Chapter 169: Team Guy's Biological Data
The Ocean.
On the back of the Giant Whale.
"Tonbo, why are all these branch-like things growing on Lee's body?"
Guy watched as Tonbo Tobitake pressed his hand against Lee's back, causing intricate, root-like patterns to spread across the boy's skin. By now, the students were utterly exhausted, and Tonbo had offered to give them a physical examination.
"This is my specialized ninjutsu. It allows me to deeply analyze hidden physiological risks within the human body," Tonbo explained seriously. "It's the best way to create a customized conditioning plan for them."
As he spoke, a flood of data regarding Lee's body entered Tonbo's mind. It was exactly as he expected: Lee had some talent in the genetic markers for Taijutsu, but not a massive amount. He was simply slightly above average; there wasn't much else of note.
"This looks so weird. It makes Lee look like some kind of delinquent," Guy remarked, sitting slumped on the whale's back, staring at his disciple's tattooed appearance.
"It's ugly," Tenten added her own critique.
"Alright, next," Tonbo said. He fed Lee a nutritional supplement pill and cast a minor genjutsu "fraud" on his cells to accelerate the absorption of the nutrients.
Next was Tenten. Her genetic sequence was vastly different from Lee's. Beyond the obvious gender differences, she possessed several remarkable traits—bits of mysterious genetic information that Tonbo hadn't encountered in previous experimental subjects. He would need to organize the data and run experiments to identify the exact components, but he suspected they related to a natural aptitude for weapon mastery and space-time manipulation. Her Taijutsu potential was also quite high.
Third was Neji. Tonbo became even more focused here. This was one of the legendary protagonists of the ninja world's ocular history. As his neural threads sank into Neji's body, far more complex information surged into Tonbo's brain, and the branch-like patterns covered Neji as well.
"As expected of the Byakugan... it's the most complex human organ I've ever seen."
When Tonbo's nerves interfaced with the Byakugan, a massive wave of information hit him. He could see the specific structure of the eye in his mind. The Byakugan seemed to function as its own independent system, almost existing outside the rest of the body. There was only a simple "conduit" used when the body provided chakra.
Is it because the body itself doesn't recognize the eye as an integrated part of the organism? Tonbo mused. In some medical theories, the eyes are treated as distinct from the body's immune system; he speculated that the "plug-and-play" nature of the Sharingan and Byakugan was possible because of this. One simply needed a chakra link. The Byakugan was far more complex than he had imagined; it would likely take a long time to fully decode. Fortunately, the genes responsible for chakra amplification in bloodline limits were relatively consistent. His main goal wasn't to manifest the Byakugan anyway, but to increase his chakra reserves.
The Ninja Academy.
"Wataru, can you please take those bandages off your head? It looks terrible," Tianyu said, looking at his seatmate, Wataru Itabu, with utter exasperation.
"No," Wataru refused flatly.
Maki sighed. "Even if my dad is your idol, you don't have to copy his look. It's embarrassing for us!"
The two siblings looked at Wataru and groaned. On the first day of school, they had seen a kid with his head wrapped in bandages sitting next to them, immediately reminding them of their father. When they asked, it turned out he was a "Captain Tonbo" superfan who wanted to dress exactly like his hero.
"No."
"I'm serious, you've tripped like three times already. Aren't you afraid of getting hurt?"
"No."
"Fine, I'm taking them off for you!"
"Don't you dare!"
The children began to scuffle.
"Childish," Konohamaru muttered, watching them. He thought the bandage kid looked hideous. If someone wanted to copy a style, they should copy his grandfather's, not some "Captain Tonbo." He looked at the two annoying siblings—Tianyu and Maki—who were always mocking him. He came up with an idea to make them look foolish. Hehehe! Konohamaru chuckled to himself as he planned his revenge.
The Tobitake Residence.
"Tonbo Tobitake! Look at the children you've raised! They were out bullying classmates today! You're sleeping on the floor tonight!"
As soon as Tonbo walked through the door, he was met with Ayame's roar. Beside her, the two little ones stood looking perfectly innocent. The sky had fallen. He had been so happy about collecting Team Guy's data, only to find his own kids had been causing trouble.
Snap!
A bamboo switch appeared in his hand. He looked at the two children and sighed. "Alright, tell me. Why were you bullying classmates? People came all the way here to complain. If you don't have a good explanation... well, you know how 'bamboo-fried-meat' tastes, right?"
"Konohamaru attacked us first!"
"Yeah! He tried to ambush us by balancing a chalkboard eraser on the door! So we beat him up. Like Dad says: 'One strike delivered early prevents a hundred strikes later!'"
Ayame turned a murderous glare toward Tonbo.
"Nonsense! When did I ever say that?" Tonbo cried out.
"We saw it in a book in your study!" the two replied with wide, innocent eyes.
"..." Tonbo was speechless. "Look, forget it for today. But next time, can you show a little more 'ninja professionalism'? If you're going to hit someone, do it without getting caught."
"Tonbo... To-bi-ta-ke..." Ayame's veins were practically popping.
"Ahem! I'm teaching them how to be real shinobi! This is a necessary trait—a mark of excellence! Though, admittedly, it's a bit unethical to use it on comrades," Tonbo stammered.
Tianyu and Maki exchanged a look. Understood. Don't get caught pranking, and don't get caught fighting. If no one sees it, it didn't happen.
"Guy-sensei, Tonbo-sensei's training is way too twisted," Lee said, thinking back on the day. He was still terrified. Deep-sea training followed by high-altitude flight—what kind of mind comes up with that? He felt like he hadn't overcome his fear so much as deepened it. Because they knew the teachers were there to save them, they hadn't actually died. If they were truly alone in that environment, they would have had no way to cope.
Guy replied, "Lee, that just proves you still have fear in your heart! You must overcome it! This is also a way to build experience—experiences you won't get from standard missions. It builds your mental energy."
"I was going to ask Tonbo-sensei for an autograph, but forget it," Tenten grumbled. "But I've decided. I'm going to research a ninja tool that can fly and one that can navigate the deep sea." She already had ideas on how to overcome their weaknesses. Both the sky and the deep sea were blind spots for them, and she wanted to use her tools to bridge that gap.
Neji listened to his teammates and sank into thought. If he were trapped in such a place, how would he survive? Likely, death would be the only outcome. It wasn't an unreasonable fear; space-time ninjutsu and flight techniques existed in the ninja world. If an enemy took them to the sky or the depths, they had to be prepared.
"If Tenten can develop those, it would be perfect," Guy praised. "Our team does have those specific gaps. If you succeed, we'll be truly invincible!" He loved the idea. Shinobi operated in teams; as long as one person could handle a situation, the whole team was safe.
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