Chapter 337: Passing By
The Desert Zone.
Gaara led the main army as they advanced toward the Mountains' Graveyard.
Whoosh, whoosh!
All the ninjas moved toward their target with measured speed, prioritizing chakra conservation. So far, they had yet to encounter any resistance.
In the sky, two figures flew side by side, leading the formation and acting as the sensory unit to detect any enemy presence.
"Captain Tonbo, can that thing in your hand truly play a role in ending wars?" Gaara asked, glancing at Tonbo Tobitake, who was busy taking photographs. He had been curious about this ever since the summit meeting.
Tonbo stopped snapping photos and chuckled. "Of course it can't."
"Then why are you..."
"But it can reduce the desire for some people to start a war, and decrease the probability of one breaking out in the first place. That, it can achieve," Tonbo explained.
Gaara remained puzzled. "Could you explain that to me?"
Only those born in times of strife could truly feel the weight of such pressure. Gaara knew better than most that war brought nothing but endless suffering to civilians: food shortages, lack of resources, the constant anxiety of conflict...
He wished for none of these things. Hearing Tonbo's claim, he wanted to understand exactly how it worked.
Tonbo asked, "You've heard about Pain, the leader of the Hidden Rain Village, haven't you?"
Gaara nodded. He knew the general intelligence regarding the matter, but he didn't see the connection to Pain.
"According to Naruto, Pain's original dream was to bring stability to his country and live in peace. That's why they founded the Akatsuki—hoping to promote the concept of peace through that organization. But the cruelty of reality broke them, and eventually, their goals shifted. They wanted to collect the Tailed Beasts so that every nation would feel the pain of war, making them fear it enough to maintain peace. That is the principle I'm talking about."
Gaara looked like a student listening intently to a teacher.
"His idea was good; if you make nations fear, peace will follow. It was just a bit naive. Their power wasn't enough to reach that level. What I intend to do is take the cruelty of war and use information dissemination to ensure the people of every nation have a profound understanding of its horror. By doing this, we can eliminate the greed and arrogance in some people's hearts... If this is passed down through generations, while we might not eliminate war entirely, we can significantly reduce the probability of a major conflict. The execution is simple: broadcast the cruelty effectively. This is the application of intelligence. Ninjas are supposed to be experts at collecting and using information, aren't they?"
Tonbo waved the camera in his hand. He took out several photos he had already produced. They depicted various scenes of war: bloodshed, betrayal, struggle, combat, traps—every grim facet was represented.
Gaara looked at the photos and then back at Tonbo, his eyes filled with shock. Now that he was Kazekage, he could grasp the weight of Tonbo's words. If the information reached everyone effectively, it truly could achieve a deterrent effect similar to "fear" without actually causing a war.
It was such a simple, grounded idea—why had their predecessors, or even the current Kage, never thought of it?
Then he realized why Tonbo said it only "reduced the probability." There would always be people who didn't subscribe to such ideals or who simply thrived on conflict. Among the high-ranking officials of every nation, such people were never in short supply. Perhaps the previous Kage hadn't failed to think of it, but were simply forced to follow the existing system. If the Sand Village spread such propaganda, leading to a drop in morale and combat readiness while other villages didn't, the consequences would be...
Only a global war like the one happening now could spark such a revolution and break the old balance to create a new order.
Tonbo Tobitake is truly incredible. Gaara admired Tonbo, who seemed unburdened by the war yet was already taking action to shape the future.
"But where did these photos come from? They aren't from this battle, are they?" Gaara noticed something was off. The images weren't of the Allied forces; the headbands of different villages were clearly visible, and the environments were wrong.
Tonbo laughed. "You probably know I used to be the Head of the Decryption Unit. These photos were created using ninjas' memories and a specialized technique to reconstruct identical scenes which I then photographed. They're very realistic, aren't they? Hehe."
In the world of ninjas, Tonbo was the pioneer of using high-level ninjutsu for mundane life. As he said, the fewer wars the better; while he was at it, he might as well spread some "positive energy."
"A... good idea," Gaara stammered after a moment of stunned silence. He admired Tonbo even more; his ideas were always practical and effective.
"They're here. Looks like a few big shots, no army," Tonbo suddenly said.
Gaara focused. "Mhm. I see them. My father is among them."
Poof!
Tonbo summoned a guitar and held it in his arms. "I'll support you."
Twang! Clang!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The surprise attack units of both sides clashed. The reanimated ninjas—Deidara, Sasori, Shin, and others—immediately put pressure on the Allied unit.
"Art is an explosion!"
Deidara, having finally managed to find some clay, let out a maniacal laugh as he unleashed his attack. Fortunately, the Alliance had intelligence on him and successfully evaded.
In the sky, Tonbo Tobitake flew past, now holding a Trumpet.
"Mhm, the Surprise Attack Unit... they don't really need much support, they can handle this easily. Oh well, I'll lend a hand to make it a bit smoother for them."
He quietly took out his camera to record the battle, and then blew into the trumpet.
"Genjutsu: Descending Tombs!"
Thud, thud, thud!
Every reanimated ninja below suddenly felt a crushing weight. When they looked closely, they found themselves pinned down by massive tombstones.
"You bastard! Don't you dare run away! I'll settle the score with you!" Deidara's eyes shifted colors; he realized the eye he had trained specifically to counter the Sharingan's Genjutsu couldn't break this one. He cursed at the Alliance ninja flying above.
Swish, swish!
Seeing the opening, the Alliance used various means to restrain the enemies. Sai unfurled a scroll, and several ink tigers pounced.
At that moment, chakra threads extended from Sasori's fingers, dispelling the Genjutsu for the others. However, Deidara was still caught and stuffed into the "Salamander" puppet by Kankuro.
Whoosh!
"That man... feels familiar..." Sasori watched the receding figure of Tonbo Tobitake. For some reason, he had a nagging feeling in his heart. He knew who Tonbo was—a man even the former leader was wary of—but the impression in his mind felt... different.
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