In the Leaf Village Ninja Academy, in the back of the classroom, Ryu sat with a familiar ease, a stark contrast to the buzzing energy of his classmates. The basic taijutsu instructor, Hiroshi Tanaka, a stern-faced taijutsu specialist Chunin, entered the classroom; his eyes were fixed on Ryu.
"Ryu Hamura," Hiroshi began, his voice formal. "On behalf of the academy, I want to congratulate you on the successful launch of your telecommunications network. The 'flip phone', as you call it, is a remarkable innovation. The Hokage himself has commended your work. all the teachers are talking about you."
Ryu gave a generic nod and a soft, non-committal "Thank you, sensei."
Behind him, murmurs rippled through the class. "I heard him speak at the launch," one student whispered to another. "I got goosebumps when he explained how it works."
Hiroshi's mood shifted abruptly, his expression growing serious. "That said, your recent absence, while pre-approved, has been unacceptably long. While your entrepreneurial ventures are impressive, they should not be allowed to disregard your ninja training. You are a student first and foremost."
Ryu simply met his gaze, unfazed. The instructor's lecture then took an unexpected turn.
"Now for a different matter," Hiroshi continued, his tone a mix of pride and apprehension. "Congratulations are also in order for your first official bounty. It is, to my surprise, the highest bounty for anyone present in this building right now."
A stunned silence fell over the classroom. Ryu's close friends stared at him in disbelief, while his rivals looked on, their faces contorted with a mix of envy and shock. Saya leaned forward, her eyes wide. "What did you do?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Ryu, ever the picture of false humility, shrugged. "I'm not sure. It must be a mistake. Or perhaps it's related to my family's business. As you all know, I do manage some business on the side, as the Director of Innovation at Hamura Industries." He paused, a hint of a smile on his lips. "Or perhaps it was an enemy village trying to take down the record-holder for the youngest medical apprentice. You know how these things go."
From a few seats over, Akira and Kenji exchanged a look. "Like anyone would believe that," Akira thought. He was attacked by rogue ninjas… He must have fought them off, and they realised how dangerous he is."
Hiroshi cleared his throat, snapping the class back to attention. "Whatever the reason, you are now a person of interest. From now on, you are forbidden from leaving the village without a security escort. Do you understand? Your bounty is too high to risk." He then smirked. "And you have a moniker now, too."
Saya was confused. "A… moniker?" she said.
Hiroshi explained, "Yes. A nickname given to exceptional ninjas who have made a significant impact. It's a mark of honour and respect." The instructor's expression then darkened. "However, it also makes you a target. It attracts stronger bounty hunters. In your case, it will likely catch the attention of a great many money-hungry bounty hunters."
"What did you do to earn such a thing?" Hiroshi asked again, half-serious, half-mocking.
Saya's curiosity won out. "Wait, what is it? What's Ryu's moniker?"
Hiroshi grinned. "They're calling him… Gambler."
First Saya tried to hold it in, but then she started to giggle. It was infectious, and soon the entire class erupted in laughter.
Ryu stood up, a smirk replacing his shocked expression. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it off. Get it all out at once. At least I am the record-holder for the youngest bounty earned, and I have a cool picture to go with it."
Saya wiped a tear from her eye. "Let's see it then."
Hiroshi took a bounty poster from his desk, a crisp, official-looking document. He slapped it onto the blackboard, and the class went silent, their eyes fixed on the image. It showed a young boy with white hair and a smug look, holding a mysterious card in his hand.
"What is this card he's holding?" Saya asked, her laughter gone.
Ryu's smug look returned in full force. "It's part of a new ninjutsu. Apparently, this is what earned me the moniker of Gambler."
"Show me!" Saya demanded, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
With a flourish that belonged more on a stage than in a classroom, Ryu reached into his sleeve. He pulled out a card, identical to the one in the photo, and flicked it with his finger. The card soared across the room, a graceful curve through the air, before it struck the card on the bounty poster with a soft thwack.
The class watched in awe. "Wow… you have to teach me that!" Saya exclaimed.
Ryu caught the card as it fell. "It's better for you to come up with your own tricks," he said, tucking it away. "This one wouldn't suit you."
***
Somewhere in the Land of Waves, a desolate, jagged stretch of shoreline, Tobi sat on a rock, with his hand on the chin of his mask. In his other hand, he held a freshly printed bounty poster.
Konan landed beside him and asked, "What are you doing?"
