The One Who Advances Unceasingly on the Path of Death

Toji left the teahouse as light snow began to fall.

He "happened" to run into Uchiha Chirori on the road, and the two agreed to head to Ichiraku Ramen once again.

Long-term contact had allowed Chirori to perceive Toji's moods.

With just a single glance, she sensed something was off and asked curiously, "Toji, you seem very happy today?"

"Happy? I suppose so. I just happened to run into something worth being pleased about."

"Can you tell me?"

"Even for me, there are some secrets that cannot be shared."

Toji wore a smile as he picked up his sake cup and took a small sip.

He was in a good mood today...

Tobirama had said a great deal to him, but the core point was "peace."

For the sake of peace, one could use any means necessary.

Toji had originally intended to offer help in a time of need to gain Tobirama's trust and favor.

But he had changed his mind at the last minute.

A certain "demolition master" once said: those who do not understand pain cannot understand true peace.

He had been in Konoha for over a year, living too comfortably, never having touched upon pain.

Being swayed by a few words from Tobirama made his own pursuit of peace seem cheap.

Therefore, Toji decided to wait for an opportunity. Once he had personally tasted "pain," he would then complete his transformation.

Only in this way would his persona as a "good-natured idealist" be fully closed-loop and flawlessly authentic.

Even the most suspicious Senju Tobirama would never harbor the slightest doubt about him again.

By then, even if he joined the research into forbidden techniques, it would appear to outsiders as a choice made after "experiencing pain and turning dark," rather than having harbored impure motives from the start.

Taking a step back—

"Currently, my progress in developing the Reanimation is ahead of Tobirama's."

"There is no need to rush into a partnership."

"I will overcome most of the difficulties myself, leaving only the final, most complex nodes for Tobirama to study. Once he painstakingly produces results, I can use my technical advantage to complete the jutsu."

Toji had already calculated Tobirama into his plans with the most sinister of intentions.

A gust of cold wind blew.

Toji tightened the pure white haori draped over his shoulders; it was his best disguise.

"I always feel like Toji-kun is thinking of something bad." Chirori stared at him, sighing, "But I suppose Toji-kun's 'bad things' are probably just pranks, like scaring patients in the hospital by saying they're incurable, only to cure them the next second..."

"Am I really that bad?"

Toji smiled and steered the conversation away without a trace. "After I took you home last time, Ayano mentioned to me that a rogue ninja named Uchiha Yan had appeared in the Uchiha clan. Is there any news yet?"

This was, without question, a family scandal.

Had it been anyone else daring to bring up this secret in front of Chirori, given her temperament, she would likely have turned hostile on the spot, no matter how gentle she usually was.

This was a topic that shouldn't be touched at all.

But Toji was clearly not among those "outsiders."

To Uchiha Chirori, the acting clan head, Toji was a special existence.

To Toji's surprise, Chirori nodded slightly.

"We have some leads."

"Would it be convenient to tell me? I'm quite curious about the fate of this rogue ninja."

Toji asked calmly.

Having finally managed to control a jonin who was willing to work for him, he was not yet prepared to lose her.

"I issued a clan mission and arranged a specialized ninja squad to track Uchiha Yan's whereabouts."

"The last time she was sighted was in the border region of the Land of Rice Fields."

"The Land of Rice Fields is sandwiched between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire; it's a chaotic place filled with mountain bandits and groups of rogue ninja. It's very difficult to pinpoint her exact location, and it will take time..."

Toji's mind settled slightly; he had no intention of reprimanding Uchiha Yan.

The Land of Rice Fields was quite a distance from Konoha. The fact that she could transport someone from so far away to the Forest of Death while evading the Uchiha pursuit squad meant she was a rare talent indeed.

Aside from her near-paranoid obsession with power and her tendency to become somewhat neurotic when encountering specific events, her competence was truly worth acknowledging.

Toji thought silently to himself, while speaking in a gentle tone:

"The Land of Rice Fields is a rather dangerous place. Chirori, remember to remind your clansmen to be careful and not act rashly. If they encounter a strong enemy, they should retreat first. As long as they are alive, I can find a way to treat them once they return to the village."

Uchiha Chirori remarked with emotion, "Toji, sometimes I think you are too gentle to be a ninja."

"I am a doctor."

"Incorrect." Uchiha Chirori gently interrupted him. "You can heal the wounds of a ninja, and therefore, you also bear the fate of a ninja."

She paused, gazing at the falling snow outside the window, her tone melancholic as if recalling the years of the Warring States period:

"I know all too well what a ninja is... A so-called ninja is one who must constantly press forward along a path of death, with no road back."

"Or, to use the phrasing of most people—ninjas are tools for completing missions. So, Toji, I am moved by your kindness in telling my clansmen to abandon their missions and retreat to the village for treatment when they encounter danger, but it cannot be done."

"When it concerns the dignity and bloodline of the Uchiha, the mission must be completed."

"Fine."

Seeing that his persuasion was fruitless, Toji shrugged, preparing to send out another message to warn Uchiha Yan to be careful.

The death and slaughter he had witnessed were no less than what Chirori had seen.

Only the five great nations of the Ninja World were worthy of possessing relatively stable peace.

Beyond that, in the cracks between small nations, chaos and slaughter had never truly ceased.

The hatreds that had continued since the Warring States era strangled generation after generation like a noose.

The Land of Waterfalls was like this, and the Land of Rice Fields was the same.

Yet, it could not be denied that these small nations were the best havens for those with ambition.

Just like the Land of Rice Fields; precisely because of the chaos and disorder in this land, the difficulty of obtaining human test subjects was extremely low. It was only after the future Orochimaru defected that he would establish his new base here.

Uchiha Yan's judgment was quite good, after all.

Chirori said softly, "Sometimes I wonder, how did someone as gentle as you manage to survive until now in the chaotic Warring States era, and even arrive safely in Konoha?"

Toji's hand, holding his chopsticks, paused slightly.

His only flaw seemed to have been discovered.

He had always acted with too much mercy; such a temperament was indeed difficult to survive with in the chaotic Warring States era.

Before Toji could speak, Chirori had already provided the answer herself:

"Perhaps... it is the gravity of fate that brought you to my side, and to Konoha."

Uchiha Chirori reached out her hand to catch the snowflakes drifting outside the window. "I, Uchiha Chirori, have committed countless slaughters. To be able to live until today and lead such a peaceful life is already extremely fortunate."

"Toji, your medical ninjutsu seems to exist so that there can be 'happiness' atop peace..."

"And I."

"Will protect this peace and happiness. That is my ninja way!"