Desperation in the ANBU Restroom and the Life Script Simulator

The cold water flowed over his wrist, washing away a trace of blood that wasn't there.

Baishi looked up, gazing at the unfamiliar face in the mirror.

Pale, gaunt, with a numbness in his eyes that didn't belong to his age.

On his cheeks, a pure white animal mask, codenamed "Owl."

This was the Konoha ANBU base, three hundred meters underground, a cold cage that never saw sunlight, filled only with the mingled scent of disinfectant and faint blood.

Three years had passed since he'd transmigrated to this world of high mortality. From a war orphan to the lowest rung of the ANBU, Baishi walked on the edge of a blade every single day.

He had no bloodline limit, no powerful family background, just cannon fodder that the higher-ups could discard at any moment.

"Owl, the captain is waiting for you in Area A-3."

An ANBU member, also wearing a mask, passed by, his voice devoid of emotion, like two stones grinding together.

Baishi's heart sank.

Area A-3, that was where the ANBU received S-rank top-secret missions.

For ordinary ANBU, S-rank missions meant a near-certain death.

For a nobody like him, without any backing, an S-rank mission was a one-way ticket to death.

"Understood."

Baishi turned off the faucet, his voice equally cold.

He adjusted his black combat uniform and tactical vest, gripped the ninjatō at his waist, and walked down the corridor leading to despair.

(A cold laugh) "The so-called Will of Fire is merely an anesthetic that makes young people willing to die. What a cheap and effective tool."

Baishi scoffed inwardly, but his steps didn't falter.

In the ANBU, obedience was the only rule for survival.

In Area A-3, a single ANBU captain stood in a spacious room, his back to Baishi.

"Owl," the captain's voice was icy, "in one hour, you will serve as bait to lure a squad of rogue Stone ninja who have infiltrated the Land of Fire. Your mission is to use your life to create an opportunity for a decisive blow for the follow-up forces."

No extra words, just a direct death sentence.

Baishi knelt on one knee, his head bowed low, concealing the cold gaze beneath his mask.

"For Konoha, I am willing to die a thousand deaths, Lord Hokage."

He spoke the most fervent slogans, but his heart was frantically counting down the final moments of his life.

Bait?

In plain terms, it meant going to die.

Facing an entire squad of Stone ninja elites, he wouldn't last even a second.

This was the fate of cannon fodder, casually decided by the higher-ups, then disposed of like trash.

Unwilling.

He was extremely unwilling!

Why should he be a sacrifice in the games of the powerful? Why should those "children of destiny" born with silver spoons have everything?

Just then, a cold mechanical voice sounded in his mind.

[Detected host's strong desire for survival and extreme resentment towards the injustice of fate...]

["Life Script Simulator" bound successfully...]

[This simulator can consume chakra to enter script simulations in parallel universes, and by altering the fate nodes of key figures, hijack their luck, bonds, and opportunities.]

Baishi jolted, his heart pounding.

A cheat!

In this desperate situation, his cheat had finally arrived!

[Newbie bonus issued: Free activation of one Life Script simulation.]

[Please select the target character whose luck you wish to hijack...]

A virtual screen unfolded before Baishi's eyes, displaying countless names.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, Orochimaru, Tsunade...

Baishi's gaze swept rapidly, finally settling on an incredibly dazzling name.

[Namikaze Minato]!

The future Fourth Hokage, the fastest man in the ninja world, the pinnacle of civilian ninja, one of the men with the most fortune in the entire ninja world!

If I'm going to hijack, I'll hijack the strongest leg!

"I choose, Namikaze Minato!" Baishi roared in his heart.

[Target locked: Namikaze Minato.]

[Searching for major fortune nodes in his life script... Search complete.]

[Key Node 1: The Night of the Cloud Hidden Kidnapping.]

