By the end of the battle, Uchiha Tonan had almost destroyed the entire battlefield by himself. Many ninjas were buried in the slowly flowing mud. And the ninjas on top of the mountain wall were also captured by the Leaf ninjas that Nara Shikaku had dispatched.
Tonan deactivated the Tengu state and landed steadily on the ground. He turned around to walk towards Konoha’s battlefront indifferently. All Leaf ninjas looked at him with reverence and wanted to cheer for him.
But…
It was both a bit unfamiliar and a bit awe-inspiring. The gap between their capabilities was just too much. Everyone solemnly realized just how many levels they were lower than Tonan and didn’t dare to be rash.
They could only stand rooted to their spots and stare at him.
Ding! Gained Nara Mido’s acknowledgment… Ding! Gained Kurama Fei’s acknowledgment… Gained Mitsunari Keita’s acknowledgment… Gained Chihiro Takai’s acknowledgment… Yamanaka Tosa’s acknowledgment… Daisuke Nakahira’s acknowledgment…
When Tonan reached close to Konoha’s battlefront, the Leaf ninjas stepped aside to make way. They stood on both sides and held their breaths, taking in every move that Tonan made.
Shikaku hastily rushed over to welcome him. He bowed deeply toward Tonan with both hands on his knees and said, “Tonan-sama, this truly troubled you.”
Tonan nodded lightly and took his gold-rimmed glasses from Shikaku’s hands. He put them on and walked silently into the distance. Everyone’s gaze stayed on him the entire time until he completely disappeared into the forest.
Only then did the Leaf ninjas begin to make all kinds of comments…
“He’s too handsome. He didn’t even say a word… so cool.”
“Don’t make a fuss about it… Experts are like this.”
“What kind of ninjutsu was that giant? Does anyone know anything about it?”
“Never seen it but I feel it’s bigger than the sannin’s summoning beasts.”
“Summoning beasts!? You don’t know half of it. When that giant appeared, I didn’t even dare breathe because it was too suffocating.”
“Did you see that Tonan-sama’s ninjutsu killed Sandaime Kazekage?”
“It seems to be called Raikiri. Perhaps, it’s a forbidden technique of the Uchiha clan.”
“Forbidden technique? I hope Tonan-sama is fine.”
“Should… shouldn’t….”
……
Looking at the dense forest, Shikaku stroked his nose. He seemed to be thinking but his expression did not give away his thoughts. “Alright, leave some people here to guard. After the logistics team arrives, we’ll build a stronghold here. The others head go back to Kikyo Mountain. We’ve won the positional battle and next will be squad battles.”
After giving out the commands, Shikaku looked at Hyuga Hizashi and said, “Hizashi-sama, I’ll trouble you to make the arrangements here. I’ll go back now.”
Hizhasi looked at the people around him and then his gaze moved back to Shikaku. He asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong? Is it about Tonan… sama…”
Shikaku had no change in his expression. He patted Hizashis’s shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, it shouldn’t be a big deal.”
In the evening, the sun was already in the west and the fiery sunset dyed the entire sky red. With his hands behind his back, Tonan was on the edge of the cliff near the Kikyo Mountain’s commander tent, looking at the distant landscape.
The scarlet sunlight reflected on his glasses, making people unable to see his eyes. At this moment, Shikaku walked behind him and respectfully asked, “Tonan-sama, are you waiting for me?”
Tonan looked down at the magnificent sunset and leisurely replied, “I was waiting here to give answers to your questions.” Shikaku was silent for a while, and then asked, “Are you injured?”
The corners of Tonan’s mouth rose a little and he nodded, “Yes. The injury is very serious and so unless it’s a big battle, I can only participate as little as possible.”
“I understand,” Shikaku didn’t ask further questions and nodded. Giving him a warm look, Tonan said, “There’s no harm in telling you. The ninjutsu I used today is my Mangekyo Sharingan’s dojutsu. But it has a fatal flaw. Overusing it can lead to blindness. I’m afraid if I participate in a few more battles that are as intense as today’s, I’ll be completely blind.”
Shikaku frowned and carefully looked at Tonan’s expression. But he couldn’t detect the slightest worry. After thinking about it for a while, he continued the topic and asked, “Is there no solution?”
