The only "linkages" to speak of are at the pedal assembly and the rod pushing into the master, and at the slave where it pushes on the clutch fork, and then inside the bell housing where the fork pushes on the throwout bearing.

Have someone push the pedal while you look under the truck and listen to see whether the noise is at the tranny area, or inside near the pedal.

Make sure your clutch fluid is full too. If its low, then you have a leak that will need to be fixed even after you top it off because it will keep leaking. The master usually leaks on the inside of the firewall.