Chapter 216: Training
Sakura and Ino watched in stunned silence as the three children played an entire game of Shogi using nothing but chakra.
This was... simply beyond ridiculous.
Tonbo Tobitake was also extremely satisfied. He hadn't expected the three little ones to be this creative—a chakra Shogi board? This level of micro-control was something many Jonin couldn't even achieve.
"So, big sisters, do you still think your chakra control is sufficient to do something like this?" The three kids finished their game, looking smug. To keep suppressing Konohamaru, they had been working incredibly hard. That was exactly why Konohamaru could never beat them.
"Well done. I didn't expect you to reach this level already. I'll teach you even more fun things later," Tonbo laughed. He then turned back to Sakura and Ino, who no longer dared to claim they were satisfied with their control.
"Your training this time is to get your chakra control at least to this level."
"U-Understood..." The two girls stammered, looking at the three children with disbelief. How old were they to have this kind of strength? Even Kiba probably couldn't do this!
The first step of Tonbo's training was simple. He took two specially made spheres from his pocket, about the size of a palm.
"These are special ninja tools designed for chakra control training. When you input chakra, the sphere emits a specific musical pitch based on the exact amount of chakra provided. Your small goal is to use this sphere to perfectly perform every song in this sheet music book."
He pulled out a music book—it was three centimeters thick.
"...Is that it? That sounds simple," the girls thought. After all, music was a subject in their espionage classes; they just had to change the method of performance.
"Don't think it's easy, big sisters," Tianyu said with the air of a little adult. "It took us a long time just to play one complete song." It was a fun hobby for them, and the three of them often competed to see who could learn the most songs.
"Exactly. The chakra sensitivity of this sphere is so high that even the slightest deviation—the width of a fingernail—will result in a different note. It's very difficult," Tonbo added, gesturing with his thumb and forefinger.
Ting-aling! Dong!
Refusing to believe it, the two girls funneled chakra into the spheres. Immediately, a chaotic mess of sounds erupted—bells, gongs, and other clashing tones. The moment their emotions wavered, the pitch shifted wildly.
"This precise?" Sakura and Ino finally felt it. They were starting to get a very bad feeling about this.
"Meticulous women are more popular with boys, you know. Take a man like Sasuke—if your chakra control is strong enough, you can do things like this. Plus, you'll learn music. Sasuke would probably like that, wouldn't he?"
Tonbo's left hand crackled with lightning while his right hand surged with water. The lightning and water shifted into various lifelike flowers, blooming in his palms.
Whoosh! Mentioning Sasuke set their eyes ablaze. "We will definitely do it!"
"Very good. Tianyu, Maki, Wataru—you three can continue to the third stage: the ultimate training for chakra manipulation and nature transformation. I call this stage 'Bungee Gum.' Can you handle it?"
"Yes!"
While Sakura was training, Naruto had been entrusted to Ebisu by Kakashi.
"Pervert!"
"You brat! I am not a pervert! I am an elite private tutor of Konoha. You should be grateful to train under me—my tutoring fees are very expensive!"
"I don't want to learn from you! I want to learn from Kakashi-sensei!" The two got off to a terrible start, their personalities clashing perfectly.
At the Hot Springs.
"There's a pervert!" Naruto stood on the water's surface, pointing behind Ebisu.
Splash! Naruto lost control of his chakra and fell into the scalding water. Ebisu turned around to see a white-haired man peeking through the wooden wall, laughing lecherously.
Ebisu pushed up his glasses. "In times like these, the Black Flash of Konoha—the messenger of justice—must deliver judgment upon this lecher!"
"Pervert! Prepare to face the righteous judgment of Lord Ebisu!"
Swoosh! Bam!
Naruto had just climbed out of the water when he saw that Ebisu-sensei had already been taken down by the old man.
"Pervert teacher! You jerk! Who are you? What did you do to my pervert teacher?" Naruto shouted, pointing.
Jiraiya, sitting atop a toad, saw Naruto's questioning gaze and his eyes lit up. He stood up instantly, striking what he thought was a cool pose.
"Since you have asked so sincerely, I shall tell you out of my great mercy! To prevent the world's destruction, to protect the world's peace... Hahaha! I am the Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku, the white-haired youth—Jiraiya!"
Croak! The toad beneath him let out a timely croak in support.
"Huh? Toad Sage? You look like a Pervy Sage to me."
Naruto didn't cooperate at all, delivering a direct critical hit to Jiraiya's ego.
Thud. Jiraiya froze in embarrassment. His cool pose—and the lines he had "borrowed" from Tonbo Tobitake—had been completely ignored. Truly incomprehensible.
Konoha Hospital.
"Guy-sensei... can I really never train again? Can I no longer prove that hard work can defeat genius?" Rock Lee asked dejectedly, his arm in a sling and bandages covering his body.
The doctor had just told him that he had multiple comminuted fractures, and bone fragments were pressing against vital spinal nerves. Konoha Hospital was powerless. Tears streamed down Lee's face.
Guy's heart ached, but he spoke firmly. "That's not true! Youth will never betray those who work hard. Tonbo already told me—your problem is big, but it's also not that big. We just need to find Lady Tsunade of the Sannin to treat you."
Neither Tonbo's medical skills nor the hospital's medical ninjas could fix Lee's injuries, which was painful to accept. But Guy remained optimistic, remembering Tonbo's words.
"As long as we find Lady Tsunade and provide her with the diagnostic data I've collected, there is a very high probability of success. Don't worry."
Tonbo had even compiled Lee's physical data into a detailed medical report and handed it to Guy. The hospital's medical ninjas had looked it over and agreed that with Tsunade, there was an 80% chance of a full recovery.
"Is that so? That's... that's wonderful." Lee wiped away his tears.
In another hospital bed.
Zzzzz... "Potato chips... grilled meat... cumin flavor..."
The chubby Choji was lying spread-eagle on his bed, drool leaking from the corner of his mouth.
"How is he, Doctor? What's the situation with Kiba?"
Hana Inuzuka was checking on Akamaru while asking the doctor who was examining Kiba.
The doctor wiped his nose, looking fascinated. "How did he manage to get methane, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen poisoning all at the same time? It's a medical wonder! It's as if he was trapped in an airtight room filled with farts and inhaled them for a prolonged period."
"..." Hana was speechless. This was too embarrassing. It turned out an extraordinary sense of smell was both a blessing and a curse.
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