Chapter 187: A Massive Profit
"This technique is a bit dangerous for a Jinchuriki, Tonbo. Are you sure there won't be a problem?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, his voice laced with concern. If the Jinchuriki went berserk here, it would be a disaster. He looked at the students gathered; if things ended up like the images projected above Naruto's head, everyone present would die.
"I suggest stopping the Jinchuriki's training. It's too high a risk for the village," Kakashi added, sharing the sentiment.
The other ninjas nodded in agreement. They all knew the power of the Nine-Tails. If that seal broke, they had no idea how many lives it would take to seal it back up again.
Tonbo Tobitake replied calmly, "Rest easy. The Fourth's sealing jutsu is exceptionally strong. Even if a leak occurs, I can suppress it in an instant."
"???"
Question marks practically popped up over the heads of Hiruzen, Kakashi, and the others. Even the Hokage wasn't that confident, yet here Tonbo was, sounding absolutely certain.
"Hey, stop looking at me with that skepticism," Tonbo complained. "Just because you guys lack ambition doesn't mean I do. I haven't stopped studying for a single day. Not like you, Lord Hokage—you're buried in paperwork and have no time to practice. And Kakashi, Asuma... can you two honestly say you've been working hard? You're probably just doing the bare minimum to maintain your current level, right?"
In the shinobi world, once a body is fully matured, most people's chakra levels stabilize. High-speed growth stops, and it's during this plateau that many ninjas become complacent.
Kakashi scratched his head awkwardly. "That's a bit harsh. I work hard every day, you know!"
Hiruzen's face reddened slightly. It was true; he hadn't engaged in high-intensity training for a very long time.
Asuma, catching Kurenai's gaze, puffed out his chest. "How do you know we aren't working hard? I'm very diligent, right, Kurenai?"
Tonbo ignored them, instead absorbing the data from the Nine-Tails' chakra that Naruto had just leaked. "Kakashi, you're 26. The Fourth Hokage didn't even live as long as you have. You graduated earlier than him, too. Yet here you are, terrified of the Nine-Tails. That's a surefire sign you haven't been pushing yourself. Otherwise, you should have caught up to the Fourth by now, shouldn't you?"
"Ah... how can my talent even be compared to Sensei's..." Kakashi muttered, feeling defeated.
However, Hiruzen found merit in the words. He turned to Kakashi. "Tonbo has a point. You should strive harder, Kakashi. Minato would have wanted the student to surpass the master."
"Hahaha... well, about that..." Kakashi laughed nervously, trying to change the subject. "Still, we shouldn't take risks. We can't afford a 'what if'..."
"There is no 'what if.' If I dared to provoke the Jinchuriki, I naturally have the means to handle him. Don't underestimate me!" Tonbo declared.
"..."
Everyone fell silent. The Fourth gave his life to deal with the Nine-Tails—where did this guy get his confidence?!
Tonbo stopped talking and focused his attention on analyzing the graduates' biological data. He had successfully recorded the Nine-Tails' information. He was intensely curious about why Tailed Beasts possessed such gargantuan chakra. Furthermore, since Tailed Beasts had physical forms, he wanted to see if certain traits could be integrated into a human body to permanently increase chakra capacity.
Of course, Tailed Beast chakra lacked a biological foundation similar to humans, so it would take a long time to see results. For now, gathering data was enough.
Next was Sasuke's information. Sasuke had a significant amount of chakra, quite high for his age, but Tonbo's primary interest was the Sharingan. He had no interest in gouging eyes out, but while he was at it, he wanted to study them. Those eyes were a "bug" in the system—in his view, even more of a bug than the Rinnegan. Aside from raw ocular power, the versatile skills of the Sharingan were far superior.
As his nerve fibers made contact with Sasuke's eyes, delving deep into the internal structures, data slowly streamed into Tonbo's mind. Since it was his first time interface-ing with an Uchiha's eyes, the specific nuances would require further study.
The sun climbed from the east to the zenith and slowly dipped toward the west. Orange-red light bathed the faces of the group.
Despite Tonbo's genjutsu trickery and the secret medicinal pills, many students couldn't hold on. After a certain duration, they gradually dropped out of the illusion. The intense mental strain caused them to fall into a deep sleep the moment they exited—a natural defense mechanism of the body.
Only about a dozen people were still holding out, which surprised Tonbo. Aside from the nine members of the "Rookie 12," there were others who persisted. It seemed talent wasn't strictly limited to the main cast.
Seeing that the Jinchuriki hadn't caused any problems after all this time, the others began to trust that Tonbo's genjutsu wouldn't cause a disaster.
"That's probably enough, Tonbo. Their minds are at their limit," Hiruzen said, watching the projections. Even as a battle-hardened veteran, he had never experienced such a high frequency of combat during his time on the front lines. He knew how much mental pressure this put on a ninja. Their chakra was only holding up because of the pills, and he feared long-term damage.
"Understood."
Tonbo nodded. "Release!"
He dispelled the genjutsu.
Thud!
The moment the illusion broke, Sakura collapsed and fell asleep on the ground. Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino did the same. Even Kiba only managed to open his eyes long enough to glance at Tonbo before passing out.
"I won't let you hurt Naruto!" Hinata snapped her Byakugan open. Looking at the people surrounding her, she instinctively moved to use her Gentle Fist.
Snap!
"It's over, Hinata," Tonbo said.
"Over?" Hinata looked around with her Byakugan, checking their chakra signatures. Then she looked at Naruto. Recalling her "dreams" in the simulation, her face instantly hit "Red-Hot" temperature, and she fainted from embarrassment.
"You bastards! Don't think you can fool me by transforming into my friends again! Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Naruto opened his eyes and saw the familiar faces. Thinking he had just entered another layer of the illusion, he wove the signs immediately. Hundreds of Narutos appeared and launched a massive coordinated kick toward Tonbo.
"Looks like there's still a bit of a bug. Psycho Mind Transmission: Pain."
Tonbo wove a single seal. Every Naruto looking at him was suddenly hit with excruciating agony.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
The clones collapsed instantly. Naruto's original body, having absorbed the cumulative pain of the clones, slumped to the ground.
"Dammit... that move again..." Naruto groaned. That specific technique was the ultimate counter to his Shadow Clones.
"Idiot, we aren't in the genjutsu anymore," Sasuke said, waking up. He looked at Tonbo with shock in his eyes. In that short span of time, he had experienced hundreds of intense battles. He felt stronger—strong enough to beat ten of his former selves.
"Alright, the reward is over. Remember to come to school tomorrow to be assigned your squad leaders," Tonbo said with a grin.
This "Battlefield Simulation" had been a massive profit.
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