Can't Think of Anything

Orochimaru's appearance raised the Hidden Leaf Village's alert level to its highest. Tsunade ordered the village completely sealed off, with jonin-led patrols stationed at every entrance and exit.

Ling was assigned to patrol the southern forest with Kakashi. This was the only route to the Hidden Sound Village.

"Orochimaru won't let this go," Kakashi said, unusually serious. "Once he sets his sights on prey, he never gives up easily."

Ling nodded to show he understood. The system interface showed that after briefly dropping, Sasuke's willingness to defect had risen again to 45%.

[Hidden Mission: Stop Sasuke's Defection]

[Time Remaining: 5 days]

[Mission Hint: The Hidden Sound Village's main force is gathering]

Just as the two of them were talking, the system alarm suddenly rang out.

[Detected a large number of hostile targets approaching]

[Number: 50+, Distance: 3 kilometers]

[Identification: Hidden Sound Village elite troops]

Ling immediately gave a warning. "Kakashi-sensei, enemies are approaching!"

Almost at the same time, a great flock of birds burst up from the distant forest. Kakashi immediately fired a signal flare, its red light glaring against the night sky.

"Prepare for battle!"

Soon, the first group of Sound ninja appeared in their field of vision. They wore matching uniforms and moved in perfect order, clearly elites who had undergone strict training.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Tiger Tracking Fang!"

Ling struck first. A ferocious tiger formed from lightning rampaged through the enemy formation. But the Sound ninja coordinated seamlessly and immediately formed up to defend.

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

Several earthen walls rose up, blocking the Lightning Release attack. Even more troublesome, Ling saw several familiar figures among the crowd—the Sound Ninja Four.

[Target Analysis: Sakon and Ukon]

[Ability: Twin Demon Pills]

[Weakness: Shared damage]

[Target Analysis: Kidomaru]

[Ability: Spider Sticky Gold]

[Weakness: Afraid of fire]

[Target Analysis: Jirobo]

[Ability: Earth Release Barrier]

[Weakness: Countered by Lightning Release]

[Target Analysis: Tayuya]

[Ability: Demon Flute Genjutsu]

[Weakness: Sonic interference]

The system's timely analysis allowed Ling to plan his tactics in advance. He immediately shared the intel with Kakashi.

"Take out Tayuya first!" Kakashi made his judgment. "Her genjutsu is the most troublesome."

Ling nodded. Lightning Release chakra erupted beneath his feet, and he charged straight at Tayuya. But Sakon and Ukon immediately stepped forward to intercept him.

"Don't even think about getting past!"

Two heads spoke at the same time, the bizarre sight making one's skin crawl. With the help of his Sharingan, Ling accurately found the chakra connection point between the two of them.

"Lightning Release: Chidori Sharp Spear!"

The spear of lightning stabbed straight at a vital point, forcing Sakon and Ukon to split apart and dodge. Taking advantage of that opening, Ling had already broken through the defense line.

Seeing this, Tayuya immediately blew her demon flute, and eerie sound waves swept over him. But with the system's assistance, Ling had long since prepared a countermeasure.

"Lightning Release: Thunder Sound Break!"

This was a new technique Ling had developed recently, using Lightning Release to generate sound waves at a specific frequency, specially made to counter genjutsu-type ninja. The two waves of sound collided in midair, producing a piercing boom.

Tayuya's genjutsu was broken, and an expression of disbelief appeared on her face. "How is that possible..."

At that moment, the battles in other directions also reached a fever pitch. Naruto and Sakura rushed over after hearing the news, while Team Guy was also fighting Sound ninja nearby.

"Where's Sasuke?" Naruto asked anxiously.

Ling's heart jolted, and he immediately used his senses to search for Sasuke's chakra. Sure enough, an abnormal fluctuation came from the direction of the Uchiha clan compound.

"A diversion!" Ling understood in an instant. "Their target is Sasuke!"

Kakashi made a snap decision. "Leave this place to me. Hurry and protect Sasuke!"

