Chapter 286: End of the Sand Village Mission
Konoha.
Tonbo Tobitake, who was in the middle of researching a new Yin Release nature transformation, suddenly felt a massive influx of memories.
"It's a bit of a pity I didn't get those puppets, but for the amount of chakra a Shadow Clone has, doing that much was already impressive."
Tonbo felt some regret over missing out on Sasori's various bloodline-limit puppets, but he was generally satisfied. He finally knew what was in Sasori's last scroll, satisfying a long-held curiosity.
For a puppet artist like Sasori, that kind of "instant" art was fundamentally not what he desired. In the original story, it made sense that he went easy on Chiyo; he was already seeking death. Perhaps in this real world, influenced by Tonbo's butterfly effect, Sasori's mindset had gained a bit more obsession or tenacity, leading him to fight without holding back. Or perhaps it was simply Tonbo's appearance—Sasori may have truly wanted to collect such a unique and powerful new puppet.
"That move was incredibly strong. To actually crack my Senjutsu: Divine Thunder Palace in one go—truly impressive!"
The Divine Thunder Palace Tonbo created was designed to continuously absorb natural energy and rain down lightning strikes. It could only be broken by destroying all three hundred lightning orbs simultaneously. Otherwise, the natural energy would simply birth new orbs, creating an endless barrage. In previous experiments, if no one broke the technique, it could last for half an hour until the internal energy expansion caused the jutsu to collapse under its own weight.
In terms of wide-area destruction, only his "Hurricane Phenomenon" and "Forced Execution" surpassed Divine Thunder Palace.
He created these varied jutsus not just for Senjutsu experimentation, but to provide his traveling Shadow Clones with diverse skill sets. This allowed him to deceive the world-ending villains into thinking he was just a "capable elite ninja" rather than some legendary figure transcending the Five Kage. He didn't want to be a superstar; he had a family and didn't want the spotlight ruining his domestic peace.
In his past life, celebrities couldn't even go to the bathroom without paparazzi. In the ninja world, being a "star" meant being targeted by rival villages and terrorist organizations. They would investigate him relentlessly, and if they couldn't track him, they would target his family. Thus, the strength Tonbo maintained in the public eye was never "God-tier"—he was simply a highly capable Jonin who had once served as Acting Hokage. In the ninja world, there were no official ranks like "Kage-level" or "Six Paths-level" above Jonin; it was simply common knowledge that a village's Kage was stronger and more versatile than an average Jonin.
"With shockwaves of that magnitude, I wonder if Lee and the others are okay? At most, they should just be injured. They weren't close enough to die," he mused.
He decided to stop worrying about Team Kakashi. He had already intervened after laying low for so long; Kakashi should be able to handle the rest. Besides, he didn't have any clones left in that area—they were all scattered across the world trying to find leads on the Kara organization.
And... while Deidara was a genius, he was young. He didn't hide his cards nearly as deep as Sasori did.
"Dad, did you get a new idea?" Tonbo Keigo asked. He was playing with his large toys and noticed his father's brief pause.
"How could it be that fast? Your dad might be a once-in-a-century genius, but I'm still just a genius, not a god..." Tonbo rolled his eyes.
Rain Village.
"Defeated by a strange ninja?" Pain muttered, listening to Zetsu's report.
"Yes. Who knew there were still such powerful ninjas out there? Supposedly, he was a survivor of a nation Sasori destroyed," Zetsu chuckled.
Pain looked out at the rain. "The wars between the great nations leave many small countries living in pain, eventually fading into despair. This only further proves that what we are doing is right. Only when everyone truly knows cruelty can they realize the importance of peace."
Konan added softly, "It's almost time. Yahiko's dream..."
An Unknown Base.
"Lord Orochimaru, are we finally moving against Sasori? After being entangled for so long, I've grown impatient. He's interrupted our experiments so many times." Kabuto adjusted his glasses as he listened to the plan.
Because Sasori had taken the mission to hunt Orochimaru, the latter had lost several secret bases and suffered heavy setbacks, hindering their research. They had been annoyed for a long time.
"Yes. The Akatsuki has begun to move. Weakening them is in our best interest," Orochimaru sat on a sofa, his eyes glinting like a predator's.
"And Sasuke...?" Kabuto hesitated. He didn't fully trust Sasuke. If the two of them left together, Sasuke might try to flee. Orochimaru's body transfer was approaching; he couldn't afford to wait another three years.
"I hope you two can hurry up. My training doesn't wait for anyone," Sasuke said, emerging from the shadows.
"Sasuke, you—!" Kabuto's face darkened at Sasuke's disrespect toward Orochimaru.
"It's fine. It won't take long. It will be very fast," Orochimaru laughed, unbothered by Sasuke's arrogance.
Tap, tap, tap. Sasuke didn't bother replying and simply turned to walk away.
Konoha.
Screech!
A messenger hawk from the Sand Village soared overhead. Shortly after its arrival, Tonbo was summoned by Tsunade for a high-level meeting.
"Kakashi is heavily injured, but the mission is complete. The Kazekage has been rescued and is safe. They will return shortly."
Tonbo, Jiraiya, Koharu, and other high-ranking officials were present. Hearing Tsunade's report, they knew the situation wasn't simple enough to justify such a large meeting.
Tonbo suggested, "Do they need a backup escort? Lord Jiraiya is here, and I can go meet them to ensure they don't run into more Akatsuki members."
"No need. Guy and the others are fine; it's just that Kakashi's injuries are severe. There is something more pressing," Tsunade said solemnly. "Since the Akatsuki has stepped out of the shadows, and given what happened to the Kazekage, I have sent letters to all major villages possessing Tailed Beasts, proposing a joint coalition to exterminate the Akatsuki."
"And their response?" Shikaku Nara asked.
Tsunade shook her head. "They refused. Furthermore, there is news from Shibuki, the leader of the Hidden Waterfall: their Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, Fuu, has been missing for half a month. She has likely fallen into the Akatsuki's hands."
Tonbo frowned. "So you're saying that against the Akatsuki, only Konoha, the Sand, and the Waterfall are willing to unite? The other three Great Nations have no intention of getting involved?"
"Correct," Tsunade said, her fist tightening. "Those pedantic fools."
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