Chapter 69: Small Clans
"Woof! Woof!"
Just as they were panicking, the sound of a dog barking rang out.
Tonbo Tobitake, holding a grey ninja hound in his hand, flew up while standing atop a massive summoned eagle. A smile played across his lips.
"Haimaru!" Hana Inuzuka looked at the dog worriedly.
"Woof~" Haimaru looked down at the ground and decided it was better not to struggle. If he fell from this height, it wouldn't end well.
"Give Haimaru back to me, Big Brother!"
Hana was worried about what Tonbo might do to the dog, especially seeing that eerie, smiling mouth. She intentionally made her voice sound sweet and high-pitched to gain sympathy. Her two sidekicks, however, were already terrified.
"Don't kill us! It was Iruka-sensei who told us to hit you!"
The two boys burst into tears, their previous courage completely vanished, though they hadn't forgotten their plan to shift the blame. To them, Tonbo looked terrifying—he had no face, only bandages and that unsettling smile.
"Why would I kill you? You're the future 'Hokage Successors,'" Tonbo chuckled, tossing Haimaru back to Hana. He was now certain: Iruka had definitely been bad-mouthing him at the Academy.
"Woof~"
Hana caught Haimaru and stared at Tonbo. "What are you going to do?"
"Didn't you just say you wanted to learn ninja knowledge from me? I'm going to train you," Tonbo said.
"Train us?"
"Yes. You're from the Inuzuka clan, and these two are from the Fuma and Izuno clans, right? According to my intel, the Fuma clan has been declining, and the Izuno clan doesn't even have a single Jonin. Since you've asked for my guidance and fate has brought us together, I'll give you some basic training to increase your chances of becoming Jonin."
Tonbo looked at Hana and the two boys. As a high-ranking official in Konoha, he had access to this information. Konoha had many small clans—like the Fuma clan, creators of the Fuma Shuriken, or the Izuno clan with their secret techniques. Many of these clans hadn't produced a Jonin in generations; even becoming a Chunin was difficult for them.
The lack of resources compared to great clans like the Hyuga, combined with a smaller population base than commoner ninjas, meant these small families struggled to produce even mid-tier elites. This explained why small clans were rarely mentioned in the original history. Since he was bored anyway, Tonbo figured he might as well foster the next generation while he trained.
Besides, the secret techniques of other clans were always interesting. These kids were likely the "shining hopes" of their families since their numbers were so small, but their current "talent success rate" was enough to make anyone shake their head.
Hearing Tonbo mention their families, Shikun Fuma and Zaizai Izuno snapped out of their panic. Learning that their clans lacked even a single Jonin made them feel a wave of dejection. They lived under immense pressure; every generation of their families pinned all their hopes on the next. Now it was their turn to carry that weight. They actually had decent talent—for instance, their performance in analytical theory class was top-tier—which was why they were confident enough to try and ambush Tonbo.
"We will definitely become Chunin!" the two boys declared firmly.
"...Hey, I just said all that, and your goal is only to be Chunin? Shouldn't you want to be Jonin?" Tonbo was speechless.
This... they're a bit too insecure! Where did the confidence they had when they planned to punch him go?
The two boys hung their heads. Generation after generation of their families failing to reach the top had robbed them of their confidence. Hana Inuzuka frowned; she hadn't realized her two underlings were so discouraged.
"Hey! Don't let him look down on us! We just punched him, didn't we? Be confident! We can become Jonin, maybe even Hokage!" she shouted, trying to cheer them up.
This only made the boys hang their heads lower. They knew their talent was "good" within their small clans, but it wasn't "great" on a village scale. They could feel it from the looks their parents gave them. Because the clans were so small, the pressure on them was suffocating. Chunin was already their ultimate goal.
"Alright. Regardless of your goals, as people who managed to land a punch and a stomp on me, you have something to be proud of. You've surpassed the genius ninja Kakashi, you've surpassed the genius Uchiha Itachi, and you've even surpassed the Sannin's disciple, Anko Mitarashi," Tonbo said with a laugh.
"Huh?"
The three kids looked up at him, bewildered. They had heard of the first two—Itachi was a genius from Hana's year who had already graduated. They had also heard of the Sannin, so their disciple must be incredibly gifted. How could they have surpassed such people?
"Yep, you heard me right. Kakashi is my classmate, and he hasn't touched a single hair on my head to this day," Tonbo held up a finger. "Uchiha Itachi was my teammate recently; during our spar, he was so overwhelmed he couldn't even reach me. Same goes for Anko."
He then praised them: "But you three, using your excellent ninja instincts, read my psychology and successfully hit me. You're amazing. Don't underestimate yourselves, but you must work hard."
Zaizai and Shikun's eyes brightened. Is that true? Did we really surpass those geniuses?
Only Hana Inuzuka was sharp enough to analyze his words. She really wanted to ask, "Is that even a fair comparison?" but seeing the restored spirits of her two friends, she swallowed the question.
"Now then, as punishment for hitting me, your task for today is to get down from this Earth-Style Wall."
Tonbo pointed to the edge. The three kids and the dog looked down again, feeling like they would plummet to their deaths.
"This... we'll die if we fall, right?" Hana said.
"Woof! Woof!" Haimaru barked excitedly in agreement.
Tonbo wove a hand sign, and a small but tall pillar rose from the center of the massive earth block.
"Fine, let's start with something simpler. Every five minutes, if I decide someone is slacking off, you'll get a taste of my Genjutsu. I assume that's why you came to find me in the first place."
Tonbo pulled out a harmonica and smiled. He had a good idea of why they had sought him out. If Kiba hasn't enjoyed it yet, his sister might as well go first. He felt quite satisfied.
He then explained the chakra control techniques for tree climbing and demonstrated it a few times, telling them to climb up and down the central pillar. Once they mastered that, they could try descending the main wall. Having led a team before, Tonbo knew how to explain things so that ninjas at different stages could easily understand.
Gulp!
The three kids looked at the bandaged face and the harmonica in his hand. They remembered Iruka-sensei's move; if this was his teacher, he must be even scarier. They were terrified and immediately regretted coming to ambush him.
Looking at the tall pillar, the three had no choice but to follow Tonbo's instructions and begin practicing. Because Tonbo had compared them to famous geniuses, the two boys were much more confident. They were no longer dejected; they were full of drive. Combined with Tonbo's threat, they didn't dare stop.
As they repeatedly fell and climbed back up, Tonbo began practicing his music, while simultaneously pondering how to integrate the Bringer-of-Darkness into his own combat system.
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