Execution
Tōma wasted no time. He etched a Flying Thunder God mark directly into Kakashi's Sharingan.
By now, the Flying Thunder God was infamous across the shinobi world. If Tōma had merely handed Kakashi a marked kunai, it would've been confiscated and destroyed the moment Kakashi reached his destination. A seal carved into a tool was still bound by the tool's durability.
A mark engraved into the eye, though?
That was far harder to detect.
And far harder to remove.
There was another reason. Kakashi's left eye originally belonged to Obito. Tōma wasn't certain yet, but he suspected the mark might interact with the Sharingan in unexpected ways later on.
As for space constraints, that problem had already been solved. Tōma had refined his sealing technique long ago, compressing the mark far beyond its original form. He'd never intended to carve it into someone's eye, but now the option paid off.
Once the marking was complete, Kakashi relaxed his mental resistance.
The effect was immediate.
His gaze dulled. His steps turned unsteady. He looked like someone walking in a dream.
Tōma observed calmly.
As expected, the first thing Kakashi did under the puppet technique's influence was discard all weapons. Kunai, shuriken, everything. Even his clothing was removed next, though thankfully Hiruko still had some restraint and forced Kakashi into a spare outfit before guiding him onward.
If not, Kakashi waking up later would've been… catastrophic.
White Fang level social death.
Kakashi then headed straight for Konoha's main gate.
Standing guard were the village's two ever-reliable gatekeepers: Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane.
Security had been tightened under Tōma's orders. Even a famous jōnin like Kakashi wasn't allowed to leave without official clearance.
They tried to stop him.
They failed.
Kakashi, restricted by the puppet technique and unable to fight at full strength, still knocked them out cleanly.
That scene was witnessed by Naruto, who had just finished a late-night meal at Ichiraku Ramen. He rushed forward instinctively, only to be stopped by Tōma.
"Why'd you stop me?" Naruto demanded. "Kakashi-sensei's acting weird. He didn't even respond to me, and he knocked out the guards!"
"I know," Tōma said calmly. "Don't panic."
He explained the situation and his plan in full.
Naruto's eyes widened.
"So Kakashi-sensei's being used to track the enemy?"
"Exactly."
"Then I'm coming too!"
Tōma didn't refuse.
"Fine. How's your Wind Release: Rasenshuriken training?"
Naruto scratched his head. "Uh… almost?"
"You can speed it up," Tōma said lightly. "Kurama might be waiting on you."
Naruto squinted, unconvinced, then suddenly pointed at Tōma's shoulder.
"Hey! That little guy! I've seen it in my dreams! That's your pet?!"
Tōma twitched.
So Moon Sprite had been visiting Kurama often enough that Naruto noticed… and still thought it was a dream.
Impressive, in a way.
"Go back for now," Tōma said, steering the conversation away. "I'll come get you tomorrow."
Naruto hesitated, but nodded. If Tōma was involved, Kakashi-sensei wouldn't be in danger. That much he trusted without question.
After Naruto left, Tōma handled cleanup.
Izumo and Kotetsu were sent to the hospital. Tōma asked them to keep quiet, explaining Kakashi had been carrying out a classified mission. When he clarified that their injuries counted as work-related, their mood improved dramatically.
Free time. Medical leave. And a perfect excuse to make Kakashi buy them drinks later.
All in all, not bad.
With that settled, Tōma returned to his training.
The next day, deep within Shikkotsu Forest, Tōma checked the sky.
By now, Kakashi should've reached Hiruko.
Moon Sprite hadn't returned yet, which left two possibilities: either Kakashi hadn't arrived, or Moon Sprite had misunderstood his instructions.
Then, without warning, Moon Sprite appeared beside him and hopped onto his shoulder, licking his cheek.
"Did Kakashi make contact?" Tōma asked.
Moon Sprite nodded.
"Well done," Tōma said, patting its head.
He activated Flying Thunder God and reappeared beside Naruto.
This time, Tōma himself had come. His shadow clone was still tied up with village administration. Some problems required the original.
Naruto was training in the back hills.
Tōma stared at the landscape and fell silent.
Craters. Gouges. Torn earth everywhere.
The place barely resembled a mountain anymore.
At this rate, Naruto would erase the entire hill. But there was nowhere else suitable. Letting him train inside the village was unthinkable.
"Is it time?" Naruto asked eagerly. He'd barely trained today, deliberately saving his energy.
"Yeah," Tōma said. "It's time."
He reached for Flying Thunder God—
—and felt resistance.
The mark was still there, but something was interfering.
A barrier.
So Hiruko wasn't careless after all.
Still, blocking Tōma's perception would require something on the level of a Rinnegan-based system. Hiruko didn't have that.
Not even close.
Tōma smiled.
The next instant, both he and Naruto vanished from the shattered hillside.
...
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