from Gui Xin's body as he extended his right hand to press down on the top of Li Tong's head and closed his eyes.

At this moment, Li Tong was incredibly nervous. First, he was worried he would become an idiot; second, he was worried that if the other party succeeded, would they discover his memories from before he transmigrated?

Ding! Brain-domain perception intrusion detected. Host's consciousness defense barrier forced open... Previous life memories shielded... Host's brain-domain consciousness space reinforced... The cold electronic voice appeared in Li Tong's mind again, and this time, Li Tong was fully conscious.

"Wh-what was that sound?" Li Tong blurted out. Hearing a strange voice suddenly was, quite obviously, a terrifying experience.

"Hmm?" Hatake Sakumo, who had been hugging his arms, narrowed his eyes slightly. He didn't understand why Li Tong was shouting; what had he heard?

Gui Xin remained unaffected, his eyes still tightly shut, his palm pressed against Li Tong's head as he probed Li Tong's memories.

Ninja Art: Mind Reading!

This was an A-rank secret technique of the Yamanaka clan, or perhaps it could be called a forbidden technique. Forbidden techniques all carried risks, and the danger of Mind Reading did not lie in harming oneself, but in harming the target. This meant that during the process of training this technique, one would inevitably commit some immoral acts; one could not simply rely on turning people into idiots to practice. Of course, there were safer methods, but if the training was too cautious, growth would be extremely slow.

This was the reason why very few in the Yamanaka clan practiced this technique; if one lacked the talent, it was a waste of time that harmed both others and oneself.

Although Yamanaka Oniichi had mastered this technique, he could not be called proficient, so he was very careful. Unless absolutely necessary, he would not turn anyone into an idiot; this was a taboo of the Yamanaka clan.

Li Tong widened his eyes and pricked up his ears, but he could no longer hear that strange sound.

Thus, a full ten minutes passed.

Yamanaka Oniichi slowly opened his eyes and removed his hand from the top of Li Tong's head. He said to Hatake Sakumo, "His brain domain has suffered a severe impact. His memories are fragmented and heavily damaged."

"Hmm? In other words, he really has amnesia?" Hatake Sakumo asked.

"Yes!" Yamanaka Oniichi nodded.

Hatake Sakumo turned his gaze toward Li Tong, pondering as he looked him up and down, though it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. After a long while, he finally spoke: "Take him to an isolated cell." With that, Hatake Sakumo's body flickered and he vanished into thin air.

Late at night, deep within the Konoha Anbu headquarters, in an isolated cell.

The room was damp and cold, with no windows. The only light came from the window on the cell door, which was the light of torches from the corridor outside. Having been locked here for several hours, Li Tong could not sleep. He sat huddled in the corner, shivering.

He was shivering not because of fear or the cold, but because... it was too filthy!

He felt as if he were soaking in a swamp of filth; there wasn't a single clean spot to be found.

Midnight.

Ding! Reminder to the host: You still have an Awakening Gift Pack that has not been used. The cold electronic voice appeared abruptly in Li Tong's mind.

"Hmm?" Li Tong, whose nerves were highly strung, was stunned for a moment. But this time he didn't shout out. Instead, he took a deep breath and asked in a low voice, "What voice is that?"

Silence.

There was no response.

"You... who are you?" Li Tong asked again.

Ding! I am the Card Emperor Sprite, happy to serve you.

"Card... Emperor... Sprite... Damn it!" Li Tong nearly jumped up, because he knew exactly what the "Card Emperor Sprite" was—it was the intelligent customer service for the mobile game Card Emperor that he had played before he transmigrated.