"What? The Raikage is dead?"
"That's impossible! He was the strongest man in our village!"
"Damn it! Those bastards from Iwagakure... they only won by outnumbering him."
"The battle between the Stone and the Leaf is over. The 'Yellow Flash' has appeared on our front; the pressure is becoming unbearable."
Fragments of information were extracted from the brain by Tonbo Tobitake. Wearing the Spiritual Amplifier made the process incredibly easy.
As expected, the battle between the Third Raikage and the Iwagakure forces had indeed taken place. The current shifts in the war were exactly due to his death, combined with the conclusion of the conflict between Konoha and Iwagakure.
From the memories, it was clear that the "A-B Combo" was already renowned. The duo had used their overwhelming strength to command the respect of the Kumogakure shinobi. However, once Minato Namikaze joined the fray, he was immediately dispatched by Orochimaru to intercept them. After only a few rounds of engagement, both sides retreated.
The death of the Cloud's Leader had caused chaos in their internal command. Despite their high overall military strength, facing a two-front offensive from Konoha and Iwagakure had finally exhausted them.
I have to say, Kumogakure is impressive. Their fighting spirit is relentless, Tonbo thought.
Kumogakure had actually been the one to initiate hostilities against Iwagakure—a bold move. Fighting on two fronts was something Tonbo hadn't paid much attention to while watching the anime.
The owner of this head was only a Chunin from the Cloud, and since he was already dead, the memories didn't contain much critical intelligence. However, the insights into the Nature Transformation of Lightning Release were well worth studying.
It also made him realize just how incredible Kakashi was for creating the Chidori at the age of twelve. No wonder he was promoted to Jonin so young. That kind of extreme application of nature transformation—mastering both shape and nature simultaneously—was usually a level of control reserved for high-level Jonin.
The techniques involved weren't just about turning chakra into electricity; there were layers of complexity. It seemed that trying to "self-teach" the Chidori just for fun was going to be impossible. The Rasengan was equally out of reach. If Chidori was the peak of Nature Transformation, then Rasengan was the peak of Shape Transformation.
He had tried a few months ago; although his chakra reserves weren't massive, he wanted to pay homage to the original protagonist's signature technique. He quickly discovered that the technique involved far more nuances than the simple explanation Jiraiya gave in the original series. The anime likely simplified the process for the sake of the plot, leaving out many technical details.
Once the reading was finished, Tonbo took a pen and paper and wrote down the extracted intelligence one by one. He was meticulous, recording everything from complete segments to broken phrases, from childhood habits to ninjutsu training. He performed his duties as a worker to perfection.
In the Analysis Team, once the intelligence was written down, the documents were passed to superiors. They would then summarize all the data, extract the vital bits, and hand them over to the Anbu, who delivered them to the Hokage.
After handing over the files, the support ninja spoke up. "Oh, right. Inoichi mentioned that since this is your first time in the Konoha Analysis headquarters, you might not be familiar with all the procedures. He asked me to inform you."
"Huh? Is there more?" Tonbo asked. I've finished the work; shouldn't I be heading home for dinner?
Because enemies had specialized Corpse Processing Units to prevent intelligence leaks, the Analysis Team didn't actually have as much work as one might imagine, except during peak combat periods.
"It's like this: while working within the village, the volume of mind-reading tasks is generally low. To ensure resources aren't wasted, you are encouraged to visit the Analysis Team's library. It contains many courses on intelligence analysis which are vital for a ninja of your specialization."
The ninja continued, "Of course, if you aren't interested in that, you can also take on simple tasks to assist the village." He then listed a variety of odd jobs Tonbo could do during his downtime.
Tonbo understood immediately. Essentially, Analysis Team members were like bricks—used wherever a gap needed filling. No wonder in the anime, the "Leaf Gatekeepers" were always seen doing logistics, gate-guarding, or proctoring exams.
Speaking of which, Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane were my classmates. I wonder how they're doing?
Entering the Analysis Team library, Tonbo looked around. It was roughly the size of a football field, with row after row of bookshelves. He flipped through a book at random; it was filled with past case studies on intelligence analysis. Macro analysis, logical analysis, micro analysis... it was comprehensive, focusing on starting big, filling in the small details, and using logic to leave no stone unturned.
It wasn't just one subject, either; it was supported by mathematics, geography, medicine, logic, ninjutsu theory, and sealing arts. If you wanted to know an enemy's travel time, you needed geography and math, combined with standard shinobi movement speeds, to calculate the distance from their base.
Tonbo's mind was sharp, and he found the reading fascinating. Before long, he was completely immersed. As they say: if you understand it, it's enthralling; if you don't, it's a bore. He was definitely enthralled.
Days turned into weeks. Each day at the Analysis Team involved mind-reading and intelligence processing. After work, Tonbo would visit Ichiraku Ramen.
His father, Tosei Tobitake, began to wonder if there was something wrong with him. What about my home-cooked meals? Tosei even followed him once to see where he was eating. When he saw Ayame at Ichiraku, Tosei felt a wave of relief. His son had grown up—not just into a Chunin, but he was already looking for a wife. From then on, Tosei only cooked for himself.
Aside from work, Tonbo practiced and developed his ninjutsu. With his high talent and the occasional complete jutsu found in enemy memories, he wasn't going to waste any opportunity. He even used some of his earnings to exchange for Genjutsu scrolls from the village. After all, those "Stone-willed" Iwagakure ninja and the hot-headed Kumogakure brutes weren't exactly masters of the subtle arts.
Through the memories he read, Tonbo watched the war slowly wind down.
First, Kumogakure withdrew its troops to defend its own territory.
Next, Iwagakure retreated following the Cloud's withdrawal.
Sunagakure elected Rasa as the Fourth Kazekage, and he submitted a letter of surrender, taking the burden of the village upon his shoulders.
Now, only the aftermath of the war remained. As he had predicted, by being a steady worker, life in the Analysis Team was quite comfortable. Or rather, it was comfortable for him. Others found absorbing too many memories exhausting. Shimon, for instance, complained to him daily that he was on the verge of a mental breakdown from all the mind-reading.
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