Chapter 23: The Will of Fire, Utterly Numb
Konoha.
Akimichi BBQ Restaurant.
Sizzle!
Iruka and the other two little ones were eating joyfully.
"No need to rush. As long as your Captain's pockets aren't empty, you don't need to worry about the money," Tonbo Tobitake said, picking up a piece of grilled meat and chewing it happily.
"This is so good! Captain, when are we taking a mission?" Togetake Tetusen asked while eating, her eyes full of anticipation.
Iruka added, "Yeah! I want to master all the skills of a ninja so I can teach them to students in the future."
"We'll start as soon as we finish eating. It's a very tempering mission, perfect for Genin who just graduated," Tonbo said with a smile.
"Eh? What mission is it? Is it something grand? Like capturing an enemy spy or defending the nation?" Mibu Shinobu asked hopefully.
"You bet. Missions like those are child's play compared to this."
As soon as these words came out, the three of them looked at him with burning eyes. Could it be a mission concerning the very life and death of Konoha?
"It is a grueling task vital to the survival of the village."
It's actually true! Does the Captain acknowledge us that much already? Was it because we defeated that giant beast earlier?
"You'll find out in a bit," Tonbo teased, keeping them in suspense.
"Aw, don't do that! Captain, tell us!"
"Cut the chatter. If you want to know, eat faster."
Hearing Tonbo's words, the three of them sped up their pace.
While they were eating harmoniously, a tall figure appeared, accompanied by a gentle-looking woman holding a chubby little boy in her arms.
"Yo, isn't this Tonbo? Are you leading a team on a mission?" The tall figure greeted him.
Tonbo turned his head and smiled. "Ah, yes. It's finally my turn to lead a team. Senior Choza, long time no see."
He then looked at the small figure in the woman's arms. "Is this the one Inoichi-senpai mentioned, Chōji, who's the same age as his daughter?"
Little Chōji was plump and round. He seemed to understand Tonbo's words, turning his head to look at him, but after a moment, his gaze drifted directly to the grilled meat on their table.
"Yeah, cute, isn't he?" Choza said proudly.
"One look and you can see he inherited your excellent genes. He'll surely surpass you in the future and become a pillar of the village," Tonbo praised skillfully.
Choza burst into laughter. "Of course! Look at this frame—he's got my style from back in the day. By the way, this meal is on me."
"Want to eat," Little Chōji pointed at the meat on the grill, drool nearly escaping.
"Come, Uncle will give you some. Call me Uncle first," Tonbo said, lifting a piece of meat to Chōji's mouth.
"Uncle."
"Aha, good boy." Tonbo smiled and popped the meat into the boy's mouth.
Choza and his wife didn't stop him. In the world of ninjas, a child's constitution was such that eating BBQ at this age was no problem.
Tonbo watched Little Chōji chew the meat with a face full of bliss and smiled. This kid's future growth would be incredible—reaching a level where he could use the Akimichi clan's ultimate secret technique without the need for pills. That was an achievement no one in the Akimichi clan's history had managed before him.
The three Genin also greeted Choza. Then, Choza opened a table for his own family, and they began to eat warmly together.
"Alright, since you're full, let's head out. Mission start!"
"Yes!" the three little ones shouted excitedly.
Konoha Residential Area.
Farmland Zone.
Three figures were slowly bending over, planting rice seedlings into the mud.
Tonbo Tobitake stood by the edge of the field holding a book, occasionally showing a look of sudden realization as he read.
Mibu Shinobu shouted from the mud, "Captain Tonbo! Is the 'great mission' just planting rice in the fields?"
"Of course. Do ninjas need to eat? If they don't eat, will they starve to death? Farming ensures that thousands of ninjas don't starve. Isn't that grand? It's much grander than starting a war with another village, don't you think?" Tonbo glanced at them, continuing only after seeing they weren't slacking off.
"But... but this is so boring!" Iruka said, his head drooping. Is this what a ninja is supposed to do?
Togetake Tetusen thought the same. Is planting rice really a ninja's job?
"A ninja is one who endures the unendurable. If you can't even handle this, how can I trust you with higher-level missions?" Tonbo said crossly. "Besides, did you three actually study hard at the Academy?"
At those words, the three of them looked defiant.
"Captain, I'm the man who got a perfect score in theory! You can't look down on me!" Iruka protested. To become a great educator, he had studied very hard.
"Theory and practice are different. And who said farming isn't a ninja's job? Not only is it something a ninja should do, but it's also a vital link," Tonbo said seriously, closing his book.
"How is this useful?" Tetusen countered. The other two agreed—aside from learning "endurance," what was the point?
"Very well. I'll give you your first lesson. Listen carefully, and no slacking off."
"Mhm, go ahead." The three of them wanted to see how he was going to spin this. They were confident in their own learning abilities, and there was nothing in the textbooks about this.
"First: A ninja's chakra requires the combination of physical and spiritual energy. This mission helps you accumulate spiritual energy."
The three nodded in agreement with the principle, but not the practice—any mission could accumulate that.
"Second: Being a ninja is a profession of secrecy. For espionage and intel gathering, you need a cover identity. A farmer who knows how to plant rice is an excellent cover."
The three looked at him with disdain. In the spy classes at the Academy, "farmer" was never a top choice because a farmer usually can't get close to high-level intel.
"Third..."
There's a third? They wanted to see how the Captain would keep making this up.
"Everyone else is doing it. If you don't, you'll look like outcasts. That goes against the great ideology of Konoha's unity and friendship. It's the start of breaking the village's solidarity, making you heretics... so you have to do it."
Seeing that the kids were actually quite knowledgeable and weren't falling for his initial "cool" speech, Tonbo pointed toward a nearby squad also performing a rice-planting mission.
Dammit, he thought. When I watched the anime, Naruto's group was so easy for Kakashi to fool. Why isn't it working for me?
Iruka suddenly had an epiphany. "I see! This is the 'Will of Fire' the Third Lord talked about! It's to temper our Will of Fire, isn't it? As expected of the Captain—to be a Captain, you truly must be a ninja with high resolve!"
"Excellent! Then we shouldn't be the odd ones out. Let's go! For the sake of inheriting the Will of Fire!" Mibu Shinobu's hands moved with newfound vigor in the mud.
Togetake Tetusen's eyes also burned with passion. "Witness my Will of Fire Planting Method!"
"..."
Tonbo was completely speechless. He began to doubt if his brain was actually as useful as he thought. He had spent ages coming up with logical points, and yet they weren't as effective as a single "moral education" buzzword from the Third!
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