The news Ling brought was like a boulder hurled into still water, causing an uproar among the Konoha High Command.
Inside the Hokage's Office, the atmosphere was tense and urgent. Tsunade, Kakashi, Shikaku Nara, and several key Anbu Captains had gathered. Standing in their midst, Ling explained his discoveries and that sudden sensation in detail.
"...The sensation was brief, but very clear. It came from roughly northwest, from extremely far away, most likely beyond the Land of Fire's borders. The scale and activity of that dark power far exceeded anything previously recorded. Sasuke was most likely engaged in...or had just finished an intense battle." Ling spoke with certainty. The intuition his senjutsu perception gave him left no room for doubt.
"Northwest...the Land of Waterfalls? The Land of Grass? Or farther away, in the Land of Earth?" Shikaku immediately approached the enormous map of the shinobi world, his finger tracing several countries in the northwestern region as his brows knitted tightly. "The area is still too large."
"But at least we have a clear direction!" Tsunade slammed her fist onto the desk, hope rekindling in her eyes. "It's better than blundering around aimlessly! Redirect all reconnaissance forces and intelligence networks in the northwest immediately. Focus on recent unusual battles, high-energy reactions, and areas where the Akatsuki might be active!"
"Yes!" the Anbu Captains answered in unison, quickly turning to leave and make the arrangements.
Kakashi looked at Ling, a question in his Sharingan. "Ling, this sensation...can you reproduce it? Or could we establish a more reliable tracking method by continuously monitoring the seal inside Itachi?"
Ling shook his head, his expression grave. "That would be difficult. This sensation seems to have resulted from several factors coinciding-our interference with the dark power's node structure happened to resonate with Sasuke using his power