Distant thunder

Morning had come to Konoha, but the thin mist had yet to fully disperse, and the air carried the fresh scent of vegetation and soil. At Training Ground Three, two figures crossed paths and collided at tremendous speed, the sharp clang of metal and the rush of fists and feet falling as densely as rain.

Ling's movements were simple and efficient. The injury to his left arm had almost completely healed, leaving only a faint ache after overexertion. Although Tsunade's powerful seal restricted most of the Eye of Purification and Erosion's power, his basic dynamic vision, powers of observation, and perception of chakra flow had become even sharper and easier to use than before his injury. It was like putting down a heavy burden and focusing on honing his fundamental abilities, with unexpectedly good results.

His opponent was Kakashi Hatake. The silver-haired jonin looked as languid as ever, even keeping one hand in his pocket while using only an ordinary kunai in his right hand to block and counterattack. Yet his Sharingan (his own) always anticipated Ling's attacks at the most critical moments, making Ling feel as though he were fighting a ghost that could see through his every thought.

"Good speed, tricky angle, but your intent is too obvious." Kakashi turned sideways with ease, letting Ling's thrust miss, then smoothly tapped Ling's wrist with the butt of his kunai. "The Sharingan can see through movements, but fighting isn't just about movement. Your breathing rhythm, the slightest tension in your muscles, the sudden acceleration of chakra through particular chakra pathways... to an experienced opponent, all those details are advance warnings."

Ling stepped back twice and rubbed his numb wrist, deep in thought. Every sparring session with Kakashi taught him something new. This senior, who always seemed so frivolous, had long since attained mastery in combat.

"Again." Ling adjusted his breathing. This time, he did not rush to attack. Instead, he began circling Kakashi slowly, his Sharingan (his own, in its basic state) carefully observing every subtle change throughout Kakashi's body while he tried to make his own chakra flow smoother and harder to detect.

"Oh? Getting smarter." Kakashi seemed to smile, shedding some of his casual attitude.

The next instant, Ling moved! Rather than charging straight ahead, he used the Body Flicker Technique to create an afterimage darting left while his real body closed in from the right like a phantom, his kunai slashing beneath Kakashi's ribs! In timing, angle, and concealment of his own presence, this strike was a considerable improvement over his earlier attempts.

Clang!

Kakashi's kunai still blocked the strike with precision, but this time, his body swayed slightly.

"Very good," Kakashi said, a trace of approval flashing in his single visible eye. "A smooth transition between the feint and your real body, and good control of your chakra fluctuations. However..."

He flicked his wrist, deftly knocking Ling's kunai aside. At some point, his free left hand had already formed a seal.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Tiger Massacre!"

A small hound made of lightning sprang from his palm and lunged at Ling!

Ling's pupils contracted slightly, but he did not panic. With the assistance of the Jōgan's passive perception, he clearly "saw" the paths of the lightning release chakra and its energy nodes. Rather than countering with a more costly ninjutsu, he leaned backward and released a burst of chakra beneath his feet, sliding rapidly back as though skating. At the same time, he coated his kunai with a thin layer of wind-nature chakra and thrust it precisely into the lightning hound's lower abdomen, where its energy structure was relatively loose!

Hiss!

The kunai struck the lightning hound, which gave a faint crack before dissolving into scattered arcs of electricity.

"Beautiful!" Kakashi stopped and clapped his hands. "Exploiting the structural weakness of an opponent's ninjutsu to counter it at little cost-that's the combat wisdom a ninja should have. Blindly competing in ninjutsu power and chakra reserves is a brute's approach."

Ling panted lightly, steadying his somewhat uneven breathing. Sparring with Kakashi drained not only his physical stamina but also his mental energy. Yet he could feel that every such practical training session brought his control over his own strength and his understanding of combat to a new level.

"But your eyes..." Kakashi approached, looking at Ling's eyes, which had returned to normal but seemed to conceal a different luster in their depths. "Have you felt anything unusual since Lady Tsunade sealed them?"

