Shimura, Offer Your Heart

Gospel Hospital.

The fourth-floor general ward corridor.

Professional medical ninjas in white coats stood in orderly rows on both sides of the main entrance, arranged according to their seniority, strength, and background.

The medical trainees from the Ninja Academy, who had undergone long-term systematic training, were also present for their hospital internship under Toji's orders, standing at the very end under the leadership of Matsumoto Waka.

Click—

The heavy doors were pushed open slowly.

Everyone held their breath in unison, straightening their backs and bowing their heads slightly.

A white haori was the first thing to come into view.

"Good morning, Director Toji!"

The uniform greeting echoed through the spacious corridor.

"Mm." Toji nodded slightly, his tone calm. "Everyone, let's begin our work."

Within Gospel Hospital, Toji was the absolute authority.

The Konoha medical system, which he had built and perfected single-handedly, had been running smoothly for two years.

Countless wounded were treated at this hospital every year, which greatly stabilized Konoha's combat strength and provided the villagers with effective, affordable treatment for minor ailments.

The sense of security and happiness among the villagers of Konoha had increased significantly.

Furthermore, it had, to a certain extent, blurred the lines between the ninja clans and promoted greater integration within the village.

Walking by Toji's side was Yakushi Yato.

This medical ninja of commoner origin had been promoted to chief physician by Toji half a year ago, thanks to his exceptional medical skills and excellent reputation, making him the core pillar of the hospital, second only to the director.

That was indeed the reason Toji had promoted him.

He would eventually have to withdraw his energy from Gospel Hospital. As his foundation, the hospital's reputation could not be allowed to collapse, so he had to select a few talented medical ninjas to manage it.

And Yakushi Yato was just such a candidate.

His surname carried the potential of an old acquaintance.

"Director Toji, you have seven surgeries today, one of which is an S-rank procedure. The patient is the village jonin Shimura Heizo, who requires heart surgery."

Yakushi Yato reported from the side.

Medical ninjas were ninjas, too; any surgery performed on ninjas or important figures was counted as completing a mission, with the credit recorded accordingly at the Hokage Building.

In two years, Toji had accumulated 9 S-rank missions, 78 A-rank missions, and countless B, C, and D-rank ones.

Today was just an ordinary day.

But for Toji, who had successfully developed Earth Grudge Parasitism, it was anything but ordinary.

"Heart surgery, is it?" A peculiar glint appeared in Toji's eyes. "Leave it to me."

Yakushi Yato did not notice anything unusual about Toji and proceeded with the arrangements as usual.

In the S-rank operating room, there was only Toji and Shimura Heizo, who had been rendered completely unconscious by heavy anesthesia.

Toji flipped through the medical records.

The file stated that Shimura Heizo had been ambushed by Mist ninjas while on a mission in the Land of Water, suffering a severe chest injury. Fortunately, his companions had protected him at the cost of their lives, barely allowing him to survive. By the time he was sent back to Konoha, he was already in a deep coma.

Due to the critical situation, he was immediately rushed to Gospel Hospital to be treated by Toji personally.

The ninja file noted his family relations, stating that Shimura Heizo was the third uncle of Danzo.

At the same time, the file specifically noted that Shimura Heizo had already signed an organ donation consent form.

"Shimura, huh..." Toji mused to himself. "Offer up your heart."

He closed the medical record casually and walked to the operating table, raising his hand. "Heavenly Mercy Thread!"

Black threads pierced out from his palm, slicing open the chest cavity to reveal the damaged, weakly beating heart.

Toji stared silently at the pulsing organ.

The Shimura clan was famous throughout the Ninja World for their Wind Style; almost all members possessed Wind-attribute chakra, and Shimura Heizo was no exception.

A genuine jonin-level Wind Style heart was a temptation that was hard to resist.

Currently, of the five heart slots in his body, only one was occupied by a Fire Style heart taken from an Uchiha jonin; the remaining positions still had plenty of room for reinforcement.

He could easily stand by, let Shimura Heizo's vitality fade away, and then push open the operating room door to announce that he had done everything he could. Then, it would be a simple matter to have the remains turned over to Gospel Hospital for disposal...

The Shimura clan would even have to thank him for his efforts.

But Toji did not choose to do so.

Ninjas with heart injuries were rare, and this was the perfect moment to plant a Parasitic Seal deep within the target's heart. There would be plenty of opportunities to seize a heart in the future, but chances to complete a parasitic implantation without leaving a trace were few and far between.

The Byakugan's ability to see through objects was not absolute, but it was indeed capable of glimpsing the "Heavenly Mercy Thread" inside a wounded person.

This point had been repeatedly verified over more than two years of clinical practice. If an abnormal chakra thread appeared out of thin air in an otherwise healthy heart, it would be too conspicuous and easily invite suspicion.

Precisely for this reason, choosing to act on a ninja whose heart was already injured was the safest course of action. The wounds, the sutures, and the Parasitic Seal would be muddled together; even if scanned by a Byakugan, it would only be dismissed as residual medical chakra traces from the surgery.

With Hashirama and Tobirama still alive, Toji acted with extreme caution.

But once those two were gone...

Given his current prestige and status within the Konoha medical system, even if he were to blatantly plant Parasitic Seals on wounded patients in the future, the Hyuga clan would be unable to shake his position even if they noticed something amiss and raised questions.

By then.

The entire Gospel Hospital would become a living heart bank for Toji.

Toji pulled back his thoughts.

First, he removed a small portion of Shimura Heizo's flesh.

Then, he used the Heavenly Mercy Thread to wrap around the damaged heart, performing a deep suture at a speed far exceeding conventional medical ninjutsu.

At the same time, a nearly imperceptible wisp of black thread silently burrowed into the deepest part of the heart, perfectly stitched and concealed along with the wound, leaving not a single trace of abnormality.

Sensing the Earth Grudge Fear within the heart, the corners of Toji's mouth curled up almost imperceptibly.

The parasitism was complete.

As long as he wished, he only needed to inject chakra into the Parasitic Seal within Shimura Heizo's body, and this man would instantly become his puppet. Even an act like betraying the village would be at the mercy of Toji's whim.

A powerful jonin in his prime had his future cut short, reduced to an explosive tag that Toji could detonate at any moment.

Shimura Heizo's breathing gradually steadied, and his vital signs stabilized.

"Release."

Toji formed a seal with one hand.

Following his movement, Shimura Heizo's eyes rolled back as he was forcibly awakened, but the hollow, indifferent gaze signaled that his body had been taken over by the Earth Grudge Fear.

After verifying the integrity of the parasitism, Toji withdrew his chakra, and Shimura Heizo lay back down on the bed.

During the period of being parasitized, the target would lose consciousness.

Toji turned and walked to the sink, washing his hands in a slow, deliberate manner.

Once finished, he walked out of the operating room, removed his mask, and announced to the members of the Shimura clan waiting outside:

"The surgery was a success. Jonin Shimura Heizo has survived, and he will need to recuperate for at least a month."

"Thank you so much! Lord Toji!"

Just then.

Yakushi Yato walked toward Toji: "Director, all your other surgeries for this morning have been postponed and handed over to us. The Hokage requires your presence at the Hokage Building for a meeting."

Something had happened!