Three dark figures from Root spread silently through the courtyard like spirits come to claim a life, their cold chakra senses sweeping every corner like a fine web. Ling huddled in the shadows behind a water vat, pushing the [Ice-Breath Concealment Technique] to its limit. His heartbeat nearly stopped, and all his chakra withdrew inward until he seemed like an inert stone.
One of the Root ninja drifted toward the water vat like a ghost, his icy gaze sweeping over the shadows. Ling's concealment technique interfered with his chakra sensing, preventing him from immediately detecting anything unusual, but his trained instincts told him that this patch of shadow seemed a little too "still." He bent slightly, his hand moving to his kunai.
At that critical instant!
"Crack-!"
A dazzling bolt of blue-white lightning tore through the night without warning, descending faster than the eye could follow amid a shrill screech like a thousand birds crying!
The lightning did not strike the Root ninja. Instead, it slammed with unerring precision into the ground half a meter in front of him!
Boom!
Dirt flew, and scorched smoke billowed! Powerful lightning release chakra burst outward in a fierce shock wave and gust of air, instantly interrupting the Root ninja's movements and forcing his two companions to retreat several steps. Their formation fell apart!
As the dust settled, a silver-haired figure stood lazily beside the shallow crater left by the strike, one hand in his pocket. His forehead protector sat at an angle, covering his left eye. His exposed right eye was half-lidded, but its usual listlessness had given way to a cold, piercing edge. The dazzling lightning around his right hand had yet to fully dissipate, crackling faintly as it illuminated his expressionless face.
"Playing hide-and-seek in an orphanage?" Kakashi Hatake's voice sounded as unmotivated as ever, but his words made all three Root ninja tense instantly. "Aren't you making a little too much noise? Scaring the children isn't very nice."
"Kakashi Hatake!" The lead Root ninja's voice was hoarse, laden with suppressed anger and wariness. "We're acting on Lord Danzo's orders. This has nothing to do with you! Stand aside!"
"Elder Danzo certainly has a long reach." Kakashi scratched his unruly hair, sounding as though he were making small talk, but the lightning in his right hand grew more concentrated. "Still, this orphanage falls directly under Lord Hokage's jurisdiction, doesn't it? Do you have official written orders? If not, well, I only just left the Anbu, so out of habit... I'm rather cautious."
The threat needed no further explanation.
The three Root ninja exchanged glances. Kakashi's arrival had completely disrupted their plans. If they forced the mission forward, they had no certainty of victory against the renowned "Copy Ninja." Worse, if the commotion escalated, there would be no way to contain the fallout.
"...We're leaving." The lead Root ninja forced the words through clenched teeth. Without the slightest hesitation, all three slipped soundlessly into the shadows, just as they had arrived, and vanished in an instant.
The danger had passed so suddenly that even Ling, hidden behind the vat, felt dazed.
The lightning in Kakashi's hand went out completely. He did not leave at once. Instead, his gaze swept seemingly casually over the water vat where Ling was hiding, and he said flatly, "Come out. They're gone."
Ling hesitated, then released the [Ice-Breath Concealment Technique] and stumbled out of the shadows. His small face was pale from the strain and chakra expenditure. He kept his head lowered, not daring to look at Kakashi.
"A gray-haired kid..." Kakashi studied him, his gaze lingering for a moment on his unusual hair color. "Looks like you've gotten yourself into some trouble?"
Ling did not know how to answer, so he could only remain silent.
Just then, another voice rang out, gentle yet carrying an unquestionable authority.
"It seems I arrived at just the right moment?"
At some point, another figure had appeared in the center of the courtyard. With white hair, a Hokage's hat, a gentle smile, and a pipe between his lips, he was none other than the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. His gaze swept over the marks left by the lightning strike, then moved to Kakashi and the thoroughly disheveled Ling. A flicker of understanding crossed his eyes.
"Lord Third." Kakashi bowed slightly, his voice returning to its usual languid tone.
"Kakashi, thank you for stepping in promptly and preventing an unnecessary conflict," the Third said kindly. Then he turned to Ling. "Child, are you hurt? Can you tell me what happened just now?"
Ling's heart pounded wildly. While he was still struggling to find the words, Tobirama spoke in his mind with a cold sneer: [Hmph. The monkey certainly knows when to make an entrance. Tell the truth, but only what you saw. Don't mention what you suspect or what you can do.]
Ling raised his head, his face showing just the right measure of fright and lingering fear, and said softly, "I... I couldn't sleep tonight, so I was in the courtyard... Then three people all dressed in black suddenly came. They looked really scary... Then Mr. Kakashi came and made lightning... And then they ran away..."
His childish words suited his age, and everything he described was true.
The Third took a puff from his pipe, the smoke obscuring his deep gaze. He stroked Ling's hair and said gently, "All right, it's over now. It was only a misunderstanding. Don't come out alone at night again. It isn't safe."
He turned to Kakashi again. "Kakashi, we owe you for this. I'll personally look into what happened tonight."
Kakashi nodded without saying anything.
The Third considered for a moment, his gaze settling once more on Ling's conspicuous gray hair. He seemed to reach a decision.
"Kakashi," the Third began slowly, "this child's circumstances are somewhat unusual. His mother... may have had ties to certain bloodline clans that have died out, and his father was a distant relative of the Hatake clan. He's all alone now. Keeping him in the orphanage indefinitely probably isn't a lasting solution."
Kakashi's visible eye shifted slightly, as though he sensed what was coming.
"You've only just left the Anbu, and you could use someone around to look after you. Perhaps it would help you... return to a normal life sooner." The Third's words guided him toward a choice he could hardly refuse. "Why don't you take care of this child for the time being? What do you think?"
Kakashi fell silent for several seconds, his gaze passing once more over Ling's small face, pale yet unable to hide his intelligence, and the gray hair that shared the same roots as his own yet looked so different.
"...Well, if that's what Lord Hokage says." At last, he gave a languid reply, accepting the arrangement.
Ling was utterly stunned.
Just like that... he had been adopted? By Kakashi Hatake, no less?
[Hmph. The monkey has certainly worked out his angles,] Tobirama snorted coldly in his mind. [He takes you out of Danzo's sights for now and places you with someone he can control indirectly, someone who also has ties to you. Meanwhile, he gets to soothe that Kakashi brat and give him something to do. A political trick that kills three birds with one stone.]
But regardless, this was undoubtedly the best outcome for Ling right now. At last, he had temporarily escaped the orphanage, the center of an increasingly dangerous maelstrom, and gained a relatively safe starting point with access to more resources.
He looked at the languid, silver-haired jonin before him, then at the kindly Hokage.
A new chapter seemed to have abruptly begun in a way he had never anticipated.
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