Chapter 93: Dangerous Person
The Hidden Rain Village.
The Six Paths of Pain stood once more atop the high tower, gazing down at the residential buildings below. Nagato's main body had acted personally, utilizing the power of the Rinnegan—far superior to that of the puppets—to break Tonbo Tobitake's seal from the outside and retrieve the Six Paths puppets.
"Yo, is that guy really that strong? It seems cooperating with you to change the world might be a bit difficult!" The Swirl-masked man stood beside them, teasing the Deva Path. He hadn't expected Nagato, possessor of the Rinnegan, to stumble so badly at the hands of an ordinary Konoha ninja.
Whoosh!
A cold breeze blew through the heights, making their robes rustle.
"He is indeed a remarkable ninja," the Deva Path replied calmly. "Though he lacks your boastful Sharingan, his Genjutsu is no inferior to it. As for not wanting to cooperate, you are free to leave. I never begged for your help; you're the one who forced yourself upon us."
The Deva Path cast a cold glance at him. He didn't refute the comments about Tonbo's strength; he had indeed been blindsided. So that is a Konoha genius? Jiraiya-sensei was right; the flow of talent in Konoha never runs dry. But next time, he wouldn't let the man escape so easily.
"Ah, just a joke. We're still partners. After all, if a ninja even you can't handle exists, finding someone else might not help," the masked man laughed. More importantly, physiques suitable for the Rinnegan were far too rare.
As for being no inferior to the Sharingan? You know nothing of its true power.
"Konan, has Zetsu gathered intel on that guy yet?" the Deva Path asked.
Konan produced a file. "Yes, but not much. Although he's a Konoha Jonin, he's too low-profile. Zetsu never paid him much attention, so this is just general information."
The Deva Path scanned the file. "Veteran of the Third War... from the Analysis Division... possesses exceptional Mind Reading and sensory abilities... outstanding Genjutsu... currently the Captain of the Analysis Division..."
A plain Jonin resume. No grand background.
"A civilian genius? It seems Konoha has produced another figure like the Sannin or Minato Namikaze." The Deva Path felt the weight of his goal, but he wouldn't abandon his ideals. By starting with small nations, raising funds for Akatsuki, and slowly cannibalizing the mission resources of the great nations, he would eventually weaken the hidden villages until they were powerless.
"Comparable to the Fourth Hokage? He's not in that league," the masked man scoffed. "I fought the Fourth; I know his power and talent. If I hadn't used a plan to eliminate him, Konoha would be even stronger today." He thought back to his battle in Konoha—without the Nine-Tails and White Zetsu's power, he would have fallen within a few rounds.
Konoha Streets.
Passersby cast strange looks at the odd human walking on his hands. Tonbo Tobitake, having been recognized, could only offer an awkward laugh. "I actually have something to do, I'll be going now."
He turned to leave.
"Tonbo! I heard you completed another S-rank mission! That's incredible! Come, face me in a hot-blooded battle of youth!" Guy flipped upright, issuing his challenge.
Since it had come to this...
Tonbo had a sudden inspiration. "How about this? We won't fight with Taijutsu. We'll race on our hands. Let's see who can do five laps around Konoha first." Having nothing better to do, he decided to have some fun.
"Eh?" Guy's eyes sparkled. Tonbo finally acknowledged his training method! "Yosh! This is what youth is all about!"
"Come on then, let's see who finishes first."
Poof!
The moment Guy finished speaking, Tonbo transformed. The handsome Tonbo Tobitake was gone. In his place was a man wearing an identical red jumpsuit, a green bowl cut, and a face resembling a certain comedic actor. Tonbo summoned a mirror, looked at himself, and nodded in satisfaction.
"Alright! Scorching youth! The five-lap handstand race begins!" He immediately flipped onto his hands and winked at Guy.
Guy was stunned, his finger trembling as he pointed. "Why... why did you transform?"
"Are you running or not? I'm already prepared. Surely you're not afraid of losing?" Tonbo taunted.
"Dammit! I won't lose to your hideous 'Red Youth'!" Guy felt insulted by the color choice—green was the true color of youth. Driven by the need to win, he also flipped onto his hands and began sprinting with his arms. "I'll definitely beat you, you ugly Red!"
"Hilarious! How can your pathetic Green compare to me?"
"Aha! Green is the color of youth!"
"My hair is green too, so I'm youth as well!"
Slap-slap-slap!
The sounds faded into the distance. The watching residents burst into laughter. Those jumpsuits and those colors were just too tacky.
"I know that guy, he's the son of Might Duy, the Eternal Genin."
"Oh, him? That makes sense."
"Who's the red one?"
"Maybe his long-lost brother."
From that day on, a legend of "Konoha's Dual Colors" was born. But while Guy was recognized, the identity of the red figure remained a mystery. Only the world where Guy was hurt was achieved.
Truth be told, running shamefully through the streets under a transformation felt strangely exhilarating for Tonbo. Oh my god! Is this the mindset of those short-video bloggers who wear superhero suits and dance in public? It's... actually relaxing.
After high-stress missions, a bit of public humiliation was a great way to unwind. He was enjoying it, but Guy was dying of embarrassment next to him. Damn, this guy's red jumpsuit is too shameful! It's so tacky! Guy felt the residents' gazes and realized today's youth felt like a crime. He hadn't expected Tonbo to be this "uncultured"—he decided he'd never race Tonbo like this again.
The Red and Green streaks of youth blurred past, leaving residents dumbfounded. Even the Uchiha Police Force patrolling the area didn't want to get close, feeling like their eyes were being assaulted.
"Dammit! If I lose to you, I'll do 1,500 leg kicks and 800 push-ups today!" Guy vowed, putting a "Self-Rule" constraint on himself.
Tonbo's hands moved fast, keeping neck-and-neck with Guy. His Taijutsu was top-tier, a necessity he had trained for future "celestial" threats. Against Guy, he had no fear. Besides, this wasn't his real face, so he didn't care about his reputation.
Just as they passed a training field, a suspicious voice rang out: "Hey, Guy? Tonbo? What on earth are you two doing?"
Crack-crack!
Guy and Tonbo instantly petrified. Being caught racing with such a tacky-looking Tonbo was too much.
Crap! Tonbo cursed inwardly. He had been so relaxed being home that he hadn't maintained his anti-detection sensory barrier. He had been caught red-handed.
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