Uchiha Civil War

A few days later.

The news that the village was about to establish a Ninja Academy swept through Konoha like a sudden storm.

Within a mere half-day, it was the talk of the town; everyone knew, and everyone was discussing it.

This order came without warning, issued directly by the Hokage, Senju Hashirama.

The deadline was set for one month.

By January 15th of the sixth year of Konoha, all eligible children meeting the criteria were required to receive compulsory education.

The admission standards for the Ninja Academy were simple:

One must be able to extract chakra and perform at least one of the following: ninjutsu, genjutsu, or taijutsu. Those who did not meet the standard but showed corresponding potential could also be placed on a waiting list.

The civilians of Konoha reacted with great enthusiasm to the establishment of the Ninja Academy, rushing to submit their children's names.

It had to be understood—

Although being a ninja was a high-risk profession, it also offered an extremely high income.

Before this, it was incredibly difficult for commoners to become ninjas. For them, this was both an opportunity to change their destiny and a way to gain the power to protect themselves in these chaotic times.

However, for the ninja clans, this was an unprecedented shock.

"If we send our children to the Ninja Academy, will the ninjas they become belong to the village or the clan? Have we raised them all these years for nothing?"

Such doubts weighed heavily on their hearts.

However...

When Senju Hashirama once again displayed an uncharacteristic toughness, the major ninja clans yielded, stating they would strictly execute the village's orders.

Only one clan remained silent—

The Uchiha.

In the underground chamber of Naka Shrine.

A stone tablet covered in mysterious characters stood silently, with murals of tengu carved into the walls.

An elderly clan elder stood before the tablet.

The burning brazier cast the shadows of two people before him.

To his right stood a beautiful female ninja with cascading purple hair and a hime-cut—Uchiha Chirori.

To his left was an unruly male ninja—Uchiha Bin.

Simply put, the former represented the moderate faction of the Uchiha, while the latter represented the radicals.

Uchiha Bin's face was grim: "Sending our clansmen to some Ninja Academy for training is clearly a tactic used by the Senju to target us Uchiha."

"If I had known the Senju were this shameless, I would have taken the clansmen and left with Madara."

After hearing his complaints, Uchiha Chirori frowned: "Bin, you are being too extreme."

"Since the clan chose to stay in the village, we should support the village's arrangements. Don't think so poorly of the Hokage. Even when Madara was still in the village, he never questioned the Hokage's character."

"Besides... the clan has indeed benefited from Gospel Hospital."

Uchiha Bin's expression was cold: "Is that the same thing? In any case, I absolutely do not agree!"

Seeing that soft tactics wouldn't work, Uchiha Chirori's attitude hardened:

"Uchiha Bin, I am the acting clan head."

"Uchiha Chirori, you will regret this!"

Uchiha Bin gritted his teeth and turned to leave the shrine.

Bang!

The massive sound of the door slamming vented the fury in his heart.

The elder looked on with concern: "Chirori, this..."

Uchiha Chirori said expressionlessly:

"Ever since Madara left, the clansmen led by Bin have remained resentful. But since everyone made their choice back then, what is the point of regretting it now?"

"Clan matters must be resolved within the clan. Do not let the village get involved and make a mockery of us."

January 1st, Konoha Year 6.

The beginning of the new year.

At dawn, the morning sun rose slowly over the horizon, casting golden light into every corner of Konoha.

The villagers changed into new clothes and took to the streets, laughter and joy overflowing through the alleys. As they celebrated the arrival of the new year, they silently prayed, hoping that this hard-won peace would continue steadily into the sixth year of Konoha, and even longer.

Toji received a long-overdue holiday.

He wore a pure white haori as he walked through the streets, exchanging New Year's greetings with the villagers. After strolling through the alleys, he headed to the Senju Clan to pay a visit.

By the time he finished his rounds, it was already evening.

Toji returned to his own Zenin clan grounds.

In stark contrast to the bustle of the outside world, the Zenin clan grounds remained desolate.

