Night at the Hatake Residence was so quiet that only the faint rustle of wind through the courtyard remained. Beneath that silence, however, Ling's Senjutsu perception spread like invisible ripples, clearly revealing the "stains" lurking in the shadows-three exceedingly well-hidden gazes, carrying Root's distinctive, icy chakra signature, were fixed on the residence from different angles.
[Two in the shadows beneath the northeastern eaves, one disguised as a roadside tree.] Tobirama's voice carried a hint of irritation. [Their methods are fairly polished. Unfortunately, their chakra is murky, reeking of the stench Danzo left behind.]
Ling had not turned on the lights. He sat in the dark living room, his fingertips tapping unconsciously against the table. A cleanup was necessary, but he could not act inside the village, much less leave anything that could be used against him. He needed to lure them out, like drawing snakes from their holes, then make them disappear in an "accident."
He rose, deliberately making a few faint noises as though preparing his gear. Then he changed into dark clothes suited for traveling at night. Rather than leave through the front door, he slipped silently out through an inconspicuous corner behind the residence, seeming to melt into the darkness as he avoided the most direct focus of those three watchers.
Swift and silent, he moved like a phantom through the shadows of Konoha's deserted streets, his destination clear-the Forest of Death on the village outskirts. Its complex terrain and lack of visitors made it the ideal place for this sort of "dirty work."
Sure enough, the three chakra signatures immediately followed, clinging to him like a persistent infection. Their tracking skills were seasoned. They maintained their distance, using their surroundings and Genjutsu to conceal themselves so well that even an ordinary Jōnin would likely have failed