Visitor from the Root

At this very moment, Uchiha Ling's superhuman perception—a latent enhancement from his Uzumaki Constitution and Two-Tomoe Sharingan—caught onto something.

Uchiha Ling immediately closed his eyes, feigning deep sleep, his breathing becoming steady and long.

Almost the second Uchiha Ling finished his disguise, the hospital room window opened silently, and a figure drifted in as soundlessly as a falling leaf.

It was Uzumaki Kushina.

She wore pajamas with a coat thrown carelessly over them, her feet bare, like a kitten sneaking out. She held her breath and tiptoed to the side of Ling's bed, using the moonlight to carefully study his seemingly "sleeping" face.

[Received Worry +20 from Uzumaki Kushina]

[Received Guilt +20 from Uzumaki Kushina]

[Received Gratitude +20 from Uzumaki Kushina]

Complex emotions flooded in through the system notifications.

She stood quietly by the bedside for a long time, as if confirming he was truly alright. Finally, she let out a tiny sigh of relief and pulled something from her pocket.

Gently, with the utmost care, she placed it on Ling's pillow. It was a paper crane meticulously folded from red colored paper.

After finishing this, she left through the window as silently as she had arrived, pulling the casement shut behind her.

Only after confirming she was truly gone did Uchiha Ling slowly open his eyes.

Uchiha Ling turned his head to look at the paper crane on his pillow, which glowed with a soft red light in the moonlight, and the corners of his mouth curled into a warm arc involuntarily.

He picked up the paper crane, feeling the faint, lingering chakra and sincerity of Kushina upon it.

"Idiot..." Uchiha Ling whispered a playful curse, clutching the paper crane carefully in his palm.

However, this tender moment did not last long. Uchiha Ling's brow suddenly furrowed slightly.

Although his Two-Tomoe Sharingan was not active, his heightened perception, combined with the subtle environmental awareness granted by his Uzumaki Constitution, allowed him to vaguely catch a glimpse of an extremely obscure gaze sweeping over from the shadows of a large tree in the distance outside the window.

Was it Anbu? Monitoring and protecting Kushina? Or... observing me?

Uchiha Ling felt a surge of alertness, the excitement from his sudden spike in strength cooling slightly.

The higher-ups of Konoha, or rather, Shimura Danzō, would never lower their guard against an Uchiha who displayed such potential and "abnormality."

Uchiha Ling tucked the paper crane away close to his body and lay back down, his mind already restored to a state of cold calculation.

Meanwhile.

The Hokage's office.

The lights were blazing. Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, the embers in his pipe flickering as he frowned deeply.

Opposite him, Shimura Danzō leaned on his cane, his face expressionless, yet his single eye radiated an unquestionable hardness.

"Hiruzen, I will say this one last time." Danzō's voice was low and raspy, possessing a texture like metal grinding against metal. "Uchiha Ling, that brat from the Uchiha Clan—his contact with the Nine-Tails jinchūriki has exceeded the safety threshold!"

"This incident is further proof of that!"

"Are you not aware of the risks of the Uchiha Clan having intimate contact with the Nine-Tails jinchūriki?"

"Danzō, that child Ling saved Kushina, averted a war, and performed a great service!"

The Third Hokage said in a deep voice, "He possesses the Will of Fire and is a hero of the village. His concern for Kushina is the bond of a comrade; it should not be speculated upon with such malice."

"A hero? An Uchiha?" Danzō sneered, his cane striking the floor heavily. "The evil nature of the Uchiha is carved into their bones! This 'saving a comrade' is nothing more than a disguise to gain trust! His goal is undoubtedly the power of the Nine-Tails! If left unchecked, he will surely become a great disaster!"

"You are too extreme, Danzō! The Uchiha are also members of Konoha!" The Third Hokage raised his voice. "Ling, Kagami—they are all excellent ninja who have inherited the Will of Fire! Haven't you read that essay of his on the Will of Fire?"

"Hmph, flowery words to bewitch the hearts of others—that is exactly what they excel at!" Danzō did not yield. "Hiruzen, your weakness and indecision will destroy this village sooner or later! Since you won't handle it, I will! The existence of Root is to eliminate all potential threats to Konoha!"

"What are you planning to do?!" The Third Hokage stood up abruptly, his pipe clattering heavily against the desk.

"Necessary investigation and... control." Danzō said coldly. "If he is confirmed harmless, that is for the best. If he truly harbors ill intent... then, Root will clean it up."

"Danzō! I am the Hokage!"

"Hiruzen, you will regret this!"

Having said that, he gave the Third Hokage no chance to retort, turned, and walked straight out of the office, slamming the door shut with a loud "bang."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was left alone, standing in place with a grim expression, his fists slowly clenching.

Inside the hospital room, there was deathly silence.

The door lock emitted an extremely faint "click," opened soundlessly by some technique.

Three black shadows, like ghosts, merged into the darkness of the room. They wore animal masks and the standard attire of Root, their presence suppressed to the absolute limit, not a single trace leaking out; only cold killing intent permeated the air.

"Uchiha Ling, Lord Danzō invites you to Root to see him!" the leader said coldly.

"Who is Danzō? Lord Hokage just told me to get some rest, and I am still injured, so I cannot see anyone else." Uchiha Ling feigned ignorance.

"If you won't cooperate, then we will have to use force!" The three men offered no further explanation and moved to act.

As soon as the words fell, their movements were swift, precise, and silent, like the most sophisticated killing machines, lunging toward the hospital bed from three different angles!

The tips of their kunai reflected a cold glint in the faint moonlight, stabbing straight at the bulge beneath the bedding on the bed!

However, just as the Kunai were about to strike, the three Root ninja simultaneously sensed an extremely subtle fluctuation of chakra—coming from above!

"Swish, swish, swish!"

Three shuriken were fired from the shadows of the ceiling at tricky angles; they were not aimed at their bodies, but precisely at the spots where they were about to land and the directions they might dodge, forcing their movements to stall for a split second!

At the same time, the "bulging quilt" on the hospital bed exploded outward; it contained nothing but a few pillows!

The real Uchiha Ling, like a falling leaf, hung upside down from the ceiling with chakra adhered to his feet, his scarlet eyes wide as the two tomoe spun rapidly!

"Genjutsu: Hell Viewing Technique!"

One of the Root ninja charging at the front suddenly froze, the pupils beneath his mask instantly losing focus.

In his field of vision, he was not lunging toward a hospital bed, but toward an endless abyss, with dense, poison-tipped wooden stakes waiting below! A powerful sensation of falling and the terror of death instantly seized his mind!