Chapter 103: Unruly?
"As expected, you really do need to learn. To think you couldn't even dispel a simple Genjutsu like that."
Tonbo Tobitake approached, slowly dispersing the Genjutsu coverage. The members of the Near-Guard Agency finally broke free from that crushing pressure. Looking at the man before them, they felt a lingering fear. If he had thrown a few shuriken just now, their entire squad would have been wiped out.
They were elites of the Near-Guard, not weaklings. Yet that Genjutsu... standard dispelling techniques had been completely useless.
Of course they were useless. He had created this move specifically for showing off, drawing inspiration from the "Conqueror's Haki" of a certain pirate world. However, the internal mechanics were different. It wasn't based on an internal energy like Haki; instead, it used Genjutsu to overwhelm the enemy's skin receptors and the neural speed of their muscle control, creating the illusion of being physically unable to move.
In effect, it was similar to the Uchiha's Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes or Yuhi Kurenai's Tree Binding Death—it was a paralysis Genjutsu. The only difference was that Tonbo's range was massive. Because it incorporated traits from the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, it required a continuous output of chakra.
The fact that Yuhi Kurenai and Kurama Murakumo broke it so quickly was both surprising and expected to him.
"You—"
The Near-Guard members wanted to snap back, but Asuma Sarutobi cut them off.
"Long time no see. You still love showing off as much as ever, don't you?" Asuma remembered their first meeting; the guy had pulled a stunt then, too.
"Showing off? What showing off? This mission is to provide this team with new, more effective, and faster ways to dispel Genjutsu," Tonbo said, curling his lip at the guards. "To do that, I needed to understand your current level. That technique just now was a type of paralysis Genjutsu. Since you couldn't break it quickly even while your mind was still functional, it proves you were right to come here for training."
So what if I'm showing off? Tonbo thought. I've studied Genjutsu for years; I'm allowed a grand entrance. Besides, his method was efficient; it had successfully suppressed the arrogant attitude of these outsiders. He had actually arrived quite early and hovered around them in a state of invisibility, waiting until they started bad-mouthing him to make his move. This would ensure they felt the true gap between them.
Kurenai smiled. "Tonbo-kun, long time no see. You've become even more formidable!" As the daughter of a Genjutsu master with her own deep inheritance, she had nothing but praise for Tonbo's display.
"Ha, Kurenai! Long time no see. You're getting more beautiful by the day. By the way, do you want me to introduce you to a boyfriend?" Tonbo laughed, his perception lingering on Asuma for a moment.
"You bastard! Are you trying to introduce yourself to Kurenai? You son of a...!" Asuma suddenly grabbed Tonbo by the collar, his eyes flaming. Remembering how Kurenai had looked at Tonbo just now, Asuma was seething. He already had a bone to pick with the guy.
"Hey, the Daimyo's choice to make you a Guardian Ninja was a bit ill-considered, wasn't it? With a temper this impulsive, how have you survived this long?" Tonbo said, exasperated.
Asuma was eighteen and had been through countless battles, yet his personality was far more volatile than the steady character from the original story. Was it just because he was still young? Or was it because he and Kurenai weren't dating yet, and he was in his most hot-headed phase?
"You—!"
"Asuma, what are you saying? He already has a wife and two babies," Kurenai interrupted, sounding even more exasperated than Tonbo.
"..."
Asuma's eyes went wide. He stared blankly at Tonbo. "You... have a wife? And kids?"
"Heh. You think I'm like you? You... Single... Man..." Tonbo smirked triumphantly, emphasizing each of the last three words.
The best part of being in the ninja world wasn't the battles or fighting Pain; it was this sense of superiority of having what others didn't. Teasing original characters felt great.
Veins popped on Asuma's forehead, but he let go of the collar, feeling a massive sense of relief in his heart.
Kurama Murakumo chuckled. "Haha, youth is full of energy! But shouldn't we get to work now?"
"Yes, Murakumo-senpai," the three replied.
Tonbo added, "Murakumo-senpai, Kurenai, you two go first. I'll go last. We can do combined training after everyone has a basic understanding."
He stopped playing with Asuma and got down to business. The others nodded. The Near-Guard members didn't dare act up anymore; Tonbo's display had genuinely spooked them. Tonbo turned his head toward the squad—his face mostly covered by bandages except for his mouth—which exerted a strange pressure on them.
Truly a terrifying Genjutsu ninja, Zetsu thought, evaluating the situation from within his host. If the man had a Sharingan, Zetsu might have believed Tonbo could surpass Madara in Genjutsu. And he knew this was likely just the tip of the iceberg.
The training was straightforward. Kurenai, Murakumo, and Tonbo would cast Genjutsu on the squad and then explain the methods to break them. The Near-Guard members would then ask questions about potential Genjutsu they might encounter.
Their questions weren't lacking in imagination. For example: "If the Daimyo is controlled by Genjutsu, how do we break it?" This led to many specific sub-questions: What type of Genjutsu is it? How do you identify it? How do you differentiate between types? How do you prevent it?
This squad was indeed made up of specialists. They had a natural talent for dispelling and learned quickly. This continued for nearly a month, but it was a month of misery for the guards.
They could handle Kurenai and Murakumo's Genjutsu. But Tonbo's was different.
Gag!
Just thinking about it made them want to vomit. Visual, auditory, and even through different methods of chakra distribution, Tonbo attacked them with Genjutsu. In the illusionary space, they experienced flavors from different regions—flavors that "refined" the sense of taste to an extreme. Specifically, flavors that were nauseating even after the Genjutsu was broken.
As Tonbo explained it to them, he had dozens of "flavors," and he never used the same one twice in a row. Paralysis Genjutsu, mental-pulling Genjutsu, control-type, hypnosis... no matter the type, they suffered.
"Hey, isn't your Genjutsu a bit too much?" Asuma finally couldn't watch any longer.
Tonbo replied, "Really? This is child's play. I haven't used any actual forbidden techniques; they wouldn't be able to take it. They just need to know the solution."
In truth, Tonbo's Genjutsu was designed so that even if you solved it, the experience remained unpleasant. He had no intention of letting them see his "new version" techniques that could be used against him later. He followed the philosophy of his previous life: only the versions that are four generations behind are released for "civilian" use. No one is stupid enough to reveal their trump cards, especially a ninja.
In the squad, Zetsu listened with great interest, silently praising Tonbo's logic for dispelling Genjutsu.
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