Chapter 55: Forbidden Techniques 

A messenger hawk circled twice before descending to the border post. Hayama removed the report from its pouch and read it beneath the shelter of the trees. 

"Hokage-sama's intelligence confirms that the Land of Lightning has withdrawn its forces. Our relief unit is already on the way." 

Tonbo stretched until his shoulders cracked. "Finally." 

Three months of patrol and training had settled into a cycle that seemed endless. Anko and Itachi had suffered most during the training portion. Both were gifted, but neither could prepare for the constant variations Tonbo introduced into his genjutsu. 

He rarely repeated the same opening twice. A harmless birdcall became a false signal, the apparent weight of a weapon shifted during a block, and familiar ground seemed to tilt by a few degrees. Even when they identified one trick, Tonbo embedded the next inside their attempt to counter it. Hayama occasionally stopped the exercises before frustration became useless exhaustion. 

Itachi had experienced rancid medicinal tonic, bitter melon, spoiled broth, and other flavors he never wanted to encounter again. Grilled meat no longer ranked anywhere near the top of his dislikes. Anko had acquired her own expanded list, with several sensations unpleasant enough to make hot peppers seem merciful. 

Tonbo considered the rotation productive. He worked, trained, and still found small ways to enjoy himself. Whenever he missed Ayame, he sent a message home through a woven beast carrying carefully embedded instructions. The Living Weave allowed him to give the construct the memories necessary to follow a route, identify Konoha's gate, and present itself for inspection. 

He called such creations phantom beasts. A separate name made the technique feel more complete, and he liked the sound of it. 

Itachi suppressed a sigh of relief. He never wanted to spar with Tonbo again under these conditions. Being dismantled through techniques he could neither predict nor reliably release had taught him a form of helplessness he rarely experienced. 

Once home, he would study every countermeasure available in the Uchiha library. Tonbo had explained many of his methods, and Itachi believed preparation could eventually neutralize them. The older shinobi had taught him a great deal about combat and illusion; Itachi simply refused to imitate the delight he took in tormenting teammates. 1

Tonbo seemed to find special satisfaction in surprising people whose future reputations he already knew. Itachi could sense that satisfaction without understanding its source. 

"When we return," Anko declared, "I am learning how to counter every one of your techniques. Then you will regret using us for practice." 

"I welcome the challenge," Tonbo said. "I have several new ideas, and you can be the first to test them." 

That was not an empty threat. Shape Manipulation had matured during the patrol, and visual genjutsu no longer satisfied him as his sole focus. A shinobi who fought without relying on sight could avoid an entire branch of his arsenal. Even ordinary visual illusions were the most familiar to trained opponents and therefore the most likely to be recognized. 

Tonbo wanted to begin developing auditory genjutsu. Sound could reach targets who closed their eyes, attacked through smoke, or navigated by senses other than vision. It offered a broader expansion of his strength than refining Shape Manipulation into more complex alterations. 

The difficulty lay in transmission. Visual genjutsu could ride along eye contact or a deliberately presented image. An auditory technique needed chakra carried through sound without making the sound itself obviously unnatural. Volume, distance, echoes, and competing noise would all affect the result. A battlefield provided more targets and more interference at the same time. 

Anko's confidence collapsed. "So we really are test subjects? I am reporting you to Lord Third." 

"These are minor illusions. Hokage-sama only prohibited me from testing the dangerous ones on comrades. He will not object to ordinary training." 

Tonbo was thinking of Mind Reading Technique: Depression. The technique used information taken from a target's own mind to attack his emotional stability, making it closer to a forbidden weapon than a training exercise. Tonbo had accumulated so many options that he had not yet used it in genuine combat. 

He glanced at Itachi and chose not to explain further. The boy was a teammate now, but the future could still place them on opposite sides. Keeping one method concealed was prudent. 

"Those were minor?" Anko asked. 

Itachi's expression changed as well. The Uchiha archives contained many genjutsu, and Tonbo's recent techniques did not meet the usual definition of forbidden ninjutsu. If Hiruzen had personally ordered him not to use something against allies, the hidden technique must cause far more serious harm. 

"Did you think I used my strongest methods in a spar?" Tonbo asked. "The captain did not either." 

Anko and Itachi looked to Hayama. 

"A jōnin cannot rely on a single answer," he said. "Promotion requires depth in your specialty and enough knowledge of other chakra natures and methods to survive being countered. Consider our fight with Kumogakure. Tonbo and I both used Wind Release against their lightning techniques, so our advantages looked overwhelming. Against Iwagakure shinobi using Earth Release, that balance could reverse." 

Rank did not demand mastery of every element. It demanded judgment broad enough to recognize a disadvantage before it became fatal, and a reserve plan when a signature technique failed. A specialist could reach jōnin, but only if the rest of his skills prevented the enemy from reducing him to that specialty alone. 

That breadth separated a dangerous fighter from a shinobi trusted to lead others through uncertain missions. 

He indicated Itachi and Anko in turn. "The Sharingan and snake techniques are powerful, but neither can be the only foundation of your combat ability. Before you qualify as jōnin, you must prove that no single technique can remove all your options." 

Anko stared upward. "That is impossible. Chakra nature transformation took long enough when Orochimaru taught me. And that is only a foundation?" 

Itachi committed the explanation to memory. His family had not yet emphasized promotion requirements, but the logic matched Tonbo's earlier lessons. A shinobi who depended completely on one advantage could be defeated as soon as an enemy understood it. 

Tonbo patted Anko's shoulder. "Do not be discouraged. I have more methods than either of you and still hold only the rank of special jōnin. Your path will be much harder." 

She kicked at him. Tonbo moved aside before her foot arrived. 

"Enough," Hayama said. "Rest. We return to Konoha after the handover." 

The relief unit reached them the following day. Tonbo sensed four chakra signatures approaching from the south, the leader's reserves noticeably greater than his own or Hayama's. Konoha had not treated the withdrawal as a reason to weaken the border. 

A broad man in a red vest appeared among the trees. The two teams exchanged recognition signals before closing the distance. 

"Tonbo," Chōza Akimichi greeted him. "My team will assume the guard rotation." 

The three shinobi behind Chōza were unfamiliar, probably a newly assembled unit. His presence explained the unusually large chakra signature. 

"It has been a while, Chōza-senpai," Tonbo said. "You look stronger than ever." 

Chōza scratched his head, visibly pleased. "You think so?" 

Hayama completed the handover, reporting the abandoned rendezvous, captured infiltrators, quiet weeks, and last known status of the two missing Cloud units. Once Chōza confirmed every patrol sector and emergency signal, Hayama led Tonbo, Anko, and Itachi south toward home.