Root Comes Calling

At that moment, Uchiha Ling's extraordinary perception—subtly enhanced by his Uzumaki Constitution and Two-Tomoe Sharingan—picked up on something.

Uchiha Ling immediately closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, his breathing turning slow and steady.

Almost the instant he had settled into his act, the ward window opened without a sound, and a figure slipped inside as silently as a falling leaf.

It was Kushina.

She wore pajamas with a jacket thrown carelessly over them, and she was barefoot, like a little kitten sneaking out. Holding her breath, she tiptoed to Ling's bedside and studied his seemingly "sleeping" face by the moonlight.

[Received +20 concern from Uzumaki Kushina]

[Received +20 guilt from Uzumaki Kushina]

[Received +20 gratitude from Uzumaki Kushina]

Complex emotions came through the system notifications.

She stood quietly by the bed for a long time, as if making sure he was all right. At last, she let out the tiniest sigh of relief and took something from her pocket.

Gently and carefully, she placed it on Ling's pillow. It was a paper crane, painstakingly folded from red paper.

When she was done, she slipped back out the window as silently as she had come and closed it softly behind her.

Only after he was sure she was really gone did Uchiha Ling slowly open his eyes.

Uchiha Ling turned his head and looked at the paper crane beside his pillow, its red paper glowing softly in the moonlight. An unconscious, warm smile tugged at his lips.

He picked up the crane and could feel the faint traces of Kushina's chakra and heartfelt sentiment lingering on it.

"Fool..." Uchiha Ling murmured with a laugh, carefully closing his hand around the crane.

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

Although his Two-Tomoe Sharingan was not active, his enhanced perception, combined with the keen awareness of his surroundings granted by his Uzumaki Constitution, allowed him to faintly detect a furtive gaze sweeping over him from the shadow of a distant tree outside the window.

Anbu? Watching over Kushina? Or... watching me?

Uchiha Ling's instincts snapped to attention, and the exhilaration of his sudden surge in strength cooled somewhat.

Konoha's higher-ups—or Danzo, at any rate—would never take a Uchiha who had displayed such potential and "abnormalities" lightly.

Uchiha Ling tucked the paper crane away against his body and lay back down, his thoughts once again cool and calculating.

Meanwhile.

The Hokage Office.

The office was brightly lit. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat behind his desk, the ember in his pipe flickering as he frowned deeply.

Across from him, Shimura Danzo leaned on his cane, his expression blank, but his one visible eye radiated unyielding resolve.

"Hiruzen, I'll say this one last time." Danzo's voice was low and hoarse, with a metallic rasp. "Uchiha Ling, that Uchiha brat, has crossed the line with his contact with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!

This incident proves it!

You know the risks of a Uchiha getting close to the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, don't you?"

"Danzo, that child Ling saved Kushina, preventing a war. He rendered the village a great service!"

The Third Hokage spoke gravely. "He has the Will of Fire and is a hero of the village. His concern for Kushina is the bond between comrades. You shouldn't twist it into something malicious."

"A hero? A Uchiha?" Danzo scoffed, striking the floor hard with his cane. "The Uchiha's wicked nature is ingrained in their bones! Saving a comrade now is nothing but a ploy to win our trust! He's definitely after the Nine-Tails' power! If we let him be, he'll become a grave threat!"

"You're being too extreme, Danzo! The Uchiha are members of Konoha too!" The Third Hokage raised his voice. "Ling, Kagami—they're all fine shinobi who inherited the Will of Fire! You read his essay about the Will of Fire too, didn't you?"

"Hmph. Flowery words and manipulation are exactly what they excel at!" Danzo refused to yield. "Hiruzen, your weakness and indecisiveness will destroy the village one day! If you won't deal with him, I will! Root exists to eliminate every potential threat to Konoha!"

"What are you planning to do?!" The Third Hokage sprang to his feet, his pipe striking the desk with a heavy thud.

"A necessary investigation...and containment," Danzo said coldly. "If he's confirmed harmless, so much the better. If he truly harbors ulterior motives...then Root will take care of him."

"Danzo! I am the Hokage!"

"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"

With that, he gave the Third Hokage no chance to argue. He turned and strode straight out of the office, slamming the door shut with a loud bang.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was left standing alone, his face dark as his fist slowly clenched.

The ward was utterly silent.

The lock gave a barely audible click as it was silently opened with some kind of technique.

Three shadows, ghostlike, blended into the darkness of the ward. They wore animal masks and the standard uniforms of Root, every trace of their presence suppressed to the utmost. Not a hint of it leaked out, only their cold killing intent filling the room.

"Uchiha Ling, Lord Danzo invites you to Root to meet with him!" the leader said coldly.

"Who's Danzo? Lord Hokage just told me to get some rest. I'm still injured, so I can't meet anyone." Uchiha Ling pretended not to know.

"If you won't cooperate, we'll have to use force!" The three offered no further explanation and immediately attacked.

The moment the words left his mouth, they moved with swift, precise silence, like perfectly engineered killing machines, lunging at the bed from three different angles!

The tips of their kunai glinted faintly in the moonlight as they thrust them toward the bulge beneath the blankets.

But just as the kunai were about to strike, all three Root shinobi sensed an extremely faint fluctuation of chakra—from above!

"Shik! Shik! Shik!"

Three shuriken shot from the shadows on the ceiling at tricky angles. They weren't aimed at the shinobi themselves, but at the spots where they were about to land and the directions they might dodge, forcing them to hesitate for a split second!

At the same time, the "bulge beneath the blankets" on the bed burst apart. It was nothing but a few pillows!

The real Uchiha Ling, like a falling leaf, dropped upside down from the ceiling, clinging to it with chakra. His eyes were crimson, the two tomoe spinning rapidly!

"Genjutsu: Hell Viewing Technique!"

One of the Root shinobi at the front abruptly froze, his pupils instantly going vacant beneath his mask.

In his vision, he wasn't lunging at a bed but plunging into an endless abyss. Below him stood a dense forest of sharp, poisoned stakes! The sensation of falling and the terror of death seized his mind in an instant!