Tonan chuckled and turned his head to look at the sunset. He said, “Yes, and also no. But in any case, you don’t need to know. Moreover, no one can help.”
Shikaku nodded and bowed deeply, “I understand, thank you very much for today.”
In the evening, some clouds appeared on Kikyo Mountain, which further enhanced the picturesque sight. The slowly sinking sun looked like a sad and moving beauty as it tried its best to dye the surroundings blood red.
Tonan didn’t reply but he slowly closed his eyes and spread out his hands as if he wanted to embrace the charm of this moment. Shikaku simply stood and watched Tonan’s back. He knew that their exchange just now was just a prelude to the real reason Tonan was here.
“You are a smart person,” Tonan said with his eyes closed as if he was babbling. Shikaku replied calmly, “I’m inferior to you, Tonan-sama.”
Tonan retracted his hands and sighed deeply. He adjusted his glasses and said, “When I had little money, I liked to carry it in my pocket always. Only then would I feel safe. Now, I’ve more and I can’t put it in my pocket but I don’t feel at ease putting it at home. Depositing it in a bank worries me about triggering bad intentions or the bank going bankrupt.”
“Therefore, I divided it into several portions and used some to purchase lands and treasures that retain value and the others in my home, bank, and myself. Even if something goes wrong with one portion, I’ll feel heartbroken at the most, but at least, the clan will not be completely destroyed.”
Shikaku narrowed his eyes. He understood what Tonan meant. This was a blatant threat. Tonan was talking about money, but in fact, he was referring to the entire Nara clan. Keeping money in just a pocket was referring to the clan’s loyalty to the Sarutobi clan.
After the Senju Tsunade incident, Shikaku could see that Sarutobi Hiruzen and Tonan had fallen out. Tonan was saying all this to make him reconsider where his loyalties lie.
It meant that even if he continued to be loyal to Hiruzen, he shouldn’t bank only on him and go against Tonan in the process. If he followed Tonan’s suggestion, regardless of who wins or loses, the Nara clan would just have one less backer.
But if he was loyal to Hiruzen and went against Tonan, once Hiruzen lost power, Tonan would retaliate against the Naras and destroy the entire clan.
The Nara clan had been loyal to Hiruzen for many years. For a moment, Shikaku didn’t know whether to agree or not. In any case, Tonan didn’t make it clear, which meant he did not need to respond directly. If he didn’t want to agree, he could just give a perfunctory answer.
Presumably, Tonan wouldn’t take it too badly. There would be resentment of course but they could still fight in this war together amicably.
But if he agreed, and Hiruzen noticed it…
Tonan could see that Shikaku was weighing the pros and the cons, and he added another sentence. “The value of my land has already increased by several times. Do you think there is any room for appreciation in the future?”
This finally left Shikaku stunned. He immediately knelt on one knee and solemnly said, “Your words are reasonable, Tonan-sama. I know what needs to be done.”
The land referred to Tonan himself and his value was in his strength. He was young and his strength would rise. Tonan smiled and turned around. He patted Shikaku’s shoulder and said, “One more thing, I’m researching medical ninjutsu and I need some materials.”
Shikaku’s pupils shrank and he abruptly raised his head to look at Tonan in disbelief. “Tonan-sama, human experiments are prohibited in the Ninja World. It’s against morality.”
Tonan smiled lightly and took a breath. “Did you smell the air here? Isn’t it fresher than Konoha? It seems like… an extra breath of freedom.” He meant that they were on a battlefront, a place outside the law. If Shikaku didn’t agree, then the consequences would be unimaginable.
Shikaku’s forehead was soaked with sweat as he struggled in his heart. He finally sighed and lowered his head. “As long as the basecamp has whatever you need Tonan-sama, you can use it as you please. I’ll inform the teams.”
Tonan was very happy with Shikaku’s attitude. He walked toward his laboratory with his hands on his back. Such a smart person was the best at taking a realistic view of the situation and his mind was also flexible.
In front of Tonan, he could only agree to board his pirate ship. Since Shikaku had already agreed, then how would he show his sincerity?
Human experiment was taboo in the Ninja World. As the commander-in-chief, Shikaku let Tonan use captives to perform human experiments. In the future, if anything were to go awry, Shikaku would be done for.
