"Incredible."
Tonbo Tobitake couldn't help but admire them; the combat power of those who emerged from the Warring States period was on a different level. Whether it was the Third, hailed as the strongest Hokage, or his fellow students, they were all top-tier masters. Although he hadn't seen them fight much in the original series, their sheer aura was truly no weaker than Hiruzen Sarutobi's.
Boom!
As the Nine-Tails was blasted out of Konoha, a figure rushed out. Just as the Nine-Tails attempted to charge back in, the figure rapidly expanded to a gargantuan size, using massive hands to pin the beast down.
Is that... Torifu Akimichi? Tonbo wondered.
His attention had been on the other "old-timers" before, causing him to overlook this character who only appeared a few times in the anime. However, he was clearly aging. His raw strength wasn't as great as Choza's anymore, but his combat experience was far richer. At this moment, he could actually suppress the Nine-Tails temporarily, using all his might to pin it beneath him.
Other ninjas quickly moved in to provide support.
Tonbo shook his head and turned his focus back to evacuating the civilians; that battlefield was no longer a place where he could interfere. He had initially thought his newly developed Secret Technique might be of use, but now it seemed his support wasn't even as significant as that of the old guard. Besides, Konoha had no shortage of capable people.
However, he noticed that Orochimaru was nowhere to be seen.
The Third pushing the Nine-Tails out meant the end was drawing near.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Tonbo moved beneath the buildings destroyed by the Nine-Tails, pulling out residents from time to time. He saw the shattered homes and the weeping survivors clutching their fallen family members. This was a scene that would never fade from memory.
There were so many of them. The Nine-Tails was so massive that its every movement brought cataclysmic destruction to Konoha. Tonbo performed his duties faithfully, rescuing those who still had breath. For the injured, he used the battlefield first aid he had studied in his spare time to stabilize them. For those with severed limbs, he stopped the bleeding and used Genjutsu to suppress the pain signals being sent to their brains.
This was all he could do; in terms of Medical Ninjutsu, he was still an amateur.
Wailing and cries of agony echoed throughout his path as families mourned their dead.
"Thank you, Ninja-sama."
"Thank you."
"Mama, Papa..."
There were those who thanked him and those who simply collapsed in tears after being rescued. Tonbo felt a pang in his heart; if his father or Ayame had died, he would be the same way. This only hardened his resolve to become stronger. He might not be able to save the whole world, but at the very least, he had to save himself and his family.
Broken walls and ruined foundations—this was the sight at the heart of Konoha. Ninjas like Tonbo were everywhere, returning to the ravaged battlefield to quickly rescue any remaining lives. Meanwhile, far outside the village, the battle continued.
Whether it was because Minato and Obito were too far away or not, Tonbo didn't sense their battlefield all night. He only knew that after the Nine-Tails had rampaged for a while, the distant commotion slowly quieted down. He figured Minato had returned.
During his search, he also encountered Naruto's future teacher, Iruka Umino. Iruka was crying amidst the rubble. Based on his age, he looked to be about two or three years younger than Tonbo. Tonbo didn't try to strike up a conversation then; losing both parents was not something easily consoled.
"Tonbo, do you sense anyone else left to save?"
Guy's three-man squad approached him. Genma and Ebisu had arrived later. Since Tonbo was a sensory ninja, he had been acting as a captain to make the rescue operations more efficient.
"No more. Everyone who could be saved has been. The others..." Tonbo shook his head. They were dead. Many had died. No wonder so many people in the future would hate Naruto; the public's rage was difficult to soothe when the damage was so widespread.
Guy's team sighed in relief. A whole night of rescue missions had left them panting with exhaustion.
"Good thing Tonbo was here. The rescues were timely, preventing even more casualties," Genma said, giving him a thumbs-up. Guy and Ebisu sat on the ground back-to-back to rest.
Tonbo replied, "Don't flatter me. It was everyone's hard work. I'm not the only sensory ninja out here."
The night hadn't truly ended yet. In the distance, the morning light began to rise, illuminating the current Konoha with a profound sense of desolation.
At Ayame's house.
"Tonbo, are you alright?" Ayame let out a sigh of relief when she saw him return unscathed.
Tonbo gave her a quick hug. "I'm quite capable, so of course I'm fine. But the village's losses are serious! I'll probably be very busy soon!" After a night of rescue work and a morning of writing reports, his mission was finally over for now. Konoha's specific long-term plans hadn't been released yet, but he expected to be slammed with work later. He had to rest while he could.
"As long as you're safe. I'm proud of you for contributing to the village." Ayame stood on her tiptoes and gave him a light peck on the cheek.
Tap, tap, tap!
"Hey, hey! Don't act like this old man doesn't exist, you brat!" Teuchi tapped his fingers incessantly on the table as if his eyes weren't even open, looking quite annoyed. Seriously, have some sense of distance!
Beside him, Tosei watched this scene with a smile. He thought to himself: Good lad, it looks like I don't need to worry about my son's marriage.
Teuchi added, "But I'm proud of you too, Tonbo. Keep it up."
"Yes!"
With the recognition of his beloved and his future father-in-law, Tonbo was full of energy. His heart was online again.
After talking with his family, Tonbo went to the Analysis Team the following day. He could see that all his colleagues were in a foul mood, with a dark cloud hanging over everyone's heads. When they saw him, they merely nodded in greeting.
Shimon arrived late. He saw Tonbo and sighed. "How is it? Do you have any news? What exactly happened yesterday?" He knew Tonbo had high sensory abilities and might know some inside intel. He only knew the Nine-Tails had invaded and caused massive losses; he didn't know the rest.
"Well, all the top experts moved out. Judging by the silence now, Lord Hokage should have succeeded." Tonbo's answer made Shimon breathe a sigh of relief. As long as it was resolved.
"An official notice should be down soon," Tonbo said, not elaborating further. Information about top-level combatants dying was not something to be spread lightly; it could invite greed from other villages, even if they were also weakened by the recent war.
Sure enough, shortly after they started work, Inoichi Yamanaka's orders arrived. All members of the Analysis Team were to participate in village patrol missions. Clearly, Konoha had lost many vital combatants in the fight against the Nine-Tails. Even the desk-bound Analysis Team members had to go on patrol.
Walking through Konoha covertly with Shimon, Tonbo's keen senses noticed that the Uchiha were nowhere to be seen on the streets.
It seems the Third or other high-ranking officials are already suspecting the Uchiha. The Sharingan... it really is a troublesome bloodline.
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