Ling's arrow-sharp gaze and the sudden surge of senjutsu chakra instantly charged the study with tension. Although General Mifune had not directly sensed Zetsu spying on them, his trust in Ling and his instincts as a samurai sent him straight into battle readiness. His hand pressed against his sword hilt as he barked, "Guards!"
The samurai guarding the door immediately rushed in.
"Seal off every passage nearby! An enemy has infiltrated the castle!" Mifune ordered, then turned to Ling. "Master Ling, can you pinpoint his location?"
"The presence was faint, and it vanished instantly-near the corner of the corridor outside!" Ling spoke rapidly, reaching the doorway in a single movement. Watery light swirled in his azure eyes as his senjutsu perception spread like invisible ripples, carefully searching every inch of space for that slippery, chilling trace.
Kakashi, Tsunade, and the others were alerted by the commotion and hurried back.
"What happened?" Tsunade asked gravely.
"Zetsu may still be inside the Castle. He was spying on us nearby just now," Ling answered as he continued sensing, his brow tightly furrowed. "He hides himself well. Even I struggle to keep a fix on him for long."
Kakashi activated his Sharingan at once and scanned the corridor. "No obvious chakra residue or tracks. Either his concealment is exceptionally advanced, or... he's already escaped far away through some special method."
The samurai conducted an intensive search but found nothing, as though the spying presence had been an illusion.
"What exactly does he want?" Shikaku Nara mused. "Merely to observe our reactions? Or... does he have a more specific target?" His thoughtful gaze swept over Ling. Zetsu had appeared to spy on them again immediately after Ling demonstrated his unique Water Mirror Technique. It was hard to call that a coincidence.
The same doubt hung