Chapter 315: Not Looking People in the Eye
"What? A meeting?"
Tonbo Tobitake was busy pondering how to counter prophetic abilities when an ANBU messenger suddenly arrived with the news. He stood up immediately.
"Yes. Does Lord Tonbo have something urgent?" the ANBU ninja asked respectfully. "I must ask you to attend, as this involves the survival of Konoha."
This was the former Acting Hokage and a powerful ninja, after all. However, since he was on duty and the matter involved critical deployments for the village, the messenger briefly explained the gravity of the situation.
"Cough, I understand. I'll get ready immediately."
Images of snow-white, swaying figures flashed through Tonbo's mind. A face that hadn't blushed in over a decade was crimson today. It was too awkward. He had only recently finished using the Mind Reading technique, and before the mental images could fade, he was about to face the woman in question.
I feel like I'm betraying Ayame, who's at home looking after the kids. No, wait, I didn't betray her. I just caught an inadvertent glimpse; I didn't actually do anything. Why should I feel guilty? It's all Jiraiya's fault, that old pervert.
The ANBU ninja thought Tonbo was acting a bit strange, but seeing as he had agreed to go, the messenger bowed and withdrew.
Ryuchi Cave.
The White Snake Sage bit down on Kabuto, injecting a surge of sinister natural energy into his body. She then slithered back to her seat.
"Yet another ninja seeking power. I wonder if you can endure it?" the White Snake Sage mused with interest. It had been a long time since anyone had survived the natural energy of Ryuchi Cave. Even Orochimaru, for all his talent, had been unable to withstand the erosion.
Meanwhile, news from across the world reached her mind. Jiraiya, the teacher of the predestined Child of Prophecy from Mount Myoboku, had died exactly as prophesied.
"The turning point of fate is complete. I wonder if this fellow before me can play his part."
White smoke billowed from the Sage's pipe as she watched the figure below. His body was twitching violently, showing signs of complete snake-transformation, though he hadn't fully turned into a beast yet. As the mutation finalized, Kabuto's appearance was completely altered.
From beneath his hood, Kabuto slowly lifted his head to look at the White Snake Sage. "I thank the Sage for this gift. I will make good use of this power."
The feeling was exquisite. This was the power even Lord Orochimaru couldn't master—it was perfect. Feeling the strength in his body, he sensed a qualitative leap in his life force and a comprehensive enhancement of all his attributes. He felt he had surpassed Lord Orochimaru, evolving from a snake into a dragon.
"Impressive. You are the first in a hundred years to complete Sage Transformation here. You have both luck and ability," the White Snake Sage praised, not particularly caring that she had lost a potential meal. "And it is... truly perfect."
Tonbo Tobitake pushed open the door and quietly slipped into the meeting room. For some reason, he felt incredibly guilty. He didn't even dare glance toward Tsunade, using his sensory abilities to find his seat.
"Tonbo, why aren't you looking me in the eye?"
Tsunade's voice rang in his ears. Tonbo turned his head awkwardly. The moment he saw her, it was as if that "snow-white" image wavered before his eyes, followed by a vision of a heavy, powerful fist. He blinked rapidly to clear his head.
Seeing Tsunade's somber expression, he managed to suppress the imagery and gave an awkward smile. "Greetings, Hokage-sama. I was just... deep in thought regarding a new ninjutsu problem."
"Is that so?" Tsunade's heavy expression turned suspicious. For some reason, she had felt that "being watched" sensation again just now. Was Tonbo's sensory ability so high that it was tripping her intuition?
"Yes, it's a very difficult problem to solve. By the way, I heard about Lord Jiraiya... that he was killed by the man with the Rinnegan." Tonbo quickly changed the subject.
Slam!
Tsunade struck the conference table, her face contorted with anger. Everyone in the room jumped.
"As you all know... Jiraiya has sacrificed himself."
The room fell into a heavy silence. Even Lord Jiraiya...
"To prevent us from having time to prepare, I predict the Akatsuki will move against Naruto very soon," Tsunade continued, explaining the severity of the situation. The atmosphere became stiflingly grim.
Only Tonbo and Danzo Shimura remained relatively calm. Tonbo glanced at Danzo. The old man looked like he was plotting to return to the center of power. After being stripped of his Root command by the Third, Danzo's remaining influence was limited to the Shimura clan and hidden remnants of Root. Now, he was stepping into the spotlight again.
The Shimura clan was currently one of the largest in Konoha after the Hyuga and Sarutobi—even larger than the Ino-Shika-Cho clans. It was a well-developed clan, though no one besides Danzo had taken center stage.
Well, he's going to die soon anyway, so I don't need to worry about him, Tonbo thought.
Perhaps this is an opportunity, Danzo thought, his eyes darting toward Tonbo as he calculated his next move.
Cloud-Lightning Gorge.
Sasuke walked out of the gorge, carrying Killer Bee on his back. His three teammates followed, looking quite exhausted. In the distance, two figures watched the Taka squad disappear.
"Damn it! Inform the Raikage immediately!"
Mount Myoboku.
Naruto's clones were busy training. Occasionally one would start to turn into a frog, only for Fukasaku to whack the natural energy out of him. However, Naruto was learning at an incredible rate.
Emptying the mind and entering a state of "stillness" to absorb natural energy... it wasn't just the foundation Jiraiya had laid. Naruto felt that this ability to clear his thoughts while maintaining high-level thinking felt familiar.
If given enough time, he felt he could achieve the "Unity" that Uncle Tonbo had mentioned—entering the "still" state to absorb energy even while in rapid motion. This would allow him to maintain balance without needing the Fusion Technique with the Sages.
"Uncle Tonbo really knows a lot. To think he even understood this!" Naruto recalled his combat training under Tonbo.
Tonbo had told him: "In battle, you must think. Don't rely solely on inspiration; manifest that inspiration and turn it into instinctive combat experience. To do this, you must empty your heart in the heat of battle, allowing your brain to calculate while your body continues to move..."
It was strikingly similar to Fukasaku Sage's theory of "Movement" and "Stillness."
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