[Plot Summary: After graduating from the Ninja Academy, Uzumaki Kushina is kidnapped by Cloud Hidden ninjas due to her unique chakra and Uzumaki bloodline. Namikaze Minato, relying on his exceptional tracking abilities and talent, successfully stages a heroic rescue at the border of the Land of Fire, establishing a lifelong bond with Uzumaki Kushina.]

[Consume chakra to initiate this simulation?]

"Initiate!"

Baishi did not hesitate.

This was his only chance at survival!

In an instant, he felt half of his total chakra being drained away by an invisible force, and everything before his eyes began to twist and spin.

The cold ANBU base around him dissolved into countless specks of light.

Replacing it were dense forests, cold moonlight, and... the sounds of intense combat!

"Let me go! You bastards!"

A stubborn, youthful girl's voice rang out not far away.

Baishi's consciousness snapped to clarity. He found himself lurking in the canopy of a tall tree, his body feeling impossibly light.

He looked down.

Under the moonlight, a red-haired girl was being pinned to the ground by three burly Cloud Hidden ninjas.

There was blood at the corner of the girl's mouth, but her eyes were as fierce as a trapped lioness.

Uzumaki Kushina!

On his retina, a virtual panel visible only to him was refreshing with information.

[Simulation Scene: Forest at the Border of the Land of Fire]

[Current Identity: Konoha ANBU Genin (Simulation)]

[Mission Objective: Rescue Uzumaki Kushina before Namikaze Minato arrives, and intercept the "hero saves the beauty" destiny.]

[Estimated time of Namikaze Minato's arrival: 5 minutes and 21 seconds.]

[Host's current strength detected as insufficient to combat three Cloud Hidden Chunin. Consume simulation points to exchange for temporary abilities?]

[Exchangeable List:]

[1. Max-Level Lightning Release Affinity (S-Rank): Instantly master the ultimate nature transformation of lightning-attribute chakra; capable of performing A-Rank Lightning Release ninjutsu with one-handed seals.]

[2. Body Flicker Technique Mastery (A-Rank): Significantly increase movement speed and reaction reflexes.]

[3. Uzumaki Sage Body (Incomplete): Temporarily gain massive chakra and vitality.]

Looking at the options on the panel, Baishi did not hesitate.

In the Naruto world, it was high attack and low defense. To end the battle in the shortest time possible, he had to possess ultimate offensive power!

"I choose, Max-Level Lightning Release Affinity!"

[Exchange successful.]

The moment the words fell, Baishi felt an incredibly violent energy surge into his limbs and bones!

Crackle—

Pale blue electric arcs danced wildly across his skin, and every cell in his body hissed in painful excitement under the stimulation of the lightning chakra.

As if innate, countless pieces of knowledge regarding Lightning Release, seal-casting techniques, and combat experience flooded his mind.

He even felt that with just a single thought, he could transform into lightning itself!

At this moment, the Cloud Hidden ninjas below lost their patience.

"Stop wasting time with her! Just break her limbs and take her!" the leader of the Cloud Hidden barked.

Another Cloud Hidden ninja grinned and raised a kunai, aiming it at Kushina's slender ankle.

"No—!" Kushina screamed in despair.

[Estimated time of Namikaze Minato's arrival: 3 minutes and 48 seconds.]

There was no time left!

Baishi's eyes turned icy and bone-chilling.

He looked at the red-haired girl about to be humiliated, looked at her hair that shone brilliantly under the moonlight, and a perfect script formed in his mind in an instant.

He didn't just want to save her.

He wanted to descend in her moment of deepest despair, in the most shocking, perfect, and profound manner possible!

He would brand his image deep into her soul with the light of lightning!

"Now!"

Baishi leaped down from the canopy.

Mid-air, he formed seals with one hand like a bolt of lightning.

"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"

Without the slightest hesitation, he unleashed the signature technique of Kakashi's father, the White Fang of the Leaf!

The next second, a flash of lightning, brighter than the moonlight, tore through the night sky!