Chapter 190: A High-Difficulty Mission
Konoha Hokage Office.
Amidst Naruto's jubilant cheers, Team 7 finally received a higher-ranked ninja mission. This was a mission that required them to leave the village.
An old man entered through the doors, immediately mocking Naruto and the other children for their age and appearance.
"Heh heh, let's head out, Kakashi-sensei!"
After seeing off Team 7, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in silence for a moment, deep in thought.
"Go notify Tonbo. I have an important mission to entrust to him."
"Understood."
A dark shadow flickered and vanished.
Rooftop of the Hokage Building.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood silently, gazing at the scenery of Konoha. An Anbu perimeter had already been established; not even a fly could get through.
Whoosh!
Tonbo Tobitake suddenly appeared by his side. "Lord Hokage, has something major happened?" Tonbo asked.
In truth, he had already made an educated guess. The moment he received the Anbu notification, he had activated his sensory abilities. Sure enough, Kakashi's team had already followed a certain figure out of the village. He assumed Hiruzen was uneasy and wanted him to secretly protect the Jinchuriki, Naruto.
He understood why the Five Great Nations wanted to keep Jinchuriki as their ultimate trump cards. The power of a Tailed Beast was truly absurd—especially after he had spent the last few months researching the traces of Nine-Tails chakra Naruto had leaked.
That chakra possessed an incredibly potent Yang Release power. It could heal physical wounds at a rate far superior to his own Genjutsu: Self-Repair. And that was just a passive fraction of the Nine-Tails' power; there were likely countless more applications yet to be developed. If the Nine-Tails was like this, the other Tailed Beasts—judging by their feats in the original story—would be no less impressive, each possessing unique abilities.
Unfortunately, Tonbo's talent in Yang Release wasn't as high as his Yin Release. Otherwise, with his intellect, he felt creating a "pseudo-Nine-Tails" wouldn't be out of the question. One of his research findings over the past few months was that the Nine-Tails could extract chakra by combining negative energy from the world with its own physical form. This was likely the reason Tailed Beasts could reincarnate—as long as humanity existed, the Tailed Beasts could return.
Hiruzen waved his hand, and a barrier rose, sealing them in.
"This matter is of the utmost importance. There are few people in Konoha I can truly trust, but you are one of them. Therefore, this mission is one that only you can complete—and you are the best suited for it," Hiruzen stated.
?? Tonbo was confused. It's just protecting the Nine-Tails; why the massive display of secrecy?
"Many years ago, from the intel you gathered at the Hidden Rain and information collected by the Anbu, we learned of an organization called 'Akatsuki' taking root throughout the shinobi world," Hiruzen began. "I have also discovered that the person who summoned the Nine-Tails inside Konoha years ago was a member of this organization. A few years back, I planted a spy within their ranks. He has now appeared in the Land of Hot Springs. I need you to retrieve intelligence from him. I want to know exactly what the goal of this organization is."
Hiruzen didn't waste words, outlining the mission details directly.
"..."
After hearing the full explanation, Tonbo felt like ten thousand "grass-mud horses" were galloping through his mind. His deduction had been completely wrong. And the spy the Third was talking about... it had to be Itachi, right? He thought that was just a fan theory from his previous life—it turned out to be canon here!
"Itachi... is it Itachi?" he asked.
"Yes. To maintain secrecy, I have told no one. Now, only you know," Hiruzen confirmed.
"Understood," Tonbo replied.
He didn't ask further questions and accepted the mission immediately. With his current strength came confidence. Besides, if the Third was sharing a secret this deep, refusing would seem suspicious. This also gave him a chance to research the Hidden Hot Springs' mysterious religion—the Cult of Jashin—and their immortality techniques.
Hiruzen was highly satisfied. This was why Tonbo was trustworthy: beyond his Will of Fire, he possessed the competence and power to ensure he wouldn't be easily captured or interrogated. Even with Kakashi, Hiruzen didn't feel this level of certainty.
He gave Tonbo the secret codes and final instructions.
Whoosh!
Tonbo vanished from his sight.
"I hope this organization doesn't have any extreme intentions," Hiruzen muttered with a bad premonition. As he grew older, he wanted more than anything to keep Konoha out of war; he simply couldn't withstand another one.
He looked toward the direction Tonbo had disappeared. "Perhaps it is time to select the Fifth Hokage."
He had contemplated this for a long time. To keep the Daimyo's attitude toward Konoha stable, he had stayed in power to provide consistency. Now, he felt the time was right. The negative impact of the Fourth's death no longer weighed as heavily on the village's standing. After the joint Chunin Exams in two months, he would discuss it with the others.
He was tired. Thinking of his grandson, Konohamaru, he felt a bit guilty, but he was glad that excellent children like Ten'yu and Maki were there to push him. He also hoped for good news from Itachi's side.
Whoosh! Whiz!
Sigh... Instead of secretly protecting Naruto, I'm hunting down Itachi for an intel hand-off. This is troublesome, Tonbo thought as he leaped across the rooftops of Konoha.
Protecting Naruto would have been easy; he could just buy some sunflower seeds and watch the show from the shadows. At most, he'd dispose of Zabuza and Haku's bodies afterward to ensure one less enemy for the Fourth Great Ninja War. But involving Itachi was a different story.
That kid was hard to fight—mainly because you couldn't actually go all out. Itachi had to be saved for Sasuke's "power-up" later, and Kaguya was a job for the professional "Children of Destiny."
He was a bit worried about how to signal his intent to Itachi without being discovered by his Akatsuki partner. Itachi wouldn't easily let him into his mental space; the boy knew Tonbo's level of Genjutsu and wouldn't let a rival wander around in his mind. Itachi was a suspicious, cautious, and controlling individual.
"I guess a fight is inevitable."
Tonbo decided that a clash provided the best opportunity. Conveniently, his neural ninjutsu research had made small breakthroughs; he could now sever his nerve fibers after they invaded an enemy, leaving them behind to be activated later. This would also give him a chance to collect Itachi's biological data.
He really was a genius among geniuses. Itachi's physical information was definitely worth studying.
Back at home, Tonbo told his family he would be away on a mission for a while.
"Go with a peaceful mind. I'll take good care of the home," Tosei said, raising his hand and clenching a fist. Thanks to Tonbo's private tutoring, he was now an elite among ninjas. Even with one hand, he could defeat most Chunin—and if a Jonin grew careless, they might find themselves dead.
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