I'm Not a Demon Either

Uchiha Chirori accepted the critical mission.

With less than two weeks remaining until the official start of the term, she had to get the Ninja Academy affairs in order as soon as possible.

And so.

She visited the Zenin clan once again late at night to explain the situation to Toji.

"The Hokage appointed you as principal...?"

Toji wore a rare, peculiar expression.

It was quite counterintuitive, but Sarutobi Hiruzen, Danzo, and the other future pillars of Konoha were not actually the first graduates of the Ninja Academy.

They had become ninjas long before the Ninja Academy was even established.

But under her intervention.

The Ninja Academy had been founded at least ten years ahead of schedule, and the first principal had changed from the Second Hokage, Tobirama, to Uchiha Chirori.

History had veered onto a side path, and everything was in disarray.

Toji quickly calmed down; no matter how the future changed, he would continue to develop at his own pace.

"Apologies, I was distracted for a moment."

"Regarding the construction of the Ninja Academy, I do indeed have some suggestions..."

Toji handed the original Ninja Academy system framework to Uchiha Chirori.

As he spoke, he nonchalantly slipped in a bit of his own agenda—

"I suggest regular physical examinations for academy students, with a focus on screening for those with Yang-release talent, and providing them with specialized, targeted training to ensure their potential is fully utilized."

Uchiha Chirori looked on in admiration.

This unprecedented Ninja Academy had its complete framework built within an hour of conversation, with student recruitment, curriculum design, and graduation arrangements all thoroughly considered.

It was a refreshing, eye-opening experience that cleared away all her confusion.

Chirori sighed with genuine praise: "Toji, you really should be a Hokage advisor."

She looked down at the notes she had taken and confirmed: "The most pressing matter right now is recruiting suitable Chunin to serve as teachers at the academy."

"The teachers don't need to be top-tier in strength, but they must have upright character, be loyal to the village, and treat students from all clans equally, correct?"

"Your understanding is spot on."

Toji poured tea for both of them and moistened his lips: "I can probably spare one afternoon a week to teach at the Ninja Academy. Public lectures are fine, and teaching the medical corps specifically is also no problem."

"I've noted it down for you."

Uchiha Chirori recorded Toji's name on the list.

Then, a faint sorrow crossed her face as she took out a sealing scroll and handed it to Toji.

"This is?"

"I read the volunteer forms for Gospel Hospital, which state that 'without donation, there is no dissection; without dissection, there is no medical ninjutsu'."

Hearing this.

Toji looked at the sealing scroll again, a certain guess forming in his mind.

Chirori continued: "Inside are the remains of two members of my clan. They died in the line of duty, and their families are willing to donate them for hospital research; it is another form of protection, in a way."

"They should be called Silent Mentors, right?"

"Please treat them well. Only you may use them; do not publicize this, and do not give them to other medical ninjas. Just consider it the Uchiha clan silently contributing to the village's medical field. Also, thank you for your help last night, Toji."

"..."

Toji reached out with both hands and solemnly accepted the sealing scroll, his face filled with earnestness:

"I will not allow such a thing as a Silent Mentor being desecrated."

"I will do my utmost to live up to the trust of these Silent Mentors."

"I leave it to you."

Chirori did not want to linger on this topic, so she rose to take her leave and departed from the Zenin clan.

After she left, Toji did not hesitate for a second. He turned and walked straight into the deepest part of his underground laboratory, taking the two corpses out of the sealing scroll.

Name tags hung around the corpses' necks: Uchiha Yusuke, Uchiha Masayuki.

"Heh, hahaha!"

In the empty underground, Toji laughed wantonly.

This was an absolute, unexpected windfall.

He had not expected the Uchiha to send him two corpses, and with the intention of keeping family scandals from leaking, they had even specifically requested that the information remain confidential.

The persona he had painstakingly cultivated had once again brought him a rich reward.

"Died in the line of duty? That's not right; I saw everything yesterday..."

Toji picked up a scalpel and, without a moment's hesitation, sliced open the chest cavity of the corpse.

Two hearts that had already ceased beating came into view.

Behind him, the Earth Grudge Fear tentacles extended, and Toji felt them out: "Both are Fire Style, one Jonin, one Chunin?"

Snap!

The Earth Grudge Fear swallowed the Jonin's Fire Style heart in one gulp, completing the heart replacement.

A surge of powerful energy flooded into Toji's body.

"The quality of a Jonin's heart is far superior to that of a Genin."

There exists a qualitative difference between chakras.

Uchiha Madara's Majestic Destroyer Flame, which requires over a dozen Water Style ninjas to join forces and cast Water Wall to withstand, is a manifestation of the gap in the "quality" of chakra.

The higher the quality of chakra, the greater the power for the same amount. The same logic applies to the Wood Style of Hashirama and Yamato.

A Fire Style heart originating from an Uchiha Jonin is worlds apart compared to a Fire Style heart from a bandit Genin.

"Konoha is a holy land to me."

Toji couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

If Kakuzu wanted to obtain such a heart, not only would he have to fight for his life, but he would also offend the Uchiha clan and even the entirety of Konoha in the process.

How great the risk would be!

Unlike himself, as long as he acts like a "good person," there is a steady stream of hearts delivered to his doorstep.

After finishing the heart replacement, Toji meticulously examined the two corpses.

Unsurprisingly, the Sharingan had already been removed beforehand, leaving him with only four empty eye sockets. However, even so, the Uchiha corpses were still highly valuable and would aid in his research.

Speaking of research...

Toji donned his Plague Doctor Mask and walked over to the operating table.

Uchiha Yan, who had been unconscious for a day and a night, finally regained consciousness and slowly opened her eyes.

The moment Uchiha Yan woke up, her body instinctively began to struggle.

There was no blindfold, no gag.

She looked around in a daze, her mind blurring the scene of her escape with the eerie and terrifying environment before her, but after a few seconds, she cleared her confusion.

Before she could think, a strange figure wearing a plague doctor mask and draped in a black robe came into view.

Her pupils constricted, and she instinctively tried to weave signs to release a Great Fireball, but her hands were bound and her chakra points were sealed; she didn't even have the chakra to activate her Sharingan.

All ability to resist had been completely stripped away.

Finding herself in a desperate situation, Uchiha Yan instead calmed down and stared fixedly at the strange figure before her.

Toji spoke slowly: "Not bad, you are the one with the best constitution among those who have come here."

"Where is this place, and who are you?"

"This is my laboratory. As for who I am, that is not important." Toji's tone was calm. "I could be Uchiha Madara, I could be Uchiha Chirori, or perhaps someone from your Konoha like Toji, or even a minor, unknown character like Ichiraku..."

"In short, you are now my experimental subject."

"Tch, a coward hiding his head and tail."

Uchiha Yan curled her lip in disdain. "What do you want? Kill me? Steal my Sharingan?"

"Rest assured, I am no demon."

"In essence, I simply wish to conduct an equivalent exchange with you."