Slurp!
"Mm-hmm! Your skills are amazing, Uncle, and your daughter is very beautiful too."
Tonbo Tobitake spoke with his mouth full, offering praise to the father and daughter duo.
"Haha, is that so? Well, of course! I learned my craft from the master chefs in the Land of Fire!"
Teuchi was extremely proud to have his cooking praised. The corners of his eyes crinkled with joy.
"That's right! My dad is the best!" Ayame beamed, clearly happy to hear the compliment.
"By the way, you're a ninja, right? Why aren't you out on the battlefield?"
Teuchi looked at the forehead protector and the bandages wrapped around the boy's head without much surprise. He had seen people who wrapped the bottom half of their faces; wrapping the top half wasn't much stranger.
"Ah, you mean this? I'm in the logistics group. I just got back from the Iwagakure front. Heh heh, I actually racked up quite a few merits!" Tonbo laughed.
Ayame turned to him and said, "Big brother, my name is Ayame. What's yours? And why are you wearing bandages? Is it because you aren't handsome?"
"Nonsense! I was the most handsome guy in the Academy! Whether it's the Taijutsu genius Might Guy, the super genius Kakashi, Uchiha Inabi of the Uchiha clan, or the model student Hayama Shirakumo... when it comes to looks, they're all losers compared to me! I only cover my face because I don't want them to feel inferior."
Hearing Ayame suggest he wasn't good-looking, Tonbo immediately grew indignant. He listed the more famous guys from school, sounding more confident with every name. His tone was full of spirit.
"Hehehe! You're bragging! I haven't seen Kakashi since he wears a mask, but I've seen Hayama Shiragumo and Uchiha Inabi!"
Ayame was young, but she wasn't stupid; she didn't believe a word of his boasting.
Slurp!
After swallowing the last mouthful of noodles, Tonbo began to unwrap his bandages.
"Since you've put it that way, I'll make an exception and let you see. Only this once, okay?"
As the layers of bandages fell away, a small face was revealed. He had pale blue eyes that seemed misted with white, silver-white hair, and striking white eyelashes. The slight curve of his lips made his entire expression seem to be radiating a smile.
"Ah... your eyes are so pretty!" Ayame gasped, staring at him.
Even Teuchi was stunned, his cooking motions coming to a halt. The boy truly was a little heartthrob.
Swish! Swish!
Just as they were about to take a closer look, Tonbo wrapped the bandages back around his head and repositioned his Konoha forehead protector.
"Heh heh, I wasn't lying, was I? I really am handsome."
Tonbo was very satisfied with himself. He had looked in the mirror before; in terms of pure aesthetics, no one in the Shinobi world could rival him.
"Right, I forgot to mention—my name is Tobitake Tonbo."
"Yes, you are handsome. The most handsome I've ever seen. However... it's time to pay the bill, To-bi-ta-ke Ton-bo." Ayame pointed at his bowl and giggled behind her hand.
"..."
After paying, Tonbo walked out the door to their cheerful calls of "Please come again!"
Walking down the streets of Konoha, a smile played on his lips.
Ah, I've found my goal. Ayame would be a perfect wife.
She had a gentle, charming face and a father who owned a shop—one that Teuchi would eventually expand into multiple branches. More importantly, judging by the original series, she would grow up to be a stunning beauty. Best of all, working at Ichiraku Ramen made her extremely safe. She was a character who survived until the very end without him having to worry.
From her values to her features, she was a perfect existence. His goal was to get married, have children, and live a stable life; he couldn't go around trying to woo the high-profile characters. Those girls were magnets for trouble. Only Ayame was right for him. It was decided: from now on, his favorite foods would be yakitori, grilled rice balls, and Ichiraku Ramen.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Suddenly, several figures flickered across the rooftops of Konoha without any attempt at concealment.
Whoosh!
They were all wearing masks. Judging by their speed and the fact that they weren't hiding their presence, they were clearly on urgent business.
That's likely related to the intelligence the Anbu mentioned to old man Hiruzen today. Konoha is making a move.
Tonbo analyzed the situation. It was clear the Third had more to say to him earlier, but he had left in a hurry once the Anbu arrived. It had to be something from the front lines. The current war was a meat grinder; Tonbo knew that well. Every exchange of intelligence meant a change in plans.
Based on his knowledge of the original plot, there were only three battlefronts left: Sunagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure. Since the fight with Iwagakure was over, the Third Raikage incident should be happening around this time. The end of the war wasn't far off.
This also meant that some of the most famous scenes in Naruto would occur within the next year:
Might Duy opening the Eight Gates to save Guy, Genma, and Ebisu, turning the Seven Ninja Swordsmen into the "Lucky Three."Kakashi piercing Rin Nohara's chest while Obito watched, leading to Obito's psychological outbreak.Minato Namikaze succeeding as the Fourth Hokage.Orochimaru defecting from Konoha...
Thinking about the events of the coming year, Tonbo was just glad they wouldn't be happening to him. As a former viewer, he might have thought about fixing these tragedies, but as a transmigrator, he only wanted to live a peaceful life. His abilities were limited; without a "System," he simply had to say sorry to the world.
"Ha! Captain Tonbo! You finally showed up for a mission. Have you been living comfortably at home lately?"
At the Konoha Analysis Team headquarters, Shimon immediately stepped forward and winked the moment he saw Tonbo.
"Knock it off. What's the mission today? They actually sent an Anbu to call me?"
Early this morning, Tonbo had been planning to go to Ichiraku to build a rapport with Ayame when a cat-masked shinobi appeared in his room. He was told that by order of the Hokage, he was to report to the Analysis Team immediately for a mission.
Honestly, is a mission more important than me getting a wife? Of course, he still showed up obediently. This job was safe, and he didn't want to get fired. Plus, it was good for his growth.
"Go to the briefing room. Squad Leader Inoichi will explain everything," Shimon said.
Tonbo followed Shimon into the depths of the base. Past heavy security, through dim corridors echoing with the occasional shrill scream, they walked for about two and a half minutes before reaching the workspace. Many people were already waiting. In the center stood Yamanaka Inoichi.
"Alright, everyone is here. Now, I will assign the tasks. Yamanaka Denko, Interrogation Room 101. Hijiri Shimon, Interrogation Room 102. Tobitake Tonbo, Interrogation Room 404. Dokuraku Mawashi, Interrogation Room 405..."
Inoichi assigned the work methodically. It was clear that the distribution for Chunin and Genin was different. The higher the prefix of the interrogation room, the more experienced the enemy ninja—and the analyzer—needed to be.
After the assignments were finished, Tonbo followed a support ninja to a room deep in the facility. The path here was brighter, lit by torches along the walls.
Entering Interrogation Room 404, there was only a head sitting there. That's right—no body. Next to it was a piece of equipment that looked like a helmet.
"This is a Spiritual Amplifier. It can boost a ninja's spiritual energy. It provides a massive boost when it comes to enhancing perception and reading memories. Just put it on and execute your jutsu," the support ninja explained.
Tonbo's eyes lit up.
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
Explore Extra Chapters in advance!