Chapter 81: Assassination Techniques
Puchi!
Tonbo Tobitake drew a kunai. Waiting until the Chunin Hayakawa had finished his lunch, he drove the blade straight through the man's chest.
"Sorry about that."
"Mind Reading Technique."
While the neural signals were still active, Tonbo's spirit delved into the man's memories like a traveler through a time tunnel. Before long, he had absorbed the majority of the man's past.
Tiger-Tiger-Horse-Snake—
"Seal."
A scroll at his waist unfurled, and sealing formulas surged out, dragging Hayakawa's corpse inside. The character for "Corpse" appeared in the center of the seal.
Poof! With a plume of smoke, Tonbo transformed into Hayakawa's exact likeness.
"Genjutsu: Deception."
He applied another layer of illusion specifically designed to counter the Rain Tiger at Will Technique. This was the jutsu he had spent five days developing; it could deceive external probes. Any chakra-based detection would automatically feed back the specific chakra signature information he had collected.
Since completing the development of this technique, he had spent the past month searching for a suitable target. After a month of observation, Tonbo had gained a thorough understanding of this Rain Chunin's daily routine, rank, social circles, and interpersonal relationships. He had also absorbed the man's chakra signature during the process.
Supplemented by the Mind Reading Technique, he was now Hayakawa in every sense, save for those extremely close to the man. But Tonbo had specifically chosen Hayakawa for his mediocre social life—a commoner background whose closest ties were merely his superior and his three subordinates.
His routine was simple: as a squad leader, he spent his days leading his team on missions. Through this, Tonbo learned even more about the Hidden Rain.
In the past, the village had been isolationist, and even a Konoha Jonin like Tonbo knew very little about it. Now, he finally had a clear picture. The Hidden Rain was a village with highly developed assassination capabilities, favored by various factions across the nations. Because of this, they thrived; they lacked the mission resources of the Five Great Villages, but they possessed far more assassination contracts than any other village.
This reminded him of the Guardian Shinobi Twelve, like Asuma and Chiriku. It was likely that the squabbles between Daimyos and nobles frequently involved hiring Rain ninjas. Hayakawa's last mission had been the assassination of a minor noble in the Land of Birds, proving that the Rain's hidden mission resources were substantial.
"No wonder Konan is said to have six hundred billion explosive tags. Besides Kakuzu's hard work, the bulk of the funding likely comes from the Hidden Rain's home base."
"Well then, from now on, I am the Hidden Rain Chunin, Captain Hayakawa."
Tonbo picked up a specialized ninja tool—a weapon disguised as an umbrella. According to the memories, this tool, combined with Hayakawa's unique ninjutsu, was perfect for certain types of assassinations. The Hidden Rain placed great emphasis on the development of individual abilities. The so-called "squad leader" role was merely to guide fresh genin through their initial missions. Most high-level work consisted of solo assassinations; team-based hits were rare. Thus, every ninja promoted to Chunin had their own unique killing method.
Next, he would familiarize himself with Hayakawa's behavioral patterns and slowly begin his deep-cover espionage. He wanted to see if his intelligence-gathering skills could, in some ways, surpass even Jiraiya's. This was getting interesting!
Screech!
High above Konoha, a hawk landed on the perch of the Intelligence Department. A ninja retrieved the message, decoded the cipher, and hurried to the Hokage's office with the report.
"Hiruzen, this head of your Analysis Class is a remarkable spy. Are you sure you won't reconsider handing him over to me? He would be far more valuable in my hands than in yours," Shimura Danzo remarked.
After over two months of exploration by Tonbo, the reports being sent back were becoming more detailed, providing a deeper understanding of the Hidden Rain. Danzo highly admired Tonbo's talent; in his heart, the man's espionage skills were now among the elite even by Root standards. If he could control him, Tonbo's intelligence gathering would bring immense benefits to Konoha.
"Stop dreaming. That is impossible."
Hiruzen knew his old friend all too well. Putting Tonbo in Root would only turn him into a tool who would use any means necessary to complete a mission, losing his humanity in the process.
Hiruzen finished reading the report: "The current leader of the Hidden Rain calls himself 'God' and rarely appears before the common ninjas. Most affairs are led by his subordinate, a ninja known as 'Angel.' Hanzo of the Salamander... is dead!"
The report made him frown deeply. Hanzo, the "Demi-god" of shinobi and considered one of the strongest after the First Hokage's era, had died during the Third War at the hands of someone calling themselves "God." Anyone who lived through the Second War knew how troublesome Hanzo was. If he truly died in battle against this "God," then the title was perhaps not an exaggeration.
"It seems the Land of Rain, which once sparked the Second War, has birthed another powerful ninja." Danzo thought of the boy with the Rinnegan, his eyes darkening. Such power could not remain in the hands of an enemy; the threat to Konoha had to be eliminated.
Soon. He had already deciphered the Rain's sensory capabilities and had quietly sent more spies in. He would find him, kill him, and take those eyes.
"Danzo, you can recall those two subordinates of yours now. Tonbo has successfully infiltrated the village interior. Don't let them stay too long; if they are discovered, it will compromise Tonbo's work," Hiruzen ordered after a moment of reflection. He realized he had been rash; the enemy's perception covered the entire country, making numbers useless.
Danzo replied, "No. Since they haven't been spotted for this long, there's no need to worry. I believe they are better off staying there. If Tonbo steals the intel but is discovered, they can provide immediate support so he has a chance to send the information back."
Hiruzen pondered for a moment. "Then tell them to remain quiet and do nothing reckless." He knew Danzo's "by any means necessary" personality, so he gave a stern warning. Danzo nodded, though he was dismissive in his heart. Besides those two, he had already dispatched several other teams now that the sensory rain had been "cracked."
"Waa-ee~"
Tianyu and Maki, the two infants, held their Tonbo figurines, refusing to let go while happily nursing. Over three months had passed, and the babies were becoming cuter by the day, losing the wrinkled look of newborns.
Suddenly, both babies began to make "Wu-wah! Wu-wah!" sounds. Ayame was confused—weren't they already eating?
Flutter, flutter!
Two small birds resembling parrots appeared outside the window. The babies' eyes widened as they watched.
"Safe, safe! All is safe, don't worry!" the parrots spoke. Then, they landed in front of Ayame and transformed into two bamboo-woven figurines.
"Waa-ee!" The two babies suddenly burst into laughter.
"Honestly, I feed you every day and you never laugh this happily. The moment there's news from your father, you're all smiles, aren't you?" Seeing the parrots turn into figurines, Ayame knew Tonbo was safe, and her heart found peace. But looking at the two giggling rascals, she felt a sudden wave of playful jealousy.
Just wait until you get back, Tonbo. I'll "settle the score" with you then.
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