Chapter 403: Easily Resolved
"What?"
Kankuro was instantly stunned by Gaara's words. However, being an elite ninja, he quickly recalled his past memories of Tobitake Tonbo and realized that things were exactly as Gaara described.
Even now, while clearly watching Tonbo fight Shira, he couldn't help but feel that Tonbo's abilities shouldn't be enough to defeat Shira. Yet, looking at the actual state of the battle, Tonbo was clearly holding back.
In the past, the man hadn't deliberately hidden his information, so why did everyone always overlook this point? This was the man who could use Taijutsu to physically suppress the shell of the Ten-Tails. How could he possibly be weak?
"Damn, since when has this been happening? How did he do it?" Kankuro felt a lingering fear after the realization hit him. Fortunately, they had entered the era of the Shinobi Alliance, and things were relatively peaceful. If this were the old era of war, he would have been left without a place to be buried.
"I don't know. I only know we've definitely fallen for his trick, and it's likely been going on for a long time. I just don't know when he pulled it off. As expected of a legend and the ceiling of Genjutsu—he's truly formidable."
Gaara pondered for a long time but couldn't find a single flaw. Furthermore, he felt as though he wasn't currently under a Genjutsu at all.
While they discussed this terrifying matter, the battle below was reaching its climax. Having activated the Seven Heavenly Breaths' Fifth Activation, Shira was finally able to trade blows with Tonbo. It was clear that Tonbo was now showing a bit of his true skill.
"Heh, these guys are definitely playing around. A spar, huh? That Taijutsu isn't bad, but it's a bit like bullying a child."
Shukaku quietly emerged from the ground, watching the two fight. Only he truly knew that Tonbo's Taijutsu was on par with—or perhaps even exceeded—that of a Ten-Tails Jinchuriki. And right now, Tonbo wasn't even going all out with his physical techniques.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Boom!
The wind and sand grew more violent. Shira's Taijutsu was causing the environment itself to shift. However, unlike the Eight Inner Gates, his style didn't feature massive area-of-effect attacks. He focused more on pinpoint, single-target strikes. His attacks were silent and traceless.
But in the end, it was still Taijutsu, and Tonbo responded with ease.
Boom!
A massive sand pit appeared. The shockwaves from their attacks kicked up a gale, blowing back the encroaching sandstorm. Air cannons fired off frequently, nearly hitting the spying Shukaku on several occasions.
"Damn, the power of ninja is getting more and more ridiculous," Shukaku muttered. He felt like the number of ninja capable of beating him was growing by the day. Luckily, it was a time of peace and a consensus had been reached with the ninja.
Pow!
Another air cannon blast. Shira, unable to hold on any longer at the Fifth Activation, pushed into the Sixth. His purple hair stood on end like a hedgehog's, and a yellow aura radiated from him, compressing the surrounding air. His physical form even began to undergo slight changes.
"Holy crap, are you a Super Saiyan?!" Tonbo joked internally upon seeing this. The resemblance was uncanny.
Phantasm Taijutsu.
Tonbo stepped up his game, a black film manifesting over his body.
Boom!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
This was the kind of Taijutsu he wanted to see. Shira was indeed a genius. To develop Taijutsu to this level alone was incredible; perhaps he truly could help Tonbo develop a stronger system. Tonbo's current body could also be considered a Taijutsu masterpiece—super-active cells, immense vitality, and incredible adaptability. However, when using the Eight Inner Gates, his naturally massive chakra became too difficult to control, which didn't fit his tactical combat style.
Swoosh—
Thud—
"Let's end the spar here. Let's talk business," Tonbo said, sending Shira flying with a punch before using Genjutsu to force him out of the breathing state. Shira's cell activity slowly began to drop.
Using the God Tree from the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Tonbo had planted neural threads in everyone in the world. He had already fully deciphered the operational flow of Shira's Taijutsu, so finding a way to catch him in a Genjutsu was natural.
"Hey, I also wanted to... never mind. I was going to ask, why did you come to the Sand to learn Taijutsu? Does Konoha not have any decent Taijutsu left?"
Kankuro had originally wanted to spar with Tonbo too, but he couldn't exactly spar using puppetry. Given that Taijutsu display just now, he'd have a hard time, let alone dealing with Genjutsu or Ninjutsu.
"No, I'm developing a 'Taijutsu Training System' and I need various types of Taijutsu knowledge to supplement it. I also need medical knowledge and secret medicines—though Konoha is the strongest in that field, so I just need the specific Taijutsu styles of the other villages."
Tonbo's goal wasn't limited to the Hidden Sand.
Gaara asked, "A Taijutsu Training System? Is it like the Genjutsu Training System at the Konoha Academy?" The Hidden Sand had been eyeing that for a long time and had even sent people to experience it. It was a remarkable system.
"More or less. But if the Genjutsu system trains combat experience—the 'software' of a ninja—then the Taijutsu system trains the 'hardware.' In the future, this system will become the ultimate goal for all Taijutsu ninja," Tonbo explained.
Kankuro chimed in, "The ultimate goal? Shira has almost reached his peak. If he opens the Seventh Activation of his Seven Heavenly Breaths, he might even be stronger than Gaara."
Stronger than Gaara—that meant rising above the level of the Five Kage. Though the sacrifice would be great, it didn't diminish the achievement of the technique.
"I know. But when the Taijutsu Training System I envision is complete, it will surpass the achievements of all ninja in history—and perhaps even exceed Naruto's power."
Tonbo used Naruto as the benchmark.
"Exceed Naruto's power?"
That sounded ridiculous. Everyone knew that Naruto, Sasuke, and Tobitake Tonbo represented the strongest forces in the world. Claiming that Taijutsu alone could surpass Naruto seemed like boasting.
However, Shira was deeply interested. "Kazekage-sama, I believe Tonbo-senpai's words. I'm very interested in achieving such a goal. What do I need to do?"
"As long as the Kazekage hands you over to me and contributes some Taijutsu research data, this training system will be open to the Hidden Sand as well."
Besides force, there had to be mutual benefit. Otherwise, who would do the grunt work for you?
Kankuro asked suspiciously, "That sounds too good to be true. This sounds like a massive project. Won't it take a long time to develop?" Even copying Konoha's school system was taking them forever. A project of this scale would surely take a massive amount of time.
"Of course. Everything takes time, doesn't it?" Tonbo replied.
Gaara said, "I also want to know if Tonbo-senpai's research can truly reach the level you claim. I will speak with the village elders."
"Thank you. I won't bother you further. When the project is officially launched, I'll come for my recruit. Now, I need to head to the Hidden Cloud; they are the true Taijutsu experts."
"At least rest for a bit and look around," Gaara suggested. "The Sand has changed quite a bit, and our customs are very different from Konoha's."
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