Chapter 124: Spatial Fluctuations
The death of Shisui Uchiha caused a brief ripple among the shinobi who closely monitored the Uchiha's situation, but it failed to stir a major public commotion. Most of Konoha's high-ranking officials were aware of the clan's predicament. However, the prevailing attitude was to mind one's own business—no one cared about the frost on another's roof unless it threatened the very foundations of the village.
The Hyuga acted this way, as did the Sarutobi and the Shimura clans. A world had been born where only Hiruzen Sarutobi and his two advisors felt the crushing weight of this headache. How to handle the Uchiha without destabilizing the village's core was a monumental challenge. They weren't like the hawk Danzo, who had only one thought: "Eliminate it."
To Danzo, any potential threat to Konoha had to be purged. But the Hokage had to consider every possible consequence.
Tonbo Tobitake's mindset aligned with the heads of the other great clans: the Uchiha's business had nothing to do with him. One's position determines one's thoughts. If he were the Hokage, he would have to worry about it, but he wasn't. He was merely the Head of the Analysis Division and the Captain of a Barrier Development Team.
His duties were to gather intelligence, develop barrier techniques, and be a good father, husband, son, and teacher. If he tried to manage everything, he would work himself to death. Besides, he had no real personal ties to the Uchiha. His relationship with Itachi was simply that of fellow Konoha shinobi. Thus, while Tonbo kept a watchful eye, he didn't intervene.
Time flowed on. Everything returned to its regular track.
The death of Shisui—the Uchiha's top combatant—caused the radical faction within the clan to pause for a time. Itachi Uchiha continued his daily routine of picking up Sasuke from school, explaining ninja techniques to him along the way as if nothing had happened. Only Sasuke felt a vague, growing sense that his brother had changed. This realization made him study even harder, striving to surpass Kiba so his brother would look at him with pride once more.
The Barrier Division.
"Report! We have detected abnormal spatial fluctuations within the barrier."
A ninja wearing a specialized headpiece immediately reported the anomaly. Yamanaka Kiri, the Division Head, frowned upon hearing this. He immediately dispatched personnel to investigate while personally manning the barrier controls to perform a deeper sweep of the village.
Countless chakra signals bounced back into his mind as he analyzed their nature and searched for irregularities. This wasn't the first time they had encountered these spatial fluctuations. However, every time they sent someone to investigate, they found nothing. At first, they doubted if there was a flaw in Konoha's barrier itself.
But they didn't get careless. Every time an anomaly appeared, the Anbu were alerted to investigate. Every time, they returned empty-handed. Even the sensory ninjas of the Yamanaka clan, amplified by the barrier's specialized equipment, could sense the entire village but failed to locate the source. It remained a massive, lingering doubt.
The Hokage's Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi received the report from the Barrier Division, his gaze deep in thought. He recalled the intelligence Tonbo Tobitake had brought back years ago after the mission in the Hidden Rain Village.
"What is it? Did something happen?" Danzo Shimura asked, noting the Hokage's expression. His right eye was now wrapped in bandages. He was there to discuss the "final solution" for the Uchiha.
"Intelligence from the Barrier Division. Those spatial fluctuations have appeared again. I suspect it might be the Uchiha-like ninja that we encountered during the Rain Village mission," Hiruzen stated.
"Oh? Why suspect him? Based on the intel, the abilities he displayed were intangibility, Wood Style, and the capacity to absorb people or objects. That doesn't necessarily mean he has an ability similar to the Flying Raijin," Danzo remarked slowly. He had been investigating this since his own encounter with the phenomenon. As someone born in the Warring States period who had lived through two Great Ninja Wars, he didn't believe in "coincidental" spatial anomalies. However, his investigations had yielded no results. Aside from the person Hiruzen mentioned, he couldn't rule out spies from other villages.
"Nothing specific. Just an intuition," Hiruzen replied.
"Konoha's security is truly formidable!"
The man in the swirl mask complained incessantly while watching the searching ninjas.
"Just a quick stroll is enough. I'll handle the intelligence gathering; it'll be troublesome if we're caught," a playful voice echoed from nearby.
"Hmph. The Uchiha have truly fallen, to be suppressed to this extent."
"Are you going to help them?"
"Hah. The Uchiha of today, much like Konoha, are merely fuel for the reshaping of the world. They no longer need to exist."
It was midday. Konoha was bustling with people.
The Tobitake Household.
Tonbo Tobitake was watching TV with his two children. It was a hot-blooded drama about a ninja saving a nation. It told the story of a commoner from a small country who grew into a powerful shinobi during the wars between the Great Nations, eventually leading his team to establish their country's place in the world.
"Dad, are you as strong as the people in the show?" Tianyu watched as the characters summoned wild winds to defeat a demonic dragon, his blood boiling with excitement.
Maki looked at him with disdain. "That dragon? Even if it were real and not just a prop, Dad could knock it flat with one punch." She was a true believer in her father's physical strength.
"But the dragon is so big, and Dad's fist is only... this big. I bet he could only knock off a scale or two," Tianyu argued, gesturing with his hands. From the screen, the dragon looked as massive as a mountain.
"Dad, what do you think?" Both children looked innocently at Tonbo.
"Well, you've seen many of my abilities. Why don't you analyze it yourselves and see if I could take it down?" Tonbo mused.
Just as the two little ones were lost in thought, there was a knock at the door. Tianyu ran to open it. Two figures entered, carrying some gifts.
"Sensei, long time no see! I'm so jealous of you!" Mibu Shinobu looked at the two children and his leisurely teacher with eyes full of envy.
"Jealous? Then you and Anko should hurry up and get married. You can have as many kids as you want," Tonbo teased, looking at Anko Mitarashi, who had visibly rounded out since he last saw her.
Good job, kid. You've fed her well, Tonbo thought. Compared to the Anko of the Boruto era, she wasn't that heavy yet, but she was definitely a size larger than she was in the original series' middle years. It was only because she was young and active as a ninja that she hadn't ballooned further. He was already imagining a plump Anko standing before the genin as a proctor for the Chunin Exams.
"Haha, Anko says she isn't considering marriage yet. She wants to eat her fill of sweets before she settles down," Tokuma scratched his head.
Anko, meanwhile, surveyed the room and looked at Tonbo, who wasn't wearing his bandages. "Yo, you're actually quite handsome when you show your face. Why do you always keep it wrapped up like a mummy?"
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