Boom—!
The side wall of the command post exploded as if struck by a giant beast. Splinters, dust, and smoke filled the air as a massive figure stepped through the debris. Jagged black stone rippled across his body, forming an armor-like shell that gleamed menacingly under the light.
It was Black Bear.
Without a word or even a roar, the moment he entered, he rammed his stone-covered shoulder into the main support beam of the roof.
Orochimaru's hands flashed through a string of seals.
"Earth Style: Yellow Springs Swamp!"
The ground liquefied instantly, turning to thick mud that dragged the giant's legs down.
But then—
"He's not the outpost elite mentioned in the intel—it's Orochimaru!"
A woman's sharp voice cut through the chaos. She was slim, quick, and her tone was like a snake's hiss.
Rattlesnake.
"Yes!"
"Lightning Style: Earth Current!"
A flash of electricity arced across the floor—
Crackle!
The lightning tore through the swamp, its natural counter to earth-style techniques. Orochimaru was forced to retreat, his jutsu breaking apart as the ground dried and cracked beneath him.
The sheer violence of the exchange stunned Nawaki and Kushina. They had never seen such raw destructive power up close.
But the real danger wasn't the black bear crashing through the wall.
It came from below.
"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"
A ripple ran through the floor. A hand shot out from the ground beside Nawaki, clutching a kunai wound with wire—its other end connected to a chain of explosive tags.
Nawaki's eyes widened. He barely managed a shout before the trap was sprung—
Kushina lunged forward on instinct, trying to push him away, but it was too far, too fast—
And yet, someone else moved faster.
|Assassination_Plan_Normal.log|"The insider's plan failed! Orochimaru's still in the outpost! We'll need Black Bear and Rattlesnake to draw him away!"
|Assassination_Success.log|"Orochimaru's distracted! Perfect—Skinny Monkey can finish the job!"
Hiroki didn't hesitate. He kicked Nawaki hard in the chest.
"What the—!?" the assassin—Skinny Monkey—snarled, vanishing back into the ground.
Impossible! the thought flashed through his mind. The intel never said that brat was a sensory ninja!
How could a kid react that fast in such a confined space?
Hiroki's kick sent Nawaki tumbling clear of the kunai.
|Assassination_Reaction.log|"A Genin… stopped Skinny Monkey!? Impossible! Could the rumors be true—that he wiped out an entire Cloud team!?"
|Assassination_Change.log|"No choice. If this fails, we retreat."
"Rattlesnake!" the voice barked again—from somewhere unseen.
Hiroki narrowed his eyes.
So Scar, the one who hadn't shown up yet, was the commander of this operation.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
"Genjutsu: Golden Binding!"
Orochimaru's snakes shot out like arrows, coiling around Black Bear's limbs, while his golden eyes locked onto the man.
But—
"Lightning Style: Noise Wave!" Rattlesnake's voice rang from behind.
A shriek of electric interference filled the air, and the genjutsu shattered. Black Bear staggered for only a second before moving again.
These weren't amateurs.
Orochimaru realized it immediately.
They had it all: a sensor, two Earth-style users, a Lightning user, and a heavy hitter. A fully equipped jonin-level strike team.
An S-rank operation.
He couldn't wipe them out instantly—not here, not in this cramped space.
He inhaled deeply, his hands forming seals again.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
A violent gust tore through the outpost, blowing the shattered ceiling skyward and clearing the field.
But outside—
Two Leaf shinobi were fighting Inuzuka clan members.
An inside job.
Orochimaru's lips thinned.
This attack had been planned in advance.
Beneath the ground, Skinny Monkey tried again.
Every time he attempted to strike, Hiroki sensed him coming.
A sensory type, confirmed.
He grit his teeth. He couldn't drag Hiroki under—if he surfaced, Orochimaru would shred him in seconds.
Fine. If he couldn't kill Nawaki, he'd take out the other brat first.
He lunged upward, grabbing Hiroki's ankles—
And froze.
Completely.
The hands gripping Hiroki's legs went limp, twitching faintly.
Even Black Bear and Rattlesnake stopped, confused.
What's he doing?
Orochimaru didn't hesitate.
"Wind Style: Gale Cutter!"
His wind chakra sliced forward, cleaving through Black Bear's arm and shattering the hardened armor. Blood splattered across the ruined wall.
At the same time, Skinny Monkey's chakra signature flatlined.
|Assassination_Status.log|"Skinny Monkey's gone?! His chakra's fading! What happened?"
|Assassination_Change.log|"Black Bear's arm's gone too! Abort mission—intel was wrong! Orochimaru's too strong!"
|Assassination_Panic.log|"Rattlesnake, retreat now!—"
|Assassination_Error.log|"Poisoned… when did it—"
[Access Denied: Administrator privileges required for write operations.]
