The temporary command post occupied a large tent that had suffered relatively little damage. The atmosphere was grim. The two Hokage Advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, sat stiffly behind piles of files and documents. Several Anbu Ninja stood at attention around them, and even the air seemed to have stopped moving.
Ling followed his Anbu escort into the tent and bowed calmly. "Advisors."
Mitokado Homura adjusted his glasses, studying Ling with a piercing gaze through the lenses. He spoke first. "Ling Hatake, we summoned you because there are some questions we need you to clarify concerning your performance in the recent defense of the village and the earlier Chunin Ninja Exams."
Utatane Koharu continued in an equally stern tone. "Your mastery of Water Release far exceeds that of your fellow Genin. It even rivals that of seasoned Jōnin. According to Kakashi's report, you claim this comes from your Yuki Clan bloodline and your own experimentation. However, the Yuki Clan has long since declined, and its kekkei genkai was not renowned for pure Water Release manipulation. How do you explain that?"
The question went straight to the heart of the matter, without any preamble.
Ling had prepared for this. He put on suitably "confused" expressions and appeared to "struggle to recall." "Advisors, I don't know much about the Yuki Clan's specific circumstances. My mother passed away when I was very young and left little information behind. I simply discovered that I have an unusually keen sensitivity to sensing and controlling water nature chakra, particularly when it comes to shape transformation... As for why that is, I'm still trying to understand it myself."
He attributed the cause to vague notions of "bloodline" and "personal talent"-the safest explanation, and the hardest to disprove.
"Then how do you explain the Second Hokage's unusual