"Go on ahead, Kushina." Uchiha Ling gently patted the back of her hand, his voice calm but leaving no room for argument.
"Since there are still some fools who don't know when to quit, I'll clean up this trash first. Then we can go out without a worry."
Kushina froze for a moment, then understood what he meant. A trace of worry flashed in her eyes. "Ling, they're..."
She wanted to say they were Danzo's men, afraid that Uchiha Ling would get himself into trouble because of them.
"Don't worry." Uchiha Ling cut her off. His Sharingan flared to life, its three Tomoe turning slowly as it gave off an eerie glow.
"They're just a few hyenas hiding in the gutter. If their master won't keep them in line, I'll do it for him."
He didn't need Kushina to point out where they were. With the Sharingan's keen insight and his own sharp senses, the chakra of those Root members who thought they were so well hidden stood out to him like lights in the dark!
In the next instant, Uchiha Ling vanished from where he stood!
It wasn't the Body Flicker Technique. It was sheer physical explosive power combined with chakra propulsion, taking his speed to the extreme. A faint afterimage lingered in his wake!
A hundred meters away, in the shadowed corner of a house, a Root ninja wearing an animal mask held his breath as he watched the area outside Kushina's home through a special lens.
Suddenly, he felt a suffocating pressure descend from above!
Before he could react, a hand wreathed in powerful chakra clamped around his neck like an iron vise and lifted him off the ground!
The terrifying force choked him instantly. His face turned red beneath his mask.
"Who..."
The Root ninja managed