Chapter 171: Finished, Slain a Thousand Times
Crash—
The waterfall cascaded down from the rocky cliffs, striking the lake's surface with a thunderous roar.
Bang!
A water dragon surged from the lake, its jaws snapping shut around a terrified figure.
Splatter—
Blood sprayed in every direction, leaving behind only a severed, horrified head.
The scene blurred and twisted...
Rock Lee found himself back in the forest in front of the waterfall.
Huff... huff... huff...
Lee gasped for air, his eyes bloodshot. "Dammit, how did I hit another trap!"
The image of his recent death was still burned into his retinas. After falling for explosive tag traps, snare traps, and shuriken traps, he had just been ambushed by enemy ninjas. What's more, even when the traps were the same, Lee found that the enemies used them in entirely different ways.
It was... it was... incredible.
Lee had never imagined that ninjas could train like this. He had lost count of how many times he had died. From being killed at every step in the beginning to now being able to wipe out enemy ninja squads, he could feel the profound effect of the training. His progress was immense.
"No wonder Guy-sensei asked Captain Tonbo for special training. He has such terrifying power!"
In the Academy, he had never even heard of this training method. He had studied how to respond to and detect traps, but through these repeated deaths, he was finally applying that textbook knowledge to actual combat.
Whiz! Whiz!
Several shuriken flew out from the shadows. This time, Lee was ready. Instead of following his usual instincts and moving in a familiar direction, he lunged the opposite way. Sure enough, a log trap swung violently through the space he would have occupied.
Slash—
A sickle attached to a chain swept across an enemy's throat, sending a head flying and blood spraying.
Tenten stood horizontally on a nearby tree trunk, her feet stuck firm with chakra. She unfurled a scroll to summon a shield, blocking a volley of enemy shuriken.
Clang! Clang!
Boom!
A shuriken exploded, releasing a cloud of purple mist. Tenten's face instantly turned pale. The chakra at her feet wavered, and she tumbled from the tree trunk.
The world twisted again...
"This training is insane! I thought Guy-sensei's training was bad enough!" Tenten's eyes rolled back in exhaustion.
She had died so many times that she was becoming numb to it, yet she still couldn't quite accept it. She couldn't fathom why Tonbo-sensei would develop such a genjutsu; it was beyond ridiculous. It didn't seem designed to kill enemies so much as it was designed to torture them.
Outside the Barrier.
Tonbo Tobitake held the "Tiger" seal, maintaining the jutsu. Occasionally, he would release one hand to toss a special food pill into his mouth. He only used both hands for the seal because it made him look more professional.
In the air before him, three cloud-like screens displayed the progress of the three students. Guy, watching their maneuvers and Tonbo's capabilities, was slack-jawed with shock. He pointed at the mist, his eyes wide.
"Tonbo, this is your 'special' training? This is the 'bonus' you mentioned? This is too much of a bonus! Damn, I feel like I'm going to lose my job!" Guy said.
Despite his words, Guy was thrilled. He was delighted that his students had this opportunity to gain life-and-death combat experience ahead of time. Originally, he had just wanted Tonbo to teach them some genjutsu resistance or use his genjutsu-plus-medicine combo to help with physical conditioning. Guy's own medicinal tonics were useful, but they weren't as efficient as Tonbo's method.
He never expected training could be done this way. It completely shattered his worldview as a Jonin.
"Of course. My teaching methods iterate every year," Tonbo replied. "I'm not like you guys, sticking to the same old ways. I improve every single year. And you don't have to worry about losing your job; this move takes a massive toll on me. I can't use it often, or I'd have no time for anything else. Besides, even if it's just an illusion, dying too many times in the mental world causes psychological damage. It's a matter of diminishing returns. Once a person is mentally exhausted, they have to wait for their spirit to recover before they can continue."
Tonbo thought to himself: Lose your job? If I did this all the time, I'd be the one doing all the work! Doing this for the same people was interesting once in a while, but it would become a chore if it were constant.
"Also, keep watching," Tonbo reminded Guy. "If they have flaws in their combat logic that they haven't noticed, you need to be the one to correct them."
After all, Guy was the official sensei. Tonbo was just a guest; he couldn't overstep his bounds.
"Understood. Say... when they're done, can you put me in there for a bit? This non-stop combat against different enemies is making my blood boil!" Guy said fidgeting, clearly itching for a fight.
"No. Your job is to correct their thinking, not to fight," Tonbo refused. "One more thing—they owe me money now. These pills cost tens of thousands of Ryo each. Tell them to pay me back slowly by doing missions."
He controlled the three bodies to open their mouths and flicked several medicinal pills inside. To etch combat memory into the body, the body needed high-grade nutrients. He had just thought of this—later, when he implemented this at the Academy, he'd make the Hokage reimburse him. It was the perfect plan. He didn't want them thinking he was training kids at a loss just for some "hidden motive." No matter how high one's Will of Fire was, business was business.
"Ah... that's fair. It might even spark their motivation," Guy said thoughtfully. He knew such training must be costly; in truth, they were getting a bargain. He turned his focus back to the three students, noting every flaw—especially the ones they failed to realize after several "deaths." When they did realize a mistake and corrected it in the next round, Guy was not stingy with his praise for their wisdom.
Meanwhile, Tonbo was busy collecting data. Neji's Gentle Fist, Lee's Iron Fist, Tenten's weapon manipulation... their physical stats were the "hard" data, while these combat styles were the "soft" data. It all became nourishment for him.
After a month of this—sessions held roughly once a week—the three students had officially finished the battlefield simulation. They had each been "slain a thousand times."
Between them, they owed a sum roughly equivalent to half an S-rank mission. Tenten, being a true "rich girl," paid her share in full on the spot. Heaven only knows how her parents allowed her to control that much capital at her age. Neji, despite being from a Great Clan, ended up in debt and would have to pay it back slowly. Lee, of course, became a mission maniac, badgering Guy for assignments immediately after every session.
But no one complained. Only those who had endured that training could feel the "rebirth" it provided.
In their words: "Tonbo-sensei should be the one teaching combat at the Ninja Academy." They now possessed the confidence to face any enemy.
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