Ling considered for a moment before answering, "They feel... more 'at ease.' Before, I always felt a tremendous power churning in my eyes, and I had to divide my attention to suppress and control it. Now that power is restrained by the seal, I can actually focus more on using and improving my basic abilities. My vision and perception don't seem any weaker. In fact, I can sense some subtle energy changes more clearly."

Kakashi nodded. "A blessing in disguise. Lady Tsunade's seal isn't just protection; it's also a form of guidance. When your body and mind are strong enough to handle that power, the seal will gradually unravel on its own. Until then, laying a solid foundation is crucial. After all, even the most powerful tool needs a suitable user."

As they spoke, a green figure rushed into the training ground like a whirlwind.

"Oooh! Is this a duel of youth? Kakashi! Young Ling! Perfect timing! Let me, the hot-blooded Blue Beast of the Hidden Leaf, join in!" Might Guy's signature booming voice rang across the training ground. He gave Ling a thumbs-up, his teeth flashing. "Young Ling, I heard you were discharged! How about a taijutsu match brimming with youth? Let me see how well you've recovered!"

Faced with Guy's infectious enthusiasm, Ling could not help smiling. Unlike sparring with Kakashi, which emphasized technique and perception, sparring with Guy was a clash of pure strength, speed, and will.

"I'd love to, Guy-sensei." Ling took a fighting stance.

"Ha! That's youth! Then let's begin!" Guy roared, his figure instantly vanishing from the spot!

Ling's Sharingan immediately caught a green streak rapidly approaching. Not daring to take it head-on, he pushed off and dodged sideways. Boom! Guy's fist struck where he had just stood, leaving a shallow crater in the ground.

For the next few minutes, the training ground filled with afterimages moving at high speed and the dull thuds of colliding bodies. Ling incorporated some of the techniques he had just learned from Kakashi into his taijutsu. Rather than trying to clash head-on with Guy, he used his Sharingan's predictive ability and his own agility to fight on the move and counterattack. Although he was still completely outmatched, he lasted longer than before his injury and occasionally even forced Guy to take things a little more seriously.

"Good, good! Your speed and reactions are much faster than before!" Guy encouraged him loudly as he attacked. "But youth needs an even hotter flame! Take my Konoha Great Whirlwind!"

A powerful spinning kick swept toward him, and Ling concentrated chakra in his arms, crossing them to block.

Thud!

The kick sent Ling sliding seven or eight meters backward before he steadied himself. His arms were numb, but excitement shone in his eyes. He found this kind of tangible combat, where he could feel his own progress, engrossing.

After the sparring ended, both Ling and Guy were drenched in sweat. Guy clapped Ling on the shoulder (nearly knocking him flat). "You've recovered very well! Keep up this youthful momentum! Oh, I heard you have a new teammate? A young girl from the Uzumaki Clan? Make sure you protect your comrades. That's also a responsibility of youth!"

"I will, Guy-sensei."

After saying goodbye to the excessively enthusiastic Guy, Ling did not immediately return to the Anbu dormitory. Instead, he went to Konoha Hospital. He needed regular follow-up examinations, and he also wanted to see how Xi was recovering.

Xi's hospital room was quiet. She sat in a chair beside the window, holding an ancient-looking leather scroll. Her brow was slightly furrowed, as though she had encountered a difficult problem. Sunlight spilled through the window onto her long crimson hair, casting a warm halo over it.

"Sorry to interrupt." Ling knocked on the door.

Xi looked up and smiled when she saw him. "Mr. Ling, please come in. I'm reading some records about ancient contracts and sealing jutsu that I found in the clan library-the portion preserved in Konoha. There are some passages I don't quite understand."

Ling walked over and glanced at the complex runes and obscure ancient writing on the scroll, then shook his head. "You're the expert in this area. I can't help you."

"You're too modest, Mr. Ling." Xi closed the scroll and looked at him with some concern. "Your injuries... are they really all right now? You were so badly hurt that day..."

"They're much better. Lady Tsunade's medical skills are incredible." Ling sat in another chair. "What about you? How do you feel?"

