Don't Let Your Darkness Taint Me

Yo.

The Fifth Acting Hokage had arrived.

Toji sized up the young Danzo before him.

Black spiky hair, a gloomy and defiant gaze, and the signature X-shaped scar on his chin gave him a fierce, menacing air.

You could say Danzo was bad, but you could not call him mediocre. He truly was one of the outstanding youths of this era.

Toji gave a slight nod. "I know you. Tobirama's second disciple."

Danzo was instantly irritated. You should address him as Lord Tobirama! But he did not dare reveal his thoughts before Toji and could only reply in a low voice, "Yes. I am Lord Tobirama's disciple."

"You... not bad. Take me to see Tobirama."

Toji did not refuse and gladly followed him.

More than a month had passed since Tobirama had been confined.

Toji could barely remember when they had last spoken.

It just so happened that the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu had been banned. He also wanted to take the chance to probe Tobirama's intentions and see whether this great inventor had completely given up or still had other ideas.

Danzo led Toji to the tea room where Tobirama was staying.

After bringing him inside,

Danzo clasped his hands behind his back and consciously stood guard outside the door, silently taking on the role of a doorkeeper.

Toji saw Tobirama again.

He looked somewhat thinner. More than a month of confinement had not left him dejected; instead, it had restrained the sharpness around him. He seemed increasingly steady and inscrutable, like a sheathed blade whose edge was hidden yet even less easily dismissed.

To put it plainly...

He had become even more sinister.

Toji sensed ill intent and became wary.

"Tobirama, long time no see."

"Toji, you're here."

Tobirama invited Toji to sit and personally poured him a cup of tea.

Rather than immediately getting to the point, he first asked, "Toji, what do you think of my disciple?"

With a trace of malicious amusement, Toji commented, "Danzo? The young man is full of spirit. In my opinion, he has the makings of a Hokage."

"..."

Tobirama was briefly choked up, but quickly returned to normal. "Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō are both among the most outstanding students at the Ninja Academy. They will surely become the village's backbone in the future."

"Before the Ninja Academy was established, I saw their potential and brought them under my wing to train personally..."

Tobirama first conveyed his own convictions to Toji, then abruptly changed the subject. "Toji, I heard that you also took on a disciple at the Ninja Academy?"

"Yes. Her name is Matsumoto Kazuka. I think she has potential, so I am teaching her Medical Ninjutsu."

"Toji, do you believe studying medicine can protect Konoha?"

Here it came!

His expression remained calm. "Medical ninja can ensure that the wounded receive treatment, reducing casualties and preventable sacrifices."

"You also believe that medical techniques can only reduce casualties, not eliminate them entirely, correct?"

"Yes."

"Shinobi will ultimately have to fight on the front lines, and fighting inevitably means that people will die. To achieve true peace, either one must possess overwhelming strength to protect one's comrades, or there must be a way to ensure that one's comrades do not die."

Seeing Toji fall silent, Tobirama thought he had been persuaded and continued, "That day, the Hokage halted my forbidden jutsu research. Do you know what kind of technique it was?"

"I named it—the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu."

"In my conception, this technique can summon the souls of dead shinobi back to this world and revive them once more in physical form."

"The more powerful the technique, the greater the price," Toji calmly replied without changing expression. "So what is the cost?"

"The development process requires human experimentation. In other words, people will die because of this technique. But those sacrifices are necessary. By sacrificing a small number of outsiders, we can protect our comrades' lives and ensure the continuation of their souls."

"The Shinobi World is in turmoil. Peace is merely an illusion. Every faction is expanding its military strength and researching forbidden jutsu; they simply do not dare make a move because they fear my elder brother's power. But my brother is human too. One day, he will grow old."

"One day, the dormant Warring States will return."

"To protect Konoha and safeguard peace, I must continue researching forbidden jutsu."

"This is my Ninja Way."

Toji understood Tobirama's meaning—while the neighbors raised shinobi, he studied Medical Ninjutsu. In the end, he would only be waiting to be plundered.

Tobirama no longer concealed his intentions and revealed his dagger at last:

"Join me, Toji. I need your strength."

"This technique cannot be developed without your help.

"You possess talent for developing ninjutsu, and you are also the director of Gospel Hospital. You can easily obtain the human materials needed for experiments."

"Everything is for peace."

Tobirama's voice echoed through the tea room, lingering for a long time.

After a long while,

Toji set down his teacup, his expression calm. "Tobirama, you are right. Impure World Reincarnation may truly become the final line of defense against death, as well as peace's trump card."

A light flashed in Tobirama's eyes as he was about to respond.

"So you agree—"

"But I refuse."

The curve that had just formed at Tobirama's lips fell away. "Why?"

"What I seek is peace born from mutual understanding between people. These hands of mine are meant to save people, not to develop terrifying forbidden jutsu and create more slaughter."

Toji straightened his back without yielding an inch.

"I cannot control what others think or do. But I will remain true to myself and uphold my own Ninja Way."

"Letting me use my talents on forbidden jutsu, letting me turn a hospital that brings hope to villagers into a warehouse for human materials—absolutely impossible."

"I will not report today's matter to the Hokage. I do not approve of your Ninja Way, but I will defend your right to speak to the death..."

"Do not use your darkness to taint the Hokage's ideals and mine, Tobirama Senju!"

With that, Toji abruptly rose to his feet, turned, and prepared to leave.

Behind him came Tobirama's final attempt to persuade him, along with a warning:

"The Shinobi World will not become better because of idealists. It will only become worse because of the ambitious."

"Toji, you are too naive. One day, you will understand me."

"You will regret this!"

Bang!

The only answer was the sound of Toji slamming the door.

Toji's figure gradually disappeared into the distance.

Danzo stood at the doorway.

He saw his teacher sitting upright on his cushion, holding a teacup expressionlessly.

He looked even more exhausted than before.

Danzo silently clenched his fists.

He did not know exactly what had happened in the tea room, but the atmosphere made it clear that the conversation had not been pleasant.

At that moment, Danzo thought,

Konoha's current status as the dominant power was largely due to his teacher's efforts. If one day he could stand in his teacher's position, he would surely be able to shoulder everything for him and share this burden.

As his disciple, inheriting his teacher's will and sharing his pressure was the duty that Shimura Danzō could not shirk!

And yet Toji had made his teacher reveal such exhaustion...

"What a detestable man."