Several days passed quietly as they waited. Ling and Naruto moved into a small private courtyard arranged by the Third Hokage. It was much quieter than the orphanage, and their day-to-day needs were handled by a taciturn, sharp-eyed middle-aged retired ninja. Ling knew perfectly well that the man, a caretaker named Yamada, was there far more to keep watch than to provide care.
He didn't mind. He spent most of each day getting familiar with the power inside him. The recovery and perception abilities granted by the Sage Body helped him improve rapidly, and he was becoming increasingly adept at suppressing the Nine-Tails Chakra. Their fusion had slowly risen to 3%. His One-Tomoe Sharingan had yet to awaken again, but its cool ocular power remained poised deep within his eyes.
With Ling's care and the subtle nourishment of Senjutsu Chakra, Naruto was healthier and more lively than other children his age, and increasingly dependent on Ling.
Late that night, Ling routinely tried to check the mission status through the anonymous channel provided by the system. As he connected his consciousness to that distant information node, a brief message came back:
[Mission: Rescue. Status: Complete. Target delivered to designated coordinates (eastern border of the Land of Fire, abandoned outpost No. 77). Please confirm receipt within 48 hours. Failure to do so will be considered abandonment.]
It was done!
Ling's spirits lifted, and his fatigue vanished. The system's anonymous channel was more efficient than he'd expected, and it seemed reliable enough. The problem now was how to leave Konoha and travel to the distant border without arousing the suspicions of his watcher.
Sneaking away outright was too risky; it would be tantamount to desertion. He needed a reasonable excuse, or... a way to go undetected.
[Ding! The system has detected the host's needs. God-Level Choice activated!] [Option One: Use basic Transformation Technique to create a clone and fool the watcher, then sneak out in person. Reward: Shadow Clone Technique (incomplete). Risk: Moderate. An elite jonin could easily see through the clone, and the host could be exposed while away.] [Option Two: Use Sharingan Genjutsu on the watcher, Yamada, to briefly control his perception. Reward: Genjutsu: Temple of Nirvana Technique (improved). Risk: High. It may cause irreversible mental damage to the target and could be discovered during a later examination.] [Option Three: Use the speed of Nine-Tails Chakra Mode to move at high speed and make the round trip between intervals in the surveillance. Reward: Slight increase in chakra control. Risk: Extremely high. The fluctuations of Nine-Tails Chakra could easily trigger an alert throughout the village!]
All three options carried enormous risks. Ling furrowed his brow and weighed the pros and cons. Option Three was out of the question; it would be like exposing himself outright. The risks of Option Two's genjutsu were hard to control. It seemed Option One was his only choice...
No, there was another possibility! He suddenly thought of something—or rather, a reward he had yet to claim.
"System, wasn't 'Flying Thunder God Technique' on the reward list when I made a choice earlier?" He remembered that Option B in the choice during the Nine-Tails' attack had included this Space-Time Ninjutsu.
[Ding! The Flying Thunder God Technique was an unselected reward, and the host did not obtain it. However, the host has already acquired an elementary Sage Body and advanced talent for Space-Time Ninjutsu due to the system and the nature of transmigration. The host may expend one God-Level Choice opportunity to unlock 'Flying Thunder God Technique (incomplete)' in advance—limited to marking and teleporting to a preset coordinate.]
One choice opportunity in exchange for an incomplete but crucial Space-Time Ninjutsu! Ling barely hesitated.
"Exchange!"
[Exchange successful! The host has obtained 'Flying Thunder God Technique (incomplete)'. Current available coordinates: 1. Teleportation distance: based on the host's chakra reserves and mental strength. The recipient's coordinates (Outpost No. 77) have been automatically set as the current coordinate.]
A profound body of knowledge about locating coordinates in space-time, releasing chakra in an instant, and folding space surged into his mind. Though incomplete, it opened a new door for him. At the same time, he clearly sensed a "point" in the distance resonating strongly with him.
Now!
Ling glanced at Naruto, who was sleeping soundly beside him, and made sure he wouldn't wake anytime soon. He went to the corner of the room, held his breath, and swiftly formed several complex hand seals. They were guiding seals, not the technique itself.
