Chapter 31: Travel on the Public Dime
Forest.
The Battlefield.
"Alright, that's all I've got. If you're really planning on joining the Guardian Shinobi Twelve, you'd better watch your back."
Tonbo Tobitake relayed the memories he had read, piece by piece. According to the data he'd extracted, the Daimyo had been targeted by ninja assassins more than a few times. Factions like the Fire Temple, which trained guardians for the Land of Fire year-round, recorded assassination attempts in almost every generation. The goal was always the same: to chip away at the Daimyo's protection.
It seemed that outside of the Five Great Hidden Villages, the power struggles within the Land of Fire were incredibly complex. These men's memories made that much clear.
"I didn't ask for your concern. Whether I join or not is my business," Asuma said. Although he felt a flicker of gratitude for Tonbo's help, he wasn't about to abandon his stubborn streak.
Chiriku, however, looked at Tonbo with genuine appreciation. Knowing the enemy's patterns would make their journey much easier.
Tonbo spread his hands. "Whether I care or not isn't my business either—it's the Third's."
"Let's go, kids! We're finally out of the village, and since the mission was finished so quickly, I'm taking you on a tour of the Land of Fire. It'll broaden your horizons, and I'll teach you some new things along the way." Tonbo called out to Iruka and the others.
"Yay!"
"Is it a new ninjutsu?"
"Yeah, Captain, you've barely taught us any actual jutsus!"
"Nonsense. The most important things for a ninja aren't jutsus; what I've been teaching you is what actually matters."
Tonbo bickered playfully with his squad as they vanished from Asuma and Chiriku's sight.
Chiriku remarked, "So that is a Konoha elite. Truly formidable!" Having witnessed the battle, he was honest enough to admit that with his current abilities, he wouldn't have fared well against Tonbo.
Asuma remained silent for a moment, watching Tonbo's retreating back with clenched fists. "Yeah... he's a monster. He's probably not even inferior to Kakashi."
And, Asuma thought, that Genjutsu... it might even be scarier than what Kurenai can do.
Gag!
At the thought of the Genjutsu, that foul taste returned to Asuma's mouth.
Splosh!
On the road to the next town, a hawk made of woven grass appeared in Tonbo's hand. He tied a scroll to it and sent it into the sky.
Screech!
"Whoa! Captain, your Genjutsu is getting crazier! You can even use it to send mail?" Iruka's eyes were sparkling with a desire to learn. Training a real messenger hawk took immense effort, yet for the Captain, it was just a matter of a jutsu.
"Don't bother being jealous. I've already tested you both; you and Tetusen have zero talent for Genjutsu." Tonbo's words shattered Iruka's fantasies instantly.
Iruka's face fell. But Mibu Shinobu's eyes lit up. "Captain, does that mean... I have talent for Genjutsu?" This was great news! He had been eyeing the Captain's illusions for a while. If he could learn them, he'd definitely surpass Iruka and Tetusen as the squad's top dog.
Tonbo nodded. Iruka and Tetusen looked at Shinobu with envy thick enough to drown in. That was the Captain's signature move!
"However, you only have talent for regular Genjutsu. Whether you can learn my Secret Technique depends on your innate gift; Secret Techniques aren't that easy to master."
Shinobu did have a knack for illusions, but his "talent" wasn't quite high enough to handle the complex mental processing required for Tonbo's specific arts. He would likely end up like Kurenai—a master of standard, high-level illusions. Tonbo didn't say that out loud, though.
"Wait, what about us? Do we have any talents?" Iruka asked impatiently. If their teammate had one, surely they did too?
"Well, of course. Everyone has a talent. As for yours..."
"What? What is it?"
Screech!
The grass hawk crossed the border into Konoha, soaring over the village toward the Communications Department. It landed on a perch meant for messenger birds. The moment it landed, a ninja on duty came over to retrieve the message.
"This is from a ninja out on intelligence gathering. It needs to go to the Hokage."
The other ninja replied, "It's not marked as urgent. Give it to him once he's finished with his current business."
Konoha, Hokage's Office.
"Tonbo Tobitake's efficiency is truly unexpected. He sent back intelligence on Asuma so quickly." Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the report, feeling genuinely surprised. It had only been a few days, yet Tonbo had already located Asuma and even had a skirmish with him.
"I really did fail to teach Asuma properly. It is my responsibility as a father," Hiruzen sighed.
In the report, Tonbo "complained" that Asuma barely remembered his own comrades and was incredibly rude, even attacking his fellow villagers. He claimed he was "nearly terrified" by Asuma's powerful ash-explosion jutsu and that "fearsome" Shuriken Shadow Clone technique.
Therefore, Tonbo requested to stay in the Land of Fire for a while with his squad to "soothe their wounded spirits" with the bustling atmosphere of the nation's cities while continuing to track Asuma's movements. He promised not to waste time and to use the period to train Iruka and the others into capable ninjas.
"Lord Hokage, isn't this just slacking off? We should order them back to help with the village's mission backlog," a secretary helping with paperwork asked. From his perspective, Tonbo was just going on a vacation. Konoha was currently in the middle of a massive recovery effort after the Nine-Tails incident; every hand was needed.
Hiruzen smiled. "Let them be. Konoha has mostly recovered by now. Besides, the Communications Department said the messenger hawk turned into a bunch of woven grass after the message was taken. If we want to issue a new order, we'd have to waste more manpower just to track them down."
Since the Hokage had spoken, the secretary couldn't argue. Hiruzen's eyes drifted into thought. Asuma likely wouldn't be coming back anytime soon. But this mission had shown him that he had vastly underestimated Tonbo Tobitake.
Judging by the communication method, it was a Secret Technique—likely falling under Yin Release, similar to the "Mind-Painting" style, only using weaving instead of painting.
"He is a true talent."
Wade Grass Great Falls, Land of Fire.
Three figures watched Tonbo intently, awaiting his guidance.
"Mibu Shinobu has an aptitude for Genjutsu; he has an advantage in that field." Shinobu nodded eagerly.
"Iruka, your theoretical knowledge and fundamentals are very solid. You have a good foundation and a gentle personality—you have the makings of a teacher." Iruka's face lit up. That fit his dream perfectly!
"Tetusen, your neural reflexes are excellent, and your spatial awareness is the best among you. You have a gift for projectile weapons like shuriken, and a rare talent for Space-Time ninjutsu." Tetusen scratched her head. She had always found summoning ninja tools incredibly easy, but she never realized it was an actual talent.
"However," Tonbo added, "aside from Genjutsu, I only know a 'tiny bit' about those other fields. So, I might not be able to teach you anything too legendary."
Iruka and Tetusen's hearts sank. This was heartbreaking. Only Shinobu looked at Tonbo with pure anticipation. Though, out of respect for his teammates' feelings, he tried not to look too excited.
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