"I'm fine now. I just still tire a little easily," Xi said. She hesitated, then lowered her voice. "Mr. Ling, back at the border... that thing you saw inside the core at the end... was it really... an artificially created soul aggregate?"

Ling nodded, his expression grave. "As hard as it is to believe, yes. And according to the later analysis, the techniques used to create it very likely involved extremely ancient and forbidden knowledge."

Xi paled slightly, instinctively hugging the scroll in her arms. "I've been looking through these old texts lately, and I've come across a few scattered accounts too... Before the Ninshu system was established, there do seem to have been people called 'shamans' or 'alchemists.' They explored the mysteries of souls, life, and natural energy through all sorts of unimaginable methods, including some that were extraordinarily evil and cruel... If that organization possesses knowledge like that..."

She did not continue, but the fear in her eyes was obvious. As a member of the Uzumaki Clan, which had dealt with seals and barriers for generations, she understood the terrifying consequences of tampering with souls and life energy better than most.

"That's why we need to understand them and stop them all the more." Ling's voice was calm and firm. "Fear won't solve anything."

Looking into Ling's calm yet powerful eyes, Xi seemed to lose some of her unease. She nodded firmly. "Yes! I'll work hard to master this knowledge. I'm sure I can help!"

After chatting a little longer, Ling left the hospital and headed toward Anbu headquarters. Just as he approached the headquarters building, he saw Fox coming out, seemingly about to look for him.

"Good timing, Crow." Fox motioned for him to follow. "There's new intelligence. Lord Hokage has called an emergency meeting."

Here we go again. Ling's heart tightened, and he immediately followed.

It was the same familiar classified meeting room. Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Fox, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Shikaku Nara, whom he had not seen in a long time, were all present. The atmosphere was even graver than last time.

"According to the latest intelligence from the borders of the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Grass," Fox reported, as the direct recipient of the intelligence, "similar but smaller-scale 'gray mist' erosion incidents have appeared sporadically in at least three different locations around the Land of Fire over the past week. Although local garrisons or patrols extinguished all of them promptly, using methods drawn from the experience at B-7 Outpost, and no large-scale casualties occurred, their frequency alone indicates a problem."

She brought up a map with several new red dots marked on it.

"These locations appear random, but Senior Shikaku's analysis found that all of them are near areas historically associated with ancient legends or where faint anomalous energy reactions-not Ryūmyaku-have been detected. Combined with the scraps of information extracted from Root remnants and that gray-robed man's organization, we can essentially conclude that the organization is systematically conducting some kind of 'testing' or 'seeding' at multiple locations within the Land of Fire."

Shikaku Nara took over, his voice carrying its usual calming rationality. "They may have two objectives. First, to test the adaptability and effectiveness of their 'contamination sources' in different environments. Second, to create small-scale panic and disorder at multiple locations, diverting our attention and concealing the true target of their large-scale operation. I consider the latter more likely."

"The true target of their large-scale operation..." Tsunade tapped her fingers on the table. "What could it be? Creating a massive contamination zone near Konoha? Or... searching for something they need?"

Jiraiya stroked his chin and said slowly, "Based on my research into those ancient documents and information obtained through certain special channels, the organization seems to have been searching for specific 'nodes' or 'ruins.' These places are often connected to certain powerful beings or events from ancient times and may retain special powers or knowledge. Their contamination sources may not be intended solely for destruction. They might also be meant to... activate, distort, or plunder what remains there."

Activate ancient ruins? Ling suddenly thought of the fragment tucked against his chest. Could this thing have come from somewhere similar?

"Are there many 'nodes' or 'ruins' matching that description within the Land of Fire?" Kakashi asked.

"Not many, but a few places are highly suspicious." Jiraiya walked over to the map and pointed to several locations marked with special symbols. "For example, Starfall Canyon, near the coast in the southeastern Land of Fire. Legend says a meteor fell there in ancient times, altering the local earth veins. Silent Forest, in the northeast near the Land of Lightning's border, has abnormal tree growth, and its central area is shrouded in thick mist year-round, rendering ordinary sensory methods ineffective. And... the Shrine of Sealing Evil, roughly a day's journey northwest of the village. It supposedly once suppressed something extraordinarily evil. The shrine later fell into disrepair, but strange rumors still occasionally emerge from there."

