Chapter 329: The Battlefield Correspondent Ninja
Konoha.
The Tobitake Residence.
"Dad, I heard the Fourth Great Ninja War is about to start. Is it true?" Tianyu Tobitake asked.
"Yes, it's starting very soon," Tonbo replied.
"Then can I be a squad leader? And... who are we fighting anyway?" Tianyu thought for a moment and realized he didn't even know who the enemy was.
"Uchiha Madara," Tonbo said, glancing at him.
"Uchiha Madara? You mean one of the founders of Konoha, the legendary powerful Uchiha? He's not dead yet?"
"He'll be dead in a few days. He's not important."
"What do you mean? Isn't he supposed to be incredibly strong? I really want to trade blows with him!" Tianyu's eyes were full of hot-blooded excitement.
"Right. How about you beat Konohamaru first? He couldn't beat you back then, but now you can't beat him. You have the nerve to ask for a squad leader position and a fight with Madara? Where's your shame?" Tonbo teased.
"Hey! Does that mean I can't go to the battlefield?" Tianyu looked shocked. He considered himself a powerful ninja—after all, he was part of the trio that took down a major threat to the village.
"The Hokage issued an order: children under fourteen stay behind to guard the village. All other ninjas march to the front," Tonbo explained.
The Shinobi Alliance was about to mobilize. Konoha would leave only a small garrison and send its full force to the front. Young Genin were not required to fight. Neither were pregnant kunoichi, like Kurenai Yuhi.
"Aw, why? We're really strong too!"
"That's exactly why you need to protect the home front. Just leave Uchiha Madara to me."
"Dad, can you really handle him?" Tianyu asked skeptically. In the legends, Uchiha Madara was a terrifying figure who, alongside Hashirama Senju, suppressed every power in the Land of Fire to create Konoha. His dad was cool, sure, but Madara was... Madara.
"What do you mean 'can I handle him'? Just watch. Not only am I going to give him a thrashing, but I also prepared this."
Tonbo held up a new model camera from the Land of Fire. Unlike the bulky versions from years ago, this was a piece of miniaturized tech developed recently.
"That's a battlefield, Dad! Why would you bring that?" Tianyu found it unbelievable, even knowing his father's eccentricities. This was war. When Tianyu went on missions, he didn't dare lose focus for a second, let alone take photos.
"Hehe, to record the war, of course. To warn future generations," Tonbo chuckled. The Fourth War would be full of celebrities; it would be a waste not to capture some of those moments.
"I feel like there's something wrong with you... but I have no evidence." Tianyu still didn't get it. His dad definitely wasn't doing this for "future generations." It was more like he found something fun and wanted to satisfy his own twisted sense of humor—just like when he recorded videos of Tianyu running around naked as a toddler.
Wait... Tianyu's eyes widened. He wouldn't do that to the legendary ninjas, would he?
"Alright, mission start. Tianyu Tobitake, listen up: You, Maki, and all other ninjas under fourteen will guard the village. Also, give your mom a message for me: I'm going out to play for a few days and I'll be back soon."
Tonbo smiled, offered no further explanation, and vanished with a Poof.
"Dammit, Dad! Now I have to deal with Mom's nagging all by myself!"
Land of Lightning.
The Shinobi Alliance was assembling. Ninjas from various villages continued to arrive, setting up camp in designated areas. The Land of Lightning was mountainous, with most structures built directly into the cliffs—especially within Kumogakure.
Click.
Click.
Tonbo Tobitake walked around openly, taking photos of the various ninjas as they prepared. He captured the sharpening of tools, the bickering between different village factions, the complaints, the lingering looks of hatred, and the logistics of the troop divisions.
"Nice. From now on, I am the first generation of 'Battlefield Correspondent Ninja'—a ninja whose goal is to document combat and war."
A smile tugged at Tonbo's lips. After the war, he would write books and gain worldwide fame. He planned to introduce various specialized ninja systems: Gourmet Ninjas, Jewel Ninjas, Correspondent Ninjas... he wanted the post-war generation to focus their energy on these things. Most importantly, he wanted to leave his own legend behind.
"Hey! What are you doing, Konoha ninja?"
"Yeah! Are you an enemy spy stealing Alliance secrets?"
Since he was so blatant about it, some ninjas naturally noticed and shouted in anger. The more hot-tempered ones were already reaching for their weapons.
"I am the Battlefield Correspondent Ninja, Tonbo Tobitake. I'm just documenting the war. Excuse me, excuse me—these are precious historical images, they must be preserved."
Tonbo snapped a few more photos, looking at the display with increasing satisfaction. His photography skills were truly top-tier; he captured the tension of the war perfectly.
"You bastard—"
"Don't touch him! That's the Black Flash of Konoha, Captain Tonbo. You can't beat him."
"What? Black Flash? Why is a guy with white hair called the Black Flash?"
"I heard that when he uses Taijutsu, his whole body turns black."
"Turns black? Does it happen... down there too?"
"Dammit, watch your mouth!"
Tonbo's reputation was quite large now, and many ninjas recognized him. Such scenes occurred throughout the camps; his shadow clones were everywhere.
"Oh, it's time for the meeting? Fine, I'll record the meeting contents too."
Tonbo stopped his recording upon hearing the notification from a messenger and tucked his camera away.
Poof!
Kumogakure Meeting Room.
Tsunade, Onoki, Gaara, Terumi Mei, and Ay were seated around the table. Behind them stood their respective right-hand men and strategists.
"I see. Konoha truly is a cradle of talent. To think another ninja comparable to Minato Namikaze has appeared," the Raikage said, listening to Konoha's intel. Knowing they had a major asset like Tonbo made him envious. The other Kage felt the same.
"If Uchiha Madara deploys that monster again, we will have to rely on him to stall it," the Raikage continued.
For a large-scale army, a massive summon like the Gedo Mazo was a weapon of mass destruction. It had to be neutralized. The Tailed Beasts were feared specifically because of their destructive range; while every village had the means to suppress a beast, preventing the collateral damage was the hard part.
"One person might not be enough. According to the Kazekage's intel, the monster that appeared in Konoha is likely a statue that has absorbed the power of the Tailed Beasts," Shikaku provided his analysis.
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