Vacuum

On the third day after Naruto left, Ling stood atop Kage Rock, overlooking Konoha as it busily rebuilt. Without that loudmouthed blond kid, the village seemed much quieter all of a sudden. Even his little courtyard felt so empty that he wasn't used to it.

He knew this feeling was called loneliness, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. Jiraiya and Naruto had barely left before the atmosphere in the village visibly changed. The superficial balance that had held even amid undercurrents during the Third Hokage's tenure had been completely shattered.

Danzo made little effort to hide his moves.

First, Root operatives repeatedly challenged the reconstruction-fund allocation plan at council meetings, steering most of the funding toward areas and departments under their control. Then Danzo used "a shortage of manpower and the need to concentrate resources on reconstruction" as an excuse to forcibly reassign several border patrol missions previously handled by the Third Hokage's direct Anbu to Root.

What made Ling even more wary was a report from peripheral Dawn Wind members he had placed among ordinary villagers and lower-ranking ninja: strange rumors had begun quietly spreading among the lower ranks. They claimed that "Uchiha Ling's origins are unknown and his power is bizarre," that "most Dawn Wind members are rogue ninja and bloodline freaks, and can't be trusted," and even hinted that Orochimaru's invasion during the Chunin Ninja Exams had been caused by the calamity attracted by Ling, this "special existence."

The tactics weren't particularly clever, but they were effective. Some civilians and ninja who had been grateful to Ling and Dawn Wind for their conduct during the war were once again looking at him with suspicion and distance.

"He's testing us, and trying to isolate us." That evening, at the Tanzaku Town hideout, Ling spoke to the few people gathered around him. Candlelight fell across his expressionless face.

"Spit! That old bastard only knows how to play dirty!" Zabuza spat, planting the Kubikiribōchō on the ground with a dull thud. "If you ask me, we shouldn't hold back. He spreads rumors, so we expose some of his shady dealings!"

"No." Ling shook his head. "Without solid proof, we'll only alert him and give him an even better excuse to purge us. If we meet force with force now, we'll be the ones to suffer."

"So we're just supposed to sit around while he slowly tightens the noose around our necks?" Uchiha Izumi asked anxiously. As the one in charge of internal coordination, she felt the invisible pressure most keenly.

"Of course not." Ling looked at Haku and Kimimaro. "How are the tasks I gave you coming along?"

Haku immediately sat up straight and gave his report. "Kimimaro and I searched three suspicious areas along the edge of the Forest of Death. We confirmed that the chakra traces left in two of them came from the earlier battle. But in the innermost area, that 'decayed' aura was strongest, and... we found some of this." He carefully took a small box wrapped in cloth from inside his clothes and opened it. Inside were several withered leaves, as if all the life had been sucked from them by some force. An extremely faint, unsettling trace of chakra lingered on them.

Ling picked up one of the leaves. A cold, lifeless sensation passed through his fingertips. It was different from the cold, slippery quality of Orochimaru's chakra, as Ling knew it. This felt more like... pure "annihilation."

"It wasn't Orochimaru," Ling said with certainty, his brow furrowing. The unfamiliar chakra left behind filled him with unease.

"Should we investigate further?" Kimimaro asked. At Ling's command, he was ready to enter the most dangerous area at any moment.

"No. Stop for now." Ling put down the leaf. "Our top priority is to stabilize our position in the village. Just make a note of this unknown presence for now."

He turned to Izumi. "Reassure the clan members and the families of Dawn Wind members. Make sure the rumors don't affect them. For the time being, all outside activities must be done in groups. Don't let anyone go alone. Zabuza, take a few capable men and keep an eye on the Root underlings who've been making the most noise. Learn their patterns, but remember: observe only. Don't act."

"Understood," Izumi and Zabuza replied together.

After giving his instructions, Ling returned to Konoha alone. It was already late at night. He didn't go straight back to his courtyard, but instead headed to the lower reaches of the Naka River, where he used to meet Itachi. The river rushed past, its sound carrying far through the quiet night.

He needed to sort out his thoughts. Danzo was closing in step by step, an unknown threat was emerging, Naruto wasn't by his side, and Jiraiya was far away... All the pressure had fallen on him alone. He couldn't panic, and he couldn't make a mistake. One wrong move could bring complete ruin.

"System," he thought.

[I'm here.]

[God-Level Choice triggered!]

[Option One: Take the initiative. Gather conclusive evidence of Danzo's Hashirama Cells experiments and make it public. Reward: One advanced intelligence channel. Risk: Extremely high. Root may launch a full-scale counterattack, the chain of evidence may be severed, and failure will make you irreconcilable enemies with Danzo.]

[Option Two: Exercise patience for now. Focus on strengthening Dawn Wind internally and improving your own strength, while waiting for Tsunade's return or an opportunity from outside. Reward: Total chakra increased by 10%; a slight increase in organizational loyalty. Risk: Moderate. Danzo may grow even more powerful during this time and gain complete control of Konoha.]

[Option Three: Divert the trouble elsewhere. Use an anonymous channel to leak information about the "decayed chakra" to Konoha officials or bounty hunters, and lead them to investigate, shifting Danzo's attention elsewhere. Reward: One random B-rank ninjutsu scroll. Risk: Low to moderate. You may alert your enemies and trigger unknown consequences.]

The three options represented three different paths.

Option One was too aggressive. He still had no guarantee of victory. Option Three seemed like a clever shortcut, but the unknown threat made him wary. If he stirred it up recklessly, the consequences would be hard to predict.

It seemed Option Two was the only choice. Be patient and build up his strength. It suited the principle that had always guided his actions.

"I choose Option Two."

[Choice confirmed. Rewards will be issued gradually as the task is carried out.]

After making his decision, Ling felt some of the weight in his chest ease. He had a clear direction now. All that remained was to act.

He turned to leave. Just then, at the edge of his senses, he caught a chakra signature that was extremely faint but moving incredibly fast, rushing toward Konoha from the northwest! It carried a sense of urgency and panic, and... there was something vaguely familiar about it.

It wasn't Jiraiya or Naruto. Who could it be?

Ling's gaze sharpened. He immediately used the Flying Thunder God, and vanished from the riverbank.

In the next instant, he appeared atop a watchtower on the outskirts of Konoha's northwest boundary. Under the moonlight, he saw a Konoha Anbu Ninja covered in blood and dust, his Forehead Protector askew, staggering toward him. He looked ready to collapse from exhaustion at any moment. Ling recognized the style of his mask. He was one of the Anbu directly under the Hokage—and one of those who had previously accompanied Jiraiya on his assignment!

The Anbu spotted Ling, who had suddenly appeared, and seemed to grasp at the last lifeline. Summoning his final strength, he shouted, "Ling... Lord Ling... quick... Lady Tsunade, she... was ambushed... Lord Jiraiya... is trapped..."

Before he could finish, he pitched forward and passed out.

Ling's heart sank.

Lady Tsunade had been ambushed? Lord Jiraiya was trapped?

Had Danzo moved this quickly? Or had some other faction gotten involved?

He immediately crouched to examine the Anbu's injuries. They were serious, but mostly superficial wounds and chakra depletion. None appeared fatal. He quickly administered emergency treatment, then hoisted the man onto his back.

Without hesitation, Ling used the Flying Thunder God and appeared directly in the plaza in front of the Hokage Building. He had to inform the two advisors immediately—and see how Danzo would react.

The power vacuum in Konoha had barely begun, yet the first real storm seemed to be arriving sooner and with greater force than expected.