"Flying Thunder God Technique!"
Nearly a third of his chakra was drained in an instant! A powerful sensation of being torn from space swept over him. The scene before his eyes shattered and spun like a broken mirror. The next second, the feeling of weightlessness vanished, and he found himself in a completely different place.
Moonlight shone through the broken roof, and the air was thick with dust and mildew. This was the abandoned Outpost No. 77 mentioned in the message, its walls reduced to ruins.
At the center of the outpost, a white-haired boy sat with his back to Ling, curled up against the cold stone wall. His clothes were in tatters, and broken shackles still hung from his hands and feet. Freshly healed scars and tiny protrusions of bone were visible on his exposed skin.
Apparently hearing the noise, the boy whipped around. His face was strikingly handsome but deathly pale. His green eyes held the wariness of a beast, numbness, and a deep, bottomless bewilderment.
"Who are you?" His voice was hoarse and dry, thick with hostility. Several sharp bones instantly jutted from his elbows, their pale surfaces gleaming in the moonlight.
Shikotsumyaku! It really was Kaguya Kimimaro!
Ling regarded him calmly, releasing no killing intent and showing no trace of fear. He slowly approached and stopped five paces away from Kimimaro.
"I'm the one who brought you out of that cage." Ling's voice was quiet, yet carried a strange force. "Kaguya Kimimaro."
Kimimaro's body trembled slightly, and the wariness in his eyes deepened. "What do you want? Do you want this cursed body of mine too?" The bloodline disease in his body made him suffer constantly, and led him to believe that his very existence was a sin.
"Cursed?" Ling shook his head and met Kimimaro's hollow gaze. "No. What I see is power. Power feared by the ignorant, but admired by the truly strong."
He raised a hand. A thread of Senjutsu Chakra, exceedingly faint yet pure and brimming with vitality, curled around his fingertips. The aura seemed to calm the restless bloodline in Kimimaro's body.
"You've always been searching for a reason for your existence, haven't you?" Ling's words struck Kimimaro like a heavy hammer. "In the darkness of being imprisoned, studied, and treated like a tool."
Kimimaro fell silent. The bones retracted slightly, but the bewilderment in his eyes deepened.
"Come with me." Ling held out his hand, his gaze sincere and resolute. "Your power isn't a curse; it's a gift. You don't exist to be used by others. You exist to protect what deserves protection and to follow your own will."
"My... my own will?" Kimimaro murmured. The words were far too unfamiliar to him.
"That's right. Serve me. Become the sword in my hand and the shield at my back." Ling's voice carried undeniable force. "And I'll give you a reason to exist—a place worth devoting your loyalty and strength to. I'll also find a way to cure your illness."
Under the moonlight, Ling seemed to Kimimaro to be surrounded by a halo. This mysterious boy had appeared out of nowhere, pulled him out of hell, affirmed his power, promised to ease his suffering, and even offered him a "purpose" he had never dared to hope for.
The darkness and despair that had consumed him for so long seemed, in that moment, to part and let in a sliver of light.
Kimimaro looked at Ling's outstretched hand. There was no pity or greed in it, only recognition and expectation on equal terms. Calmed by the Senjutsu Chakra, the bloodline within him was exceptionally docile.
Slowly, trembling, he withdrew every bone. Then he knelt on one knee and bowed his head, resting his forehead lightly against the cold ground. It was the most solemn gesture he could think of.
"My body... my power... everything I have..." His voice remained hoarse, but now held a resolve and reverence he had never felt before. "From this day on, it all belongs to you."
"May I ask... what should I call you?"
Ling looked at the white-haired boy kneeling before him, knowing that the first—and most loyal—foundation had been laid.
"Just call me Ling." He helped Kimimaro to his feet. "Come on, we should head back. Our path is only just beginning."
He formed the seals again and gathered his chakra, placing one hand on Kimimaro's shoulder.
"Flying Thunder God Technique!"
Space warped again, and the two vanished from the abandoned outpost, leaving only the cold moonlight to continue shining over the ruins.
Before you continue