Chapter 191: Land of Hot Springs
Night.
It was another lively evening. Before his mission, Tonbo paid his "dues" to his wife as per tradition. The passage of time was slow; her face was flushed deep red.
The next day.
Tonbo Tobitake removed his bandages, returning to his original appearance. Because his bandaged look had become quite famous and his basic profile was known by various nations, he decided to travel without them this time. He simply tucked the bandages—engraved with numerous sealing formulas—into his ninja tool pouch for emergencies.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Screech!
He moved swiftly, using the terrain to avoid every wandering gaze. Once clear of Konoha's gates, he used his Eye of the Creator to summon a soaring eagle and headed toward his target in the Land of Hot Springs. His white hair fluttered in the wind, and his mist-blue eyes were limitlessly clear.
On the road in the Land of Waves.
Boom! Boom!
Two explosive tags detonated. Meizu and Gozu, the Demon Brothers, only saw the tags out of the corners of their eyes at the last second and barely managed to block with their gauntlets. Both were sent flying backward.
"Naruto!" Sakura drew her kunai again, shielding Tazuna. She was the one who had thrown the tags.
"On it!" Naruto appeared behind the retreating brothers and lunged with a kunai.
Clang!
The Demon Brothers swung their gauntlets simultaneously, launching their chain to entangle Naruto. Caught by the sudden counter-maneuver, Naruto was grazed by the chain despite his best efforts to dodge.
Splatter!
A spray of blood flew. Suddenly, Sasuke appeared above them, slamming his fists into their necks.
Thud!
Both brothers were driven into the ground.
"Mmhmm. It seems you all have some combat experience after all!" Kakashi clapped his hands. Their handling of the situation was excellent—except for the reckless Naruto. Having this level of skill on their first mission outside the village was directly linked to the months of genjutsu training Tonbo had provided. The instinct to think clearly under pressure was hard to achieve without that kind of "stress testing."
Sasuke kicked the two over and inspected their headbands. "These guys are...?"
"Rogue ninjas from the Hidden Mist. The Demon Brothers, Meizu and Gozu," Kakashi explained.
Land of Hot Springs.
Koizumi Town.
"So relaxing!"
Tonbo Tobitake was soaking in a hot spring, the signature attraction of this land. These springs bubbled up from the seabed and had been developed into a massive industry. Because of this trade, the Land of Hot Springs was relatively peaceful, earning the Hidden Hot Springs the nickname "The Village That Forgot War." The favorable geography had caused their military strength to decline significantly.
Chirp! Chirp!
Several small birds flew down from the sky. Tonbo reached out and caught one. He closed his eyes as memories from the bird flooded back to him.
"Hmm... no intelligence on Itachi appearing nearby. I'll have to keep looking."
This was his third day of searching. In every new location, he used his Dotting Hand to create birds for reconnaissance. Fortunately, his chakra capacity was no longer what it used to be; he could support wide-range intelligence gathering easily. However, birds were just birds—gathering information in person was still necessary.
He finished his soak, stood up—revealing a magnificent physique—and dried himself off. He then changed into a tuxedo.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. The fashion in the Land of Hot Springs was quite advanced. It was the country that printed the most fashion magazines outside the Land of Fire. With less war, entertainment naturally flourished. He had always envied the tailcoats worn by butlers in anime in his past life; they looked so sharp. In this life, he finally got to fulfill a small personal hobby.
Adding a pair of gold-rimmed glasses to complement his mist-blue eyes, he looked elegant. Truly elegant.
Tonbo checked his map and began walking toward the Hidden Hot Springs Village. Since I'm here and there's no word on Itachi yet, I might as well check out the village. I might run into someone from the Cult of Jashin nearby.
After years of effort, he had managed to snag some intel on Jashinism. It was a cult that worshipped an evil deity and enjoyed human experimentation. Aside from being tolerated by certain depraved nobles who needed their services, they were mostly wanted criminals. Years ago, when Gato fought for control of the Land of Waves' docks, he had hired Jashinists. Those fanatics were fearless, wealthy, and obsessed with experiments.
Their primary secret technique was Death Controlling Possessed Blood, cursing an enemy using their own blood. However, according to his intel, this was normally a "mutual destruction" jutsu since the caster had to injure themselves to harm the victim. Crucially, most didn't have immortality.
Only Hidan, whom Tonbo remembered from the original story, possessed that. At this point in time, the cult should have completed their first successful immortal test subject: Hidan.
I wonder how far their research has progressed, Tonbo mused. Even if not every subject is as successful as Hidan, there should be some "sub-par" results, right?
Immortality and the blood curse were excellent abilities. Combined, they were even better. He was very interested in studying them. If he could achieve immortality himself, that would be ideal.
As he walked down the town road admiring the view, a female voice rang out.
"Hey, handsome! Stop right there."
He turned to see a girl with a ponytail and emerald-green eyes, appearing to be around seventeen or eighteen. Her figure was stunning; while her curves weren't as massive as Tsunade's, they were more balanced and aesthetically pleasing.
"Are you talking to me? Is something the matter?" Tonbo asked. Since he wasn't wearing his bandages, he assumed no one would recognize him. He glanced at her female guard, who stood nearby looking cold, a blade strapped to her back.
"I... hello. My name is Shizuka of the Nadeshiko. I challenge you to a duel!" Shizuka's face reddened slightly, but her voice was firm.
"...You might have some skill, but the gap between us is too wide. Besides, I don't know you. Did someone hire you to scout me?" Tonbo was speechless. He truly didn't know these women. Why fight in a strange place when he could be trying the local food or entertainment?
"No! I am the leader of Nadeshiko Village. Our tradition is to challenge the strong—and if the strong win, they must marry into our village. I believe you are powerful, so I am challenging you!" Shizuka said seriously.
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