Chapter 109: Connecting Illusion to Reality
Hidden Rain Village.
Whoosh—
Zetsu's pitcher-plant head emerged from a wall, his black-and-white face wearing a smirk.
"Well?" Tendō Pain asked.
"Heh. Not only did I find the location of the Three-Tails—waiting only for the right time to begin the capture—but I also experienced various Genjutsu that are distinct from the Sharingan, along with their countermeasures. The guy who almost took out all six of you last time... his mastery of Genjutsu is truly extraordinary." Zetsu slowly relayed the intelligence he had gathered recently.
Pain: "Did you find a way to break that technique?"
He was referring to the trap that had nearly killed his original body at the end of their battle. Every time he recalled it, he felt a lingering sense of dread. He did not want to experience such a technique a second time.
"The only solution is to not get hit by the trap in the first place—a universal solution for any attack. If there's another way, it would likely be using Shinra Tensei to blow it away before the trap fully forms. However, I don't think he would give you that opportunity."
The last time was certainly due to carelessness and a lack of intel, but next time, they couldn't rule out the possibility that the opponent had deduced the weakness of Shinra Tensei. Based on all gathered data, Tonbo Tobitake was a perfect "hexagon" ninja: a master of Genjutsu, elite in sensory ninjutsu, and excellent in both Taijutsu and Ninjutsu. Having fought in the Third Shinobi World War, his combat experience was top-tier as well.
Pain nodded. He had realized during the last fight that the opponent seemed to have prior expectations regarding the abilities of the Six Paths of Pain.
As a genius, he had to consider the worst-case scenario. It wasn't impossible that a traitor within the Akatsuki had leaked his abilities, though the probability was low since he had never deployed all six bodies at once before. This meant the opponent's sensory abilities likely had a brief precognitive effect or a level of insight even greater than the Byakugan.
Zetsu was right. Pain's previous plan was to have the Six Paths fight separately rather than clustering them together, preventing the enemy from wiping them all out at once. Furthermore, with his Rinnegan, if his main body was prepared to sever the connection to any single puppet at any time, he wouldn't fall for the enemy's tricks again.
"Get ready. We're having a meeting."
An Anonymous Space.
A pair of giant hands stood with ten fingers pointing toward the sky.
Sizzle!
One by one, colorful, flickering illusory figures appeared.
"I say, I was just about to capture a bounty ninja when you suddenly called me. What is it?" Among the phantom figures, a ninja with sickly green eyes spoke up with clear dissatisfaction.
"Heh, the plan hasn't started yet, has it? Something interesting must have happened," a shark-faced figure grinned.
Hiss—
Orochimaru looked at the leader's eyes and licked his lips. "If there isn't a special reason for interrupting my research, then as compensation, let me study those Rinnegan of yours."
Pain glanced at him. "This time, it's about intelligence on a specific person from Konoha. If you encounter him, you must be careful."
"Konoha? Heh. Is it Hatake Kakashi, the Sannin Jiraiya, or perhaps the so-called 'Shisui of the Body Flicker' that warrants a special notice to all of us?" Someone glanced at Orochimaru and spoke playfully.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "Hearing you say that, I'm also quite interested. To make our self-proclaimed 'God' leader so cautious..." He knew Jiraiya's abilities well; they weren't enough to make the Akatsuki leader wary enough to notify every member.
"A Genjutsu ninja named Tonbo Tobitake. His abilities are..."
Taking over for Pain, Zetsu—as the intelligence officer—began to detail the information regarding Tonbo Tobitake, making special note of his unique capabilities.
After listening, Orochimaru licked his lips. "What an outstanding ninja. I didn't expect Konoha to produce such a talent in the few years since I left. Tonbo Tobitake, hmm? I'll remember that."
As a versatile genius, Orochimaru was also proficient in Genjutsu, but he understood the power of the Rinnegan better than anyone. To make a Rinnegan wielder fall for a technique... that was no ordinary feat.
"That sounds quite terrifying!"
"I really want to meet him."
"Understood. Sounds like a bit of a counter to me; if I see him, I'll just run."
Some were interested, some were wary, and some were frankly intimidated.
A Certain Forest.
"Zetsu, will that guy interfere with our plans?" a masked man asked.
White Zetsu: "As long as we have the intel, there are many ways to handle him. But his Genjutsu is indeed remarkable. He actually made me experience what humans call the 'urge to defecate.' We must find a more targeted way to counter him."
The masked man paused. Genjutsu that can make Zetsu feel the need to use a bathroom? Not even the Sharingan can do that!
Truly a troublesome fellow. He thought that by getting rid of the Fourth, he had cleared the path, only for another elite ninja to emerge in Konoha.
Meanwhile, after finishing his "persuasion" of Kiba, Tonbo Tobitake said his goodbyes and returned home. As soon as he arrived, his two babies, who were crawling around on the floor, scrambled toward him.
"Papa~ Hold~!" The two siblings spoke in unison.
"Haha, so smart! Where's Mama?"
Tobitake Tosei walked out from the back. "She went to help out at her father's place. Since you're back, help wash the dishes."
Carrying the two children into the kitchen, Tonbo looked at the unwashed dishes and formed a one-handed seal.
"Watch closely, babies. In the future, I'll teach you this jutsu that ensures family harmony: The Bather's Doll Technique."
Wa-ee~!
As Tonbo's jutsu took effect, the bowls, chopsticks, and plates in the sink suddenly grew tiny arms and legs. They grabbed the sponges from the counter and began scrubbing each other. One pressed the dish soap, another turned the faucet... It was as if a group of invisible maids had inhabited the kitchenware to give each other a bath.
Wa-ee~! Tianyu and Maki, fascinated by the sight, reached out wanting to join the "play."
"You can't do that, it's dirty."
Tonbo beamed. Under this kind of influence, his babies would surely grow up to be experts at managing daily life. His " Eye of the Creator" technique was still missing some combat value, but in everyday life, he had developed it to perfection.
In his previous life as a corporate slave, he had often fantasized about having magic so he wouldn't have to wash dishes after getting home. Now, he had achieved it. This jutsu didn't require much chakra, yet it was incredibly practical. He used it for almost all household chores.
"Papa~ Awesome~!" Tianyu suddenly spoke.
Maki echoed: "Awesome~!"
Tonbo's face lit up with joy. His babies had added two more words to their vocabulary. He decided he had to show off more often to consolidate his status in the family.
After playing with the children for hours, Tonbo felt a profound sense of happiness. Finally, after they grew tired and fell asleep, he tucked them in and retreated to his own study.
He pulled out the book he had been eager to read. He had skimmed through it at the Kurama estate; it contained the theory of "connecting illusion to reality" that he had been desperately needing. It was exactly what he needed to fill the gap in his knowledge.
While " Eye of the Creator" had similar effects, the direction of its application was different. It couldn't influence natural phenomena like wind, rain, thunder, or lightning. He began to read with intense focus.
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