"My work," Tobi replied, his voice muffled. "That informant I used to lure forth the Mizukage was surprisingly useful. He was working for the Hidden Mist, but he had interesting things to say."
Konan was not amused. "You can tell me later. First, we need to put the Mizukage under genjutsu before he wakes up."
The scene shifted to a dark cavern. Before Nagato, the Fourth Mizukage lay still, bound by hundreds, perhaps thousands, of paper tags. A few chakra rods were already embedded in his body.
Tobi appeared beside Nagato. "The brat deserves the title of 'Kage'. If it were anyone other than us, they wouldn't have been able to catch him. He's the perfect jinchuriki… I hope he's the only one like this. I don't want to fight another one."
What Tobi didn't know was he would face two more just like him in the future.
Konan watched from the entrance of the cavern. "How are we going to do it?"
Tobi explained, his voice devoid of its usual playful cheer. "I can put the host in genjutsu, and the Rinnegan can do the same for the beast. Then we can reinforce each other's genjutsu and then use this fuinjutsu of the Uchiha clan to make this genjutsu stick longer. As long as both seals are intact, he will be under our control. Even if he tries to release the beast's power, he will still be under our command."
"Are there any limitations to this method of genjutsu?" Konan asked, her eyes narrowed.
Tobi smirked, a hollow sound coming from behind his mask. "Heh heh heh… still trying to find weaknesses in my jutsu, eh?"
"Just answer it."
"There are a few," he conceded. "The genjutsu has a time limit, and we have to reinforce it after each month. Another limitation is that any genjutsu stronger than mine can also break this one. Third, any Uchiha or Hyuga can expose the genjutsu, even if it's a weaker one."
He then gave a plan. "If we consistently reinforce the genjutsu and ensure that he never leaves the village, then we can solve the problem. With your space-time ninjutsu, we can always come and go as we please. To avoid exploiting any potential weaknesses, we must exercise caution and vigilance. As long as we stay one step ahead, we should be able to maintain control over the situation."
They both placed their hands on the Mizukage and entered the mental mindscape. It was at the bottom of the sea and an underwater prison.
Konan's voice echoed in the cavernous space. "So this is what's inside the jinchuriki."
Tobi replied, "For every jinchuriki, it's a bit different. For him, it's an underwater prison."
They began their work. Nagato placed some chakra rods inside the mindscape, and Uzumaki chains sprouted from the floor, coiling around the Three-Tails. Tobi placed a series of seals on the beast's body, etching them into its shell.
"Now onto the host."
They both used their genjutsu at the same time. The Rinnegan and the Mangekyō Sharingan worked in tandem, reinforcing each other, creating a genjutsu that was more like a distant, unbreakable spell.
In the real world, the wrapping around the Mizukage slowly unspooled, the papers flying toward Konan and turning into her beautiful paper angel wings. The Mizukage then stood up, his eyes now glazed over.
Tobi commented, "Didn't I say we were going to be best friends?"
Konan turned to him, her paper wings fluttering softly. "What was that information you were talking about earlier?"
Tobi unfurled the bounty poster again. "That phenomenon we felt a few days ago, the strange feeling we felt… Echoes of we felt in our chakra and blood… It originated from the Land of Rivers. According to the Mizukage's spy, this is the source."
Konan came forward and took the poster from him. She stared at it as Nagato asked Tobi more questions.
Tobi said, "the strange wave of disturbance was from a musical performance for this Leaf Village boy. It must be some kind of ninjutsu linked to music."
Nagato asked, "Is the boy special?"
Tobi listed Ryu's achievements: his company, Hamura Industry; his constant inventions; and the immense wealth he was generating. "He is like a goose that lays a golden egg. If we can get him, we can have a constant supply of funds using his company."
"But if he is such an asset, he would be protected," Nagato said, his voice flat. "They would have Uchiha and Hyuga around him, so putting him under genjutsu would be useless."
Nagato glanced at Konan, who seemed to be dozing in her own thoughts. He spoke her name, bringing her out of her stupor.
Konan replied, "This boy…" She paused, her gaze still fixed on the poster. "Apart from his funky hairstyle and his white hair… He reminds me of you, Nagato, when you were younger."
Tobi's mask tilted slightly. "An Uzumaki survivor… just like Nagato? Hehehe, I now have a backup plan for Nagato," he thought.
Konan continued, her voice soft, as if lost in a memory. "If he wore a long, red wig, he would look just like you."
A/N:
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