Chapter 137: Dense and Crowded
Valley of the Resting Wind.
Swish!
Tap, tap, tap!
Hyuga Ren directed his two teammates to exert their strength while he concentrated his spirit on sensing the condition of the ten Hagoromo youths. The moment any of them showed signs of physical exhaustion, he had them pulled up immediately.
Initially, the ten Hagoromo juniors tried to be stubborn, but after being tossed by the gale and crashing into rocks until their heads were covered in bumps, they finally realized their family's arrangements were correct.
It wasn't just the fierce winds; it was the stones and other hard objects carried by the wind that could knock them unconscious at any moment. This was where the Konoha ninjas came in.
"Hmph, these guys have chakra reserves comparable to ours, but their experience is pathetic!" Inuzuka Kairo said to Shenra.
He could tell that these kids had zero combat experience. Their application of chakra was crude, relying entirely on their pre-prepared gear. They were frequently struck by stones swept up by the wind; if not for their specially made vests, they would have suffered far worse than just a few bumps on the head.
Aburame Shenra replied, "As long as they don't die, I don't care about them. I just want to know—what is Captain Tonbo doing?"
His gaze landed on Tonbo Tobitake. At the center of the barrier platform stood two Tonbos. That wasn't the main point. The point was the large machine in front of them: a giant rotating sphere that occasionally released ninjutsu to protect several smaller mechanical devices positioned outside the barrier.
One Tonbo was constantly operating the controls. The other, like the rest of the team, was keeping a close watch on the ten Hagoromo juniors to ensure none were lost.
"You mean that machine? I went over to look, but I didn't understand the data at all. The Captain said it's some kind of meteorological observation instrument," Kairo scratched his head.
If you wanted to talk about how long a dog's fur grows or what they should learn at a certain age, he could talk your ear off. But this meteorological instrument was completely beyond him. All he knew was that it was used to observe the weather.
"It seems the Captain has other objectives besides the mission," Shenra noted.
"What objective could there be in observing the weather?" Kairo looked at the valley, which felt oppressive even during the "Wind-Rest Period," and remained bewildered.
"I can only think of one: Ninjutsu. The Captain wants to create a ninjutsu based on the climate here," Shenra analyzed.
"Why do you say that?" Kairo asked.
"First, the Captain is the Head of the Analysis Division. Unless it's a mission concerning major village affairs, he wouldn't leave the village easily. Second, our mission is merely to protect these Hagoromo members—there's nothing special about it, no enemy spies or anything. Third, even if the Captain is rich from 'living off his wife,' he wouldn't carry so many instruments for no reason; it must be related to his goal. Fourth, according to the sixth-grade Intelligence Theory course at the Academy, when observing an event, you shouldn't just listen to what a person says, but watch what they do. Clearly, what the Captain is doing is only relevant to ninjutsu research. Furthermore, the Captain isn't a meteorologist or a scholar. Therefore, I speculate the Captain's goal is to create a wind-based ninjutsu."
"Oh, I see!" Kairo had a sudden realization. Although he didn't follow the logic at the beginning, he understood the conclusion: the Captain was creating a wind ninjutsu.
Shenra glanced at his expression—it was like playing a lute to a cow.
"Shenra, five o'clock direction," Hyuga Ren's voice rang in his ear.
Zip!
Aburame Shenra fired a kunai attached to a wire. Following the direction provided, he instantly snagged a person and hauled them back. This Hagoromo trial-taker was bruised and swollen. Seeing the people inside the barrier, he let out a sigh of relief. He had almost thought he was going to die; a stone had blown over and smashed into his face, dazing him and causing his footing to slip instantly.
"Your stamina hasn't been depleted much. Go back out there," Shenra sensed the boy's ample chakra and, with a flick of his wrist, tossed him right back out.
"NOOOO—!" The boy let out a tragic scream.
Tonbo Tobitake, with only his eyes exposed, stared at the data on the meteorological monitor. He controlled the flight-protection gear he had created with his "Dotting the Eyes" technique, moving them through the air. He was gathering information on air pressure, humidity, temperature, and various other factors from both high altitudes and the ground. He kept his sensory perception at maximum to observe the wind's path.
"Worth it."
This was a product of a certain technology company in the Land of Lightning, costing 35 million Ryo. It was worth one Asuma. It could accurately measure various meteorological data. Fortunately, since it was a weather instrument, the Land of Lightning hadn't considered its combat applications and hadn't restricted its export. Otherwise, getting hold of it would have required a lot more effort—and the risk of being hunted by the Cloud Village.
To complete his ninjutsu, he had spent a fortune. A normal S-rank mission only paid between ten to twenty million Ryo; money really burned through fast. No wonder Orochimaru would eventually have to convince the Daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields to let him establish the Hidden Sound Village. Experiments require money!
However, Tonbo believed that if this technique were completed, it would be worth it. Based on the power he had seen earlier, few could withstand the hurricane attacks of the Valley of the Resting Wind—unless they used space-time ninjutsu. It had a massive range and incredible power, and it wasn't a standard ninjutsu attack, but an attack utilizing natural energy.
"It just consumes a lot of chakra. Luckily, I don't intend for it to be a regular attack, but rather my trump card."
A ninjutsu of this scale required a massive amount of chakra. But he had a solution: a "Power Bank." The only time he'd really need this jutsu would be the Fourth Shinobi World War. At that time, Naruto and the other perfect Jinchuriki would be the best power banks available. He'd just borrow some then.
He sensed the status of his teammates and the clients again. Finding everything in order, he continued his great undertaking of ninjutsu research. His shadow clone stayed quietly to the side as a precaution.
"It's rare that you remember me, Naruto-kun," Aburame Shino said, looking at Naruto. It was quite a surprise to Shino that Naruto actually remembered him.
Naruto gave an awkward laugh and scratched his head. "Haha, so, can you be my subordinate for a bit and help me out?"
If Shikamaru hadn't insisted, how could he have remembered this person? He always felt like this guy would suddenly vanish and then suddenly reappear right in front of him.
"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. Although I really want to help, the baby insects I've been raising lately have entered their breeding period. So, after school, I have to take care of them," Aburame Shino said apologetically. It was a shame he couldn't help, especially since Naruto-kun had actually remembered him!
"Ah!" Naruto immediately put on a "mask of pain." What a coincidence!
"What kind of baby insects?" Naruto asked, not giving up.
"These."
Countless tiny black insects began to crawl out of Shino's sleeves, sunglasses, and collar...
"They're cute, aren't they? The ones my dad raises are even cuter. Do you want me to give you a few?"
Retreat, retreat, retreat!
The moment they saw the bugs, Naruto, Tianyu, and Maki scrambled backward. Looking at the dense, crawling mass, all three of them simultaneously broke out in goosebumps.
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