Ninja Academy

The next day.

Tobirama, having just returned from a mission in the Land of Lightning, walked into the village wearing a travel-worn outfit covered in dust.

Without a moment's rest, he headed straight for the Hokage's office.

With a grave tone, he delivered news that was enough to destabilize the ninja world and plunge all of Konoha into unease:

"Cloud Village has dispatched an elite unit of ninjas led by Gold Horn and Silver Horn in an attempt to capture the Nine-Tails."

The elders participating in the meeting looked at one another, and the office suddenly fell into a dead silence.

Hashirama was the first to break the stillness. "Did they succeed?"

His tone held surprise and curiosity, but not a hint of tension.

It was as if he were merely asking about the aftermath of a wild beast breaking into a neighbor's yard.

"...They failed."

"My intelligence indicates that they suffered heavy casualties and were beaten back by the Nine-Tails."

"Is that so? The Nine-Tails is truly strong, then," Hashirama remarked with a sigh.

"Brother!" Tobirama emphasized with a stern expression, "This is no time for jokes. Cloud Village's attempt to capture the Nine-Tails is malicious. If we leave them unchecked, they will eventually become a threat to Konoha."

"We should strike first and destroy their war-making capabilities."

Faced with Tobirama's proposal, Hashirama immediately vetoed it. "War only brings deeper pain to the civilians of both nations, and conflicts cannot be truly resolved that way. I hope that ninjas can help one another, regardless of national borders..."

He turned to a young ninja of the Sarutobi clan beside him and instructed, "Sasuke, arrange for an envoy to go to Cloud Village and ask if they require medical assistance."

"Brother!"

Tobirama grew anxious at once.

It was one thing not to beat a dog when it was down, but why offer help?

"Alright, Tobirama, my mind is made up. You've worked hard on your mission in the Land of Lightning; go and get some rest."

"..."

The argument lasted all morning.

In the end, Tobirama left the Hokage building with a heavy sigh.

On his way back to the clan compound, he caught a glimpse of a notice posted in front of Gospel Hospital and asked curiously, "What is this?"

"Lord Tobirama, this is a voluntary organ donation form," a villager nearby explained enthusiastically.

Organs? What?

A bad premonition arose in Tobirama's heart. When he saw the contents and the signatures of Toji and Hashirama, his face turned green.

He immediately went upstairs to find Toji.

Toji was hunched over his desk, not even lifting his head. "Tobirama, take a seat."

"No need." Tobirama's tone was unfriendly. "Toji, what is the meaning of that volunteer form?"

"Many medical ninjas at the hospital lack experience and need ninja corpses to act as 'silent teachers' to help them master medical ninjutsu. As for organs, some ninjas are injured in their internal organs by explosive tags or kunai, and conventional medical ninjutsu cannot save them; they must rely on transplants."

"I have already proposed to the Hokage that we should focus on recovering the corpses of enemy ninjas during missions. This will greatly alleviate the pressure on our supply of 'silent teachers' and organ reserves."

Hearing this explanation, Tobirama calmed down.

Upon reflection, he realized he had been the one acting rashly.

After all, when he conducted his own forbidden research in private, he also needed ninja corpses; it was only seeing his brother's name that had made him overthink.

Toji put down his pen and smiled gently. "Tobirama, you saw the Hokage's name and associated it with something unpleasant, didn't you?"

"It's understandable. No one would feel good thinking about a loved one's remains being dissected by a scalpel."

"However—" Toji's tone shifted, and he wore a rare, cunning smile. "Hashirama is the God of Shinobi; who could possibly hurt him? Signing a volunteer form is just to set an example for the villagers; it's of no consequence."

"No." Tobirama shook his head. "If it were that man... then what about you? You signed it too—are you prepared?"

"My greatest wish is to eliminate war and keep pain away from this world." Toji's expression was calm. "I am safe here at the hospital, but if there were an accident, I would be comforted to know that my organs could help the people of the village after I die."

Tobirama stared at Toji for a long time before finally letting out a long breath. "I never imagined there was someone like you in the ninja world. Very well, give me a pen."

"What are you going to do?"

"As you said, it's just to set an example. Since it can alleviate the village's medical pressure, as a Konoha elder and the Hokage's brother, I should naturally lead the way."

Toji hesitated, offering a word of advice. "Tobirama, you are different. You are always out on missions. If an accident were to happen, even though we are friends, I would still strictly follow the agreement on the volunteer form."

"I am strong."

Tobirama crossed his arms, forcefully pushing back the well-intentioned warning.

Upon hearing this, Toji immediately handed over the pen.

A buy-one-get-one-free deal; even the suspicious Tobirama was willing to sign. It was truly an unexpected joy.

Soon, Tobirama's name was also inscribed upon the volunteer registry.

Toji tucked the "Death Note" away with great care. "I'll keep the copy. Your name will be posted on the hospital's main gate announcement board shortly."

"Understood."

He had signed the registry in a bit of a daze.

Just as Tobirama was about to head home, Toji called out to him again.

"Tobirama, I'd like to discuss a proposal with you first."

Tobirama appeared wary. "If you have a proposal, you should speak to the Hokage, not me."

"It's merely a discussion."

"I've heard from the villagers that the Land of Lightning has been making significant moves lately. Is that true?"

"Yes."

Tobirama gave a curt response; this was the very subject he had been debating at the Hokage's office earlier that morning.

Toji's expression turned serious. "That is exactly what worries me. Should a war break out between Konoha and the Cloud Village in the future... Gospel Hospital has enough beds, but the number of medical ninja is far too low."

"You want to train medical ninja?"

"Correct! But not by using ninja already accustomed to slaughter—you lot are far too clumsy."

"What do you mean by that..."

A flash of inspiration struck Tobirama's mind, as if something were about to break through its shell.

Toji continued, "We should emulate the model of Gospel Hospital and gather children of the appropriate age from every ninja clan and the civilian population for unified training."

"Let those with a talent for healing become doctors, and those with a talent for combat gain the strength to defend the village. Everyone will have a bright future."

Boom!

Tobirama's body shuddered violently.

In just a few words, Toji had manifested his vague inspiration into a concrete, actionable plan.

A ninja academy.

Tobirama whispered to himself, "Hiruzen, Danzo... they are exactly the right age."

Tobirama did have students.

However, he had previously only trained them in the woods outside the village during his spare time, with no fixed location.

In the Warring States period, ninja only taught their own kin; children from other clans were potential enemies.

The training and cultivation of a ninja were considered highly private matters.

Even after the establishment of the ninja village, while they had begun to accept students from other clans, the inertia of old customs remained, and even Tobirama had not yet conceived of the idea of a ninja academy.

Only at this moment did he truly see the light.

"This is feasible," Tobirama said solemnly. "We should implement this as soon as possible."