"You know… you're actually a pretty nice guy..."
Watching Orochimaru's serpentine silhouette fade into the dim corridor, Hidezawa couldn't resist a dry, sarcastic remark under his breath.
And then, a long exhale escaped him.
'That pressure...'
Even with his transmigrator's cheat system, facing Orochimaru was like standing under the crushing weight of a mountain. It was one thing to know how strong someone was from a screen. It was another to feel it in your bones.
Still, Hidezawa wasn't exactly weak himself.
In terms of sheer stats, he was already at the level of a well-rounded jōnin. Even if it was thanks to the cheat, it was still an accomplishment. But now that the tension had eased, a strange thought flickered across his mind.
"Kabuto and I both entered Root around the same age—what, seven?" Hidezawa muttered to himself. "But he got shipped off on infiltration missions across foreign lands, while I only handled Konoha-internal assignments… And somehow I still managed to grind my levels like this?"
He blinked, realization dawning.
"...Just how badly was Danzo exploiting child labor?"
Looking back, maybe he had been lucky. Compared to Kabuto and those Root orphans who had been shoved onto the battlefield during the Third Great Ninja War, his own experience was practically a paid internship.
...
Ding!
[New Mission Acquired]
[Rescue the Anbu Operatives]
Hidezawa barely reacted. Missions like these were normal now, and more than welcome. In fact, each mission was an opportunity—more rewards, more attribute points, and more power.
And power was what he needed to escape Danzo.
He had no dreams of becoming Hokage or rewriting history. He just wanted to survive. Still, he was an experienced corporate rat in his past life. He knew exactly how to "climb the ladder".
The ideal strategy was always: wait for the boss to retire… or wait for them to ascend to the Pure Land.
Putting his mask back on, Hidezawa reopened his status panel:
…
[Shigen Hidezawa]
[Overall Physical Attributes: Lv6]
[Chakra: Lv6]
[Abilities: Water-style (Lv5), Fire-style (Lv6), Taijutsu (Lv5), Fūinjutsu (Lv5), Cursed Seal (Unclaimed)]
[Free Attribute Points: 5]
…
The five points were precious, but what really caught his attention was the Cursed Seal.
…
[Unclaimed Cursed Seal]
A product of sealing natural energy into a curse mark. Can be bound to the user, stabilizing natural energy flow. Enhances abilities based on level.
…
He knew all too well how the cursed seal worked in the original timeline. Orochimaru had based it on Jūgo's ability to absorb senjutsu energy. It was unstable, wild, and capable of consuming a person whole if their willpower wasn't strong enough.
But this system-bound seal… it felt different.
The system had never granted him any S-tier broken gifts before. Most of his abilities came from grinding missions or collecting random rewards. But this cursed seal was the first thing that truly excited him.
"A low-level seal shouldn't be too dangerous… but why is this system pushing me into becoming a pure stats monster?"
He sighed.
Still, being a stats monster wasn't a bad route. The First Hokage had also been a raw stat monster. Not every ninja needed bloodlines to dominate.
…
"Bind the Cursed Seal. Upgrade it to Level 3."
The command echoed only in his mind.
Instantly, a searing pain burned through the back of his hand.
"Agh—!"
He ripped off his glove. A jagged, three-tomoe-shaped black mark pulsed against his skin like molten ink.
…
[Cursed Seal Bound. Current Level: Lv1]
[Cursed Seal Upgraded to Lv3]
[Remaining Free Attribute Points: 2]
…
The transformation was instantaneous. Energy flooded his limbs—his senses sharpened, and his field of awareness expanded like a sensory net cast over the forest. Every sound, every tremor, every whisper of chakra within range… he could feel it.
"So this is what it means to be a stat monster." Hidezawa murmured with an admiring grin. "Alright, let's give this seal a proper test run."
…
Elsewhere—
Uzuki Yugao stood alone, her breath heavy and uneven.
In front of her, several deranged, inhumanly fast shinobi growled with wild eyes. They didn't speak. They didn't taunt. They just attacked. Again and again.
She had fought many foes before—missing-nin, rogue samurai, even foreign assassins. But these were something else.
"As expected of Orochimaru… even after defecting, his fanatics still swarm like flies." she muttered, parrying another savage slash.
She had broken off from the team to call for backup per Hidezawa's advice, but she hadn't expected to run straight into this mess.
"Why are they so loyal? Did he brainwash them… or are they just lab rejects with no will left?"
With a sharp breath, she twirled her ninjatō. Her chakra flared.
"Konoha-ryū ∙Hazy Moon!"
Her blade shimmered in midair, moving so fast that its edge became a ghostly mirage. She descended from above in a deadly arc—
*Clang! Clang!*
Her opponents screamed and charged through it, completely ignoring their own injuries.
They weren't just loyal.
They were fanatical.
Worse—
They were insane.
Their movements lacked coordination but overflowed with sheer aggression. Yugao realized too late that they intended to die taking her with them.
"Tch—!"
She braced herself for the suicidal collision.
*Thud!*
But the impact never came.
*RUMBLE—!*
"Earth Style ∙ Mud Wall!"
A towering earthen barrier burst from the ground between her and the enemy, shattering their formation and halting their charge.
…
*BOOM!*
…
The enemies were flung backward, slamming into trees and rocks. Yugao staggered from the shockwave, barely catching herself.
Dust choked the air. Her vision blurred.
Then—warm hands steadied her from behind.
Startled, she reached for her blade.
"Relax, senpai." came a familiar voice, laced with teasing calm. "This is the second time I've had to save you tonight. You really ought to be more careful..."
*****
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