Chapter 61: Sorry, I Did It
Swoosh!
While Iruka was still processing what had happened, Tonbo Tobitake rapidly retreated, a harmonica appearing in his hand.
"I've seen your progress. Now, take a look at your teacher's progress."
"What?"
Iruka hadn't expected this move. Seeing the harmonica, he had a very bad feeling. Every time his teacher brought out a new "prop," it meant he had a new trick up his sleeve.
Iruka's right hand quickly snatched several shuriken from his ninja tool pouch, throwing them to stop Tonbo's momentum.
Shoo! Shoo!
Du-du-du—
Dang-dang-dang—
Zong-zong-zong—
Facing the flying shuriken, Tonbo tilted his body slightly to dodge. His chest resonated as chakra accompanied his breath into the harmonica, and he began to play.
A melodious tune rang out.
"I knew it!" Iruka thought as the sound hit his ears. He was about to become a test subject again. He could have put a blade to my throat just now, but he chose to play the harmonica instead...
Before he could finish the thought, his vision went black.
When the world reappeared, he was strapped to a cross. In front of him stood a sinister old woman with bandages wrapped around her head. Before her sat a bubbling cauldron filled with a chaotic mixture of foods.
Iruka felt like not only was his vision black, but his soul was darkening too.
The old woman scooped up a large ladle of the mixture. Iruka's mouth opened involuntarily, and she fed it to him.
Gag—
Ugh—
"Sensei, no—!"
He screamed in the mental space, and in the physical world, Iruka's body screamed in perfect synchronization.
Tonbo lowered his harmonica. He sensed a surge of "energy" in Iruka's chest—a feeling of something desperately wanting to escape the throat but being unable to.
A grin spread across Tonbo's face.
"The taste of that rotten cheese... Iruka must really love it."
After his internal commentary, he used Eye of the Creator to manifest a rocking chair, sat down, and waited for Iruka to break the Genjutsu. Since he wasn't maintaining the release and hadn't used an overpowered technique, a standard dispel should work. He just didn't know if Iruka could handle the "flavor" long enough to focus on the dispel.
Iruka had tried individual "flavor punishments" before, but this was the first time they had all been served together.
Eyebrows knitted tight, cheeks and forehead tensed, nostrils flared, and vision reduced to a pinhole—Iruka's facial features were scrunched into a tight knot.
Tears streamed from the tiny slits of his eyes, a long string of snot dangled like a crystal pendant, and his muscles were locked in a spasm.
"I... I never want to spar with Sensei again—!"
After a brief struggle to adapt, he finally remembered that this was a Genjutsu and it could be broken. Concentrating his last shred of energy, he suppressed his chakra to its lowest point and then let it explode outward.
The scenery slowly shifted. The terrifying old woman and the cauldron of horror vanished, replaced by the sight of Tonbo Tobitake sitting there, looking as if he were taking a nap.
Then, Iruka felt something cold and wet on his chin. He reached up to touch it, and a sticky sensation registered in his brain.
He took a close look. It was snot!
Click!
"Ah, Iruka, that's so gross! I got a picture of it!" Tonbo's voice rang out. He had pulled out a camera at some point; the flash Iruka saw was from the shutter.
"Not bad, not bad! Huge progress. You're already a qualified teacher. The student truly has surpassed the master!"
Tonbo ignored Iruka's pleas to delete the photo and praised him instead. He thought to himself: That was close. I almost forgot to document life. Glad I remembered at the last second to preserve Iruka's 'shameful photo'.
He imagined the day when Naruto's generation grew up and he showed this photo to them. What would their reaction be? It would be hilarious.
Iruka said resentfully, "Sensei, you weren't testing me at all. You just wanted to test your new Genjutsu."
Tonbo nodded, then quickly shook his head. "Nonsense! How could I use my own disciple as a lab rat? I just wanted you to experience this Genjutsu because I'm going to teach it to you. It's to help you contribute to Konoha's growth—a trump card for when you're teaching at the Academy."
He patted his chest, looking completely sincere.
Iruka looked even more skeptical. "Sensei, you're the one who told me my Genjutsu talent is limited to only breaking them."
"What? Did I say that? No matter. Your teacher has grown! I've specially modified this Genjutsu. I've researched the resonance between chakra and the gustatory organs. As long as you follow the seal method I teach, you can trigger specific flavors. Mind you, it only works on humans, not summoning beasts."
Iruka's eyes lit up. "Really?"
If that were true, whenever a student dared to be naughty, couldn't he use this as punishment? Just like his teacher did to them? If so, no student at the Academy would ever dare to defy him!
As Iruka thought about it, a weird, slightly twisted smile appeared on his face. No one understood the deterrent power of this Genjutsu better than he did; back in the day, the potential of himself, Tetcho, and Shinobu had been squeezed out by exactly this kind of pressure. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to develop new ninjutsu.
"Don't worry. Do you still doubt your teacher's strength?" Tonbo patted his shoulder.
Naruto, Shikamaru, Kiba, Choji... I'm not doing this out of malice. It's for the future growth of Konoha. If you get caught in the crossfire, it's for your own good.
Gack-gack-gack—
Tonbo's mind was already picturing the scene of Iruka punishing Naruto's generation at the Academy with this move.
"Achoo!"
In a simple room, Naruto was eating cup ramen when his nose suddenly itched. A sneeze nearly knocked over the cup. He quickly steadied it with both hands.
He wiped his nose with his sleeve. "Hmm? Am I catching a cold?"
The Nara Residence.
Clack!
Young Shikamaru moved a Shogi piece to the desired position. Suddenly, his nose felt itchy.
"Achoo!"
"What's wrong, Shikamaru? Don't use sneezing to cover up the fact that you're about to lose," Shikaku said, placing a key piece that cornered Shikamaru completely.
"I'm not admitting defeat yet. I just had a really bad premonition for some reason." The feeling was baseless, leaving little Shikamaru scratching his head.
Shikaku laughed. "Heh, a man should be able to admit when he's beaten!"
"That's not it..."
"Achoo!"
Woof! Woof!
"It's okay, Akamaru. Let's try it again."
Little Kiba Inuzuka rubbed his nose and looked at the partner his mom had just given him, Akamaru. He smiled and prepared to resume their coordination training.
A BBQ Restaurant.
"Achoo!"
Little Choji let out a chubby sneeze. But even at three years old, his proficiency with chopsticks was like a bird catching a fly; a sneeze couldn't stop his appetite for meat.
"Choji, eat slowly. Look, you've caught a cold," Choji's mother said, quickly wiping his nose with a tissue.
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