Those Who Press On Along the Path of Death

Toji left the tea room as light snow fell from the sky.

By chance, he "ran into" Uchiha Chiri on the road, and the two once again arranged to go to Ichiraku Ramen.

Their long-term contact had allowed Chiri to sense Toji's emotions.

With just one glance, she noticed something was off about him and asked curiously, "Toji, you seem to be in a good mood today?"

"In a good mood? Yes. I happened to come across something worth being happy about."

"Can you tell me?"

"Even I have a few secrets I can't share."

Toji smiled and lifted his cup for a small sip of sake.

He was in quite a good mood today...

Tobirama had said so much to him, but the central point had been "peace."

For the sake of peace, any means could be used.

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

But he had changed his mind at the last minute.

A certain "demolition master" once said that those who did not understand pain could never understand true peace.

His year or so in Konoha had been far too comfortable. He had never truly encountered pain.

Being persuaded by just a few words from Tobirama would make his peace seem too cheap.

So Toji decided to wait for an opportunity first. Once he had personally tasted "pain," he could naturally complete his transformation.

Only then would his persona as an "idealistic soft-hearted fool" come full circle, becoming so real that it would be flawless.

Even Tobirama Senju, the most suspicious of men, would never harbor the slightest doubt toward him again.

By then, even if he joined the research into forbidden techniques, outsiders would see it only as a choice made after "experiencing pain and completely falling into darkness," rather than realizing he had harbored impure intentions from the very beginning.

Even setting that aside—

"At present, my progress in developing Impure World Reincarnation is still ahead of Tobirama's."

"There's no need to rush into working together."

"I'll first overcome most of the difficult points, then leave only the final few hardest stages for Tobirama to study. Once he struggles to produce results, I can use my accumulated technical advantage to complete this technique."

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

A cold wind blew past.

Toji tightened the pure white haori draped over his shoulders. It was his finest disguise.

"I always feel like Toji is plotting something bad." Chiri stared at him and sighed. "But I suppose the bad things you do are probably just pranks like scaring patients at the hospital by telling them they can't be cured, then curing them the very next second..."

"Am I really that bad?"

Toji smiled and smoothly changed the subject. "After I took you home last time, Ayano mentioned that the Uchiha had a rogue ninja named Uchiha Yan. Is there any news of her now?"

This was undoubtedly a family disgrace.

If an outsider dared mention this secret in front of Chiri, then with her temperament, no matter how gentle she usually was, she would most likely turn hostile on the spot.

It was a subject no one could touch.

But Toji was clearly not among those "outsiders."

To Uchiha Chiri, the acting clan head, Toji was someone special.

To Toji's surprise, Chiri nodded gently.

"There are already some leads."

"Would it be convenient to tell me about them? I'm quite curious about what will become of this rogue ninja."

Toji asked without changing his expression.

He had finally gotten a Jōnin to willingly work for him. He was not ready to lose her yet.

"I issued a clan mission and assigned a specialized ninja squad to track down Uchiha Yan."

"The last time anyone saw her, she was near the border of the Land of Rice Fields."

"The Land of Rice Fields lies between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire. It's a chaotic place, filled with bandits and wandering ninja groups. Pinpointing her exact location will be difficult. It will take more time..."

Toji's mind settled somewhat, and he had no intention of blaming Uchiha Yan.

The Land of Rice Fields was some distance from Konoha. The fact that she could transport people from so far away to the Forest of Death while avoiding the Uchiha pursuit squads made her a rare talent.

Aside from her nearly obsessive fixation on power and the occasional neurotic behavior she displayed when faced with certain events, her ability to get things done was indeed worthy of recognition.

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

"The Land of Rice Fields is quite a dangerous place. Chiri, remember to remind your clansmen to be careful in all things and not act rashly. If they encounter a powerful enemy, they should retreat first. As long as they're alive, I can find a way to treat them once they return to the village."

Uchiha Chiri sighed. "Toji, sometimes I feel that you're too gentle to be a ninja."

"I'm a doctor."

"No." Chiri gently interrupted him. "You can heal ninja injuries, so you also bear a ninja's fate."

She paused, gazing at the falling snow outside the window. Her tone was wistful, as if she had remembered the days of the Warring States Period.

"I know all too well what ninja are... So-called ninja are people who keep pressing forward along the path of death. There is no road back."

"Or, as most people would put it—ninja are tools for completing missions. So, Toji, you tell my clansmen to abandon their missions and retreat first when they face danger, returning to the village to recover. I'm touched by that kindness, but it won't do."

"This concerns the Uchiha's dignity and Bloodline. The mission must be completed."

"All right."

Seeing that persuasion was futile, Toji shrugged and prepared to send out another message reminding Uchiha Yan to be careful.

The death and slaughter he had witnessed were no less than Chiri's.

In the entire Shinobi World, only the Five Great Nations were worthy of possessing relatively stable peace.

In the small countries caught between them, chaos and killing had never truly ceased.

The hatred passed down since the Warring States Period strangled generation after generation like a noose.

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

But it could not be denied that these small countries were the best havens for ambitious people.

Take the Land of Rice Fields. Because of the chaos and lack of order in this land, obtaining human materials was extremely easy. After the future Orochimaru defected, he would establish his new base here.

Uchiha Yan had good judgment after all.

Chiri said softly, "Sometimes I wonder how someone as gentle as you survived the chaos of the Warring States Period and still made it safely to Konoha."

Toji's hand paused slightly as he picked up some food.

It seemed his only flaw had been found.

He had always acted too merciful and soft-hearted. Someone with that temperament would indeed find it difficult to survive the chaos of the Warring States Period.

Before Toji could speak, Chiri had already come up with an answer on her own.

"Perhaps... it was the pull of fate that brought you to my side, to Konoha."

Uchiha Chiri reached out and caught the swirling snowflakes outside the window. "I, Uchiha Chiri, have killed countless people. Being able to live until today and enjoy such peaceful days is already an immense blessing."

"Toji, your Medical Ninjutsu seems to exist so that there can be 'happiness' alongside peace..."

"And I."

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