Chapter 79: Intelligence Activities
Hidden Rain Village.
A hand reached out from the ground, followed by a figure clad in a raincoat identical to those worn by the local residents. Tonbo Tobitake surveyed the outside world from his concealed position.
He did not step into the rain. He knew that Nagato's sensory technique relied entirely on the rainfall. Using the Transformation Jutsu, he took on the appearance of an ordinary resident. He traveled through the earth using the Hiding in Surface Technique, using his sensory ninjutsu to navigate.
He found a tavern and took an opportunity to slip inside. Looking around, he noted it wasn't much different from the taverns in Konoha, aside from the different decor. At the moment, groups of ninjas were gathered in small clusters, talking.
"This time at the Fog-Stream River, I took down a massive aquatic beast. The thing was as tall as a building! But who am I? A single Rain of Thousand Needles and it was finished. The local villagers were so grateful they showered me with gifts. If I hadn't run fast, the village beauty would've insisted on marrying me."
"Tch, are there even any large beasts left in the Land of Rain? Lady Angel and the Messenger addressed all of them. You're just blowing smoke."
"There are always strays. Don't you remember it took the village Jonin a lot of effort to clear the local beast plague a while back?"
"The village environment is so peaceful now, all thanks to 'God' and Lady Angel. It's truly an honor to serve them."
Tonbo listened to the discussions around him. As a cup of sake went down, he felt the dampness of the past few days dissipate. He glanced at the protectors on their foreheads; these were all Hidden Rain ninjas. The "Lady Angel" and "God" they spoke of were undoubtedly Konan and Pain.
The ninjas didn't discuss Lady Angel in great detail; their words were filled with reverence but lacked actionable intel. It seemed information wouldn't be that easy to obtain. Then again, if he remembered correctly, Sai—Danzo's subordinate in the original story—had once assassinated a hardline leader in the Rain who opposed Konoha. This proved that infiltration wasn't impossible, but getting specific data on Konan and Nagato was the real challenge.
His eyes fell upon a paper sunny doll hanging in the tavern. He looked away instantly. The surveillance in the Hidden Rain was even more extensive than he had imagined. No wonder even Jiraiya met his end here. This was going to be difficult!
Underground.
The Breath-Hiding Barrier.
The three people other than Tonbo were waiting. Mibu Shinobu kept a close eye on the other two to prevent them from causing trouble. This was a secret instruction from his teacher; he didn't know why, but if his teacher said so, he believed it.
"It seems the Captain has successfully infiltrated," Enkui remarked.
They had been within the territory of the Hidden Rain for fifteen days now. As the captain, Tonbo had been outside gathering intel for a long time. By now, the enemy's sensory method was clear: it was the rain falling from the sky. The fact that they hadn't been discovered for so long meant their infiltration method was correct.
Enkui and Murakumo exchanged a glance. Mibu Shinobu scanned them; he sensed these two teammates had ulterior motives. No wonder Sensei wanted them watched. He felt the Third Hokage was getting a bit senile—sending teammates with divided loyalties on a mission this dangerous was asking for trouble.
"Don't do anything rash," Mibu said. "If the enemy spots us, it won't just be a failed mission—it'll compromise the Captain." He felt it necessary to lay down the law.
Murakumo, the fair-faced youth, gave a fake smile. "Our only goal is to complete the mission. We won't interfere with Captain Tonbo. However, we must be ready to provide support at any moment, shouldn't we?"
While he spoke to draw Mibu's attention, several small black rats scurried out from beneath his feet and disappeared into the tunnel they had come from. Enkui also made a slight noise to distract him.
"As long as you understand. Acting on your own is bad for everyone," Mibu said, failing to notice their subtle movements.
Enkui and Murakumo looked at each other, their faces expressionless, as if nothing had happened. Based on Lord Danzo's intel and their time spent together, they knew Tonbo was a sensory-type ninja and didn't dare pull any stunts in front of him. Today, they had timed Tonbo's departure and estimated his sensory range before making their move.
Mibu was ultimately too naive and underestimated their capabilities. However, while Mibu was channeling chakra to maintain the barrier, his left hand was hidden beneath his thigh, tapping out a distinct rhythm. He might not have seen their specific actions, but he remembered the intelligence training his teacher gave him.
When you confirm a teammate has a divided heart, you must treat them as a potential enemy in certain aspects. If an enemy draws your attention in this situation, it's a departure from their usual behavior—it means they've done something. In such a case, if you have a trustworthy teammate, you must signal them covertly. Mibu was ready to strike at a moment's notice.
Hidden Rain Village.
Tonbo Tobitake removed his hand from a ninja's head and quickly wove signs. He tapped the ninja's forehead near the pineal gland. Tiny runes flickered, surging into the man's brain.
Whoosh!
After completing the task, Tonbo vanished back into the ground. After he left, the ninja slowly opened his eyes, looking around in a daze. "Eh? How did I get here? Why did I come here?" He remembered he was just drinking a moment ago. Maybe he was just drunk? Shaking his head, he oriented himself and walked home through the rainy night.
In a temporary underground resting area—a space Tonbo had created with Earth Style—Tonbo sat thinking about the intel he had gathered. As a master of the Mind Reading Technique and the head of the Intelligence Division's Analysis Class, he was very thorough.
Due to the resistance of a ninja's mental and physical chakra, even he couldn't extract every single piece of information through mind reading alone. Therefore, he used some techniques from the Torture Force first to break them, then used mind reading to supplement the data and prevent errors. Finally, he used a sealing jutsu to lock away any memory of his presence.
"So that's it. The Rain Tiger at Will Technique... its ability to distinguish intruders is based on its long-term record of residents. It senses 'stranger' chakra that suddenly appears, which Nagato then perceives!"
Based on the intel from the Rain ninjas, his research into jutsu principles, and an analysis utilizing probability and human psychology, he was 90% sure this was the principle of Nagato's sensory field. As for why it wasn't 100%? He had a family to think about; he couldn't afford to be reckless.
He wished he had paid more attention to the details when watching Shippuden. Everyone knew Black Zetsu was black and White Zetsu was white, but who looked closely enough to see if Black Zetsu had pink fingernails? He was missing that final bit of detail on Nagato's sensing, otherwise, he would have cracked it long ago.
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