Chapter 238: Tears
By the hospital bed.
"As expected of Kakashi—a genius who has been on the battlefield since he was a child. His neural cells are far more active than a normal person's."
Tonbo Tobitake carefully examined Kakashi's body. Kakashi was suffering from a mental breakdown, which had resulted in his comatose state. While Tonbo was a professional in this field, he decided to leave the final treatment to Tsunade. He would simply ensure that Kakashi's physical condition was stabilized.
Why do this? To welcome Tsunade as the Fifth Hokage, of course. To prevent Tsunade from pulling any stunts—like making him continue as Acting Hokage—he decided to leave the credit for this "miraculous recovery" to her. Kakashi was going to be bedridden plenty of times in the future anyway; missing this one recovery wouldn't hurt.
However, while probing Kakashi's body, Tonbo discovered that the Sharingan in his eye was draining his chakra even in this state. This was one of the reasons the coma was being prolonged. Kakashi's Sharingan was fundamentally different from Sasuke's. From its construction to the nature of its chakra, there were subtle variations.
Tonbo also figured out why Kakashi couldn't "deactivate" the eye. It was due to mutual rejection between the body and the eye. To the body, the Sharingan was a foreign object; to the Sharingan, the body was foreign. But since the Sharingan required chakra to maintain its state, it created a situation similar to the theory behind Tonbo's "Eye of the Creator."
It was all about the ratio of Physical Energy to Spiritual Energy. When the two are unbalanced, the system craves the energy of the missing side. Currently, the Sharingan's spiritual energy ratio was too high, so it constantly drained Kakashi's physical energy to find balance, resulting in his notoriously low chakra reserves.
"This is another excellent research topic. One has to admire Orochimaru's expertise," Tonbo mused. The technology required to balance the energy between Hashirama cells and the Sharingan was truly impressive. Fortunately, Tonbo felt he was even more impressive now; although he hadn't obtained Hashirama cells for comparison yet, he could estimate that his current physical strength was immense.
After collecting Kakashi's physical data, Tonbo's hands blurred into a series of rapid signs. Countless sealing formulas manifested as runes, spreading across Kakashi's body. He used a hidden method to seal his specialized sensory nerves within Kakashi's Sharingan.
Tonbo didn't know if the plot would follow the original path where Madara steals Kakashi's eye, but it didn't hurt to leave a safeguard. He was wealthy in chakra now and could afford the expense. In a supernatural world, surprises were common; utilizing information as a ninja was simply good practice.
"Alright, all set. Sleep well, Kakashi. You're going to be very busy later."
Konoha, Tianyu's Secret Training Ground.
Konohamaru walked alone under the shade of the trees, without his usual "Konohamaru Corps" following him. His eyes were lonely, devoid of his past liveliness.
"Grandpa..."
Unknowingly, he had arrived at the training ground where he had reconciled with Tianyu and the others. After receiving the training insights Tianyu had gifted him, he had worked very hard. Until...
This wasn't the first familiar place he had wandered to today. He had sent Moegi and Udon away because he wanted to be alone.
Thud! Thud!
Clang! Clang!
Suddenly, sounds of combat reached his ears. Konohamaru peered through the gaps in the bushes. He saw two figures locked in fierce combat.
"Wataru, take this! Iron Fist!"
"Dragon Scale Sword!"
Bang!
Konohamaru drew closer. It was Tianyu and Wataru training, while Maki watched from the side, a lollipop in her mouth.
"Tianyu's improved again. So strong."
"Wataru, in case anyone ever invades Konoha again, we have to strike back with our own fists," Tianyu said firmly. "We have to train. Next time, we won't hide in a shelter waiting for adults to protect us."
"Big brother is right," Maki chimed in. "We have to protect the village and save everyone. We can't be like Konohamaru, acting all depressed and skipping training. In the future, we'll have to protect people like him. Tomorrow, let's bring Moegi and the others along. Just because Konohamaru isn't training doesn't mean we should let them fall behind."
"Well said, sister," Tianyu added. "We'll get strong and protect Konohamaru. He's not even fit to be our rival anymore, just crying all day and doing nothing useful."
"Yeah! Like Dad and Grandpa, we'll protect Mom and the family. No more crying."
Listening to their conversation, Konohamaru's fists clenched. What do you know? You don't know anything!
Thinking of his grandfather, tears began to fall from Konohamaru's eyes. But then, he remembered his grandfather's words.
"Konohamaru, if you want to be Hokage, you have to protect everyone. It's not enough just to beat your Grandpa. You have to train hard."
His grandfather's kind smile surfaced in his mind. Caught between the grief of loss and the weight of those teachings, the retort he wanted to scream at Tianyu died in his throat. Wiping his tears, Konohamaru slowly retreated.
Once Konohamaru was far away, the three children stopped their act.
Tianyu asked, "Was that too much? What if it makes things worse?"
Maki replied, "Based on his personality, he really admires Lord Third. In his lectures, Lord Third always said that to be Hokage, you must protect your comrades. Saying that should stir his spirit, right?"
Wataru suggested, "Tianyu, Maki, should we go back and ask Captain Tonbo?"
The three had staged the dialogue the moment they sensed Konohamaru approaching. Seeing their rival so dejected made them feel uneasy as well.
"Good idea. I'll ask when I get home. We can't let Konohamaru stay this way," Tianyu said.
"Exactly," Maki nodded. "If there's no strong rival when we grow up to compete for the Hokage seat, winning wouldn't mean much at all, would it?"
Meanwhile, Tonbo Tobitake had arrived at the Third Hokage's grave. He placed a bunch of chrysanthemums down.
"My condolences. The Third died as a hero in battle. A legendary end, wasn't it?" Tonbo said to Asuma, who was sitting before the grave.
"Yeah... it's a ninja's fate. I realized that long ago," Asuma said, reaching for a cigarette but then putting it back. "I was just a rebellious kid. I spent so little time with the old man. Now that I think about it, I actually miss the days we spent arguing. I hated him then; he wanted to control everything, yet because he was Hokage, he never had time for the family. Haha... I think I finally understand a bit about what the 'King' is."
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