Chapter 328: Chaos
Swish!
Tonbo Tobitake darted through the breach, grabbing Sasuke by the throat and dragging him across the air before slamming him hard into the mountainside.
Bang!
"Tonbo-Sensei... stop!"
Sakura's voice echoed from a distance. Looking toward the sound, he saw Sakura and the others finally arriving.
The masked man, who had been on the verge of intervening, reconsidered. Given the emotional bonds within the Konoha group, Sasuke wouldn't be in real danger of dying. However, Tonbo's strength had exceeded his expectations once again. To actually breach Susanoo's defense using Wind Style... he knew the defensive power of the Susanoo well; even the "Absolute Defense" of the Kazekage, Gaara, couldn't compare.
Tonbo slightly loosened his grip on Sasuke's neck. This was all calculated. Sakura would never sit idly by, and Sasuke simply needed a lesson. The kid's mindset was still too unstable—far too prone to arrogance. He was nothing like the steady, composed Sasuke of the future.
"Damn it..."
Enduring the physical pain, Sasuke released a surge of Chidori Nagashi to force Tonbo back. He glared at the arriving Sakura and the rest of the squad.
"Sasuke, Itachi couldn't do it, and neither can you." Tonbo retreated to Sakura's side, speaking coolly.
Sasuke remained silent, a sense of powerlessness welling up in his eyes. Looking at Tonbo, his vision blurred until all he could see was an indistinct haze. He clenched his fists at Tonbo's words.
"Tonbo-Sensei!"
Sakura's team looked at Tonbo, confused as to why he was here. After a quick greeting, Sakura rushed toward Sasuke. Tonbo's gaze fell on Rock Lee and the others; they had grown quite a bit stronger.
"Teacher Tonbo, why are you here?" Lee asked, puzzled.
"To kill someone. I just happened to run into Sasuke."
"To kill someone?"
"Mhm."
"Was it that masked man?"
"No."
"Then who?"
"Danzo."
"Oh, Danzo... wait, WHAT?! The Sixth Hokage candidate, Danzo?"
Tonbo nodded calmly.
"Why?"
"Because he dared to try and control me with Genjutsu. He was practically asking for it."
"Did you succeed?"
Kiba and the others were shocked, especially Sai. Sai could already feel that Danzo's cursed seal had vanished. He was a free man now. This meant Danzo was indeed dead.
"Sasuke and the masked man killed him. It has nothing to do with me," Tonbo said, spreading his hands. It was the truth according to the original plan, anyway.
While they were talking, Sakura and Sasuke had already started arguing. Sasuke tried to make a move, but Sakura punched him back. Having already exhausted much of his strength against Danzo and having his Susanoo broken by Tonbo, Sasuke was sent skidding across the water for over a dozen meters.
"You idiot! I'm not negotiating with you! You're coming back to Konoha!"
"Sakura, what do you know? You don't understand anything..."
"How can I understand if you don't tell me?!"
"I shouldn't have to tell you! If you don't know, you can't empathize with me... you can't understand my pain!"
"Bastard, we're comrades! You have to speak for me to understand!"
"No... no one can understand my pain..."
The dialogue drifted into Tonbo's ears. For some reason, he felt a strange sense of déjà vu. The others standing nearby were just as bewildered by the exchange.
A moment later, Kakashi arrived, taking in the scene of Sasuke and Sakura's confrontation.
"What's the situation? And why are you here?" Kakashi asked Tonbo.
"I'm watching the show. I think there's a spark between them. Look at them, flirting and fighting," Tonbo slung an arm around Kakashi's shoulder, teasingly.
"...That guy, is that Uchiha Madara?" Kakashi pointed at the masked man watching from the sidelines.
"Doesn't look like Madara, but he sure looks like Obito Uchiha," Tonbo quipped.
Kakashi froze. He looked at the masked man in the distance, his brow furrowing. "Don't joke around. Obito is dead."
"Dead people can be revived. I really think he looks like him, don't you?"
"Impossible. Stop using that to tease me. This is a critical moment. 'Uchiha Madara' has declared the Fourth Great Ninja War. We're about to enter total war, and we don't know the extent of the enemy's power."
Kakashi assumed it was just Tonbo's usual dark humor. Obito died in the war; that was a fact. Right now, the priority was getting all this intel back to Konoha, not chatting with Tonbo.
"Let's move, Kakashi-sensei, Tonbo-sensei!" Kiba looked at the masked man, eager to test his new techniques.
"Yeah, let's do it." Kakashi prepared to strike.
"Sasuke!"
Just as they were about to engage, Naruto's voice rang out. He had arrived, entering the scene in Sage Mode. Naruto landed right between Sasuke and Sakura. The orange pigment around his eyes signaled his state.
"One after another," Tonbo remarked, watching the spectacle. Seeing Naruto's Sage Mode, he realized his training had paid off. Naruto could actually absorb natural energy while moving now. That was no small feat.
The group then watched a passionate exchange between Naruto and Sasuke. It almost came to blows again, but Sasuke's expression was notably softer than before. Before Kakashi could move in, the masked man spirited Sasuke away.
"Dammit! That space-time ninjutsu is too annoying!" Kiba grumbled. If they had moved sooner, they might have caught him. Being able to flee at will was a massive headache.
"Eh? Uncle Tonbo, why are you here?" Naruto, who had been hyper-focused on Sasuke, finally noticed Tonbo.
"Sigh, my feelings are hurt. Back when you were a baby and wanted me to hold you, I picked you up immediately. 'Uncle, uppies!' Now you're all grown up and only have eyes for other people. Sigh!"
Tonbo mimicked the two-year-old Naruto's "uppies" gesture. Naruto looked incredibly embarrassed.
"Haha! So Naruto used to be like that... haha!" The others burst into laughter.
"Let's go. We're heading back. The war is starting."
"And bring that woman (Karin) with us."
The Allied Shinobi Forces were officially established. The Fourth Raikage, Ay, was appointed as the Supreme Commander. Tsunade had woken up and attended the Five Kage Summit as Hokage to discuss the war deployment against Uchiha Madara.
As for Tonbo Tobitake, since he claimed that Sasuke and Madara killed Danzo and he only "attempted" to kill him, he was sentenced to a period of reflection and had a month's salary docked. Of course, this was just for public record. Tonbo did whatever he wanted.
Currently, he was in his lab, looking at five specific ninja tools. With the war starting, as a Genjutsu specialist, he intended to truly make a name for himself with illusionary arts. He gave the five tools some rather chuunibyou-style names:
Guitar: The Ultimate Iron.
Trumpet: Life-Taker 3000.
Flute: Flute of Ten Thousand Waves.
Great Drum: Thunder Drum.
Horn: Fossil Horn.
Each was capable of amplifying the power of specific types of Genjutsu.
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