Secret Technique: Earth Grudge Curse Seal

Inside the Senju Clan estate.

Hashirama, Mito, and Takayuki sat around the dining table.

Like any ordinary father, Hashirama asked with concern, "Takayuki, what did Toji teach in class today?"

"The teacher made a civilian girl named Matsumoto Kazuka the class representative, and he taught us the three major rules for medical ninja..." Takayuki Senju answered gloomily. "He didn't teach us Medical Ninjutsu. He just made us copy down the three rules."

Hashirama and Mito listened with great interest. Hashirama commented:

"In Konoha, no one understands medical ninja better than Toji. Just listen to him obediently."

"That's right. Toji must have his reasons for arranging things this way." Mito Uzumaki chimed in. "He wants you to remember the role of a medical ninja. Medical Ninjutsu is extremely difficult to master. Choosing this path means giving up the combat path of an ordinary ninja. Staying alive is the most important thing."

"I understand, Father, Mother."

Hashirama asked again, "Is there anything special about that girl named Matsumoto Kazuka?"

"She..." Takayuki Senju thought for a moment. "She's an orphan, and she has a snake coiled around her shoulders. Other than that, there's nothing particularly special about her."

The couple exchanged a glance, both showing looks of understanding.

"I suppose Toji pitied her, so he made her the class representative to look after her a little more."

"Toji truly has great love in his heart."

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

When Toji returned to the laboratory, the lights inside were still blazing.

While he had been away, Earth Grudge Fear had watched over Uchiha Yan according to his instructions and taken care of her daily needs.

Earth Grudge Fear was incapable of handling anything more complicated.

Essentially, the Earth Grudge Fear created through Yang Release possessed the intelligence of a three-year-old.

To ensure that she could cooperate with the experiments in peak condition, Toji had loosened many of her restrictions. Her range of movement was no longer limited to the operating table. Instead, she was allowed to move freely within the six-square-meter room while wearing shackles.

Naturally, the condition was that she remained shackled, and her chakra was still sealed.

When Uchiha Yan saw Toji in his bird-beak mask again, she obediently walked over.

Uchiha Yan had been fairly docile during this period.

Especially after being allowed to move freely, she had become much more cooperative during the experiments.

The troublesome part was that after cooperating, she found it difficult to maintain the anger needed to stimulate her eyes. At times like that, Uchiha Yan would instead take the initiative to ask Toji to slap her or choke her... to use violent physical stimulation to forcibly awaken her ocular power.

Toji felt that method was too crude and uncontrollable.

So he removed fish, eggs, milk, and beans from her meals, keeping her in a prolonged state of nutritional imbalance. At the same time, he injected a suitable amount of adrenaline into her body to stimulate her brain and suppress her rationality.

He used the most scientific methods to strengthen the most unscientific Uchiha.

"Tell me, how long exactly are you planning to keep me locked up? When will you remove my shackles? When will you unseal my chakra?"

"Your chakra can't be unsealed, but your shackles can be removed today."

Toji answered calmly.

Earlier that day, he had submitted an application to Hashirama to study Sealing Jutsu. His reason was sound: before treating the wounded, sealing their chakra first would prevent conflicts with medical chakra and improve the results.

Hashirama had readily agreed and said he would give Toji an answer tomorrow.

The reason he had not agreed on the spot was simply because even the God of Shinobi was not omnipotent. He did not know Sealing Jutsu. In all of Konoha, Mito Uzumaki was probably the only one who did.

The method Toji currently used to seal chakra was similar to the Hyuga Clan's acupuncture technique. By striking the three hundred and sixty-one chakra points, he could temporarily seal chakra.

The flaw was obvious: if the opponent was too strong, or if the restraints loosened even slightly, they could break free at once. He could not afford to gamble on whether Uchiha Yan, after recovering her chakra, would immediately activate Izanagi.

Only true Sealing Jutsu was secure enough.

But why was he giving her freedom today?

Even Uchiha Yan was stunned. "Are you serious?"

Toji answered her with action, clapping his hands together. "Secret Technique: Earth Grudge Curse Seal!"

A small section of Earth Grudge Fear's tentacle pierced out from his palm and burrowed straight into Uchiha Yan's mouth. Under his precise control, the tentacle reached her living, beating heart and attached itself to it.

"Urgh—!"

"What is this thing?!"

For the first time, Uchiha Yan showed a terrified expression.

No matter how deranged her mind was, she was still a woman. As that mass of pitch-black tentacles burrowed into her body, instinctive nausea and fear surged up at once.

"You can think of it as me carving a Curse Mark similar to the Hyuga Clan's Caged Bird onto your heart," Toji explained calmly. "If you do anything out of control, the Curse Mark will activate, and you will die."

"Now, you are free."

Whoosh—

Earth Grudge Fear extended from behind Toji and effortlessly severed the shackles on her body.

"I know the Uchiha have a famous secret technique called Izanagi, which can rewrite reality. So your chakra seal cannot be removed yet. That is the foundation of trust between us."

Uchiha Yan rubbed her sore, numb wrists and scoffed.

"What kind of freedom is this? Don't worry. I, Uchiha Yan, keep my word. Even if I am going to take off your mask, it will be after I gain greater power."

[Secret Technique: Earth Grudge Curse Seal] was a secret technique Toji had developed based on the results of his previous animal experiments.

He had not lied about its effects. In essence, it was indeed a Curse Mark. Its only hidden danger was that the Earth Grudge Fear tentacle used to kill the host could possibly be physically removed.

It was not absolute insurance, but it was sufficient for now.

However, he had concealed one thing.

Through his research, Earth Grudge Curse Seal would one day evolve into—[Secret Technique: Earth Grudge Parasite].

At that time, it would not be as simple as detonating a heart. It would allow him to directly control living ninja like laboratory mice.

However, judging from the animal experiment results, controlling the body could potentially cause the host's death.

Uchiha Yan was a very valuable specimen. Toji would not be so extravagant as to use her as expendable material to develop Earth Grudge Fear.

She was research material specifically for the Sharingan.

Toji withdrew his thoughts.

"Loosen up your limbs. Then it'll be time for the adrenaline injection."

"Stop nagging. Use a smaller needle."

Gospel Hospital.

The director's office.

Matsumoto Kazuka, with White Snake coiled around her hand, knocked on the office door.

"Teacher Toji, I'm here to turn in the Medical Corps assignment."

"...Come in."

Toji was still wearing that white haori as he handled paperwork at his desk. When Kazuka entered, he set down his pen and pointed at the desk. "Put the assignment here."

"Yes."

Matsumoto Kazuka placed the assignment on the desk.

Just then, something unexpected happened.

As though drawn by some inexplicable force, White Snake suddenly shot toward Toji.

"Little White!!"

Matsumoto Kazuka's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively tried to stop her, but it was already too late.

Because of Little White, she had suffered no shortage of bullying since childhood.

Whenever she went out with Little White, all she received were mockery and scolding from others. People pointed at her and called her a "freak."

Sometimes, she was even beaten because of White Snake.

But Little White was the only family who had remained by her side after her parents passed away. Even if she had to endure criticism and bullying, even if the village regarded her as an outcast, she had never once considered abandoning Little White.

Matsumoto Kazuka could practically picture Toji looking at her with disgust and scolding her.

"He'll definitely hate me..."

But the scene she imagined never happened.

Looking at White Snake climbing onto his forearm, Toji showed no disgust whatsoever. Instead, he raised his arm before his chest and gently stroked the snake's head with his other hand.

"What a cute creature."

"Her name is Little White, right?"