"What are you doing here, kid?"
Tonbo Tobitake quickly shot him a look, signaling him to beat it.
But Shimon acted as if he hadn't seen it. Instead, he raised an eyebrow. "Today is the day of the Fourth's inauguration; everyone is happy. The night market is quite lively, so I just came out for a stroll. I didn't expect to see that you actually have a girlfriend."
His words made Ayame's face turn bright red, and her hand almost slipped from Tonbo's grasp. "I... I'm not..."
"Hmph. What does me having a girlfriend have to do with you? If you keep bothering me, I'll let you know the meaning of pain during our next spar," Tonbo threatened, tightening his grip on her hand.
This time, Tonbo wasn't wearing his bandages. The intensity in his eyes startled Shimon, who immediately remembered the terrifying Genjutsu Tonbo had used during their previous practice.
"Tch! I'll find one too." Shimon's feet shuffled back, and he vanished from their sight.
"That's my colleague, Shimon. He's usually just a bit of a big mouth," Tonbo explained to Ayame.
"Um... if Tonbo-kun says so..." Ayame replied, her face still flushed with shyness. Her mind was stuck on his words: "What does me having a girlfriend have to do with you?"
Shimon's interruption actually heightened the atmosphere between them. For the rest of the walk, Ayame acted shy and fidgety, a total departure from her usual generous self.
Meanwhile, behind them, the sneaky Shimon was using every ounce of his ninja training, pushing his concealment and tracking skills to their peak.
Damn it! Don't think you're so great just because you're a Chunin. Next time, I'm definitely finding a girlfriend! Shimon vowed with his eyes.
The date was just an interlude. Life had to continue.
Since that night, although they hadn't done anything due to their age, their feelings for each other had grown significantly deeper. Tonbo went back to work. Every day after finishing his shift, he would return home to his father's cooking, with the image of a certain girl keeping him company in his heart.
Then, one day, another mission arrived.
A Chunin from Kirigakure.
Tonbo's mind traveled through the tunnel of memories. The man's past flickered in fragments—assassinations, espionage, intelligence, ninjutsu... information poured in bit by bit.
Suddenly, after integrating and analyzing the data, a specific point of information entered Tonbo's mind.
"Kirigakure sent something into the Land of Fire through the border of the Land of Bears."
His heart shook. This intelligence was already slightly outdated; a fair amount of time had passed since the event. He removed the sensory headgear and headed straight for Yamanaka Inoichi's office.
Knock, knock!
"Come in."
Tonbo opened the door to find Inoichi processing documents.
"Lord Inoichi, there's a situation. From the Kirigakure ninja's memories, I discovered that two days ago, they seem to have secretly smuggled something hidden into the Land of Fire's borders via the Land of Bears."
"Oh? Give me the details," Inoichi focused. His subordinates wouldn't report so urgently without significant intel.
"According to the memories, there was an elite escort. Given the current state of Kirigakure—having suffered heavy losses among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—I suspect they are preparing for retaliation against Konoha. However, since the Fourth has just been inaugurated, Konoha is at its peak strength. Therefore, I speculate that whatever they smuggled in might involve... a Tailed Beast."
Tonbo recounted the memories first as a narrative and then provided his analysis. This was to ensure his superiors weren't biased by his conclusions before seeing the facts.
"A Tailed Beast?" Inoichi was profoundly shaken. He reviewed the facts himself and followed Tonbo's logic. It was highly probable. And the timing...
"Put the intelligence and your analysis into a written report immediately and wait for a summons." Realizing the magnitude of the problem, Inoichi gave the order and hurried out the door.
Tonbo sighed. This was likely the moment Kakashi stabs Rin. He had done all he could to help. He hoped there would be some change. This was out of pity for a classmate, and also to put his own mind at ease. However, according to his calculations, the incident had likely already occurred.
In the Hokage's Office.
"Lord Hokage, urgent intelligence."
Yamanaka Inoichi reported the findings to Minato Namikaze, adding his own insights to Tonbo's analysis. Minato listened and processed the information: Rin, Tailed Beast, Kakashi, Land of Bears, Kirigakure...
"Terrible. Assemble the Anbu and the Sealing Team immediately. Follow me!"
His own analysis gave Minato a sinking feeling. He immediately issued the orders.
Half a day's journey from Konoha, inside a forest.
Chirp! Chirp!
The sound of chirping lightning startled the birds. Kakashi's eyes widened, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks. His hand had pierced through Nohara Rin's chest.
Behind Rin, a Kirigakure Jonin broke into a cold sweat; he had nearly been killed as well.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Minato Namikaze left the Anbu behind, moving at maximum speed with the Body Flicker technique. To ensure he didn't miss anything despite his Flying Raijin, he pushed his speed to the limit. A yellow flash streaked through the woods, showcasing his true power as Hokage.
The Anbu following him didn't dare slack off. If anything happened to the Fourth, they would be held responsible. Everyone was pushing their Body Flicker to the max.
When Minato arrived, he was greeted by a devastated landscape. Craters, fallen trees, and a ground littered with shuriken and kunai. There were corpses of ninja wearing Kirigakure protectors. And there was Kakashi, kneeling on the ground.
In front of him lay his other disciple, Nohara Rin.
"Kakashi."
Minato's voice brought Kakashi's eyes back to focus. Looking at the corpse on the ground, Minato closed his eyes briefly.
"Sensei... I... I killed Rin..." Kakashi's eyes were vacant as he murmured to himself.
Tonbo Tobitake had reported the intel and finished his written report. As for Kakashi's side, it was in the hands of fate. His current power wasn't enough to resist the conspiracies of Madara or Black Zetsu.
Constant avoidance won't work, he thought. In the future, Pain will destroy Konoha once. I can't pin my hopes on Naruto's "Talk no Jutsu" or Pain having a change of heart. Before that happens, I must master a way to avoid the "Almighty Push," or resolve the person who triggers it before he starts.
Kakashi's tragedy cut deep into his heart once more. These were accidents beyond his control. He could find ways to avoid war for himself, but his father, Ayame, and Uncle Teuchi didn't have that option.
Therefore: stay low and develop quickly. No slacking off.
At the same time, a new thought took root. Facing monsters like Tailed Beasts and Kekkei Genkai, ordinary Ninjutsu were too limited. He had to create more advantages. He had considered synthesizing a Kekkei Genkai, but the difficulty was too high and his current development didn't allow it. A Kekkei Genkai was just an attribute; he would still need to develop numerous jutsus for it.
So, he set his sights on Secret Techniques. Secret techniques that could amplify Genjutsu—much like the clan-inherited jutsus of the Ino-Shika-Cho.
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