Chapter 298: Asking for Guidance
Tonbo Tobitake led Naruto and the others back to Konoha.
The mission was technically a success. Tsunade, Kakashi, and the others breathed a sigh of relief to see Naruto return safely. Only Yamato slunk off to a corner, feeling useless and wallowing in self-pity.
Within the village, life remained peaceful with no major incidents. Naruto, however, began to feel the weight of his own inadequacies. Under Captain Yamato's guidance, he realized he had relied too heavily on the Nine-Tails' power. With the Akatsuki on the move, he felt a desperate need to grow stronger quickly. Sakura felt the same; the failure to retrieve Sasuke had exposed their weaknesses.
"Senior Tonbo, what is a 'comrade'?"
Tonbo found himself cornered by Sai. The young man was holding a book on psychology, seemingly trying to extract a verbal definition of friendship from him.
"Shouldn't you be training with Naruto and the others? Or maybe reporting to Danzo? How are you this free?"
Tonbo had brought Keigo to the library to study, only to find Sai loitering there. While Naruto and Sakura were pouring sweat into their training to bring Sasuke back, Sai, their teammate, was leisurely reading about human emotions.
"Compared to getting stronger, I would much rather know what a comrade is. Can you tell me, Senior?" Sai asked, genuinely perplexed.
"If I do something right, you praise me. If I do something wrong, you back me up. When I'm depressed, you encourage me. When I lose heart, you give me confidence. You value their strengths, overlook their flaws, but keep both close to your heart..." Tonbo explained.
"Are we comrades then?" Sai asked again.
"Read more, feel more. If you can break free from Danzo's brainwashing and let yourself merge with the people of this village, you'll understand eventually. Otherwise, no amount of words will help," Tonbo sighed. These children of the Foundation were truly pitiful. However, Danzo's time was coming, and the day for the Foundation to reintegrate into Konoha was drawing near.
"You seem very dissatisfied with Lord Danzo?" Sai was sharp when it came to anything outside the realm of emotions.
"Not necessarily. It's just that Lady Tsunade is very dissatisfied with him, and I happen to despise his habit of brainwashing children," Tonbo quipped.
"I see."
Time passed.
An unexpected visitor arrived at the training field where Tonbo was practicing Taijutsu. He was accompanied by two masked guards.
"It is rare to see someone maintaining such high-intensity training every day," Danzo remarked, watching Tonbo work.
Tonbo turned around, frowning slightly. What was this old man doing here? "Lord Danzo, do you have business with me?"
Danzo didn't mince words. "I want Keigo Tobitake to join the Foundation. We must strengthen Konoha's military potential. As you know, the existence of the Akatsuki is a threat to every village. We don't know how long this war will last; we need to cultivate even stronger ninjas."
In the distance, Keigo, who was using tools created by Tonbo to study scientific principles, seemed to hear the conversation and looked over at them.
Whish! Whish!
With a flick of Tonbo's wrist, the kunai and shuriken he had been practicing with flew from all directions toward him. Some whistled past Danzo's back, prompting the two guards to draw their blades.
"Fu, Torune, stand down," Danzo commanded, stopping them.
A kunai grazed Danzo's cheek and landed neatly in Tonbo's hand. He effortlessly collected the rest of the shuriken into his pouch.
"I've heard that Lord Danzo's Wind Style was once famous across the nations. I wonder if your current strength is still what it was in your youth."
Tonbo usually didn't care what Danzo did, but at the mention of his son, a powerful Wind-natured chakra condensed around his kunai.
Whoosh—
Hummm!
The high-frequency vibration of the wind chakra emitted a piercing screech. Tonbo pointed the kunai at Danzo, his face expressionless. "My Wind Style is decent as well. I'd like to ask for some guidance from Lord Danzo."
Swish!
Clang!
Before Danzo could speak, his two guards acted. They drew their swords and struck from both sides in a pincer maneuver.
Slash!
Tonbo swung his kunai, and the wind chakra extended like a "Sword of Promised Victory," transforming into a long, whip-like hurricane. He performed a single horizontal sweep, forcing both guards back before they could even get close. The trees and ground caught in the gale were left in ruins; the earth was upturned, and trees were leveled.
Bang! Bang!
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
A violent storm erupted around Tonbo, blowing away the black insects that were trying to swarm him.
Whoosh—
"Mind Transfer Jutsu!" Yamanaka Fu dodged an attack and aimed his jutsu directly at Tonbo. It hit its mark. "Success!"
But before he could take control of Tonbo's body, a massive foot appeared in his mental landscape and stomped down on his consciousness.
"A Genjutsu? When did he—?" Fu gasped in horror.
Thud! He was kicked out of the mental link.
In just a few exchanges, the two elites were effortlessly defeated. Tonbo hadn't even shown much of his true power; he simply used the massive intelligence gap and the skill level of an elite Jonin to dismantle them.
"Do not be impulsive. Since you disagree, then forget it," Danzo said, frowning as he watched Torune and Fu be so easily handled. This man's strength was indeed formidable.
"Consider this a warning," Tonbo said, his aura exploding with intensity. A phantom image of a gargantuan demon seemed to loom behind him, threatening to swallow Danzo whole. "If you ever target my family again, it won't be this simple. Don't think that arm full of Sharingan can counter my Genjutsu. Remember, I was Acting Hokage; you're still a bit short of my level."
Danzo felt a wave of cold discomfort. He hadn't expected Tonbo's Genjutsu to be so potent that he could be affected even while on guard.
"You will regret this. Torune, Fu, we're leaving."
Seeing Tonbo's stubbornness, Danzo turned and walked away. His two battered guards quickly followed, though they both cast lingering glances at Tonbo, already calculating how to gain the upper hand should they meet again.
Once they were gone, Tonbo retracted his kunai. Old geezer. If it weren't for the sake of keeping the timeline from deviating too much, I'd kill you right here.
Danzo had been quiet for a long time, never touching Tonbo or his family, but this time he had the audacity to eye his son. Tonbo suspected Danzo wanted Keigo's research talents for the Foundation's technical development.
It made him furious. Using a visual Genjutsu, he had secretly planted a "Genjutsu Seed" within Danzo's chakra system. As long as Danzo was within his sensory range, Tonbo could manipulate him—for instance, by triggering subtle suggestions that would naturally diminish the importance of Tonbo's children in Danzo's mind. Danzo surely wouldn't be using the Sharingan or the Byakugan for a physical check-up every day, would he?
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