At Training Ground No. 98, two figures clashed in a blur of motion.
Clang! Their kunai collided.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Shuriken and kunai whistled through the air, cutting off Hiruzen Sarutobi's path of retreat. Tobitake Tonbo's hands blurred as he rapidly wove seals.
Psycho Mind Transmission: Depression.
Hiruzen took only one look at the boy's eyes before a sudden, heavy sense of world-weariness washed over him. The urge to block the incoming kunai and shuriken vanished instantly.
I'm so old... what's the point of living? I might as well just die right here.
The thought flickered through his mind for a split second.
"Holy crap! Am I actually going to kill the Third Hokage?"
Seeing Hiruzen go dazed and motionless after being hit by the jutsu, Tonbo panicked. If he actually killed the Sandaime, his life was over. He didn't have the power to roam the shinobi world as a rogue ninja; he just wanted to be a diligent worker and live a quiet life.
Poof!
The kunai and shuriken struck Hiruzen, but he dissolved into white smoke.
"A Shadow Clone?"
Tonbo breathed a massive sigh of relief. At the same time, he was secretly thrilled. His theory was correct—this type of Genjutsu was incredibly effective against ninja. Perhaps the fish hadn't understood the complex emotion of depression, only feeling a momentary confusion, but humans were a different story.
His idea was sound. But where was the real Hokage?
He looked left and right, scanning the area, pushing his sensory range to its maximum.
"Sigh... why be the Third Hokage? Wouldn't it be better to just raise my son, wait for a grandson, pick a Fourth Hokage, and enjoy my retirement? I don't want to move... not one bit. I'm so old, I should just lie down. No one would dare say anything to me anyway. Maybe I should just call it a day..."
Behind a massive tree, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat with his back against the trunk, staring up at the white clouds drifting across the azure sky. He couldn't stop muttering to himself.
Suddenly, his hands formed a seal. "Release!"
The gloom in his eyes instantly vanished, replaced by his usual sharp light.
"A terrifying technique. Using Genjutsu to transmit negative information directly to the enemy... even for a Shadow Clone, and even after the jutsu is released, the psychological impact lingers!"
Hiruzen still felt a lingering chill. That crushing sense of despair was something that even a veteran of a hundred battles like himself found difficult to withstand.
"Not bad, not bad at all. Your ninjutsu is excellent," Hiruzen said as he stepped out from behind the tree, having calmed his emotions. "However, this technique is quite potent. You must never use it on a comrade, understood?"
"Ah... is it really that powerful?" Tonbo asked. To him, it just seemed... okay.
His Psycho Mind Transmission series consisted of visual and tactile Genjutsu. They were triggered primarily through eye contact or physical touch. In his mind, they were tactical tools meant to break an enemy's balance for a split second. Powerful, yes, but he hadn't expected such high praise from the "Professor" himself.
Hiruzen was about to say more when a figure wearing an animal mask appeared.
"Lord Hokage, urgent intelligence from Orochimaru on the front lines."
Hiruzen nodded to the Anbu and turned to Tonbo. "I must get to work. Keep up the hard training."
Swoosh!
As the two figures vanished, Tonbo was in high spirits. It seemed his jutsu had depths he hadn't even explored yet—it really did pay to have human test subjects. Judging by the Hokage's tone, the move was a heavy-hitter.
It's probably related to the actual symptoms of clinical depression, he thought. His mind was sharp, and his job allowed him to absorb the experiences of many ninja. He could guess why it worked so well.
Depression was truly terrifying. If he could further develop this jutsu to evolve from "mental depression" to "physiological depression," it would be god-tier. According to the memory of a certain medical ninja he'd read, depression was categorized into mental and physiological types. Mental depression could be resisted with willpower, but physiological depression—where the body physically affects the mind—couldn't be overcome by spirit alone if the biological cause wasn't addressed.
Let's keep going. I'll spend the rest of the time on Taijutsu. For long battles, you have to rely on your body. Even in the original series, until the Fourth Great Ninja War, Taijutsu remained a ninja's most vital tool.
The war had taught him the benefits of Taijutsu firsthand. These two things combined—Genjutsu for high-end combatants and Taijutsu to efficiently deal with opponents using limited chakra—would be his path forward.
"Tell me, what intelligence is so urgent?"
Hiruzen returned to the Hokage's office, where Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane were already waiting.
Homura spoke first. "According to Orochimaru's report, the Third Raikage, A, died of exhaustion while acting as a rearguard for the Kumogakure forces during a battle with Iwagakure."
Hiruzen froze for a moment before nodding. "It seems the end of the war is near. Issue my command: send Team Minato to support Orochimaru's front. We must suppress the conflict with the Cloud in the shortest time possible."
"Understood." The Anbu ninja gave a short acknowledgement and vanished.
The death of a Raikage was a monumental event that would change the entire layout of the war. After Hiruzen finished his discussion with the two elders, he spoke to the shadows.
"Bring me the files on Tobitake Tonbo."
He remembered every ninja who graduated from the Academy, so he naturally knew Tonbo. Moreover, he had personally authorized the boy's promotion to Chunin not long ago. Soon, an Anbu returned with the documents.
"Sensory ninja, member of the Analysis Team... possesses high talent in Mind Reading techniques... skilled in Taijutsu and Genjutsu... Father was also in the Analysis Team... Dream is world peace and inheriting the Will of Fire."
A fine sprout indeed, and a child who carries the Will of Fire, Hiruzen thought, very satisfied with the report. Hashirama, Tobirama... I am passing on the Will of Fire for you.
Walking through the bustling streets of Konoha, Tonbo took everything in. He held a popsicle, licking it slowly as he thought about his encounter with the Third. He knew the Hokage giving him personal guidance definitely had a purpose behind it.
But he didn't care. He would just work quietly and find a wife who was gentle, virtuous, beautiful, and rich. He'd have two sons and two daughters and watch them grow up. That was his real dream.
However, he needed to keep leveling up his survival skills. If that had been an aggressive ninja instead of the Hokage, he might have died before he could even react. It showed the sheer gap in power—a Hokage-level shinobi could walk right up to a sensory ninja without being noticed.
Wait, Ichiraku Ramen?
Suddenly, he saw a very familiar storefront. He reached into his pouch and counted his coins—he had plenty of money, so he decided to head in. He wanted to experience the place the protagonist group loved so much. He was a worker, and he'd always be a worker; working was just a means to earn money and eat good food.
The goal remained: Stay alive. Do not try to save the world.
"Welcome!"
As soon as he stepped inside, a deep, friendly voice greeted him. He looked up to see a man around his father's age. This was Teuchi. He was clearly younger than in the anime, though he still had that look where you couldn't tell if his eyes were open or closed. He was busy prepping ramen for other customers.
Beside him was a beautiful girl around Tonbo's age.
This must be Ayame. She's actually quite pretty, Tonbo thought, his eyes lighting up.
"Hello! What would you like? I recommend the Seafood Ramen; it's our new special!" Ayame asked with a warm smile.
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