Chapter 24: The Art of the Lie
Konoha.
"This motivation probably won't last more than a few days. They'll soon realize that the 'Will of Fire' feels a bit hollow when you're doing chores, right?"
Tonbo Tobitake stood on a rooftop, looking down at the trio currently searching for a cat. The three of them had their fighting spirits ignited by the Will of Fire, but he could guarantee that after a few days of D-rank missions, they would become just as impatient as Naruto's generation.
It wasn't that he didn't want to take on higher-level missions. Since the death of the Fourth, mission resources from other nations—and even the Land of Fire itself—had indeed been declining. It had only stabilized slightly over the past year under the Third's administration. There simply weren't as many missions as one would imagine, and even fewer were suitable for a rookie team.
"Well, I should be diligent and teach them as much as I can to keep them from getting bored."
As their captain, he received 30% of the team's mission rewards. He couldn't let them stop. So, once the three little ones got tired of the grind, he planned to dangle some rewards to keep them going. It definitely wasn't just for that 30% commission.
But man, this job was easy. As long as he supervised the three of them, the money rolled in like collecting rent. Hehe.
Down below.
"Dammit, where did that cat go?" Mibu Shinobu lifted a wooden bucket and peered inside.
Nothing.
"Hey, why would a cat be in there? Get serious!" Iruka said, looking at him flip buckets with a sense of speechlessness.
Their mission this time was to find a cat belonging to an elderly noblewoman; word was the cat had been her companion for decades. They had been searching for half the day, only occasionally spotting cat droppings on the rooftops. He was starting to doubt if the cat even existed.
"Hey, Captain! Are you sure this cat is real?" Iruka shouted up to Tonbo on the roof.
Tonbo pointed to his own head. "Use your brains. What about the tracking techniques you learned at the Academy? Don't tell me you forgot them the moment you stepped out the gate. If you can't even find a cat, what will you do on harder missions? The world outside is full of clever, devious ninjas."
The Captain's mockery hit home. These three were honor students; how could they stand being looked down upon? Frustrated and determined, they racked their brains and began applying every scrap of knowledge from their Shinobi Intelligence classes, solely to prove their Captain wrong.
Tonbo shook his head. He had actually developed some expectations for them after the test at the training ground. From a combat perspective, their teamwork was far better than Naruto's generation at the start. Now, however, it was clear that while they could apply their practical skills in battle, they were far behind in other essential ninja traits.
Tonbo pulled out a pen and paper and began recording his observations—the strengths, weaknesses, and potential training paths for each of them. Since he had taken the role of Captain, he intended to be responsible. He wouldn't be like Kakashi, whose tutelage of Naruto and Sakura felt somewhat perfunctory. Even with Sasuke, it seemed Kakashi only taught him the Chidori while neglecting basic fundamentals until years later.
Tonbo intended to learn from those mistakes. As an excellent "worker," he knew not to let the leadership think he was too outstanding, but he couldn't be a non-entity either. Middle-of-the-road was the way to go.
In the afternoon.
The three finally found the cat. Relying on Iruka's knowledge of feline habits and the intel provided by the owner, they successfully completed the track. However, they were covered in dust and looked quite disheveled.
Regardless, they were happy. They stood before Tonbo, straight-backed, waiting for his praise.
"Sigh!"
Tonbo suddenly let out a heavy sigh. He had briefly considered "pulling at the sprouts to help them grow" by implanting memories for them to follow, but he held back. Not everyone had his ability to process memories. For ordinary people, it would just be a burden. Only things learned through one's own effort and time truly belonged to them.
Seeing him sigh, the smiles on the faces of Iruka and the others vanished.
"Captain... did we do that poorly?" Iruka looked at the sun in the sky, then back at their day's work, feeling embarrassed. It did seem a bit pathetic. The other two felt the same; they had been hoping for a compliment.
"No, you did a great job," Tonbo said, deciding not to crush their spirits.
"Really?"
This made the three feel even worse. They were honor students; once they snapped out of their excitement, they were self-aware enough to analyze their own performance.
"Of course. Although the cat-finding mission started off poorly, you eventually began to apply the knowledge taught at the school. That's very good. Mibu Shinobu's sharp perception, Iruka's intelligence analysis, and Tetusen's strong mobility—all were excellent."
Tonbo gave them a thumbs-up. But his words didn't cheer them up; they still looked dejected.
"What's wrong?"
"But it took us so long to figure it out. Aren't we too pathetic?"
"Why do you say that?"
"Like you said, Captain—if it takes us this long just to find a cat, how could we ever find a cunning enemy ninja?"
Smack!
Tonbo gave each of them a light swat on the head. "You brats, it's only your first day on the job. What, you want to fly already? Do you know of the Copy Ninja, Kakashi?"
"You mean Senior Kakashi, who graduated early at age six?" the three asked.
Tonbo: "Exactly. Him. When he first graduated, he did the exact same things you're doing."
Their eyes lit up. Was it really so?
"And he looked for cats too. Back then, it took him more than half a day. What does that tell you? It tells you he was about the same as you are now."
Their eyes grew even brighter.
"Furthermore, there is one area where he can't compare to you three." Tonbo paused for effect.
In reality, he had no idea if Kakashi had ever struggled with a cat mission, but that didn't stop him from spinning a yarn. Besides, detecting lies was a necessary skill for a ninja; if he were ever caught, he'd just claim it was a "hidden lesson." So, he kept bluffing.
Iruka asked urgently, "What area?"
"The Will of Fire. Why did it take him so long to find the cat? Because he lacked team spirit. He looked down on his teammates' abilities and tried to find it all by himself. Therefore, his Will of Fire is inferior to yours—vastly inferior. Remember, cooperating with your comrades is what makes you the best."
Whoosh!
Hearing that the famous Jonin Kakashi was inferior to them in terms of the Will of Fire, a raging fighting spirit ignited in their eyes. Their previous dejection vanished instantly.
"Then, Captain, how do you know so much?" Togetake Tetusen asked curiously.
"Because we were classmates, so I know a bit more than most," Tonbo said.
"Eh? Then Captain, how old are you?" Mibu Shinobu asked suddenly.
The other two realized it as well and scrutinized Tonbo. Previously, they thought the Captain was quite old because of his height, and his "dream" of retirement had made them forget to ask. Now, they were suspicious.
"Haha, I'm about two and a half years older than you."
"Eh? Then shouldn't we call you 'Big Brother'?"
"Be serious. Please call me Captain."
"Then Captain, did you do these missions when you just graduated?"
"No, no. Your Captain was much more impressive than Kakashi. I joined the Third Great War immediately after graduation and performed meritorious deeds within six months." Tonbo wagged his index finger.
"So cool!"
The eyes of the three were filled with pure adoration.
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