Chapter 150: Alas! A Youth Filled with Hatred
"Well, well, Hijiri Shimon. So it was you who ruined my reputation!" Tonbo Tobitake said with a sinister tone.
"No, no! I only spread the title 'Captain Tonbo.' I didn't ruin your reputation!" Shimon felt incredibly awkward; he had just finished boasting when the man himself appeared.
Wait, shouldn't the Captain be leading the pursuit squad to bring Itachi Uchiha to justice? Why is he still in the village?
"Just talking about it makes me furious. Genjutsu: Eight Scents of Fire—Amplified Version!"
Tonbo disliked anything chuunibyou, especially the cringeworthy kind. The mere thought of that robot with a microphone made him feel embarrassed. Now, thanks to Shimon, everyone could call him "Captain Tonbo."
Thus, he rewarded Shimon with an amplified version of his genjutsu. As his knowledge of ninjutsu and genjutsu accumulated over the years, his other abilities grew passively, even if they weren't his primary focus of research.
"Blegh—"
In less than a second, Shimon began to gag. Various tastes merged in his mouth, giving birth to new flavors, which then combined into even newer ones. His left brain couldn't process the overload of gustatory information and simply cut out, causing his body to undergo a rejection reaction. He almost threw up bile on the spot.
Tonbo withdrew the genjutsu at the appropriate time. Even so, tears streamed down Shimon's face. It wasn't just because it tasted bad—at this point, he couldn't even taste anything—it was a natural physical reaction to the body's defense mechanisms being overwhelmed.
Dokuraku Mawashi watched, breaking into a cold sweat. He was glad he hadn't said anything wrong. Tonbo's genjutsu was becoming increasingly terrifying.
"Hmph. Let's see if you dare gossip about your superior behind his back again," Tonbo huffed.
However, the efficacy of this move surprised him. Looking at the results, this could be quite useful in combat! It was extremely fast, giving enemies no time to break the illusion; they would have to be on guard before it even hit. Otherwise, they'd have to accept their left brain disconnecting from their motor signals.
What started as a sudden flash of inspiration based on years of accumulated knowledge had unintentionally become a powerful tool. Though it seemed minor, its utility was immense. He had subconsciously applied medical knowledge learned from the Konoha Hospital.
In medicine, the left brain is primarily responsible for logical understanding, memory, time, language, classification, logical analysis, writing, reasoning, and the senses of smell, touch, and taste. Therefore, the left hemisphere is the "conscious brain," the "academic brain," and the "language brain."
If one could overload the left brain from a single sensory angle, they could sever the opponent's ability to analyze, reason, and understand logic. For a ninja, this was fatal. Without the ability to analyze, a ninja becomes a lamb to the slaughter. A simple kunai could end their life.
"I won't do it again, I won't do it again!" Shimon cried out in misery.
Soon, he realized the state had vanished, leaving him only with the urge to dry heave. Looking at the wet patches on the ground from his involuntary tears, it was clear his body had suffered a severe adverse reaction. He smacked his lips and moved his limbs, finding that the experience felt like a hallucination.
Tonbo noted this; it seemed that as soon as the genjutsu was lifted, the left brain quickly reconnected and took back control of the body. He filed this away in his mind.
"Ahem. I heard your wife is almost due. Well? Did the check-up say if it's a boy or a girl?" Tonbo asked.
Shimon had good luck; he actually managed to find a wife and keep up with Tonbo's pace. Truly a former teammate and current subordinate. Kakashi, Might Guy, Raido Namiashi... those guys were still single dogs, a total disgrace to their graduating class.
"We didn't check. My wife said that whether it's a boy or a girl, we'll raise them well. It's better to leave it as a surprise." Mentioning his wife, Shimon's "bitter melon" face vanished, replaced by a silly grin. He cast a smug glance at Captain Mawashi. Among them, only he and Tonbo had wives and children; he was proud.
Mawashi clenched his fist and said harshly, "You brat, what's with that look? If I didn't lack the Division Head's skills, I'd definitely make you experience that taste too."
Is it that I don't want to get married? Mawashi wondered. The work at the Analysis Division isn't that busy lately, so why can't I find a wife? Mawashi began to question if there was something wrong with his orientation. Shimon just chuckled.
"Alright, Division Head, did you come here for something specific?"
Mawashi knew some of the intel. Tonbo was currently Konoha's "manufactured hero" and was supposed to be in hiding to make the villagers believe he was pursuing Itachi Uchiha. However, he looked at Tonbo's face—removing the bandages was indeed one way to hide in plain sight.
"I came because I want to know who is handling the disposal of the Uchiha clan's bodies. Is it the Analysis Division or someone else?" Tonbo asked.
Since he was being forced to carry such a heavy burden of "karma" for the village, he had to get something out of it. He wanted to see if the ANBU were handling it or if the task had been delegated to his division. He didn't have high hopes, though.
As expected, Mawashi replied, "The Uchiha matter is being handled entirely by the ANBU. They took charge of the bodies; nothing was transferred to the Analysis Division or the Medical Department."
In normal procedures, whether it was a villager's body or an enemy's, they would pass through the Medical Department's Body Disposal Squad or the Analysis Division. This was either to destroy secret medicinal components, chakra residues, and traces of ninjutsu on allies, or to dissect and analyze the secrets of enemies.
"ANBU, huh? Forget it then. I wanted to analyze them to see how much Itachi Uchiha's abilities have improved to be able to wipe out the clan. I wanted to get a feel for his depth."
Tonbo didn't dwell on it. It would have been a nice bonus, but he wasn't discouraged. The Uchiha's abilities were strong, but his own methods weren't weak either. He just wanted a reference—and perhaps some compensation for his damaged reputation. Once the ANBU took over a case, other departments no longer had jurisdiction.
In front of the Memorial Stone.
Countless ninjas dressed in black stood to the side, mourning the members of the Uchiha clan. With so many dead, the village had to keep up appearances. Led by the Third Hokage, the ninjas placed chrysanthemums one by one to show their respect.
With death, sins are dispersed. No matter how extremist the Uchiha had been or if they had planned to rebel, now that they were gone, no one said anything disparaging.
Only one youth stood before the Memorial Stone in silence. He watched the people offer their condolences to his clan elders. His fists were tightly clenched, and his eyes were filled with confusion.
Dead. They're all dead. The entire world felt as if he were the only one left. An endless loneliness was born from the void, threatening to consume all of Sasuke's thoughts. He radiated an aura of deathly stillness.
Until a flame of hatred surged within his heart, incinerating the stillness. Sasuke's eyes became resolute.
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