Inside the Medical Department's private hospital room, the smell of disinfectant was pungently strong. Ling's left shoulder was wrapped in thick bandages. The glow of Medical Ninjutsu had just faded, easing the intense pain, but the burning in his chakra pathways and the emptiness of his chakra reserves remained pronounced.
Two ninja from the Anbu directly under the Hokage stood like guardian deities outside the door, the atmosphere heavy. The attack in the dormitory district had been like a boulder thrown into a tranquil lake, causing an uproar among the Konoha High Command.
Ling leaned against the headboard, his face pale but his gaze unusually clear. Although overexertion had temporarily prevented his Jōgan from operating at full capacity, its passive perception still let him clearly detect the chakra fluctuations of those coming and going outside, each with different affiliations-the tension and vigilance of the Hokage's Anbu, and the distinctive, cold scrutiny of Root members, which remained perceptible despite their efforts to conceal it.
This was a silent confrontation. Danzo's tentacles had not withdrawn after the failed assassination. Instead, they probed Tsunade's limits with even greater impunity.
Footsteps approached from a distance, steady and forceful. The Anbu guarding the door bowed slightly. "Lord Hokage!"
The door opened, and Tsunade appeared in the doorway. She still wore her Hokage robes, her golden twin ponytails tied behind her head. A trace of fatigue showed on her face, but unmistakable anger and unquestionable authority burned in her amber eyes. Shizune followed close behind, carrying Tonton.
"How are you feeling?" Tsunade walked to the bedside and got straight to the point, her tone direct.
"Not too bad, thanks to the Medical Team treating me in time." Ling struggled to sit a little straighter.
"Lie still." Tsunade waved a hand, her gaze sweeping over his bandaged shoulder, her eyes growing colder still. "Did you get a clear look at the attacker?"
"It had no fixed form, like a mass of black shadow. It could merge into shadows, and physical attacks and conventional ninjutsu had very little effect. It didn't seem to have any reason, only a pure instinct to kill." Ling repeated the account he had prepared, omitting the details about the Yin Release energy core and his own counterattack. "In the end, it seemed to trigger the dormitory's defensive barrier and only retreated because of the energy backlash."
Tsunade gave a cold snort, suppressed anger in her voice. "The defensive barrier? That crude little barrier could drive off a monster of that caliber? That old bastard Danzo has less and less regard for me! He actually dared to use an experimental subject of unknown origin to carry out an attack inside the village!"
She had clearly gleaned more from the chakra traces left at the scene and Fox's report, directly exposing Danzo's involvement and the existence of the experimental subject.
Ling remained silent. At a time like this, he did not need to say anything more.
Tsunade turned her gaze toward him, her eyes sharpening. "The preliminary investigation into the intelligence you provided about the Forest of Death has produced results."
Ling's heart suddenly leaped.
"There is indeed an underground facility there that's been abandoned for years, but its entrance is completely sealed by exceptionally sophisticated Sealing Jutsu. Forcing our way in would cause too much of a disturbance. We haven't found any direct evidence yet." Tsunade's words made Ling's heart sink slightly, but her next words brought a turn for the better. "However, tests of residual energy in the surrounding area and recent personnel transfer records both point to certain Root members who had no business being there. What's more, at the very moment you were attacked, the concealment barrier over in the Forest of Death suddenly grew several times stronger. They practically gave themselves away by trying to cover it up!"
Her tone was filled with mockery and certainty.
Ling understood at once. Tsunade had already gathered enough circumstantial evidence to confirm the intelligence was genuine; she merely lacked the physical evidence needed to settle the matter conclusively. Yet Danzo's guilty strengthening of the defenses and desperate assassination attempt had only further confirmed his crimes.
"The more he does this, the more it shows he's afraid!" Tsunade clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white. "Does he think silencing a witness will cover everything up? How naive!"
She looked at Ling, her expression becoming somewhat more complicated. "You did very well this time, and you've suffered for it. Your vigilance and luck have done the village a great service."
This counted as formal recognition and reassurance.
"It was what I should have done, Lord Hokage," Ling said quietly.
"From today onward, your security level will be raised to the highest." Tsunade gave the order. "Without my direct command, no one is permitted to approach you or reassign you. Just stay here and recover in peace. Don't go anywhere."
"Yes." Ling nodded. This was exactly what he needed.
"As for Danzo..." A harsh glint flashed through Tsunade's eyes. "It's time he understood who Konoha's Hokage really is."
She said no more, but Ling could feel the astonishing resolve beneath those calm words and the storm that was about to break. Tsunade was clearly ready to seize this opportunity to launch a forceful round of purges and crackdowns against Danzo and his faction.
After giving a few more instructions about caring for his injuries, Tsunade left the room with Shizune in brisk, decisive strides. She still had far too many matters to deal with.
Quiet returned to the room, but Ling knew that the world outside was already in turmoil.
Sure enough, over the next few days, the atmosphere in Konoha became noticeably more tense and severe.
The Hokage's office issued several orders in succession: a comprehensive review of Root's funding and mission records; a reduction in its authority to act independently; a requirement that all its personnel swear allegiance to the Hokage again; and even the dispatch of her own Anbu to "assist" in guarding several outer entrances to the Root Base.
The series of blows came fast and hard. Although there was no open rupture, every move targeted them and pressed them further, drastically restricting the freedom of action and power of Danzo and Root.
Danzo's side maintained an eerie silence, like a venomous snake lying dormant, quietly accepting every arrangement without any public confrontation. But through the increasingly concealed yet malicious scrutiny his Jōgan occasionally picked up, Ling knew the other side would never let the matter rest.
Both sides were gathering strength, waiting for the moment of the final showdown.
Amid this heavy scent of gunpowder, Ling seized every minute and second to recover and improve himself.
The special medicine Tsunade had personally prepared was astonishingly effective. Combined with the continuous nourishment from the Yang Release infusion, his external injuries and damaged chakra pathways healed at a rate far beyond that of an ordinary person. What delighted him even more was that, after his brush with death, his control over the Yin Release energy from the Fragment within him had greatly improved, and its integration with his Jōgan and Sharingan was becoming increasingly smooth.
At the center of this storm, his strength was quietly, steadily growing.
That night, as Ling was trying to incorporate a trace of the Jōgan's power into the most basic chakra-refining technique, the mark over his heart suddenly gave another faint pulse.
This time, it was no longer a warning or a stabbing pain, but an extremely vague, intermittent fragment of thought, as though it came from somewhere unimaginably distant:
"...Coordinates... southeast... transaction... beware... eyes..."
The information was incomplete and full of interference, and then it vanished.
Ling's brows suddenly knitted.
Coordinates? A transaction? Beware of eyes? Was this another message from that mysterious man? What was he trying to convey? A warning? Or another trap?
This message, with neither beginning nor end, was like another pebble cast into a lake, stirring new ripples in a situation already seething with undercurrents.
Ling vaguely sensed that this storm in Konoha might involve forces even farther away and more deeply hidden.
He had to grow stronger, faster.
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