Chapter 95: Someone Else's Children
Atop the Hokage Rock.
Hearing Tonbo Tobitake's words, Kakashi gazed down at the village of Konoha below.
"It's nothing. That child deserves to have his own life without me interfering in it."
"Boring. If I were the Fourth's disciple, I'd be taking him out to play every single day," Tonbo said, curling his lip. He felt unsatisfied; he had expected a more interesting answer than that.
Guy added: "Then you need to hurry up and find that 'essence of love' in those books, Kakashi."
Encouragement and companionship were what Guy believed to be most useful for the younger generation, but being sensitive to his friend's feelings, he wouldn't overstep. Everyone had their own way of thinking.
"Mm," Kakashi remained silent.
Afterward, at Tonbo's suggestion, the three spent time discussing their understandings of Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and Genjutsu to progress together. This was one of the few ways they communicated as former classmates outside of eating and drinking. Tonbo had a family, while Kakashi and Guy were mission-obsessed workaholics; they didn't have much common ground regarding ordinary daily life.
All three were geniuses, capable of pushing one another. Without a "system," Tonbo's path to power naturally relied on such exchanges—from the Third's initial guidance to studying the works of predecessors and sparring with classmates. Even reading enemies' memories served as a collision of different ideologies.
Closing oneself off was never the way of the wise. Whether it was sparring, reading ancient scrolls, or occasionally teaching juniors, everything provided inspiration for self-improvement.
Both Guy and Kakashi had become Jonin at a very young age. Communicating with them was highly rewarding. Much like teaching students helped his own brain absorb knowledge faster, Tonbo believed that while one person's thoughts are talent, the collection of countless thoughts is true wisdom.
The intense discussion ended quickly, leaving all three feeling enriched. Tonbo went home to look after his kids, Kakashi snuck off to read his book, and Guy... went to carry out his "loser's penalty" for the race.
Swish! Swish!
Red tomoe flickered in the darkness of the night as Shisui appeared in the Hokage's office, kneeling before Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Lord Hokage, according to your information, no high-level members of the clan have left for missions recently," Uchiha Shisui reported.
Hiruzen mused, "Are there any Uchiha members who were left outside the village in the past?"
Mibu Shinobu was a core pillar of Konoha and a successor to the Will of Fire; there was no reason for him to lie about his report. Hiruzen had also verified with Danzo's men: the enemy definitely possessed the Sharingan.
Yet now, the Uchiha clan had no corresponding person missing. It was strikingly similar to the Nine-Tails incident. Even though the Uchiha were under ANBU surveillance, inexplicable things were happening.
There were only a few possibilities left:
Someone had stolen the Uchiha bloodline.The Uchiha had deceived everyone and had clansmen living outside the village who were taking action.There were lost bloodlines existing outside, much like the remnants of the Uzumaki clan.
"According to clan records, there are no Uchiha clansmen lost to the outside—at least not in the records since the end of the Warring States period," Shisui stated in detail. In the Warring States period, death tolls were higher and numbers smaller, making records even clearer.
However, a ninja excludes no possibility. Shisui was inwardly shocked that another "clansman" was roaming the outside world. Moreover, according to the Third's intel, this person likely mastered the Mangekyo Sharingan—and Wood Style. Those were the powers of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. One person possessing both was a heavy thought. This incident would only make the Uchiha's position in Konoha more passive and deepen the Hokage's suspicions.
Tap, tap, tap.
Hiruzen drummed his fingers on the desk, lost in thought. After excluding the impossible, too many possibilities remained. For instance, besides suspecting an internal Uchiha plot, he also suspected his disciple, Orochimaru. During Orochimaru's prime and the war years, many Uchiha died. While most eyes were recovered, some were lost. He suspected that during Orochimaru's human experiments, some Uchiha might have been abducted.
"You may go. Be sure to stay alert for any possible information," Hiruzen said.
"Yes!"
Shoom!
The Next Day.
Tonbo Tobitake was using a specialized technique to create several phantom beasts with cradles on their backs, letting his two little ones "fly" around the room.
"Wa-ee~!"
The two babies were incredibly excited, experiencing the sensation of flight. However, the fatherly bonding didn't last long before an ANBU arrived with a message: the Lord Hokage requested his presence.
Frustrated, Tonbo had to hand the children over to Ayame and head to the Hokage's office.
"So, how is it? Are the kids easy to handle?" Hiruzen Sarutobi teased with a smile. It must be a nightmare, right? Only those who have raised children know it's much harder than killing enemies on a battlefield. In his own family, only his eldest son, Shinnosuke, was somewhat stable. Asuma had given him enough headaches for a lifetime. Now that Konoha's current backbone had kids, Hiruzen expected him to be suffering the same way.
"They're great! No crying, no fussing. They recognized me as their dad the moment I got back. They smile every day and even let us know when they need a diaper change. It's effortless. I never thought raising kids could be this easy."
Tonbo felt fine. His two boys were incredibly easy to raise—nothing made him feel stressed. Though there were odd moments, like their clothes having a bit of dust on them in the evening. He had monitored them, but the two siblings were always peaceful. He hadn't found anything out of the ordinary.
"...Ea... Easy?"
Hiruzen's face was a map of question marks. The Sarutobi clan was large, and even with nannies helping while parents were on missions, he felt his head was about to explode dealing with his ten-month-old grandson, Konohamaru. The boy caused a ruckus constantly. Sometimes, Konohamaru would wait specifically until Hiruzen held him to pee on him. No holding, no peeing; as soon as he was picked up, it was a guarantee.
"Yeah. I heard your grandson was born a month before my kids. Surely he's even better behaved than mine?"
Tonbo noticed the Third's expression seemed a bit off. What's so hard about kids? They aren't toddlers with their own ideas yet. Not like Naruto, Konohamaru, or Hana Inuzuka—those kids were handfuls. But for babies under a year old? As long as they were safe and dry, it was easy. They'd laugh the moment you played with them and say "Papa" when asked.
Hiruzen was jealous. Good grief, aren't everyone else's kids supposed to be a nightmare? Why are yours the perfect 'other person's children'?!
"Alright, enough small talk. The reason I called you here is for serious business."
Hiruzen didn't want to talk about family anymore. Being confronted with "perfect children" was just too much.
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