Slumber and Undercurrents

Days passed, and time seemed to have frozen in that hospital room at Konoha Hospital. Ling still lay there quietly, like a lifeless statue, with only the pulsing lines on the nearby monitor proving he was still alive. Naruto had become a regular visitor; aside from the times Kakashi or Jiraiya dragged him away for necessary taijutsu training and theory lessons, he spent almost all his time here. He would chatter away at the unconscious Ling, talking about what he had learned that day, how the pervy sage had been beaten by Granny Tsunade for peeking into the women's bathhouse, or which shop in the village had released a new flavor of ramen... By the end, his voice would always drop, turning into a plea thick with nasal congestion.

"Big Brother, when will you wake up..."

Occasionally, he would fall asleep slumped against the bedside, his dreams filled with images of Ling training him in the woods or bringing him three-colored dango. Upon waking to find his brother still lying there, the little guy's eyes would turn red for a long while.

Tsunade came to check on him personally every day or two. As her chakra probed Ling's body, she could feel those severed meridians slowly self-repairing under the tenacious vitality of his Sage Body, like grass shoots struggling to break through parched earth. However, the "permafrost" on the mental level remained silent. She had attempted deeper mental communication several times, but it was like diving into the pitch-black deep sea; she gained nothing but a sense of boundless exhaustion and a cold, locked-away darkness.

"His will... has sealed itself too deeply," Tsunade said to Jiraiya, her tone carrying a trace of imperceptible helplessness. "It's also possible he exhausted himself too much while resisting the Nine-Tails' chakra backlash. Now, he can only rely on himself."

Jiraiya looked at his old friend's child on the hospital bed, feeling a heavy ache in his heart. Sometimes he wondered how heartbroken Minato and Kushina would be if they were still alive and saw Ling like this.

Yet, beneath this surface calm, the undercurrents of Konoha had never ceased to surge.

Danzo was, as expected, not sitting idle.

Using "assisting with reconstruction and strengthening internal security" as a pretext, he extended the tentacles of Root further. Several supply distribution points and intelligence relay stations, previously under the jurisdiction of the Anbu, were quietly brought under the supervision of Root. The moves were small, yet they precisely eroded power.

What made Jiraiya and Tsunade even more vigilant was that Danzo had begun to aim his sights at Dawn Wind, which was temporarily leaderless.

That day, Uchiha Izumi and Zabuza were "invited" to the Hokage's office. Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were also present, while Danzo sat to the side like a dormant shadow.

"Given Uchiha Ling's current condition, as well as the unique nature and potential risks of the Dawn Wind organization," Danzo's voice was low but carried pressure, "we believe it is necessary to implement more standardized 'management' of its members."

He proposed that all members of Dawn Wind, including the Uchiha survivors, must live in a designated area, undergo regular "screenings" and "psychological evaluations," and have all off-site missions approved and registered by Root.

This was practically house arrest and surveillance.

"On what grounds!" Izumi's face turned pale with anger, her chest heaving violently. "We are Konoha ninja, not prisoners! Lord Ling nearly lost his life for this village, and this is how you want to treat us now?"

Zabuza clutched the Executioner's Blade and sneered, his eyes fierce. "Want to put us under house arrest? Fine, give it a try. Let's see if your cage is sturdier or my blade is faster."

The atmosphere turned tense in an instant.

"Danzo!" Tsunade slammed her hand onto the desk, causing the solid wood surface to instantly crack. "I said that for now, everything must prioritize stability and countering the Akatsuki! We will discuss the issue of Dawn Wind after Ling wakes up!"

"Lord Hokage, rules are rules." Danzo did not yield an inch, his single eye sweeping over Izumi and Zabuza. "Allowing an uncontrolled armed force to exist, especially when its leader is in a coma, is the greatest irresponsibility toward the village. If the Hokage insists on shielding them, I fear it will be difficult to convince the public."

He was forcing Tsunade to make a choice: stick to her guns and earn a reputation for favoritism, or compromise for the sake of the so-called "greater good" and "public opinion."

Tsunade clenched her fists so tightly her nails dug into her palms. She loathed this feeling of being constrained.

"Concentrated living is acceptable," Homura Mitokado, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up to mediate. "But the screenings and mission approvals can be handled jointly by the Anbu and Root, with the final decision made by the Hokage. This adheres to the rules while also upholding the Hokage's authority. What do you two think?"

He looked at Izumi and Zabuza.

Izumi bit her lip and looked at Tsunade. She knew this was likely the best result they could fight for at the moment. At the very least, they were not completely in Danzo's grasp.

"We accept," she finally said in a low voice, her tone filled with humiliation and resentment.

Zabuza let out a cold snort and said nothing more.

Tsunade waved her hand wearily. "Let it be so. You may return and pacify the others."

Izumi and Zabuza bowed and withdrew, their backs stiff.

After they left, the office fell into a brief silence.

"Danzo, I hope you remember my words," Tsunade stared at him, saying each word clearly. "Do not challenge my bottom line again."

Danzo slowly stood up. "Everything I do is for Konoha."

Leaning on his cane, he turned and left. In his single eye, there was no sign of compromise.

At the Tanzaku Town base, the atmosphere was suffocating.

When Izumi and Zabuza brought back the results of the high-level meeting, everyone fell silent. Haku looked at Kimimaro with concern, but Kimimaro only clenched his fists; his pale face remained expressionless, but his eyes were as cold as ice.

"Damn it!" a young Uchiha clansman couldn't help but curse. "We should just fight our way out! Why should we take this kind of humiliation!"

"Shut up!" Izumi barked, scanning every clansman and Dawn Wind member present, whose faces were etched with anger and resentment. "Acting impulsively now is just handing Danzo an excuse; it's betraying everything Ling fought for! Everyone, hold it in!"

She took a deep breath, suppressing the heartache in her heart. "Pack your things. We're... moving."

The group began to move in silence. Everyone felt a fire burning in their chests, yet they were helpless. For the first time, they realized with such clarity just how fragile and helpless Dawn Wind was in the deep waters of Konoha without Ling.

Kimimaro walked to a corner of the courtyard, where a stone Ling occasionally sat upon rested. He reached out and gently brushed the dust off it, a faint ripple passing through his green eyes.

"Lord Ling... you must wake up."

At night, Konoha Hospital.

Naruto had fallen asleep by the bedside, his breathing steady. Moonlight spilled through the window onto Ling's face.

Suddenly, the fingers on the hand resting outside the blanket twitched ever so slightly.

Just once.

It was so fast it felt like an illusion.

In the hospital room, there was nothing but the rhythmic ticking of the instruments.