His finger finally came to rest on the Shrine of Sealing Evil.

"This place is neither too far from nor too close to Konoha, and historical records explicitly connect it with 'suppressing evil.' It fits the characteristics of the 'nodes' they're seeking very well. Moreover, according to the border patrol's last routine report, a small, suspicious merchant caravan headed in that direction about three days ago. There's been no word of it since."

Everyone's gaze focused on the Shrine of Sealing Evil.

"This is very likely their target," Tsunade concluded. "They're attempting to use a contamination source to destroy or distort an ancient seal and release or obtain the evil power suppressed there."

"We must stop them," Inoichi Yamanaka said gravely.

"Your assignment." Tsunade looked at Kakashi and Fox. "Kakashi, take Team 7-Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, if they're in the village-as the overt investigation and support squad. Head to the Shrine of Sealing Evil area for a routine patrol and historical site preservation assessment. Fox, take Crow and Xi as the covert reconnaissance and interception squad. Infiltrate ahead of them and ascertain the situation. If you discover members of that organization in action, you must stop them and capture them alive if possible. If the situation gets out of control, request reinforcements immediately. I'll personally lead a team there."

"Yes!" Kakashi and Fox accepted their orders in unison.

"Ling." Tsunade turned her attention specifically to him. "The seal on your eyes is currently stable, but excessive use is still prohibited. Your role in this mission is primarily reconnaissance and coordination. Unless you have absolutely no other choice, don't use your ocular power lightly. Understood?"

"Understood, Lord Hokage." Ling nodded. He knew this was both to protect him and out of consideration for the squad's overall tactics.

"As our sensory and sealing expert, Xi is crucial to this mission. Her safety must be assured," Fox added.

After the meeting, everyone immediately went their separate ways to prepare.

Ling returned to his dormitory and began checking his equipment. Kunai, shuriken, explosive tags, Soldier Pills, antidotes, chakra supplements... and specially made talismans to resist mental contamination and energy erosion. He arranged everything neatly, already rehearsing the various situations they might encounter in his mind.

Ancient ruins... contamination sources... that mysterious organization...

He touched the fragment against his chest. It lay quietly, showing no unusual reaction. Yet Ling had a premonition that this mission would likely be anything but easy.

Meanwhile, in a desolate mountainous region of the northwestern Land of Fire, near the Shrine of Sealing Evil.

A squad wearing black cloaks and beaked masks moved silently along a rugged mountain path. Their movements were swift and well coordinated, clearly showing their training.

At the center of the group, a slightly taller figure with dark gold, twisted runes embroidered on their cloak held a crystal sphere that continuously emitted a faint grayish-purple glow. Inside the sphere, a small mass of constantly churning mist, filled with an ominous aura, seemed to have been sealed away.

"The energy reaction is growing clearer..." A hoarse voice emerged from beneath the beaked mask. "The ancient seal has already weakened tremendously, yet the remaining power is still so pure... This is precisely the finest 'seedbed' and 'offering' the Master needs. Pick up the pace. Complete the 'seeding' before Konoha's flies discover us."

"Yes, Lord Priest," the surrounding subordinates answered quietly.

They gazed toward the distant valley, where the outline of a dilapidated shrine flickered in and out of view beneath unnaturally dark gray mist, a fanatical gleam shining in their eyes.

Farther away, in a shadowy corner unknown to anyone, White Zetsu's figure slowly emerged from a large tree.

"Oh my, it looks like a good show is about to begin. Should we tell Pain?"

Black Zetsu's low voice sounded. "No need. Konoha will handle it themselves. This is a good opportunity to see just how capable this organization that suddenly appeared really is. And... whether that Uchiha boy will give us another 'surprise' under these circumstances."

Twisted laughter echoed softly through the mountain forest, then faded away.

Another clash between Konoha and the organization wielding ancient powers was about to unfold before the old shrine. And this time, it might reveal more secrets of the lost age and forbidden powers.