"Tonbo, the higher-ups have officially credited us with an A-rank mission for that last one. You really are my lucky star!"
Dokuraku Mawashi chuckled as he spoke to Tobitake Tonbo, his face full of joy.
Hearing this, Tonbo was also quite satisfied. During wartime, recorded missions could be exchanged for Ryo, Ninjutsu scrolls, or other shinobi resources once the conflict ended. For an A-rank mission, the standard rate usually started at at least a million Ryo. That was enough to buy over a hundred explosive tags. Of course, he'd have to wait for the war to end; currently, all resources were prioritized for the front lines.
But that wasn't all. Detecting the enemy was one mission, but reading their memories was another; Tonbo had managed to snag a B-rank credit for that as well.
According to the extracted memories, that group was a Decapitation Unit sent by Iwagakure, specifically targeting Konoha's logistics. Intelligence units, the Corpse Processing Team, the Torture and Interrogation Force, the Analysis Team, and the Medical Corps—these were all logistics units and their primary targets. Fortunately, they had detected them early. If they had been caught off guard, the losses would have been catastrophic.
"Oh? Captain, is there something else?" Tonbo asked.
"Haha, actually, there is."
Mawashi's smile faded, replaced by a serious expression. "Based on the intelligence from the enemy's memories, we can't be certain whether they managed to send our current location back to their base. Therefore, we are moving the Analysis Team's position."
Tonbo straightened up immediately. "Understood."
"Good. Get ready. We move out tonight."
After giving his orders, Mawashi hurried to the next location, likely to notify the rest of the team. Tonbo, feeling a flicker of anxiety, first used his sensory ninjutsu to sweep the area. Only after confirming there were no enemies within a one-kilometer radius did he release the seal. He was determined to stay safe within the Analysis Team and contribute to Konoha from the shadows; he couldn't let the enemy discover their base.
Night fell. Beneath the shroud of darkness, several dark figures flickered through the forest. Their presence was so well-hidden that even birds nesting nearby failed to notice anyone passing.
Tonbo was among them. One of the most basic yet vital skills for a shinobi: Breath Suppression. When watching the anime, he hadn't felt much about it, but actually using it made him realize that being a shinobi was truly an assassination profession. Hashirama and Madara were essentially just warriors fighting under the banner of "shinobi."
Judging by the movements of the Analysis Team and their Anbu guards, everyone's stealth foundations were excellent; their advance was silent. Even Shimon, a fellow Genin, performed flawlessly.
At this moment, Tonbo couldn't help but wonder: how did Naruto ever manage to graduate? Was it really just because of the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu? It was likely political necessity that pushed his graduation. Otherwise, mere clones wouldn't meet the basic standards of a Genin. Frankly, even now, Tonbo felt he had plenty of ways to deal with Naruto's clones—partly due to his future knowledge, he thought confidently.
Given the characteristic of Shadow Clones—transferring experiences back to the original body upon dispersal—they were actually easy to counter. For instance, he could reverse the use of Psycho Mind Transmission to funnel his own agonizing thoughts into the clone. Even if the clone vanished, the pain wouldn't.
Psycho Mind Transmission: Pain.
Lately, to survive this war, he had been doing everything possible to grow stronger. Since he lacked a Kekkei Genkai and his chakra reserves were only at the level of an average Genin, he focused on maximizing his strengths. Aside from practicing different nature transformations, he developed a combat style suited to his advantages.
Sensing and Spiritual Energy were his forte, so that became his focus. Psycho Mind Transmission: Pain involved collecting the suffering he encountered while reading the minds of numerous shinobi—physical pain, mental trauma, the loss of family or friends, the agony of torture—and sealing those "pain signals" in his mind. Then, using Genjutsu, he could transmit that concentrated agony directly into an enemy's heart. He only needed a split-second opening to end it with a kunai to the chest.
While powerful shinobi could likely regain control quickly, shinobi battles were high-mobility affairs; a single moment was all it took. Indeed, his path to power was Genjutsu.
In the anime, the ceiling for Genjutsu was the Sharingan. Aside from that, the highest-tier practitioners were Kurenai Yuhi and her father, Shinku Yuhi. While others might not find non-Sharingan Genjutsu impressive, Tonbo was confident that with his talent, he could eventually hold his own against someone like Itachi Uchiha. At the very least, reaching Jonin level shouldn't be a problem. If things got too dangerous, he'd just stay hidden and let the "Children of the Prophecy" handle the enemies.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
"We've arrived. Everyone, set up camp. Move quickly."
"Anbu guards and sensory ninja, patrol the perimeter. Ensure no intelligence reaches the enemy."
"Yes, sir!"
Following the orders of Yamanaka Inoichi, the Analysis Team Leader, everyone moved with disciplined efficiency. As a sensory ninja, Tonbo was assigned to an Anbu squad for patrol and search duties.
Several days passed since the relocation, and the Analysis Team returned to its routine. Tonbo "clocked in" for work every day, using his free time to practice Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, as well as developing his Genjutsu. Much of his knowledge came from the minds he read; after integrating and organizing the information, he had devised a training regimen for himself. This was actually part of the Analysis Team's work—if they extracted a jutsu Konoha didn't have, or a simplified set of hand seals, reporting it earned rewards.
His chakra was also growing faster. Initially, he could only release Earth Turning to Steel three times before exhausting his chakra; now, he could manage five in a short period.
"Spiritual energy, physical energy..."
A month passed, and Tonbo grew rapidly. War-time was a catalyst; the accumulation of spiritual energy through constant life-and-death stakes was something Naruto's era couldn't compare to. His chakra reserves were becoming sufficient to sustain a prolonged battle.
Over the past month, by reading various enemy memories, he had figured out their general location: the border of the Land of Fire, just behind the front lines. Being so close to the front explained why there were new enemies to interrogate every day. This kept Tonbo on edge, fearing an enemy might pop out of nowhere; he never let up on his scheduled sensory sweeps.
Iwagakure's offensive was currently ferocious, simultaneously taking on Konoha and Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud). Even with Konoha's superior medical system and elite ninja like the Yellow Flash and Orochimaru, the village was showing signs of exhaustion. It made Tonbo want to run off and find Tsunade and Jiraiya to beg them to return—he was terrified that the plot might deviate from the anime.
Interestingly, in one enemy's memory, he saw a silver-haired figure using Lightning Release, as well as a glimpse of Minato Namikaze. Beside them was a boy wearing goggles and a beautiful girl with a "Dora" (bob-cut) hairstyle.
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