Toji had transplanted an entire grove of ten-year-old bamboo into the clan grounds.

Passing through the quiet, secluded bamboo forest and walking to the end of the stone path, he reached the main residence.

After pushing the door open and entering, Toji skillfully opened a hidden door in the corner of the wall. With a flash, he stepped into a basement that even the Byakugan could not peer into. The hidden door closed silently behind him, sealing off all the liveliness of the outside world.

The underground space was vast.

It was both Toji Zenin's laboratory and his training ground.

The room was filled with various bottles and jars, permeated with a grim and oppressive atmosphere.

Toji pressed his palms together and whispered, "Earth Grudge Fear: Release!"

The skin along his spine split open inch by inch, and several twisted, ominous-looking Earth Grudge Fear tentacles slowly emerged, extending and waving through the enclosed underground space.

It was terrifying, bizarre, and bone-chilling.

If the villagers who were accustomed to his gentle and kind demeanor were to stumble upon this scene, they would likely be frightened into fainting on the spot.

However, unlike Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear, Toji's version had been meticulously refined in appearance.

He did not just pursue utility; he prioritized elegance and aesthetics.

When the tentacles spread out, they resembled Stone Free; when they gathered, they looked like a Ghoul Kagune.

"Earth Grudge Fear: Shadow Clones!"

A portion of the Earth Grudge Fear detached from his body upon command. After a series of twists and wriggles, they transformed into four figures similar in build to him, their faces covered by Plague Doctor Masks.

The Earth Grudge Fear clones acted on their own, serving as labor for excavation, continuing to dig deeper into the earth to expand this underground space.

After a year of dedicated training.

Toji had become proficient in various uses of Earth Grudge Fear, and these clones were one of them.

Unlike traditional shadow clones, the core of an Earth Grudge Fear clone was a heart within his body, carrying the corresponding chakra nature and a portion of the original's chakra. They could be controlled for combat or act autonomously according to instructions, making them extremely practical.

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

The tentacles of the clones twitched, tearing through the hard rock and soil layers like thin paper. Dirt tumbled down with a rustling sound as the underground space continued to expand. The earth clones formed hand seals, gathering the soil to shape and build stairs and walls.

Toji glanced at the clones before focusing on the further development of Earth Grudge Fear.

He raised his hand and shot out a tentacle, which burrowed into the body of a laboratory mouse.

The mouse convulsed violently before suddenly going still, then began to crawl stiffly according to his commands.

The experiment showed that Earth Grudge Fear could control animal bodies to a certain extent, but it reduced their agility.

Toji recorded the conclusion in his notebook with an expressionless face.

"Animal testing has reached its limit. The next step requires human experimentation."

Earth Grudge Fear allowed Toji to obtain different chakra natures, but he still had to learn the techniques corresponding to those natures himself.

Toji knew his talent for ninjutsu was mediocre; learning through time and experience was not only slow, but there was no guarantee he would even succeed.

Next.

He needed to try using Earth Grudge Fear to control living ninjas as his puppets, testing whether he could extract the target's "ninjutsu and secret technique" experience through manipulation, thereby saving training time.

In life, they would be his puppets; in death, they would be his hearts.

"But in Konoha, experimental subjects are not easy to find..."

Toji was extremely cautious.

He did not intend to conduct human experiments while Hashirama and Tobirama were still alive.

The former would not tolerate human experimentation or the forbidden practice of plundering hearts; the latter was suspicious by nature and would not allow anyone but himself to conduct forbidden research.

This was an irreconcilable conflict.

He would wait until these two ninjas, who stood at the pinnacle of power, were gone.

It would be best to use ninjas from other villages as experimental subjects; Konoha ninjas were the easiest to cause trouble with, and Toji did not want to become a cautionary tale like Orochimaru.

As Toji thought this.

Suddenly, he sensed dozens of chakra signatures in the distance.

Although they were faint.

Toji, who possessed powerful sensory abilities, still managed to capture them.

He looked up toward that direction:

"That is..."

"Naka Shrine?"