Chapter 127: Celestial Phenomena
Patter, patter...
A misty drizzle fell from the sky, drifting down bit by bit. A smile bloomed on Tonbo Tobitake's face as he felt the moisture against his skin.
"After such a long time researching nature transformation, I've finally developed a nature that can deceive the weather itself."
Ordinary genjutsu, simply put, is the disruption of an enemy's chakra to cause hallucinations. However, a ninjutsu that controls the weather is no ordinary genjutsu. To achieve something that can "deceive" nature, it would be impossible to complete without a solid foundation. An illusion that warps reality cannot be a standard technique; it always comes with a price.
Therefore, his concept had been set from the very beginning: much like his "Touch of the Finishing Stroke," he would use a special nature transformation to complete the process of deception. It took over a year of development to finalize this nature transformation.
To deceive the celestial phenomena, one needs a meticulous and profound understanding of how various weather patterns are formed. He had essentially become a meteorologist. Fortunately, he had a sharp mind; if it were someone with a head like Naruto's, their brain would likely explode before they could learn it. This was precisely why developing this ninjutsu had been so difficult.
"Uncle Tonbo, you did it!" Yakumo Kurama walked over happily, looking at him.
"Yeah, I finally finished it. But... why do I feel like I can't see a future for this?" Tonbo scratched his head, feeling a bit conflicted. It seemed that for actual combat, it still wasn't as practical as Five Senses Manipulation.
Yakumo asked, "A future? Isn't this wonderful?" This was controlling the weather—it was like the power of a god. She had never heard of any ninja in the village who could control the weather! Well, except for herself.
"Because it feels like it won't be very useful in a fight. Unless another Great Ninja War breaks out and I need to create a geographical advantage for ninjas with specific elemental attributes."
Against an individual—especially for a Jonin like himself—consuming so much chakra to create a terrain advantage that the enemy might also exploit felt rather foolish. Or, like Sasuke's Kirin, it might be useful, but only to a limited extent. The main issue was that every "Celestial Ninjutsu" required a deep understanding of that specific weather pattern to create a new technique, making it a massive undertaking.
"Why does it have to be for fighting? There are many other things it can be used for, aren't there?" Yakumo said, puzzled. In her heart, Tonbo was already very strong. Even if this jutsu wasn't used for battle, it could be applied elsewhere.
Tonbo paused, then smiled. "Perhaps that's just a ninja's sense of crisis. I always feel like danger could strike at any moment. That feeling of not knowing which will come first—tomorrow or an accident—forces me to strive to become stronger."
"However, you're right. In other aspects, this ninjutsu can achieve many things." Just like that clan that "sells" weather, this could be turned into a business, though he wasn't short on money now. It could be treated as a "lifestyle ninjutsu," much like the Eye of the Creator Technique he invented, providing convenience in daily life. It was just that his original intention was combat; failing to meet that ideal left him with a slight sense of regret.
"Then that's fine! And besides, maybe you can develop other techniques later on?" Yakumo suggested.
"Haha, you're right. Next, I'll stay and paint with you for a while. I've actually learned a lot from you."
He dispelled the dark clouds in the sky. Instantly, the gloom vanished, and a vast rainbow arched across the horizon like a smile, mirroring the expressions of the two below.
Thud, thud!
"What is that? Is it telling me that as long as I work hard, the clouds will part and a rainbow will appear, allowing me to surpass those geniuses? I won't give up!"
A child with a ponytail and the face of a protagonist stopped his fists from striking the wooden post. He looked up at the rainbow revealed by the suddenly dissipating clouds. This sudden beautiful weather seemed to encourage him, and a surging fighting spirit welled up in his heart. He believed that through hard work, he would surely surpass those geniuses.
The Tobitake Household.
A hand-painted picture was hung on the wall of the room. It depicted a rainbow after dark clouds, with the scenery of Konoha and the estate below; two figures, one large and one small, had set up easels in the frame. Their slightly curved lips and subtle body language suggested they were chatting and laughing.
On the table beneath the frame stood a photo of Tonbo smiling and patting the heads of Iruka and Mibu Shinobu, while Mibu Shinobu squatted in the middle. On the corner wall, a family portrait was also displayed. The two complemented each other, making the room feel exceptionally warm.
"Dad, where did you get this painting? Who is that woman?" Tianyu stood to the side watching, pointing at the woman in the painting.
"That's a big sister—a very hardworking big sister."
"A big sister? Can I ask her to paint for me?"
"Hmm? What do you want painted?"
"I want to paint a cool version of myself. Put my head up there on the Hokage Rock!" Tianyu imagined his own head hanging in the most prominent place in Konoha, feeling quite smug.
Donk!
Tonbo gave him a flick on the forehead. "If you want it up there, you have to work hard yourself. What's the point of painting it?"
"I will! When I become the Hokage, Dad, you'll be my subordinate. Then I'll order you to take me out to play every day and buy me delicious food!" Tianyu clutched his head, giggling.
"Don't just talk. If you can actually become the Hokage, I'll buy you all the snacks you like every single day." Tonbo wanted to laugh at his son's ambition. He would support his son in whatever he wanted to do, but he himself would absolutely never be the Hokage.
Whether it was the First, Second, Third, or Fourth—every generation was a workaholic, so busy that they couldn't accompany their families. The Second was even more tragic, he didn't even have a wife. The Sixth was the same... Heavens, poor kids.
"Then it's a deal!" Tianyu's mouth watered at the thought of having snacks every day.
"Alright, that's that. I'm going out to get some things done. Look after your sister." Tonbo smiled and disappeared from the room with a poof.
"Haha, great! When I'm Hokage and Dad buys the snacks, I'll let my sister carry them for me, and I'll give her half!" Tianyu clenched his fists, full of excitement.
"Brother, what are you doing? What snacks are you giving me half of?" Maki appeared at the door, clutching a teddy bear and looking bleary-eyed.
Tonbo appeared at the Intelligence Department and began querying geographical information both inside and outside the Land of Fire. He hadn't given up on using the "Celestial Deception" ninjutsu in battle. How could he discard years of results just like that?
Weather phenomena can be used for combat; that much was certain. Whether it was Yakumo Kurama or the concept of "Kirin", using ninjutsu to control weather proved its power. Another example was Uchiha Madara's Tengai Shinsei. These all belonged to natural phenomena materialized through ninjutsu.
The nature transformation he had grasped allowed him to deceive the naturally flowing substances of heaven and earth, materializing them according to the causes of weather formation. It was like mastering the 0s and 1s of a computer; the deeper your understanding of nature, the more diverse the celestial phenomena you could program.
For this search, he wanted to find locations where natural weather phenomena existed so he could study them and replicate them.
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!