Chapter 36: Happy Naruto
"Up you go."
Tonbo caught Naruto beneath the arms, tossed him into the air, and caught him on the way down.
The ANBU observing from nearby nearly broke cover. If Hiruzen had not already ordered them to permit the interaction, they would have intervened. Even so, they remained poised to move at the first sign of instability in the seal.
Each time Naruto rose above Tonbo's head, one operative shifted forward. Each time Tonbo caught him safely, the watcher settled back again. To Tonbo, their anxiety was almost comical. To them, the laughing child remained the vessel of a disaster that had scarred the entire village.
Naruto knew nothing of their concern. He was laughing.
The bandaged man no longer seemed frightening. Tonbo's easy smile helped wash away the rejection Naruto had absorbed from the adults around him, leaving the child free to enjoy the sensation of flying and being caught by someone who wanted him there.
For the first time that day, he was simply happy.
Tonbo did not burden the moment with complicated plans. Playing with the Fourth Hokage's son harmed neither Konoha nor himself, and he doubted Hiruzen would punish him for offering the boy a little warmth.
Naruto was still small enough to enjoy a simple game. Years from now, when he wielded the power of the Six Paths, throwing him into the air would be considerably less amusing.
More importantly, Minato had died protecting the village. Tonbo could at least ensure that the hero's son carried one good memory from an otherwise lonely childhood.
He could not erase the fear of thousands of villagers in a single afternoon. Nor could he publicly reveal Naruto's parentage or challenge whatever restrictions Hiruzen had imposed. But he could refuse to join the crowd that treated a child as though he had chosen the burden sealed inside him.
He did not intend to reorganize his life around Naruto. His own future did not depend upon earning the boy's gratitude. At his current pace of development, Tonbo expected his genjutsu to reach extraordinary heights long before Naruto grew into his full strength.
Ayame watched the two of them and blushed. Tonbo's earlier proposal of four children refused to leave her thoughts. Perhaps having several children as cheerful as Naruto would not be so bad.
Around the nearest corner, another pair of brothers had stopped to watch.
Sasuke Uchiha, a child close to Naruto's age, stared as Tonbo tossed the blond boy high into the air. His eyes grew brighter with every catch.
He tugged at his brother's hand. "Itachi, I want to do that too."
Itachi smiled. "All right. When we get home."
"Promise you'll throw me that high."
"I promise."
Sasuke accepted the answer at once. Itachi's attention remained on Tonbo.
He's strong.
The conclusion came as instinct rather than analysis. Itachi considered observing the bandaged shinobi through his Sharingan, but a chill passed through him before he activated it. Something warned him that looking too deeply would have consequences.
Tonbo's posture appeared relaxed, his attention fixed on Naruto and Ayame. There was no visible threat. That only made Itachi trust the warning more. Truly dangerous shinobi rarely needed to advertise what they were.
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"Let's go," Itachi said. "Mother made sweets."
Sasuke skipped beside him, still holding his hand. "And then you'll lift me up."
Tonbo never noticed that Itachi had considered using the Sharingan. Had he known, curiosity might have tempted him to let the boy try.
The shinobi world often seemed ruled by eyes, and Tonbo had prepared accordingly. An information-defense network covered his body, designed to resist both visual and sensory techniques. Anyone attempting to inspect him in depth would encounter a barrage of chaotic memories stored for that purpose.
The defense was calibrated to avoid lasting harm, but the experience would be deeply unpleasant. A Byakugan would struggle to see through him, and a Sharingan would find copying his techniques far more difficult than expected.
Rather than presenting a clean view of chakra pathways, hand movements, or stored information, the network would drown an observer in fragments without useful order. The stronger and more intrusive the examination, the greater the flood it provoked. Tonbo considered that a fair response to anyone who tried to open his secrets with a glance.
As the afternoon waned, Tonbo set Naruto back on the ground.
"Ayame and I need to go. Where do you live? Shall we take you home?"
The hidden ANBU tensed again. Asking for the jinchūriki's address sounded suspicious regardless of the context.
Tonbo sensed the reaction and clicked his tongue.
"Never mind. You know the way, don't you? Go straight home and don't get lost."
Cowards, he thought. It was only the Nine-Tails.
One day, Tonbo intended to deal with that fox directly.
Naruto walked away reluctantly, turning back every few steps. At last, he stopped and called across the street.
"Big Brother Tonbo, will I see you again?"
"I'm a shinobi who protects Konoha," Tonbo replied with a wave. "Even if we don't meet around the village, you'll see me once you become a shinobi too."
"Do your best, Naruto!" Ayame added.
Naruto's face lit up. He left with a new and definite ambition.
He would become a shinobi.
Two years passed.
Tonbo and Ayame married in a modest ceremony attended by family, friends, and a reasonable number of colleagues. Tonbo considered it the happiest day of his life. The first and most important part of the future he wanted had become real.
Ichiraku Ramen continued to grow more popular. Tonbo's father's weaving improved as well, and he began saving money in anticipation of grandchildren.
Tonbo did not encounter Naruto again during those two years, though Ayame saw the boy several times. Konoha's strength was recovering, the other nations had begun to recognize Hiruzen's leadership again, and the resulting increase in missions kept Tonbo away from the village more often.
One week might place him on an escort route; the next, he would be gathering intelligence or evaluating a suspicious settlement. Whenever the team returned, he turned their mistakes into new exercises before the next assignment carried them away again.
He led his team across the Land of Fire, completed assignments, and continued their training until all three students earned promotion to chūnin. Each was now recognized as capable of leading a squad.
With that duty complete, Tonbo returned full-time to intelligence work in the Analysis Team.
He preferred it.
Iruka, Tessen, and Mibu had become increasingly difficult once they grew confident enough to understand how much their captain still knew. Every lesson produced more questions, and every answer inspired them to demand something better. Guiding them had been rewarding, but hardly peaceful.
They had also learned his habits. Simple evasions no longer satisfied them, and vague promises of teaching something "later" were remembered with merciless accuracy. Tonbo had created three capable shinobi and, in the process, three experts at extracting instruction from him.
"It's finally over," Tonbo said, clinking his glass against Hijiri Shimon's.
Shimon glared over the rim of his drink. "You got married before me. I hate you."
Years ago, Shimon had threatened to flaunt his romance in front of Tonbo. Instead, Tonbo had reached the altar first.
"Don't be too jealous. By next year, I may be holding my own son. You should hurry. You're a chūnin, after all."
Speaking of Ayame never failed to improve Tonbo's mood. His dream had begun with marrying a gentle and capable wife. The next stage was four or five children. They were already trying; with fortunate timing, their first might even attend the Academy alongside Konohamaru's generation.
"Why stop leading a team?" Shimon asked. "The assignments pay more."
"Once was enough. Graduates are exhausting, and I'm clearly unsuited to teaching. The Analysis Team has fewer missions, and I can stay closer to home."
Money did not concern him. His wife had money.
Shimon stared at him. "Tessen is already being called one of Konoha's rising pillars. He may surpass me and become a jōnin soon. Iruka made chūnin and teaches at the Academy now. Mibu joined the Torture and Interrogation Force and has already earned several commendations."
He leaned forward.
"All three of your students are thriving. No one believes you were bad at the job. So why are you so determined to hide in the Analysis Team?"