The discovery that his bed had been secretly searched pierced the last fragile bubble of hope in Ling's heart like a poisoned needle. An invisible pressure hung in the air, and every breath carried a rusty tang of danger.
He forced himself to stay calm. Following Tobirama's instructions, he did not inspect the kunai right away. Instead, he kept to his usual routine and even produced steady snores, though every nerve in his body was drawn taut as a bowstring.
[Root has lost its patience.] Tobirama's voice was bone-chilling. [The search means their assessment is nearing its end. Next time, they won't just snoop. They'll make direct contact.]
"Contact?" Ling's throat went dry.
[Either they'll use a Cursed Seal to turn you into an obedient dog, or... make you disappear without a sound.] Tobirama's answer was simple and brutal. [Danzo won't tolerate a variable he can't control, especially one who might have inherited the talents of both Yuki and the Hatake clan.]
There was no time left for fear.
[Our training objectives have changed. Everything now serves survival and escape. First, get rid of that source of trouble.]
At noon the next day, Ling claimed to feel unwell and hid in a toilet stall. Using the "micro-corrosion technique" Tobirama had taught him, which demanded the utmost control, he painstakingly stripped that tiny bit of precious chakra metal from the kunai, leaving a grain-sized particle with a faint blue glow. He shattered the remainder into fragments and flushed them away with the waste, leaving no trace. He wrapped the metal particle in oiled paper and hid it under his tongue-the safest place for now.
[Second, you need a concealment technique.] Tobirama swiftly moved on to new material. [I've devised the Ice-Breath Concealment Technique, combining your Pure Water constitution with its ability to suppress your own chakra fluctuations to the utmost.]
[It isn't genjutsu, but suppression and mimicry taken to their limits. Reduce your chakra fluctuations to a minimum, almost to the point of depletion, while using your affinity for water vapor to blend your presence with the moisture and temperature of your surroundings. It can't fool someone's eyes, and it would struggle to evade direct observation by ocular techniques such as the Byakugan or Sharingan. It certainly can't deceive sensory abilities on the level of the Mind's Eye of the Kagura.] Tobirama calmly analyzed its limitations. [But it can severely disrupt an ordinary ninja's chakra perception, making you easier to overlook in darkness or mist. It's enough for evading ordinary pursuit and infiltration.]
Ling threw himself into training.
The Ice-Breath Concealment Technique demanded absolute calm and precise chakra control. He had to keep his chakra almost completely locked inside his body while adjusting his breathing and heartbeat, weakening his vital signs to the utmost. He tried again and again, only to fail each time because of emotional fluctuations or mistakes in control.
[Calm your mind! Your chakra is like a leaking ball! Rein it in! Imagine your body is a waterlogged sponge-heavy and silent!] Tobirama's rebukes grew increasingly harsh.
Under the pressure to survive, Ling improved at an astonishing pace. Several days later, he successfully entered the state for the first time, though he could maintain it for only five seconds. For those five seconds, he seemed to become part of the shadows in the corner, his presence diminishing sharply.
[Barely a pass. Keep going! You need to enter that state instantly and hold it longer!]
His physical training shifted toward explosive bursts and evasive movement. Tobirama taught him how to stimulate his muscles with chakra for an instant boost in speed, and how to use the terrain to create blind spots. His academic lessons also became a relentless barrage of Konoha's layout-an outdated version-escape routes, wilderness survival, tracking, and countertracking.
He even began secretly gathering "tools": tough cord, sharp pottery shards, seeds from plants that caused irritation... anything that might improve his chances of survival.
The oppressive feeling followed him like a shadow. Every gaze felt like a searchlight, and every faint disturbance made his heart lurch.
Late one night, half a month later.
Ling was practicing the Ice-Breath Concealment Technique in the shadows of the backyard, struggling to maintain it longer. Suddenly-
[Watch out! Two hundred meters to the southwest, three chakra signatures are moving at high speed! They have a clear target-they're heading straight here! Well trained, with exceptional stealth skills!] Tobirama's warning rang out.
Ling's heart clenched!
[There's no time to get back inside! Ice-Breath Concealment Technique, maximum output! Hide in the deepest shadows behind the water vat. Curl up and stay still! Stop thinking. Empty your mind!] Tobirama's orders pierced his mind like cold steel needles.
Ling did not hesitate. Like a startled wildcat, he darted behind the largest water vat and curled tightly into the deepest shadows. The Ice-Breath Concealment Technique took effect with unprecedented efficiency! His breathing became extremely slow and faint, his heartbeat nearly vanished, and all the chakra in his body was locked firmly within. He emptied his mind as best he could, mimicking the stillness of an inanimate object.
Almost the instant he finished concealing himself, three ghostlike black figures slipped silently over the courtyard wall. Like drops of ink merging with the night, they landed precisely in the center of the yard.
Not a single footstep sounded.
Cold, emotionless chakra swept through the entire backyard like a winter wind from the north, carefully scanning every corner.
Ling held his breath and maintained the Ice-Breath Concealment Technique with all his strength, suppressing every sign of life to its limit. He could feel that icy sensory sweep passing like a searchlight over the water vat and through the shadows where he hid.
One second... two seconds...
The sensory sweep seemed to hesitate, lingering briefly in his direction before finally moving on. Clearly, the Ice-Breath Concealment Technique had worked, interfering with their conventional chakra perception, while he was hidden well enough to escape visual notice.
One of the dark figures made a hand signal. Like hunting hounds working in perfect accord, the three spread out without a sound, swiftly but painstakingly checking every place in the backyard where someone might hide. Their movements were clean and efficient, without a single unnecessary noise.
Ling's heart rose into his throat. He held his concealed state with all his strength, not daring to move a muscle. He knew that if he made even the slightest sound, or they spotted him directly, it would all be over.
The ticking of the countdown seemed to sound right beside his ears. A cold blade already hovered at the tip of his nose.
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