Chapter 41: Little Ino
Uchiha Police Force Headquarters.
"Captain, that guy actually dared to resist the Police Force! Even if the Hokage supports him, we should have brought him back for interrogation instead of just letting him walk away. Where is the Uchiha's prestige now?"
The chubby Uchiha spoke to Shisui, his voice full of indignation. He was clearly still nursing his bruised ego.
"What do you think the Uchiha are? This is the Police Force, a department meant to protect the village, not the Uchiha's private backyard," Shisui Uchiha frowned, his tone cold.
The chubby Uchiha bristled with dissatisfaction.
The lean Uchiha spoke up: "Captain, we need to look into that guy. He was actually able to reflect our Uchiha Genjutsu."
His focus was different; he was deeply wary of Tonbo Tobitake's ability to repel the Sharingan's illusions. This was unprecedented. For an Uchiha to lose to a commoner in a battle of Genjutsu was practically a miracle—and a terrifying one at that.
Their captain had actually struggled in an illusion confrontation. As a ninja with excellent vision, he had clearly seen Shisui's movements earlier; Shisui had indeed been caught in that man's Genjutsu and had to prepare himself for a good while before breaking it.
Hearing this, both the chubby Uchiha and Shisui frowned, though for different reasons. The chubby Uchiha was thinking about how to eliminate such a threat to the clan's reputation. Shisui, however, was wondering about the man's sense of belonging to the village.
"Go to the Records Department and have them pull the files on Tonbo Tobitake. I want to know exactly who he is," Shisui commanded his subordinates.
The lean Uchiha bowed and left immediately.
In less than fifteen minutes, he returned with the documents.
"Captain, here is Tonbo Tobitake's file. The Records Department was surprisingly cooperative, almost as if they expected us to come," the lean Uchiha noted.
Shisui replied, "It seems Lord Hokage intended for us to know."
He understood that this was likely arranged by the Third Hokage. Otherwise, personnel files are classified and involve complex procedures to access, all to prevent village intelligence from leaking.
He opened the file and began to read.
"Seventeen years old?"
"Yeah, seventeen. Isn't that the same age as you, Captain?" the lean Uchiha asked in shock.
Aside from Kakashi, was there actually another talent in Konoha who could rival Shisui?
"Mhm. Graduated early at age 11 to join the Third Great Ninja War. As a member of the Analysis Team, he served under Inoichi Yamanaka. He performed many feats reading enemy intelligence for Konoha during the war and was promoted to Chunin. He is currently a Special Jonin and a squad leader in the Analysis Team. Specialized in Genjutsu."
Shisui continued reading: "Evaluation by the Fourth Lord: 'A calm and talented comrade.' Evaluation by the Third Lord: 'A man who has inherited the Will of Fire.'"
As Shisui read the profile, his expression gradually relaxed. With evaluations from both the Fourth and Third Hokage, this man was definitely not an enemy. He could also see that the file wasn't entirely complete; the Third had likely only allowed them to see what was necessary.
"Dammit... to receive praise from both the Fourth and Third Hokage at the same time? What right does he have?" the chubby Uchiha muttered resentfully.
Despite their disdain for commoners who didn't belong to Konoha's famous noble clans, they still held Minato Namikaze in high regard. He was, in every sense, a perfect Hokage. And such a man had recognized Tonbo Tobitake as a 'comrade.'
The lean Uchiha shared the sentiment. "It seems we can't touch him."
"Believe in the power of the Sharingan. It is not something ordinary people can reach," Shisui said, knowing their thoughts. They feared Tonbo would threaten the Uchiha's status, but Shisui knew that the true peak of the Sharingan was not something a commoner could chase.
"Leave it at that. Archive the file so the Police Force can reference it if needed," he finally ordered.
"Yes, sir!"
Tonbo Tobitake had no idea that the Fourth Hokage, whom he had only met a few times, had given him such a high evaluation. He was equally unaware of the Third's praise. Right now, he didn't want to think about the Uchiha, nor did he want to dwell on the fact that the Hokage now knew about his new jutsu—meaning more overtime in the future.
At this moment, he and Ayame were happily enjoying a feast. To him, being a ninja was just a job and a career that provided self-defense; it wasn't his whole life. He preferred to spend as much time as possible with his family.
"Those three people earlier were so scary," Ayame said, picking up a piece of sushi and feeding it to Tonbo.
Tonbo opened his mouth wide and ate it, then used his chopsticks to pop a piece into her mouth. "It's fine. No matter how scary they are, they can't beat your husband. Don't worry about it."
He flexed his biceps to show how strong he was. Ayame burst out laughing at his antics, her previous fear completely vanishing. The two chatted and laughed inside the Sushiro restaurant.
Outside, Inoichi Yamanaka walked in, leading a little girl by the hand.
"Oh, Tonbo kid!" His eyes lit up when he saw Tonbo. He walked over with the little girl.
With his cheeks full of food, Tonbo looked up and saw Inoichi and the child. "Yo, if it isn't the busy Inoichi. And this is your daughter, Ino? It's my first time seeing her. She's so cute!"
"Greetings, Lord Inoichi," Ayame added with a polite bow.
"Hello. Ino, quickly say hello to Big Brother Tonbo," Inoichi said with a smile.
Little Ino Yamanaka looked at Tonbo, and seeing the bandages covering his face, she got scared and took two steps back, hiding behind Inoichi's leg. She peeked out with her big eyes.
"Big Brother... Tonbo," the few-year-old Ino said in a tiny, sweet voice.
"Hello, little beauty Ino. Come here, let me give you a hug!"
Tonbo's eyes brightened. Just like Naruto, Ino was incredibly cute as a child. He crouched down to hug her, but Ino dodged and clung to Inoichi's leg.
"I told you not to always keep your head wrapped up. Look, you've scared my precious daughter," Inoichi laughed.
Tonbo retorted, "Nonsense! This is a unique kind of beauty. Isn't that right, Ino?"
He looked at little Ino.
"So scary..."
"..."
Ayame covered her mouth and giggled at Tonbo's speechless expression.
"This is my wife, Ayame," Tonbo introduced.
"Mhm, I know her. Old man Teuchi's daughter from Ichiraku Ramen," Inoichi said, having a good memory.
They all sat down at one table to eat together. Through their conversation, the situation became clear. Inoichi's wife had complained about him always working, and knowing that the Analysis Team didn't have much going on today, she specifically told him to take their daughter out to play. So, he was wandering the streets with little Ino when they saw the sushi shop and came in. It was a happy coincidence.
The four of them chatted about everything from daily hobbies to personal interests—anything but work.
Tonbo, who always wanted to have four children, looked at the adorable Ino and started using Genjutsu to amuse her. At the same time, he kept making eye contact with Ayame, making her face turn bright red. She knew exactly what he was thinking; Tonbo often told her he wanted four babies.
Little Ino watched Tonbo's hands, feeling very strange. It was as if flowers were growing from them, blooming and withering in an instant. Whatever flower she wanted to see would appear in Tonbo's palm. It was magical. She reached out her tiny hand to touch them, but her fingers passed right through.
Inoichi could only look on helplessly. Using Genjutsu just to tease a child... what a luxury! He also marveled at how his subordinate's illusions were becoming stronger by the day.
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