A month later, Konoha Hospital officially signed Ling's discharge authorization.
The cast on his left arm had been removed. Under Tsunade's near-miraculous Medical Ninjutsu, the new bone had healed as good as new, leaving only a faint white mark. His movement was unimpaired, and his strength was rapidly returning. His eyes' recovery was more complicated. The outward symptoms had long since vanished and his vision was clear, but the fusion of the two powers within remained in a delicate balance. Tsunade repeatedly cautioned him that he could use his ocular power, but had to proceed gradually. Overexerting it was strictly forbidden, and he needed to return for regular checkups.
Dressed in the dark navy Anbu uniform he had not worn in so long, with an animal mask bearing the markings of "Crow" over his face, Ling stood in the Hokage's office and reported to Tsunade.
"You seem to have recovered well." Tsunade studied him with a sharp gaze, as though she could see through his mask to those eyes, their vitality restored but concealing a power unlike before. "How do you feel?"
"In good condition, Lord Hokage. Ready for a mission at any time." Ling's voice came through the mask, steady and calm.
"Good." Tsunade picked up a scroll from her desk and handed it to him. "Your first mission back. According to Fox's squad's preliminary reconnaissance, Root remnants have recently been active around Tanzaku Town, northeast of the village. They seem to be looking for or making contact with something, possibly involving a forbidden technique or a special ninja tool. Your mission: infiltrate Tanzaku Town, ascertain the Root remnants' specific objective and means of contact, and capture a core member if the opportunity arises. Mission rank: A. Fox and Azure Phoenix will provide support and intelligence from the perimeter."
An A-rank mission, with the familiar and dangerous Root remnants as his targets once again. This clearly would not be an easy comeback performance.
"Understood." Ling took the scroll without any hesitation.
"Remember, Crow." Tsunade's voice grew serious. "Your eyes are a weapon, but also a burden. Until you have fully mastered them, don't let them dictate how you fight. Trust your judgment and skills as the Anbu operative Crow."
"Yes." Ling bowed, turned, and left the Hokage's office.
Situated on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water, Tanzaku Town was a bustling little town famed for its hot springs and casinos. People from every walk of life gathered there. Information traveled fast, and it was easy to conceal one's movements, making it an ideal breeding ground for the Root remnants' activities.
Rather than rendezvous with Fox and Azure Phoenix, Ling followed the plan and slipped alone into the bustling crowds disguised as a wandering samurai. He suppressed every fluctuation of his chakra, moving among casinos, taverns, and hot spring inns like a genuine ordinary person, while his ears worked like the most precise radar, picking up every suspicious conversation and piece of information.
He kept the Jōgan's power at the lowest level of passive perception, scanning the chakra signatures of the surrounding crowd like an almost imperceptible ripple cast across a still lake. He could not actively rouse his ocular power to investigate more deeply, lest he alert the targets or let Tsunade notice anything unusual. But this basic, instinctive perception was enough to distinguish ninja chakra among tens of thousands of ordinary signatures, particularly chakra bearing Root's distinctive cold, sinister aura.
The first day yielded nothing.
On the second day, outside a secluded izakaya, he caught a fleeting trace of familiar, cold chakra. The target was cautious. The presence flashed past, then vanished into the crowd.
By dusk on the third day, the trail finally became clear.
By tracking several low-level informants who seemed unrelated but whose movements were in fact secretive, Ling narrowed his target down to a little-frequented shop on the edge of Tanzaku Town with a sign reading "Antique Dealer." Extremely well-concealed warning barriers and anti-perception runes surrounded the shop, professionally laid with a pronounced Root style.
Ling did not approach rashly. Instead, he rented a second-floor room in a hot spring inn across the street and observed through the window with the most basic telescope, while focusing the Jōgan's passive perception toward the shop.
Business was slow. Occasional customers came and went, most of them ordinary people. But Ling noticed that, at intervals, one or two figures with chakra signatures markedly different from ordinary people's would slip silently through the back door under cover of darkness.
This was the place.
He transmitted the intelligence through an encrypted channel to Fox, who was standing by on the perimeter.
"Target base confirmed. At least three suspected Root members observed entering and leaving, estimated strength ranging from chunin to jonin. The shop has a compound barrier. Forcing entry may trigger an alarm. Recommend waiting for a core figure to appear or seeking an opportunity to infiltrate." Fox's reply soon arrived. "Continue surveillance and await further instructions. Azure Phoenix is in position and ready to provide remote support."
Night fully enveloped Tanzaku Town. Lights came on, and the clamor of the casinos and the rising hot spring steam formed the town's distinctive nighttime scene. The antique shop closed early, its doors and windows tightly shut, as though cut off from the bustle outside.
Like a crouching leopard, Ling waited patiently. He regulated his breathing, bringing himself into peak condition, while his right hand lightly brushed the kunai and ninja tool pouch at his waist. This time, he needed to rely on Anbu skills, battle wisdom, and... cautious use of the Eye of Purification and Erosion, which he had yet to fully master.
Time ticked by. As midnight approached, the pedestrians on the streets gradually thinned out.
Suddenly, the Jōgan's passive perception caught a relatively strong, cold chakra signature with clear Root characteristics rapidly approaching the shop from a distance, followed by two slightly weaker presences.
Had a core figure arrived?
Ling perked up and immediately reported the situation.
"Prepare to move." Fox's instructions were brief and clear. "Crow, infiltrate, confirm the target, and create confusion when the opportunity arises. Azure Phoenix will disrupt the barrier for three seconds. We'll support you from the perimeter and prevent the targets from escaping."
"Understood."
Ling took a deep breath and slipped silently out the window, clinging like a gecko to the shadows on the inn's outer wall, his gaze locked on the antique shop's back door.