They caught on quickly.
Hiroki exhaled. He'd only rewritten their neural code twice before they locked him out. Fortunately, the "muscle patch" had already been applied—this one twice as strong.
From the final thought before the firewall slammed shut, only two enemies remained.
"Teacher Orochimaru! Two left!" he shouted.
Orochimaru's pupils narrowed. Then a thin smile curved across his lips.
The sensor was dead.
Rattlesnake and Black Bear exchanged horrified looks.
"Retreat!!"
"Stop them!"
"Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!"
Hiroki's jutsu struck first, the wind piercing through Black Bear's armor and flesh alike.
"Genjutsu: See You in Hell!" Orochimaru followed up, layering illusions over physical strikes.
Rattlesnake didn't hesitate—lightning flashed around her as she turned to flee, distorting her chakra with a pulse of sound.
"Earth Style: Yellow Springs Swamp!"
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
"Genjutsu: Fox's Heart!"
"Genjutsu: This Isn't the Place!"
One after another, Orochimaru unleashed technique after technique.
Rattlesnake slowed. Her steps faltered. Her eyes unfocused.
"Hiroki!" Orochimaru barked. "Don't kill them—keep them alive!"
"Understood!"
Hiroki lunged forward.
[Brain Overload — Activate!]
Rattlesnake froze mid-motion, her body rigid as a statue.
Kushina and Nawaki could only stare, speechless.
The battle had erupted and ended in moments. One instant they were on the brink of death; the next, everything was over.
The ground was scorched. Smoke filled the air.
And Hiroki stood there, lowering his hand, calm as ever.
"Hiroki… what was that?" Nawaki stammered. "The guy who grabbed you—why did he just stop?"
"Yeah!" Kushina stepped forward, grabbing his sleeve. "And that woman—she just froze when you touched her! Was that ninjutsu? How did you even learn that!?"
Orochimaru ignored their questions, his voice rasping as he crouched to meet Hiroki's eyes.
"Hiroki," he said softly, "you can read memories, can't you? Their employer. Their purpose. Leave that to you."
Hiroki didn't answer right away. Orochimaru already knew too much. Still, he nodded once, then turned toward the immobilized Rattlesnake.
He placed his hand on her forehead.
[Open and view memory file?]→ Yes
|File Name|Content|| Intel_Orochimaru_Confirmed.log | "Scar's info was right. It's Orochimaru of the Sannin. We need to lure him out." || Tactics_Execution.log | "Use Lightning Style: Earth Current to cancel his earth jutsu. Black Bear escapes. Plan successful." || Observation_Hiroki_Reaction.log | "That kid's too fast. Skinny Monkey's sneak failed." || Alert_SkinnyMonkey_Dead.log | "His chakra vanished… killed instantly? Impossible!" || Command_Scar_Retreat.log | "Scar gave the retreat signal. Pull out immediately!" || System_Error.log | "Orochimaru's genjutsu—broken by my lightning—no… body… can't move…" |
Inside Hiroki's mind, the data took shape.
He pressed Ctrl+C, selecting the entire Combat Ninjutsu folder along with several Memory Fragments.
[Calculating required space…][Copying 5 files — 73.7MB total]
| File | Size | Estimated Time || Lightning Style: Earth Current.exe | 7.8MB | 7m 48s || Lightning Style: Noise Wave.exe | 6.1MB | 6m 6s || Mystical Art: Serpent Communication.dat | 2.3MB | 2m 18s || Memory Fragment: Mission Briefing.mp4 | 45.2MB | 45m 12s || Memory Fragment: Employer Contact (Blurred).mp4 | 12.3MB | 12m 18s |
He double-clicked the mission briefing file to stream it directly.
Then—
[Copying data from Black Bear_BlackStone → My Computer_HirokiSawada]
| File | Size | Time || Earth Style: Hardening Technique.exe | 15.2MB | 15m 12s || Earth Style: Rock Armor.exe | 18.9MB | 18m 54s || Taijutsu: Bear Charge.dat | 5.4MB | 5m 24s |
Hiroki froze mid-transfer, his eyes widening slightly.
"I remember… seven forward outposts were attacked, right?" he asked quietly.
Orochimaru nodded. "Yes."
But then realization flickered in his eyes.
Hiroki's voice was calm, but cold.
"…Then why did they only attack patrols three times?"
=----------------------------------=
To read chapters in advance go to P@treon - harsh07