Chapter 265: Keigo Tobitake
One year later.
Konoha.
Within the dense clusters of the forest, a figure flickered between various patterns. One moment he appeared atop a tree, the next he was perched on a rock, moving with incredible speed.
Suspended between two trees, an infant watched Tonbo Tobitake darting back and forth, his eyes wide and mouth curled into an irrepressible smile of joy.
Wa-ee!
From time to time, he tried to clap his hands like an adult, but he was too small and lacked the strength to make a sound.
Swish!
At that moment, Tonbo emerged directly in front of him.
"Keigo, isn't Daddy amazing?"
Tonbo looked at the infant and laughed with pride. He didn't care if the baby understood him or not; the look of pure curiosity in the child's eyes made him happy.
Keigo Tobitake. His third child, and his second son. Having been conceived later, his physical and spiritual talents seemed even stronger than those of Tianyu and Maki. Perhaps it was because he was born after Tonbo's own body had undergone significant evolution. Tianyu and Maki hadn't benefited from those particular "upgrades."
Tonbo pulled out a specially refined Food Pill and swallowed it. As his body continued to evolve, his nutritional requirements grew; the demand for daily medicinal supplements was becoming massive. He now had to consume a secret medicine every hour.
The stronger his body evolved, the higher its tolerance became; the higher the tolerance, the faster the rate of evolution. It had formed a perfect positive feedback loop. This would continue until the physical data he collected was no longer enough to push the evolution further. After all, his evolution was based on the accumulation of his knowledge.
"Neural Displacement... I finally achieved 'Wireless Transfer.' Now I have a displacement skill that can rival the Flying Thunder God. Though the principle is different, it's a movement skill within my own system, allowing me to better exert my personal power. However, since this is a Sage Art, I'm afraid none of my descendants will ever be able to learn it to this level!"
Tonbo picked up the babbling Keigo, lost in thought. To transfer through broken neural paths, one must harness Natural Energy. This was his very first Sage Art. The appearance of his first technique utilizing Natural Energy meant that his future development speed would skyrocket, and his other jutsu would receive "epic" buffs.
He just wondered if the Otsutsuki clan could withstand it. Over the past year, Tonbo had kept a close eye on any traces of Otsutsuki Urashiki, but had found nothing. The threat remained a weight on his heart. Sometimes he wondered if Urashiki would appear after the Fourth Great War, or perhaps right in the middle of it. If his butterfly effect caused Urashiki to appear during the war, it would be a major problem—it would ruin his plan to lay low until the future.
Wa-ee!
Keigo cried out again from his arms.
"I know, I know. You miss Mommy, right? I'll take you back now."
Forming a one-handed seal, countless branch-like patterns covered him and Keigo. Both vanished instantly. When they reappeared, they were inside a house, emerging from the patterns on the floor.
"Thankfully, chakra is no longer my weakness. I can use it as I please."
Currently, his chakra reserves were definitely not inferior to Naruto's. Chakra is a combination of physical and spiritual energy; Naruto's spiritual accumulation was lacking, which limited his physical potential. Tonbo's Mind Reading technique, however, allowed him to rapidly accumulate spiritual energy. Coupled with his current body, his chakra was virtually limitless. Even without activating secret techniques, his chakra could rival a Tailed Beast. He was now a "Tailed Beast without a Tail."
Entering the living room with Keigo, he found Ayame knitting clothes. Her small hands moved with a dexterity that showed she had been practicing for a long time.
"Why are you knitting clothes for Keigo again? We could just buy them. If not, I could even knit them with ninjutsu," Tonbo said, feeling a bit protective.
Wa-ee! Keigo babbled, seemingly agreeing.
"My dad has hired so many employees now that I have nothing to do. If I don't find something to occupy myself, I'll die of boredom," Ayame teased. "Besides, knitting for Keigo is how I show my motherly love."
"...Right. It's not like my ninjutsu counts as fatherly love or anything!" Tonbo muttered.
"What was that?"
"Nothing! I said you're the best wife ever."
"Of course I am. Plenty of people say so."
Wa-ee!
Tonbo then spent time playing with Keigo in the living room. After Tsunade took over as Hokage, Konoha had slowly begun to regain its strength, just as it always did after a major crisis. The new generation was growing. By now, everyone—except for the absent Naruto and Sasuke—had been promoted to Chunin. They were beginning to lead teams and take on various missions.
Tonbo was preparing to step back from the front lines of Konoha, gradually delegating his authority. Currently, he was mentoring Ino. He was training her in everything required for the Intelligence Analysis Squad, preparing her to be the next captain. Ino's current team was already handling analysis-related missions. Usually, she would also follow Tsunade to learn medical ninjutsu, as she had a natural talent for it.
Years ago, Inoichi Yamanaka had pushed the captain's position onto him; now, Tonbo was going to push it onto Inoichi's daughter. He had watched her grow up, after all. As for his own children, he would let them rise through their own merits. He had taught them more than anyone else and even "cheated" for them, using high-level formations to help them refine their ninjutsu.
His mastery across all systems was now more polished than ever, and his teaching ability had matured.
"Only 29, and I'm about to retire. Life is good!"
Although he planned to create something like a "Technical Development Bureau" in the future, it wasn't the time yet. Once Ino was capable enough, he could become a hands-off boss and wander around with his wife and kids. After the Fourth Great War, he would return to Konoha's logistics, establish the bureau, and invite Orochimaru back to work as his assistant. Orochimaru does the work, Tonbo does the directing—just thinking about it was exciting.
It would be even better if he could recruit Kabuto too. Researchers of that caliber are rare.
"But... where exactly did that Amado come from?"
Tonbo thought about the characters from Boruto that left an impression. He hadn't watched the series, but he had heard of the man—the one who supposedly replaced Orochimaru as the world's greatest scientist. While building his intelligence network, he had been secretly gathering information on Amado and the Kara organization. But there was nothing. They were hidden very deep.
As expected of the Boruto villains—hard to find because they show up so late.
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