Chapter 231: The Journey North

 

Orochimaru licked his lips when the report reached him.

Tonbo had left Konoha.

The Chūnin Exam finals drew closer with every passing day, and the plan concealed beneath them was almost ready.

"Sarutobi-sensei," Orochimaru whispered, "let me show you how much I have grown."

Between two cliffs outside the village, Jiraiya threw Naruto over the edge.

The boy dropped through open air. Panic compressed his chakra until he could finally reach the power he had failed to command during ordinary practice.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Smoke exploded beneath him.

Gamabunta appeared with his legs braced against opposite walls of the gorge. The immense toad stopped himself before striking the ground, and Naruto landed on top of his head.

"Jiraiya!" Gamabunta roared. "Why did you summon me in this miserable place?"

Naruto was still recovering from the fall and did not answer.

At the top of the cliff, Jiraiya saw which toad had appeared and immediately backed away from the edge. By the time Gamabunta called his name again, the sannin had hidden.

On another training ground, lightning screamed in Sasuke's right hand.

He gripped his wrist with his left, accelerated, and drove the Chidori straight through the stone Kakashi had chosen as a target. The rock split around his arm while the cry of a thousand birds echoed across the field.

"Not bad," Kakashi said. "But you can use that technique only twice within a short period. A third attempt will exceed what your body can withstand. Analyze the battle and choose the right moments."

The limitation mattered as much as the piercing power. Chidori demanded speed, concentration, and a straight commitment to the attack. Without the Sharingan, the resulting tunnel vision would leave its user open to a counterstrike. Sasuke possessed the eyes to use it, but he still needed the judgment not to waste it.

Sasuke looked at the hole in the stone and nodded. Power meant nothing if he spent it before reaching the opponent he needed to kill.

Elsewhere, Ino lay flat on the grass.

"This is infuriating. Why did Tonbo-sensei have to receive an urgent mission now?"

She already missed the speed of his instruction. When Tonbo taught them, their progress was visible from one attempt to the next. Knowledge seemed to enter their minds and immediately become something they could use. Training without him felt five times slower.

Sakura dropped beside her. "I never imagined I could improve this quickly. Sasuke may not even be a match for me now."

"Forehead, you cannot defeat Sasuke. You cannot even defeat me."

Sakura sat up. "Ino-pig! We were evenly matched. Fight me again without the secret technique Tonbo-sensei taught you."

"Why would I? He taught it to me. It is hardly my fault that you cannot learn it."

Ino could not hide her satisfaction. Eye-Opening Hand required sensory talent and enough knowledge of mind-reading techniques to guide its effect. Sakura possessed excellent chakra control but no comparable sensory gift. For once, Ino held an advantage her rival could not simply copy.

Before the lesson, the two had been evenly balanced. Now Ino believed she had finally moved ahead. Perhaps Sakura would have to stop competing with her for Sasuke.

"I am going to practice," Sakura declared. "Sasuke will be mine."

Ino rose immediately. She refused to let Sakura gain ground while she rested.

In an alley off Konoha's main street, Konohamaru stared at the training papers Tenyu had handed him.

"You had secret methods all this time? No wonder I could not beat you. That is unfair."

Moegi and Udon leaned over the pages. The chakra exercises were more advanced than the methods Konohamaru had received from his own family.

"This is our gift," Tenyu said. "Practice while my father is away. When he returns, we can all train together. If you do not understand something, ask me."

He kept his expression generous while delighting in the hidden advantage. If Konohamaru had to ask him for instruction, then Tenyu would control the relationship. His rival would never surpass him. The plan was brilliant.

Konohamaru tucked the pages away. "Since you gave me these, I, the Third Hokage's grandson, forgive you."

He had no intention of losing after the reconciliation. With better training, he would defeat Tenyu and the others fairly.

"Enough," Tenyu said. "Let us eat. I will pay."

His and Maki's allowances had increased. He no longer needed elaborate schemes merely to buy a crystal shuriken toy.

Konohamaru rejected the offer on principle, then followed the others toward dinner anyway.

Far out on the northern sea, a large wooden ship moved beneath full sails.

"Cut! Excellent!" the film director shouted. "Miss Fujikaze Yukie, your performance improves with every scene."

The actor known publicly as Fujikaze Yukie stood amid the set while the crew reset the cameras. Her real name was Kazahana Koyuki, the princess Tonbo's mission would return to Snow Country.

Saiji watched with open admiration. "No wonder she is famous across several countries."

Riku nodded. "I have seen the Princess Fūun films more times than I can count."

"When the scene ends, we should ask for autographs," Shikun said. "She is even more beautiful in person."

Koyuki glanced toward the three chūnin, then let her gaze settle on Tonbo. Color touched her cheeks.

A few days earlier, thieves had attacked her while she sketched outdoors. The Konoha team intervened, and Tonbo had been the one who appeared before her at the decisive moment. The sight of the handsome captain rescuing her had captivated her completely.

When she learned that his mission required escorting the film company to Snow Country, she agreed to the journey simply to remain near him.

Otherwise, she would never have returned. Snow held the worst memories of her life: her father's death, her uncle's betrayal, and the childhood terror from which she had spent more than a decade fleeing. Even the thought of that frozen country could bring tears to her eyes. Her attraction to Tonbo had somehow become stronger than the fear.

The director's assistant watched the Konoha shinobi from beside Sandayū.

"They are remarkable. Miss Yukie refused every attempt to take the production to Snow, and then she changed her mind as soon as they arrived."

Sandayū nodded. Hiring Konoha had been the right choice. Whether these shinobi could also remove the tyrant and free Snow's people remained uncertain.

Taketori Tenma guarded the upper deck from the shadows.

One of his Imperial Guard shinobi approached him. "How did the Konoha team do it? I never saw them speak privately with the princess, yet after one look she behaves as if she has known them for years."

The mission had advanced without resistance from its most reluctant participant. Koyuki, who had rejected the voyage for months, boarded almost immediately after meeting Tonbo.

Tenma considered what he had observed.

"The princess may already be under the Konoha captain's genjutsu. If one glance produced this effect, his ability is greater than we were told."

The guard looked alarmed. "What genjutsu could control her so completely? Even the legendary Sharingan could scarcely do more."

Neither man confronted Tonbo. Below them, Koyuki continued the scene while the ship carried her toward the country she had sworn never to see again.