At Konoha Village Hospital, Linton and Kakashi had just entered when they spotted Sasuke. Judging by Sasuke's condition, he didn't seem too severely injured. Indeed, he had only suffered some superficial wounds. The main issues were his exhaustion from chakra depletion and the pain caused by the curse mark.
On the other side, Sakura was still unconscious. Although she hadn't suffered any serious injuries, Naruto's condition was much more severe compared to the others. His body was wrapped in a lot of bandages, indicating significant injuries.
Of course, Linton knew that because Naruto was a Jinchuriki (the protagonist), his recovery abilities were enhanced. His injuries, which appeared very serious now, would likely heal completely in just one day.
Linton squinted slightly. This was the perfect opportunity. To upload a valuable item, the condition seemed to be that the target had to be incapacitated. He had experimented with Sasuke before: no prompts appeared when Sasuke was conscious, but when he knocked him out, the valuable item was displayed. Since Naruto was still unconscious, the prompt for a valuable item had already appeared.
If Naruto were to wake up, Linton would have to attack him again, which would directly lead to a conflict with Konoha. Before Itachi appeared, Linton didn't want to fully engage with Konoha. Therefore, uploading the item while Naruto was still unconscious was the best time.
Another restriction for uploading was contact—Linton had to touch Naruto. Naruto was lying on a bed just ten meters in front of him, but Kakashi was beside him, watching Linton closely. Linton couldn't rush things and had to find an opportunity.
Seeing Linton and Kakashi enter, Sasuke quickly stood up and anxiously asked, "What's going on? I just heard that the Third Hokage..."
"..." Kakashi remained silent. From his expression, Sasuke already understood the answer.
"The battle is over," Kakashi said after a pause. "The Sand Ninjas have retreated. Just focus on recovering."
"I... I didn't do anything," Sasuke said after a moment of silence. "Kakashi, who exactly is Naruto? What's that thing inside him?"
"He's the same as Gaara," Linton interjected before Kakashi could answer. "A Tailed Beast is sealed inside him, making him a Jinchuriki."
"Jinchuriki?" Sasuke clearly hadn't heard the term before.
"It's said that the Sage of Six Paths created these beasts. They were such a nuisance that they were mostly sealed away. If they were sealed inside a person, that person would become a Jinchuriki," Linton explained briefly. "Since these beasts are made mostly of chakra, a Jinchuriki can generally use the beast's chakra to some extent, which results in an overwhelming amount of chakra. That's Naruto's situation."
Kakashi frowned slightly. This wasn't information Sasuke should know too much about, but he didn't intervene. He still believed Linton had Sasuke's best interests at heart and that maybe he was trying to comfort him.
"So that's how it is..." Sasuke nodded slightly after hearing this. "Then... how can I obtain a Tailed Beast?"
"Hahaha..." Linton burst into laughter. It seemed Sasuke was eager to become stronger. Hearing that obtaining a Tailed Beast could make him stronger, he immediately set his sights on it. "Come on, kid. Are you joking? We're Uchiha! Do we need a Tailed Beast to get stronger? Don't be ridiculous. We're already the most powerful, aren't we?"
"Then how can I get stronger?" Sasuke asked immediately.
"Hmm..." Linton hesitated for a moment. Honestly, it was a bit tricky. Sasuke's foundation was still too weak, and there was almost no way to make him stronger in a short time. After thinking for a bit, Linton pointed at Kakashi. "Well, training with him won't get you far."
"..." Kakashi gave Linton a slightly exasperated look. He understood Linton meant that Sasuke would benefit more from training under him. Indeed, it wasn't entirely wrong—Linton was stronger than him and, being from the Uchiha clan, he understood how to use the Sharingan better. However, it was still a bit harsh.
"Please teach me!" Sasuke immediately assumed that was what Linton meant.
"I really don't have the time," Linton said, spreading his hands. "Let me think about it."
Linton genuinely didn't want to spend time training Sasuke, but Sasuke's growth was important. If he didn't grow, there were some skills he might learn later that Linton couldn't get himself—like the Kotoamatsukami ability. Beating the current Sasuke wouldn't get him that; he had to wait until Sasuke mastered it.