Ling, Naruto, and Sakura immediately rushed toward the Uchiha clan compound. Along the way, Sound ninja kept blocking them, but they were all quickly dealt with.

When they arrived at the clan compound, the scene before them made all three of their hearts sink.

Sasuke was surrounded by the Sound Ninja Four, and curse mark transformation traits had already appeared on his body. Even more worrying was that his gaze had been completely swallowed by darkness.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted. "Wake up!"

Sasuke slowly raised his head, the three-tomoe Sharingan in his eyes turning slowly. "I'm going to obtain power... no matter the cost..."

"Don't be blinded by power!" Ling tried to approach, but Jirobo's Earth Release Barrier blocked him.

Kidomaru's Spider Sticky Gold shot in from all directions, forcing the three of them to dodge. Tayuya's flute sounded again, and this time, its target was Sasuke.

"Come with me, Lord Sasuke," Sakon and Ukon said at the same time. "Lord Orochimaru is waiting for you."

Sasuke's will struggled violently. Ling could see the three tomoe in his eyes flickering bright and dark, revealing the fierce battle raging within him.

[Detected special state: Mental erosion]

[Suggestion: Use Sharingan resonance]

Ling immediately understood and pushed his Sharingan with all his strength. Two pairs of Sharingan met in midair, and their chakra produced a wondrous resonance.

Within that resonance, Ling saw the scene inside Sasuke's heart—endless darkness, the corpses of his clan, Itachi's cold back... and the loneliness and pain buried deep in his heart.

"You're not alone." Ling used chakra to convey his thoughts. "We're all by your side."

Naruto also felt Sasuke's pain, and the Nine-Tails' chakra unconsciously spilled out. "Sasuke! Aren't we comrades?"

Tears streamed down Sakura's face. "Please, don't go..."

Under the impact of the three of them's sincere emotions, the darkness in Sasuke's eyes began to recede. The patterns of the curse mark slowly faded, and his Sharingan returned to normal.

"I..." Sasuke looked at the companions before him and finally regained his reason.

But the Sound Ninja Four would not give up just like that. They formed hand seals at the same time, preparing to launch their final attack.

"Four Violet Flames Formation!"

A purple barrier unfolded in an instant, trapping everyone inside. Even worse, the barrier was continuously shrinking.

"It's useless," Kidomaru sneered. "This barrier will keep shrinking until it crushes you into meat paste."

At the critical moment, Ling thought of the Four Symbols Seal he had just obtained. Since this sealing technique could regulate chakra, perhaps it could also break a barrier.

[Analyzing Four Symbols Seal...]

[Detected barrier core: four nodes in the east, south, west, and north]

[Solution: Simultaneously cut off the chakra supply to all four nodes]

Ling immediately told his companions the plan. Guided by the Sharingan, the four of them attacked the barrier's four key nodes at the same time.

"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"

"Rasengan!"

"Cherry Blossom Impact!"

"Lightning Release: Chidori!"

The four attacks struck with precision, and the Four Violet Flames Formation shattered with a sound. The Sound Ninja Four suffered a backlash, coughing blood as they collapsed to the ground.

Looking at the defeated Sound ninja, Sasuke finally came fully back to his senses. He looked at the companions beside him, and a warmth appeared in his eyes that had not been seen for a long time.

"Thank you..."

Just then, the system notification sounded:

[Hidden Mission Complete: Successfully stopped Sasuke's defection]

[Mission Reward: Uchiha Clan Compound Reconstruction Blueprint]

[Extra Reward: Sharingan evolution progress +10%]

[Current Evolution Progress: 25%]

Ling let out a long breath. This difficult battle of protection had finally ended in victory.

But everyone understood that this was only the beginning. The threats of Orochimaru and the Akatsuki Organization still existed, and the road ahead was still full of thorns.

But at least in this moment, Team 7 still stood here whole. That was enough.

(The End of Chapter Thirty-Seven)