The ventilation system in Room 3 gave off a low hum, making the room seem all the quieter.
Chiyo's final words were like a block of ice dropped into boiling water, evaporating without a sound, yet leaving the air throughout the room hot and heavy.
Tsunade's fingers silently curled against the tabletop, her knuckles whitening slightly with the pressure. As the highest authority in Konoha's medical system, she knew exactly what "body resonance" meant.
This was no longer passive contamination, but active, continuous tracking and information theft. Namikaze Minato was becoming a listening device and beacon planted in Konoha's very heart, one that could detonate at any moment.
Shikaku Nara's expression barely changed, but his habitual stroking of the short beard on his chin grew a little faster. His mind raced as he assessed the new risk factors and chain reactions this intelligence introduced.
Baishi's gaze moved from Chiyo's deeply lined face back to the latest chakra fluctuation chart in the center of the table.
He lightly tapped the peak at the end of the chart that Chiyo had pointed out, the one with the abnormally stable frequency.
"Advisor Chiyo."
Baishi spoke, breaking the stagnant silence.
"Since you've identified the problem, I assume you also have some idea of how to solve it."
His tone was calm, as though he were discussing a routine technical report rather than a massive crisis capable of overturning the village's entire security system.
A complex emotion flickered in Chiyo's clouded eyes, part approval, part wariness. She had already secured the "Joint Consultation" participation she wanted, along with the accounts that could give her leverage within Sunagakure. Now it was time to fulfill her end of the bargain.
"I wouldn't call it an idea. Just a little insight from an old woman's experience." Chiyo's withered