Chapter 74: The Final Crushing Defeat of the Three Rascals
Training Ground 98.
Whirrr! Whirrr!
Two massive Fuma Shuriken spun through the air at high speed, letting out a sharp, piercing whistle. Shikun Fuma extended chakra threads from both hands, manipulating the trajectory of the shuriken with precision.
With a sudden cross of his arms, the Fuma Shuriken clamped down on Tonbo Tobitake from both sides in a pincer attack.
Tonbo watched this scene and nodded in satisfaction. As expected of the Fuma clan; their heritage in chakra research truly has its unique merits.
In his sensory world, Zaizai Izuno was approaching from the rear flank. Zaizai's hands and feet were wrapped in chakra, translucent cat claws extending from his limbs. Two cat ears flickered atop his head, and a long, swaying chakra tail trailed behind him.
Despite his chubby frame, he moved with unexpected agility.
"Four-Legged Technique: Beast Mimicry Art!"
Bang, bang, bang!
Hana Inuzuka entered her feral state. Beside her, the "Haimaru triplets" all transformed into copies of Hana. Like a pack of highly intelligent predators, they lunged toward Tonbo simultaneously.
This time, they were prepared with the counter-technique they learned from Tokuma Hyuga. They were convinced they wouldn't lose to "Bandage Man" again.
"Too naive. Zaizai, watch closely—this is how your family's secret technique should actually be used."
Tonbo's senses were razor-sharp. He immediately detected the specific chakra flow in the throats of the three students. He was impressed; they had actually found a way to nullify his Genjutsu.
However, it was useless. After nearly half a year of training, the gap in talent wasn't just talk. While these three were superior to their classmates, they were still a long way from being qualified Genin.
Before the Fuma Shuriken could land, Tonbo flicked a scroll from his waist pouch. It unfurled in mid-air instantly. He wove hand signs, refined his chakra, and slammed his palm onto the scroll.
"Nekogami Possession!"
As the jutsu activated, a massive Beckoning Cat (Maneki-neko) formed from dense chakra, enveloping Tonbo like a protective shell. This was to be their final lesson; to ensure they didn't become arrogant, he decided to crush them using their own family's techniques.
Bam!
Clang!
With a flick of a cat's paw, the two Fuma Shuriken were swatted away. With a swipe of the tail, he coiled around Zaizai Izuno and sent him flying toward Shikun Fuma amidst a chorus of startled yells.
Shikun scrambled to release his control over the shuriken to catch his teammate.
Thud! The two Fuma Shuriken embedded themselves in the ground.
Meanwhile, the four versions of Hana Inuzuka landed powerful punches on the chakra cat. It was like scratching an itch; the cat didn't even budge.
"Hana, this won't do. And Haimaru—don't think I didn't notice you were triplets just because you rotated who came to training every day. Now you're feeling the consequences of slacking off, aren't you?"
Tonbo lectured the four "Hanas" while they were busy scratching at his barrier.
Haimaru was indeed a set of triplets; Hana had three ninja hounds, two more than her younger brother Kiba. During training, she often rotated them out, thinking Tonbo wouldn't notice. For this final session, she had brought all three to try and catch him off guard.
Swish!
Hana's reactions were significantly faster than the other two, but she was still "green." Tonbo manipulated the chakra tail to sweep them off their feet, and as they jumped to avoid it, he brought the cat's thick paw pad down in a heavy swat.
Poof!
The Haimaru brothers were knocked out of their transformation and reverted to their original forms, completely spent.
Huff, huff, huff!
The battle ended. The three rascals stared breathlessly at Tonbo—specifically at the Beckoning Cat shroud still surrounding him. Shikun and Hana both turned to look at Zaizai.
"I say, Zaizai... is your family's secret technique really this strong?"
This was the question on all their minds. Good grief, what kind of freakish ninjutsu was this? All-around defense combined with powerful offensive capabilities—there was simply no opening.
Zaizai stared at the slowly dissipating chakra cat, his eyes burning with a fervent light.
"Yes! This is the legendary secret technique of our clan! Legend has it that during the Warring States period, we established ourselves in the Land of Fire through this very art."
This battle gave him a massive boost in confidence. It turned out his family could be this powerful; they had truly failed their ancestors by not producing a single Jonin lately.
"It's just that the cultivation difficulty is too high, and it has high requirements for chakra volume!"
"I see. Then maybe you can do it too in the future, Zaizai!" Shikun said with a look of envy. His own family didn't have a technique that looked quite so "overpowered" at first glance.
Hana also realized that while the Inuzuka clan had powerful secret arts, most required physical maturity before they could be mastered, and the difficulty was immense.
"This is the last lesson. You don't need to come here for practice anymore," Tonbo said as he deactivated the Nekogami Possession. "You can train on your own now. Your foundation is solid. By the time you graduate, becoming a Genin won't be a problem."
The Nekogami Possession was useful, though not essential for him. He had only used it today to show off and leave a lasting impression. "Neko-sanoo" lived up to its nickname. However, his wife was due to give birth soon; for the foreseeable future, he wouldn't have time to look after these kids.
Hearing this, all three looked a bit reluctant. Over the past half-year, Tonbo had taught them a lot, and they felt they had grown rapidly. They had already surpassed most of their peers and were top students at the Academy. They knew that having a Jonin train them for so long was a stroke of divine luck that they couldn't take for granted.
Shikun Fuma: "Tonbo-sensei, I will work hard to become a strength that protects Konoha!"
Zaizai Izuno: "Me too! I will definitely become a powerhouse like you!"
Hana Inuzuka patted the Haimaru triplets. "Hmph, just you wait. I won't let you down."
Over such a long period, Tonbo hadn't just laid the foundation for their ninjutsu and taijutsu; he had also hammered in the Will of Fire.
This concept was simply too useful. From Iruka and Mibu to Itachi and Anko, and now to these three—it had never failed him. It almost made him want to believe in the Will of Fire himself; he had never used a tool so effective.
"Very well. The sparks of Konoha will be lit by you. The future position of Hokage will surely be yours. Hana can be the Fifth, Shikun the Sixth, and Zaizai the Seventh. I have faith in you. Keep it up."
Tonbo acknowledged their resolve while piling on the expectations.
"Eh? Why am I the Seventh? Why is Shikun the Sixth? Make me the Sixth and Shikun the Seventh!" Zaizai was fired up, though he had his objections.
Shikun patted his shoulder. "We're teammates. It's fine if I'm the Sixth first. Why quibble over the order?"
"Tch, I'll definitely become Hokage before you!"
"No, me first!"
"Hmph, you saw my clan's secret technique just now. It's strong!"
"Don't make me laugh, my clan's secret technique lets me fly. You can't even touch me!"
Watching the two of them bicker, Tonbo laughed heartily.
Hokage? What a nightmare. Aside from Tsunade, not a single one had lived a long life. Only people like him—holding a portion of the village's high-level power while living a steady, peaceful life—were the true winners. In this regard, one really had to learn from the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
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