The Root's Fangs and the Heart of Protection

Baki was defeated.

Under the ghostly movements of Ling's Flying Thunder God Technique and his precise, lethal strikes, the wounds on Baki's body multiplied, and his movements grew increasingly sluggish. Finally, Ling seized the split second Baki spent weaving hand signs, and a kunai pierced his heart. The elite Sunagakure jonin's eyes widened, filled with unwillingness and disbelief, before he collapsed heavily to the ground.

Ling did not even glance at the corpse, his perception sweeping across the battlefield like radar.

The Four Violet Flames Formation on the rooftop remained stable, but the chakra fluctuations within were growing increasingly violent, carrying an ominous sense of decay. The Third Hokage's situation was likely dire.

As for Shukaku, Kimimaro and Haku were working in perfect sync. Bone forests and ice walls intersected, tightly restricting Shukaku's range of movement. Jiraiya had summoned Gamabunta to grapple with the beast, the sounds of their massive collision deafening. Naruto stood atop Gamabunta's head, shouting something at the top of his lungs, attempting to awaken Gaara's consciousness.

The Konoha ninja were also gradually steadying their footing and beginning to counterattack.

On the surface, the situation seemed to be moving in a positive direction.

But Ling's heart sank. He sensed that the cold chakra deep underground had moved. Not just one, but several! Like vipers lying in wait, they had quietly left the depths, splitting into two distinct groups with clear objectives.

One group headed straight for a secret area beneath the Hokage Rock—one of the village's core barrier control points. What was Danzo planning? Reinforcement? Or... sabotage?

The other group, larger in number and with more ferocious auras, had a target that was...

Ling whipped his head around, looking at Naruto, who was still atop Gamabunta, struggling to communicate with Gaara!

Danzo's target was the Nine-Tails jinchuriki! He wanted to take advantage of the chaos to abduct Naruto!

A cold fury instantly surged from the depths of Ling's heart, nearly freezing his blood. He could tolerate Danzo's schemes and probes, but setting his sights on Naruto had touched his absolute bottom line!

Without a moment's hesitation, Ling's figure vanished from the spot.

A moment later, he appeared behind a pile of rubble on the path leading toward the Hokage Rock. Four Root ninja wearing eerie masks had just revealed themselves when they were blocked by a sudden flash of golden light.

"You shall not pass." Ling's voice was colder than midwinter. The kunai in his hand was still dripping with Baki's blood.

The four Root ninja paused, their eyes beneath the masks devoid of emotion, like true machines. They didn't waste words; they instantly fanned out, surrounding Ling in a semicircle, their hands already forming seals.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!"

"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

"Genjutsu: Hell Viewing Technique!"

Ninjutsu and genjutsu struck simultaneously! Their coordination was flawless, sealing off every possible path for Ling to dodge.

Ling's eyes sharpened. Danzo had truly spared no expense; these four were all jonin-level, and masters of combined attacks.

But he could not retreat.

Flying Thunder God Technique activated! He dodged the Vacuum Great Sphere and Great Dragon Fire by a hair's breadth. His Sharingan activated instantly, the single tomoe spinning as he easily spotted the weak point in the Earth-Style Wall, while simultaneously using a surge of ocular power to repel the Hell Viewing Technique!

"Bang!" He kicked the Earth-Style Wall to pieces, his figure cutting into the center of the four like a phantom.

The battle erupted in an instant, and in an instant, it turned brutal.

Ling abandoned all feints and probing, his fighting style becoming incredibly vicious. Utilizing the absolute speed of the Flying Thunder God, he tanked a wind blade from one Root ninja to drive his kunai into the man's heart. The price was a deep, bone-reaching gash across his left arm.

Blood splattered onto his face, warm and viscous. He seemed not to feel the pain, his Sharingan locked firmly onto his next target.

Another Root ninja attempted to block him with Fire Release, but Ling didn't dodge or weave. He drew upon a sliver of Nine-Tails chakra within him, and a crimson chakra cloak instantly manifested, acting like armor to withstand the flames. The kunai in his right hand, accompanied by a shriek of tearing air, pierced through the fire and precisely entered the opponent's throat.

The remaining two Root ninja finally showed a flicker of change in their eyes—a tremor of fear when facing a non-human entity. But they did not retreat, weaving seals once more.

Ling panted heavily, his left arm dripping with blood, the kunai in his right hand covered in cracks from the excessive force he had exerted. The violent emotions brought on by the Nine-Tails chakra hammered at his sanity, but he suppressed them with everything he had.

He had to end this quickly! Naruto, over there...

Just then, a more frenzied roar from Shukaku echoed from afar, accompanied by Gamabunta's bellow and a tearful cry from Naruto: "Stop it! Gaara!"

Ling's heart tightened.

Almost simultaneously, he sensed that the other group of Root ninja heading for the barrier control point had seemingly succeeded. A barrier node on the edge of the village suddenly dimmed!

Danzo! He didn't just want Naruto; he wanted to completely throw this war into chaos, to make Konoha bleed more, creating an opportunity to seize power for himself!

He couldn't delay any longer!

A flash of resolve crossed Ling's eyes. Ignoring the Earth Release attack coming from behind, he poured all his remaining chakra and willpower into his next Flying Thunder God jump.

Golden light exploded!

He appeared between the last two Root ninja, pressing his hands against their chests.

"Sealing Technique: Twin Lion Seal!"

Two miniature, rotating sealing formulas formed instantly in his palms and were pressed into the bodies of the two Root ninja! This was a technique he had refined from the sealing knowledge rewarded by the system; its effect was not a total seal, but an instant disruption that locked the flow of the targets' chakra!

The two Root ninja stiffened, their chakra instantly stagnating, and they fell straight from the air.

Ling also dropped to one knee, gasping for air. Blood poured from the wound on his left arm; the strain of performing an unfamiliar sealing technique and overusing the Flying Thunder God had nearly bottomed out his chakra.

He looked up toward Naruto's direction. Shukaku's rampage seemed to have reached its peak, sand and dust blotting out the sky.

Gritting his teeth, he tried to stand again. He couldn't fall yet.

Just then, a figure rushed to his side like a whirlwind.

"Ling! Are you alright?" It was Uchiha Izumi. She had arrived with several Uchiha survivors, and her face turned deathly pale upon seeing Ling's injuries.

"I'm fine..." Ling pushed away her hand as she tried to support him, his gaze still locked on the distance. "Go... go help Naruto... stop Shukaku... Danzo's men might still..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but Izumi understood. She nodded heavily and shouted to the people behind her, "Follow me! Protect the jinchuriki!"

Watching Izumi lead the others charging toward Shukaku, Ling breathed a slight sigh of relief. With the Uchiha involved, there would at least be an extra layer of security.

He leaned laboriously against a broken wall and pulled out a hemostatic bandage, wrapping it haphazardly around his left arm. Sweat mixed with blood trickled down from his forehead.

The battle was far from over. The rooftops, Shukaku, and Danzo, who was still lurking in the shadows...

He closed his eyes, forcing himself to recover even a sliver of chakra as quickly as possible.

He had to hold out until the very end of this battle for protection.