Chapter 68: Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall
Training Ground 98.
The moment Tonbo Tobitake approached, he sensed three little heads huddled suspiciously in the nearby bushes. He let his eyes wander but didn't expose them, instead going about his training as if no one were there.
He started with the "Gai-style" routine: two hundred single-finger handstands, two thousand push-ups, followed by one-handed push-ups and various movement drills.
The physical body and the spirit are the dual sources of chakra; naturally, Tonbo had never neglected his Taijutsu. For him, these exercises were like a light drizzle—easy. While he didn't possess Gai's natural physical gifts, he had a brain. He used technique to compensate for any lack of innate talent.
"So strong..." Hana Inuzuka, the only girl among the three, watched Tonbo's training method with deep admiration, stars practically sparkling in her eyes.
The Inuzuka clan's combat system was specialized in Taijutsu. Having practiced since childhood, she could immediately tell the difficulty of his routine. Even her father couldn't do those movements with such ease.
Gulp.
Are we really going to punch him? Can we even find an opening? Hana swallowed hard, feeling that their chances were looking slim.
"Is that really Iruka-sensei's teacher? He's so powerful... if we actually hit him, he won't beat us up, will he?" The boy with the middle-parted hair and suspenders was already getting cold feet.
The other boy, a slightly chubbier kid with whisker-like marks on his cheeks, was bolder. "What are you afraid of? We're kids! According to 'Child Psychology,' as long as we don't accidentally pee on him, he won't have the heart to hit a child."
"Is your 'Child Psychology' even reliable?" the suspender boy whispered.
Hana's gaze turned firm. "Don't be scared. The moment we land a hit—before he can even react—we'll say Iruka-sensei told us to do it. He'll definitely shift his target to Iruka-sensei."
She remembered Iruka-sensei's words; the teacher actually hoped they would grow up to beat Tonbo. They must have a grudge! If they just redirected the attention... hehe!
"Hana-nee has a point," the two boys nodded in agreement. This was a basic lesson in "espionage and subversion" that Iruka-sensei had taught them.
"Achoo!"
Iruka, who was currently grading student assignments, rubbed his nose. "What's going on? The weather just started getting cool—am I already catching a cold?"
He shook his head and looked back at the papers. He was very satisfied; with the support of his teacher's new Genjutsu, he was like a fish in water at the Academy.
Hmm? These kids are here to punch me? Do I even know them? And that guy Iruka... did he do something at school to point them in my direction?
Questions flashed through Tonbo's mind, but his movements didn't stop. He practiced his self-created "Tonbo-style Taijutsu" against a training post.
Bang! Bang!
It was a style that combined various Taijutsu from the Stone, Cloud, and Leaf villages—something he had developed to suit his own physique and combat style. It wasn't necessarily stronger than other styles; it was just more suitable for him.
Suddenly, Tonbo stopped and looked in a specific direction. The three little rascals finally emerged. Led by a girl with inverted triangular markings on her cheeks, two little boys followed closely behind her.
"Wow, mister! Are you a ninja?"
Hana Inuzuka looked at Tonbo with wide, watery eyes, putting on a perfect act of pure admiration. The two followers behind her felt extremely awkward; their "Big Sister" was born in a family full of ninja—how could she not pull off such a personality change?
Tonbo looked at the markings on her face. A kid from the Inuzuka family, huh? "That's right. Shouldn't you all be in class?"
He wanted to see how these kids would try to punch him.
"Whoa, so cool! Big Brother, you're amazing!"
"Is your dream to be Hokage, too?"
"We're off today, and we came here to practice ninjutsu. Big Brother, can you teach us?"
The three kids spoke in unison, their eyes brimming with "admiration."
It was almost too much. Even though he knew it was an act, they were genuinely adorable. Way cuter than Itachi. At that age, Itachi was always carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders; these kids actually had a childhood. Tonbo felt like he was becoming younger just being around them.
Tonbo shook his head. "No, I don't want to be Hokage. I'm going to leave the position of 'Hokage Successor' to you guys. You are the future of the village. Come, show me what you've learned at the Academy. I'm something of a genius when it comes to teaching."
When they heard the words "Hokage Successor," the three kids' eyes lit up for a moment. That sounds pretty good! They exchanged a glance but stayed committed to the plan.
"Big Brother, I want to be a strong ninja too! Can you give me a hug so I can feel the 'Greatness of a Ninja'?" Hana asked with watery eyes.
Tonbo nodded. "No problem. But you should introduce yourselves first, right?"
"Hana Inuzuka!"
"Shikun Fuma!"
"Zaizai Izuno!"
The three were eager. Hana even held out her arms for a hug.
"Alright then."
It was a brief introduction. He only recognized Hana Inuzuka, Kiba's older sister. If he remembered correctly, her personality was quite similar to Kiba's—she was definitely faking this.
Nevertheless, he picked her up. To be honest, Hana was in the same age group as Itachi; he wondered how she could stomach acting like a toddler asking for a hug.
Zaizai and Shikun exchanged a look. Each of them delivered a stomp to Tonbo's feet.
"Take that!"
Hana, who was being held, didn't wait either. Her face instantly transformed as she let out a roar and threw a punch directly at Tonbo's face.
Tonbo let go, and Hana, along with her two lackeys, sprinted away toward the path they had come from.
"Hehe, I'll let you experience the achievement of a successful ninja tactic. But next, it's your turn to let me experience what it's like to be a teacher."
Tonbo pretended to be in pain for a moment before a smile played on his lips. The kids' tactics were good; he appreciated people who used their brains. Their only mistake was plotting too loudly.
Rabbit—Rabbit—Monkey—Tiger—Monkey...
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"
"Yeah! The tactic worked! We punched Iruka-sensei's teacher!"
"As expected of Big Sister! You actually pulled off that 'watery-eyed' look!"
"What? You brat, do you want a beating?"
"Ah! Sorry, Hana-nee! You are naturally watery-eyed!"
The three were running with everything they had, knowing they couldn't beat Tonbo and needing to escape. Suddenly, something felt wrong. Why was there a cliff in front of them?
Swish!
The three skidded to a halt right at the edge. Looking down at the ground dozens of meters below, their heads started to spin. The two boys even slumped to the ground, their legs turning to jelly.
"What's happening?"
"Are we in a Genjutsu?"
Hana realized something was wrong. She looked at the distant forest and the Leaf village residential area even further away. When she turned back, she saw cliffs on all four sides.
They were standing on top of a massive, elevated square of earth.
"It's Earth Style... an enormous Earth Style!"
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