After thinking it through, the best solution was to send Sasuke to Orochimaru and let him grow according to the original storyline. Linton just wanted to delay things a bit. After all, while he was talking, Linton had unknowingly moved closer to Naruto and was looking for the right moment to act.
Kakashi believed this was just a test, thinking Linton really wanted to teach Sasuke but was just putting up a front, like a master taking on a disciple. So, he didn't interfere.
Just as Kakashi was thinking this, Linton had unknowingly reached Naruto's bedside. He just needed to stretch out his hand to touch the target. He glanced at Kakashi, who was still watching him. If only someone could distract him for a moment...
As if on cue, just as Linton was thinking this, someone suddenly appeared at the entrance and called out to Kakashi. Kakashi wasn't that vigilant, so he turned to look at the door. In that instant, Linton immediately reached out and touched Naruto, clicking to upload.
Everyone's attention was drawn to the person at the door, and no one noticed Linton's move. Seeing the upload success notification, Linton smiled slightly but didn't have time to see how many points he had earned, as the person at the door seemed very familiar.
"Jiraiya-sama?" Kakashi recognized the person calling him. He hadn't expected one of the Sannin, Jiraiya, to show up.
Jiraiya nodded slightly to Kakashi, but his attention was focused on Linton. He was the only one who noticed Linton subtly touching Naruto. In the next second, he accelerated and stood right in front of Linton. "What are you doing?"
"Oh? Isn't this the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya?" Linton said without any panic. If Jiraiya could see the system upload, then he would be genuinely impressed.
"Uchiha Linton..." Jiraiya clearly knew who Linton was, but he seemed very wary of him. "Why have you suddenly returned to Konoha?"
"What do you think?" Linton dodged the question.
"Are you connected to that organization?" Jiraiya asked suddenly.
"Huh?" Linton was slightly stunned, then he realized why Jiraiya was so wary. He thought Linton was connected to the Akatsuki and believed he was one of their members. Given Linton's background, it indeed matched the Akatsuki's pattern—they were all rogue ninjas. Since Itachi was part of the Akatsuki, it seemed normal to assume Linton could be associated with them too.
"What organization?" Kakashi was slightly confused. "Could it be the one Jiraiya-sama mentioned last time?"
"What?" Sasuke was undoubtedly puzzled.
Linton chuckled. No wonder Jiraiya was so tense when Linton touched Naruto. After all, the Akatsuki's goal was to capture the Tailed Beasts. Jiraiya thought Linton might be approaching Naruto with the intent of obtaining the Nine-Tails sealed within him.
"Please, don't be ridiculous," Linton said, spreading his hands. "You're talking about that organization called Akatsuki, right? You think I'm a member of that organization? I could just as easily suspect you of being part of it."
"So, you do know about that organization," Jiraiya said.
"Of course I do. Not only do I know the organization's name, but I also know exactly who its members are," Linton replied. "The leaders are currently Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan... all three of whom happen to be your disciples, Jiraiya. I've come back to ask you what you're up to. All the leaders of Akatsuki are your disciples; are you their secret organizer, Jiraiya-sama?"
"What?" Jiraiya was shocked, and Kakashi looked at him with surprise.
"That's impossible!" Jiraiya immediately replied. "How could it be them?"
"Come on, don't pretend you don't know," Linton said. "You should realize that those three couldn't have created such a large organization on their own. There must be someone backing them. Are you saying it's not you, Jiraiya-sama?"
"You... you're spouting nonsense..." Jiraiya was momentarily thrown off by Linton's sudden counterattack. He hadn't expected this turn of events. "How do you know who the leaders of that organization are? I've investigated for a long time and didn't get this much information."
"Because you're incompetent. Not only do I know about the organization, but I also know where their base is... Investigate the Village Hidden in the Rain properly, and you'll see I'm not joking," Linton said.
"The... Village Hidden in the Rain?" Jiraiya looked at Linton's confident demeanor and wasn't sure if it was true or not.
"You should know the backgrounds of these three leaders, right? They have connections to the Village Hidden in the Rain," Linton said. "Anyway, I suspected someone in Konoha was in contact
with them, which is why I came back to check things out. If it's not you, then it could only be the Third Hokage."
*(End of the Chapter)*