Early next morning — a sigh from little Kiri.
Being forced to wake up early again made Kiri feel awful.
It was a deep, psychological pain — the kind that comes from transmigrating to a new world, only to still be stuck in a full-time job like a corporate drone.
In short: Ninja Office Worker Syndrome.
Even after all this time — a war-driven, 7-days-a-week, 8-to-10 shift — Kiri still hadn't escaped the grip of this illness.
Part of the exhaustion was also caused by the side effects of his cheat.
[Consume Emotional Node: 1]
[Limitless Technique – Phase 1 → Phase 2]
[Localization Complete]
[External Brain – Sealing-Type (S): A brain-linked sealing formula designed to sync with Six Eyes, allowing short bursts of high-performance use without side effects. Unlocks minor 'Stop Power.']
[Next Phase Unlocks at: 2 Emotional Nodes]
Kiri scanned the system panel, then reached out, holding a pen upright by its tip without touching it.
If someone looked closely, they'd see that his finger never quite made contact. Yet the pen floated steadily mid-air.
But it only lasted a few seconds before his head flared in pain, like a metal spike was twisting through his brain.
Still, the Six Eyes no longer felt quite as overwhelming.
He stopped. The pen dropped into his palm.
"Ugh… child labor at fifteen… tragic."
He leaned back in his chair and sighed.
Then immediately shut up.
From the lounge on the side of the office, a bony, hollow-eyed man wrapped in black chakra fog slowly stepped forward, glaring at him with such deadly energy you'd think he could strangle with his eyes.
The man lumbered forward.
As he passed behind Kiri, he muttered:
"Sahara… you know the agony of getting just an hour of sleep before being dragged out of bed, right…?"
"Today, you're not getting off easy."
"Yes, sir!"
Kiri immediately straightened up like a rod.
Yup, trouble was coming.
And sure enough, as soon as work started, everyone's workload nearly doubled.
Not because of Kiri's mission yesterday — it was just that the frontlines had exploded again, and the intel unit was slammed with classified reports.
Still, after two years on the job, Kiri had grown used to this. He managed it while still thinking about his real mission.
Even with the cheat system in hand, Yagura's original mission still needed to be finished.
Cheat powers or not, growth still took time.
[Steal intel on the 'Tsunade Unit']
According to intel from the underground, the Hidden Mist had learned that Tsunade's team had headed to the frontlines four days ago on a secret high-risk mission. All four members were elite jōnin, accompanied by at least three ANBU or Root squads for backup.
Even that level of detail had the Mist's top brass on high alert.
This wasn't the First Hokage era anymore.
Back then, elite squads like the Ginkaku Brothers could ambush and kill both the Second Hokage and Second Raikage.
Even legendary shinobi like Hanzo had entire elite teams just to maintain chakra barriers.
And the Third Tsuchikage? He had a full special defense squad codenamed "Blast."
It was wartime.
Even a Kage had to fear ambushes.
And Tsunade's "Monstrous Strength Punch" was said to be an instant kill.
"If it's that important, it's gotta be at least an A-rank… maybe S."
Kiri kept analyzing as he skimmed files.
Eventually, he stood up and called out:
"Shikakoshi-sama, B-Team's batch is ready!"
"Good," came the tired voice of Nara Shikakoshi. "Take those to the sealed archive."
"Ugh!"
Kiri pulled a mock-annoyed face. The pile of files was taller than he was.
"Move!" barked Shikakoshi.
"S-Sir…"
Once outside the office, Kiri's expression changed.
This was the advantage of working in Konoha's Intel Department.
Not every classified document passed through their hands, but when needed, they had free access to high-security archives.
Which was exactly why these positions were only given to born-and-raised Konoha civilians with perfect family records and numerous references.
Most spies would never pass such a filter.
But Kiri was already in.
"Halt. Chakra authentication."
"Right."
Kiri placed his hand on the seal at the archive entrance and channeled chakra.
Then he activated the Six Eyes.
Everything around him lit up — hyper-clear.
A full jōnin-led squad was stationed at the door. Another ANBU team was hidden inside: the ceiling, corners, and trapdoors.
Powerful sealing barriers lined the walls.
There was only one weak point — the ceiling.
But above it was… the Hokage's Office.
The two chambers shared a linked barrier system.
Kiri stepped in casually.
The room was massive — rows of file cabinets like a ninja archive.
He walked toward Cabinet B while the Six Eyes scanned deeper, starting at the S-rank drawers, searching for intel from the past few days.
With all that data flooding in, his pace slowed slightly.
Eventually, he reached for a handle—
Clack.
A hand suddenly grabbed his wrist.
Kiri stiffened.
His vision captured the faint design of a lynx mask — ANBU.
A black-clad young man stood before him, his figure lean, his golden-blond hair standing like flames.
Fast — and silent.
All around him, the other three ANBU had also moved, now surrounding him from the ceiling, counters, and rear.
On full alert.
But Kiri — experienced as he was — didn't panic.
Instead, he showed a puzzled and nervous look:
"Um… may I ask what's going on?"
The blond ANBU checked his pulse, then slightly relaxed.
He spoke in a low, disguised voice:
"Since 10 p.m. last night, Section B documents were moved to Cabinet 17."
"All other cabinets have been sealed. Do not reopen."
Kiri visibly relaxed, smiling apologetically:
"Sorry — I was off last night."
"Hmph."
The ANBU released his wrist and began retreating.
But Kiri's gaze lingered on the man's hair and build…
"Wait a sec."
"You're… Minato, aren't you?"
"It's been a while."
The figure hesitated — then answered in his real voice, though still cool:
"Apologies."
"During missions, ANBU do not refer to each other by name."