Incredible.
"Incredible" didn't even cover it; this was beyond imagination. Although Tonbo Tobitake had felt from the start that the Sharingan's ceiling was higher than the Rinnegan's, he didn't realize Orochimaru knew this much.
The man had actually turned it into a formal field of study.
Listening to Orochimaru's words today made Tonbo feel like his entire worldview had been upended. A gust of wind blew past, slapping a leaf onto his face, as if the world itself was saying: You may be a transmigrator, but that doesn't make you smarter than the natives.
And what Orochimaru said about the Sharingan being a specific creation of the Sage of Six Paths... it actually made sense. The way the Sharingan could evolve unique abilities based on the user's specific goals—like Obito's Kamui—was indeed a massive "bug" in the system.
If soone awakened an ability to kill anyone they looked at, wouldn't they be invincible? Did the Sage of Six Paths truly foresee the great calamity a thousand years in advance via the Great Toad Sage and set these pieces on the board?
"Your conclusion lacks evidence... but it is very logical. I'll believe you for now."
Tonbo's brain was spinning. However, he knew one thing for certain: Sasuke would never be successfully taken over by Orochimaru's reincarnation. He wanted to see what else the snake had to say.
Orochimaru blinked, looking surprised. "Interesting. I thought you'd have a different perspective."
"As expected of Lord Orochimaru of the Sannin. To have conducted such extensive research... I admit defeat in that regard. If I agree not to interfere with you, what do I get in return?" Tonbo asked.
"I can provide your family with a world that remains intact. Is that not enough, family-oriented Captain Tonbo?" Orochimaru countered.
"...You're really good at empty bargaining. Fine, I wish your 'Save the World' campaign every success. If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."
Tonbo felt helpless. Orochimaru was indeed the sharpest of the bunch. He just hadn't realized how sharp. But Orochimaru was also underestimating him—Tonbo Tobitake was no pushover.
Still, he was shaken. Did Orochimaru really want to save the ninja world just so he could live forever?
"Farewell. I hope we have further opportunities to cooperate," Orochimaru said with a thin smile.
As if rembering sothing, Tonbo turned back. "I don't know if what you said is true or false, but your reincarnation into Sasuke won't succeed. Because I've seen the future Sasuke, and he's doing just fine."
Without giving Orochimaru a chance to respond, Tonbo vanished with a Poof.
"Tonbo Tobitake... so the so-called 'Will of Fire' really was just a mask," Orochimaru murmured to the empty air. "I wonder if there's any truth to his words. As long as he doesn't interfere with , it's fine."
But the part about being family-oriented was likely true. Between his family and Sasuke, Tonbo chose his family. The Third Hokage wouldn't have done that; he would have tried to save everyone.
"But what did his last words an? The 'future Sasuke'... what was he trying to imply?" Orochimaru muttered lowly. "Could it be space-ti ninjutsu?"
High in the sky.
A giant eagle soared above the clouds. Tonbo Tobitake absorbed the mories of his shadow clone.
"That Orochimaru gave so much shocking intel; I might as well leave him guessing too. Regardless of whether he was telling the truth."
He recalled the original plot. It seed that most of what Orochimaru said could actually be reconciled with the story. So... Sasuke was being specially raised by Orochimaru just to counter the coming threat and prevent the world's energy from being drained?
Wait... even if the motive was self-preservation, that would still make Orochimaru a savior! Orochimaru, oh Orochimaru, you can't be serious. You've gotta be lying.
In his previous life, Tonbo respected Orochimaru's "scientist" persona, but the "Savior" persona felt wrong. There had to be more scandalous gossip that Orochimaru hadn't shared. Tonbo's inner gossip-monger was burning with curiosity.
These deviations from the original story were exactly what he looked forward to. As for the "cooperation," he didn't take it to heart. He never intended to interfere with Sasuke's growth anyway; he only placed marks on the boy to prevent "accidents." Now it seed he had been overthinking it. If future Sasuke was fine, current Sasuke couldn't fail. Unless they weren't on the sa tiline.
"Agh! How annoying!"
In any case, hearing Orochimaru's "internal gossip" made him feel exhilarated. It was just like when he first saw Sasori using human puppets that could still use ninjutsu—it made the world feel alive, not just a flat piece of paper.
"Dammit, Orochimaru's tech is too good. No wonder the Akatsuki and even a tracking expert like Zetsu can't catch him. Who could?"
Tonbo noticed that the tracking mark he had placed on Orochimaru had stopped moving. There were no signs of activity. He had wanted to see if he could eavesdrop on more gossip, but in just a short ti, his tracking thod had been neutralized. Likely that Shedding technique again.
"Uncle Tonbo, you didn't really want to bring Sasuke back, did you? You have the ability, right? All that talk about him being experinted on or interrogated..."
Suddenly, Naruto, sitting nearby, spoke up. Sai, Sakura, and Yamato all turned to look at Tonbo. They also found it strange. Tonbo had been Acting Hokage, aning everyone recognized his strength as being Kage-level. Against Orochimaru, he wouldn't necessarily lose.
Sakura clenched her fists. Sasuke...
"Do you also think he's just a traitor and don't want him back?" Naruto's face was dark, his eyes filled with sorrow. "I'm grown up now. Don't treat like a kid."
Slap!
"In my eyes, you'll always be a kid. You'll understand when you're older. Are you questioning the reasoning of a man who was Acting Hokage?"
Tonbo swatted the back of Naruto's head.
"Ahhh—!"
The slap sent Naruto reeling, nearly falling off the giant eagle. The sorrow vanished instantly as he frantically grabbed onto the eagle's feathers.
"Naruto!" Sakura and the others were startled.
Before Naruto could fall, Tonbo yanked him back.
"Go back and train properly. Stop being lazy. You lot are too weak. Four of you couldn't handle one guy; you've completely embarrassed Konoha. When I was your age, I could fight ten Sasukes."
Tonbo, adopting his "stern elder" persona, scanned the four of them with a piercing gaze.
Gulp.
The terrifying glare of a thirty-year-old man made them swallow hard. Even Sai, for reasons he didn't understand, felt a sudden surge of an emotion he had never felt before: fear.
"And you, you're going by Yamato now, right? You inherited the First Hokage's Wood Style, and yet you can't even beat a brat. I'm starting to think you got into the ANBU elite through the Third Hokage's back door. Otherwise, how are you a squad leader?"
Tonbo looked toward Yamato, giving him a "skin-deep" smile. As for why Sai felt fear—it was just a small trick. Fear is contagious.
"Senior... Tonbo... I will work harder..." Yamato gulped.
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