Chapter 97: The Twelve Guardian Ninja and the Near-Guard Agency
The Land of Fire. The Near-Guard Agency, under the command of the Twelve Guardian Ninja.
This is the direct armed organization belonging to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. Those capable of becoming the Twelve Guardian Ninja all rise from the ranks of this institution. After layers of rigorous screening, they eventually become the high-level leadership of one of the Land of Fire's supreme military bodies.
Aside from Konoha, this is the strongest armed force in the nation. As the agency directly responsible for protecting the Daimyo's residence, it is thanks to them that the Daimyo lives comfortably despite the various bounties placed on his head by different factions.
The agency houses some of the most elite ninja of the Land of Fire. Its ranks are filled with Konoha-born shinobi, monks from the Fire Temple, and elites selected from various noble families. With specialists in Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Barriers, Sealing, and Secret Arts, their protection is described as unbreakable. If the Twelve Guardian Ninja are the high-level officers, the Near-Guard Agency is the main army.
Every year, countless ninjas from the Five Great Nations, smaller villages, and rogue groups attempt assassinations, only to return in defeat. Individually, a ninja there might just be an elite Jonin—comparable to the likes of Asuma or Chiriku—but as a collective unit, their strength is terrifyingly coordinated.
According to Konoha records, during the Warring States period, there was a Tailed Beast rampage. The Twelve Guardian Ninja dispatched only five Jonin to handle it, and they actually killed the Tailed Beast. Yes, killed it—their combat methods were highly specialized. Even the Five Great Villages usually expect to lose countless Jonin just to seal a Tailed Beast. While killing and sealing differ in difficulty, it proves the internal might of the Daimyo's estate.
"The Near-Guard Agency is sending people to learn how to dispel Genjutsu... they're really squeezing us for all we're worth!"
Tonbo Tobitake pondered the intel regarding the Agency. Every few years, the Land of Fire sends personnel to "study" with ninja powers like Konoha or the Fire Temple. The Daimyo doesn't just rely on his own research; he learns from everyone.
This made Tonbo realize that the 80,000-strong Allied Shinobi Forces from the original story likely consisted largely of the regular military forces of the Five Nations. In his past life, people claimed the Third Hokage was a political genius, but compared to the Daimyo and the nobles, the Third knew next to nothing about high politics. Since the Warring States, the ones truly directing the world's course have never been the bloodline clans, but the Daimyo.
Of course, the cutting-edge power always resides within the Five Great Villages. However, anyone dreaming of controlling the Daimyo and seizing the nation with a simple Genjutsu is delusional. Controlling the Daimyo is about as difficult as Guy becoming Hokage.
"But the people from these agencies are hard to get along with," Tonbo noted.
The Daimyo and the nobles represent the absolute peak of society, and nobles usually come with a set of flaws—primarily looking down on commoners, much like how an Uchiha views an average person. Those in the Near-Guard Agency naturally look down on village ninja. They carry an inherent arrogance; without noble status, one must rely entirely on raw skill to earn their respect.
Nobles like the Sarutobi, Shimura, or the Ino-Shika-Cho trio were the easygoing exceptions.
Tonbo wasn't worried; he had absolute confidence in his abilities. The fact that they were coming to learn Genjutsu dispelling meant they acknowledged they had room for improvement. With his current strength—which could snag even a Sharingan or Rinnegan user—handling the Agency members would be child's play. He might even learn some non-Konoha ninjutsu from them, like Chiriku's "Thousand-Armed Murder" technique.
"Ayame, keep an eye on the little ones. I'm going to work."
After greeting Ayame and the two babies, Tonbo headed out into the dawn. He greeted acquaintances on the street. Upon reaching the Analysis Division and entering the Captain's office, he found Yamanaka Inoichi slumped over the desk, drooling.
"Hey, Director Inoichi, wake up."
"Huh? Who is it? Don't you know I'm sleeping?" Inoichi blinked blearily. He was met with a pair of pale blue eyes and silver-white hair. He froze. "Who are you?"
Still half-asleep, he didn't recognize him immediately. After seeing Tonbo's deadpan expression, it finally clicked. "Cough! It's you, kid. Why aren't you wearing those ugly bandages today?"
Looking at this face, Inoichi felt that Tonbo wrapped in bandages was much easier on the eyes. This level of looks was a serious threat to his position as the "Handsomest Man in the Intelligence Department."
Tonbo shrugged. "Couldn't be helped. I lost them on the last mission. The new ones aren't finished yet."
He actually wanted to wear them. As a married man, receiving constant winks from girls on the street was bad for his reputation. However, ordinary bandages were uncomfortable, and the new specialized bandages were difficult to craft. Creating a medium that can support a high-level sealing technique is far harder than making a standard sealing scroll.
"I'll leave things here to you. Do a good job; I'm exhausted from covering for you while you were gone." Inoichi patted his shoulder with a look of immense relief.
"Make some time for Ino," Tonbo said. "Don't wait until she's grown up to figure out how to be a father."
Inoichi looked at him with surprise. "Heh, since you had kids, you seem a lot more concerned about other children."
"Of course. The Will of Fire radiates from me at all times," Tonbo joked. "You just haven't seen it, but I've looked after the growth of many kids."
It seemed there was a reason the Third was loved by so many; the whole village was under his observation. Tonbo, Iruka, Naruto, and Kakashi had all been looked after by the old man. Even if he was a bit of a pervert who liked to peek through his crystal ball. The Third had surely seen Tonbo giving "extra lessons" to Hana Inuzuka and the others.
Inoichi, as the Head of Intelligence, had apparently missed these moments of "Will of Fire" brilliance, which Tonbo teased was a strike against his status as a successor.
"Is that so? Then I've been negligent. I'll make sure to bond with Ino." Inoichi scratched his head. He truly was lacking in father-daughter time due to the heavy workload, which was why he had been grumbling for Tonbo to return. He wasn't a power-hungry man.
After catching up, the two handled the handover. Tonbo needed to catch up on the Analysis Division's affairs from the last eight months. Actually, things had been quiet. It wasn't wartime, so it wasn't that busy. Many members had taken part-time gigs—Dokuraku was working as a teacher, and Seishimon had even served as a proctor for the Chunin Exams a few months back.
Everyone was so idle they could have gone to a construction site to move bricks. It proved Tonbo's choice was correct: the Analysis Division was the best place for a peaceful life. Even the "side missions" they took were generally simple tasks. Spy missions like his trip to the Land of Rain were extremely rare.
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