Almost simultaneously, he sensed a faint but peculiar chakra fluctuation from afar, like an invisible tuning fork lightly striking the barrier around the shop. It was Azure Phoenix's secret technique!
Hum...
The barrier's light flickered almost imperceptibly and briefly fell into disarray. Although it returned to normal in an instant, that fleeting opening was enough for an elite Anbu!
Within that three-second interval, Ling moved like a phantom, becoming a faint blur almost impossible to catch with the naked eye as he slipped inside the barrier without triggering a single alarm!
The shop's interior extended far deeper than it appeared from outside. The storefront held all manner of antiques whose authenticity was difficult to discern, while the back connected to a spacious, brightly lit secret chamber. A long table stood in its center, with five people seated around it. Three were the members Ling had previously observed sneaking inside. The other two were the owner of the stronger chakra signature that had just arrived and his attendant.
The leader wore an ordinary gray kimono and had an unremarkable face, the sort that would disappear in a crowd. Yet his eyes were sharp as a hawk's, holding the indifference and vigilance of someone long accustomed to darkness. At that moment, he was placing a small black scroll that emitted ominous chakra fluctuations on the table.
"This is part of the research material on the Dead Demon Kiss. It's enough to prove our value," the gray-clad man said in a low voice. "We need to meet your person in charge to discuss further cooperation."
Across from him sat a Root member wearing a bird-beaked mask, who spoke in a hoarse voice. "We inspect the goods first. As for the person in charge... you don't get to meet them just because you want to."
Holding his breath in the ventilation duct above the secret chamber, Ling heard every word of the conversation below. Dead Demon Kiss? That sounded like some evil forbidden technique. These remnants really were continuing Danzo's unfinished dangerous research, even attempting to collude with outside forces!
He quietly took out a miniature camera bug and recorded the scene and conversation. All of this was important evidence.
Just then, the gray-clad man seemed to notice something. His brow creased almost imperceptibly, and he swept a suspicious gaze around the chamber.
Had he been discovered? Ling's heart tightened. He immediately suppressed every trace of his presence, almost stopping even his heartbeat.
The gray-clad man's gaze lingered on the vent for an instant. Seemingly finding nothing unusual, he slowly looked away. Beneath the table, however, his fingers made an extremely discreet gesture to one of his attendants.
The attendant gave an almost imperceptible nod.
Ling knew he could wait no longer. The other side was already suspicious. He had to act immediately!
He made his decision at once, abandoned concealment, and formed hand seals in an instant!
"Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Technique!"
Thick mist spread through the chamber without warning, instantly obscuring everyone's vision!
"Enemy attack!"
"Watch out!"
The people inside the chamber immediately fell into confusion!
That was exactly the effect Ling wanted! Like a ghost merging with the mist, he leaped down from the vent, heading straight for the black scroll on the table! At the same time, several shuriken with explosive tags attached shot in different directions, creating greater chaos!
"Stop him!" the gray-clad man shouted sharply, forming hand seals as a powerful burst of Wind Release chakra erupted, attempting to blow away the mist!
But Ling was faster! With the Sharingan's assistance-maintained at its basic perceptive state-he precisely evaded two Root members' attempts to intercept him, and his right hand touched the black scroll!
Just as he was about to succeed, a ruthless glint flashed through the eyes of the gray-clad man's attendant who had received the gesture earlier. Rather than dodge, he lunged straight at Ling, his body rapidly swelling like an inflating balloon!
"Dead Soul Technique: Self-Destruction!"
Ling's pupils contracted sharply! It was a move meant to take them both down!
At such close range, in such a confined space, the consequences of an explosion would be unimaginable!
In that split second, Ling had almost no time to think. Instinctively, he stuffed the scroll he had just seized inside his clothes and forcibly twisted his body, leaving his back exposed to his opponent. At the same time, the threat of death instantly roused the dormant Purifying Erosion Power in his eyes!
It was not a deliberate activation, but an instinctive reaction on the brink of disaster!
Hum!
The patterns in his eyes instantly became distinct, and everything in his field of vision slowed. He "saw" the central point where chakra was frantically gathering inside the self-destructing attendant, and saw the path of the energy flow one thousandth of a second before it collapsed toward that point!
There was no time for hand seals, no time for complex ninjutsu. Following only the absolute perception granted by the Eye of Purification and Erosion, Ling mixed the chakra gathered throughout his body with that newborn, not yet fully tamed power and channeled it through his fingertip. It became an extraordinarily fine, nearly invisible energy beam that pierced the energy core on the verge of erupting with absolute precision!
Pop!
A faint sound, like a bubble bursting.
The attendant's swollen body abruptly stiffened. The raging energy inside him deflated and dispersed in an instant, like a punctured balloon! He stared at Ling with wide, disbelieving eyes, then slumped to the ground, all life gone.
The self-destruction... had been forcibly halted!
Everything happened in an instant. The gray-clad man's Wind Release blew away most of the mist, and everyone saw the attendant's bizarre collapse, along with Ling's strange eyes, which seemed to burn with dark flames amid the lingering wisps of mist.
The chamber fell deathly silent.
As the gray-clad man looked at Ling, gravity appeared in his eyes for the first time, along with... a trace of barely concealed greed.
"Crow... Uchiha Ling... so your eyes really have undergone an extraordinary change..."
This was bad! Ling thought. His identity and the secret of his eyes had been exposed!
Without hesitation, he immediately growled into the communication talisman, "Move!"
Boom!
The antique shop's front and back doors were smashed open simultaneously! Fox and the Anbu members supporting him from the perimeter charged inside like tigers descending a mountain!
Battle erupted in an instant!
Before you continue