The Wood Industry High Command's probe

That night, in the top-floor secret room of the Hokage Building.

Dim lamplight glowed through curling smoke.

The Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat upright in the Hokage Chair. White smoke rose slowly from the pipe between his fingers, and his usually kindly face was now heavy with concern.

Before his desk, two Root ANBU stood silently, their presence concealed, their bodies shrouded in pitch-black cloaks.

"Report every detail of what happened at the Training Ground this evening. Leave nothing out."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was low and hoarse, his eyes gleaming with intensity.

One ANBU dropped to one knee and reported in a deep voice.

"Lord Hokage, this evening, student Lin Chen and Sasuke Uchiha fought a private match."

"Sasuke Uchiha forcibly overtaxed his bloodline and successfully awakened the One-Tomoe Sharingan. His combat strength surged briefly, but within a few breaths, it inexplicably deteriorated. His kekkei genkai presence vanished completely, and his potential plummeted."

"During the fight, an unknown heaven and earth pressure appeared above the Training Ground, covering the entire area. Every sensory ninja experienced heart palpitations warning them of danger."

"In the end, the pressure dissipated entirely without any disaster occurring. Only Lin Chen's chakra presence showed a slight improvement, and he sustained no unusual injuries."

The report was clear and orderly, accurately reconstructing the bizarre scene at the Training Ground.

Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his fingertips lightly against the desk, his brows tightly knitted as thoughts churned through his mind.

He had lived most of his life and governed Konoha for decades. He had seen Kekkei Genkai Secret Techniques, mutations caused by Forbidden Techniques, and tailed beast chakra running wild.

But he had never seen heaven and earth exert pressure of their own accord, only for an ordinary genin student to devour and dispel it out of nowhere.

What had happened to Sasuke Uchiha was stranger still.

The awakening of the Uchiha bloodline's eyes was a unique transformation rooted in emotion, bloodline, and obsession. Outsiders could not possibly interfere.

Yet Sasuke's Sharingan had been forcibly erased the instant it bloomed, and even the potential deep within his bloodline had been stripped away.

Such a method had long surpassed the bounds of Ninjutsu. It bordered on... rewriting the very essence of life.

"Kakashi, what do you think?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his eyes toward the silver-haired ninja standing silently beside him.

Above his mask, Kakashi's eyes were grave. The Sharingan in his right eye turned slightly as he recalled that bizarre scene from the evening.

"That wasn't Ninjutsu, a kekkei genkai, or a Secret Technique."

"My Sharingan couldn't copy it. It couldn't even track the fluctuations."

Kakashi's tone was unusually solemn.

"If I had to define it, it was more like... a collision between the rules of this world."

"In that instant, Lin Chen seemed to be fighting against all of heaven and earth."

Those words plunged the atmosphere in the secret room to its lowest point.

Fighting heaven and earth.

The phrase was utterly absurd, yet it precisely captured the strange phenomenon that evening.

Hiruzen Sarutobi drew deeply on his pipe and slowly exhaled. A trace of wariness and contemplation crossed his eyes.

"The changes in Lin Chen lately have been far too abnormal."

"He rose from a worthless failure at the bottom to take first place in the preliminary assessment without a single loss. He defeated Mizuki, a full-fledged chunin, in an instant. Today, he even crushed Sasuke after his eye awakening and devoured the heaven and earth pressure."

"No training process, no trace of a teacher's guidance. Every breakthrough has been accompanied by a bizarre reversal of fortune."

He had seen countless geniuses in his lifetime, but never anyone whose growth was so outrageous or whose methods were so strange.

"Root is to begin a low-intensity probe immediately."

Hiruzen Sarutobi gave the order in a deep voice.

"Do not seriously injure him or expose your identities. Covertly test his baseline combat strength and special abilities."

"I need to confirm whether he is a genius possessing an unparalleled hidden bloodline, or... an unknown variable capable of overturning Konoha."

"Yes!"

The two ANBU bowed in acknowledgment. Their figures flickered, instantly merging into the secret room's shadows and vanishing without a trace.

Kakashi frowned slightly and tried to dissuade him in a low voice. "Lord Hokage, this is too risky."

"Unknown abilities are the most dangerous. A rash probe could lead to unforeseen consequences."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head, gazing out the window at Konoha's tranquil night.

"Konoha may appear peaceful, but undercurrents are stirring."

"Orochimaru remains at large after his defection, the Akatsuki lurks in the shadows, and the other villages watch like hungry predators."

"More than unknown risks, I fear variables I cannot control."

"If he is good, we will prioritize his development and make him Konoha's blade."

"If he is evil... we must snuff him out before he can grow."

His words were resolute, fully revealing the Hokage's weighing of priorities and decisiveness.

Meanwhile, in the wooden house where Lin Chen lived alone.

The room was brightly lit. Lin Chen sat cross-legged on the bed, his eyes lightly closed.

The heavenly dao punishment power he had devoured was slowly being refined within him, while a faint rules glimmer lingered around his body.

After a night's consolidation, his chakra purity had improved again, and his physical resilience and eye power potential had increased across the board.

More importantly, his perception of the rules of heaven and earth far surpassed that of ordinary people.

"Heavenly dao punishment ended up becoming nourishment for me instead."

Lin Chen slowly opened his eyes, a cold glimmer flashing in their depths.

The Heavenly Dao of this world wanted to correct the plot and lock destiny in place, but its methods were far too limited.

It only knew how to support the destined protagonist and suppress heretical variables.

Yet it could never have imagined that its suppression and punishment were precisely the top-tier resources the system needed most.

Just then, Lin Chen's ears twitched, and his gaze abruptly sharpened.

A faint, cold chakra presence, utterly devoid of life, quietly enveloped the entire wooden house.

The presence was concealed so thoroughly that ordinary ninja could never detect it, but it could not escape his heightened perception, tempered by the power of the Heavenly Dao.

"ANBU?"

A faint, cold smile curled Lin Chen's lips.

The Konoha High Command had indeed made its move.

Even faster than I expected.

[Ding! Hostile lock-on detected!]

[Targets locked: two elite ninja from Konoha's Root ANBU!]

[Their intent: conduct a low-intensity probe of combat strength and investigate the host's special abilities!]

[Available plunder triggers: ANBU Assassination Technique, Covert Chakra Control, Root Stealth Talent!]

The system notifications sounded right on cue.

Lin Chen slowly rose and straightened his clothes, his expression utterly calm.

The Third wanted to test the limits of his strength?

Perfect.

He happened to need Konoha's probe to reveal part of his strength, secure his footing, and fully gain preferential access to Konoha's top-tier resources.

Hiding had never been a fate defier's style.

"Since you're here, there's no need to hide."

Lin Chen spoke evenly into the empty darkness, his voice carrying clearly through the night outside.

"Esteemed ANBU of Konoha, come out and meet me."

The night was silent, and the air abruptly chilled.

Two pitch-black figures slowly emerged from the shadows beneath the eaves and landed soundlessly, their presence bone-chillingly cold.

The Konoha High Command's probe had officially arrived!