Toji's Concern for His Students' Physical and Mental Health

Looking at the names on the list, Toji remembered them, yet felt no real connection.

When he truly saw them gathered together, a secret link deep within his heart was awakened, bringing back a sense of familiarity with these men.

Shimura Heizo, Sarutobi Hideshige, and Nara Hiroshi.

All three had been selected as jonin squad leaders, and they shared a single, hidden commonality—

Each had suffered a critical heart injury, and each had been implanted with a Parasitic Seed while being treated by Toji.

Toji could currently control at most five Parasitic Seeds.

Excluding Type Zero and Type One, who remained in the Land of Rice Fields, these three men were the sleeper agents left in Konoha, waiting for him to activate them.

If Toji wished, with a single snap of his fingers, these three highly respected jonin squad leaders of Konoha would become rogue ninjas in the dead of night.

How heartbroken their clansmen and students would be...

But Toji would not act lightly.

There was no profit in forcing them to defect simply for his own twisted amusement.

Some sleeper agents would never know they were agents, living their entire lives without ever being activated. But once activated, they had to inflict heavy damage on a target or secure immense benefits for him.

The Shimura and Sarutobi clans possessed no unique secret techniques, so Toji intended to play it by ear.

As for the Nara clan, they possessed the Shadow Secret Technique.

If necessary, Toji planned to control Nara Hiroshi to follow in the footsteps of his third brother, steal the Nara clan's Shadow Secret Technique scroll, and then defect.

Toji had tested this.

He could control a host to perform ninjutsu, but he could not guarantee the successful execution of secret techniques.

Fearing the "knowing the what but not the why" scenario, where a technique could only be used by a specific host, stealing the scroll was the safest choice. As long as his main body could learn it, any host could then execute the secret technique.

Unlike bloodline limits, secret techniques were not bound directly to the heart; they were special skills that required acquired learning.

As for why he didn't simply activate a host to steal the scroll and bring it to his main body...

For one, activation was a one-time event, and Toji lacked the energy to maintain control around the clock; if he left it to the Earth Grudge Fear to manage for too long, it would inevitably reveal flaws. Secondly, the ninja clans were bound to guard their secret technique scrolls with extreme strictness.

Toji despised the villagers of Konoha strategically, but he remained cautious tactically.

Secret techniques passed down for a thousand years naturally had rigorous protective measures; once a host was activated to steal a technique, they would have to flee thousands of miles away.

Uchiha Chirori's voice pulled Toji's thoughts back to reality: "Toji-kun, what are you thinking about, looking so absorbed?"

"Me?"

Toji looked at Chirori, then cast his gaze toward the bright moon outside the window, raising his cup to take a solitary sip: "I was thinking that the moonlight tonight is truly beautiful."

The two were in a private room, yet the atmosphere was completely out of sync with the others inside.

At another table.

The God of Gamblers, Senju Hashirama, held a cup in one hand and dice in the other, playing with great enthusiasm;

The King of Songs, Senju Tobirama, continued to sing that song, Tears Never Dry.

The night passed without incident.

The revelry faded, and the morning sun rose as usual.

Toji appeared at Gospel Hospital on time, where the facility welcomed a batch of newcomers today.

The first five graduates of the Ninja Academy's medical class had all finished their training.

According to regulations, this group was not assigned to regular ninja squads. Instead, they were arranged by Toji, the director, and assigned to various posts in Gospel Hospital as management trainees to alleviate the hospital's medical pressure.

Compared to the self-taught medical ninjas of the Warring States period, these five had undergone two years of systematic training under Toji. Though still green, their professional foundation was not weak in the slightest.

Sitting at the director's desk, Toji couldn't help but think of the rumors regarding the future of the Senju Clan.

The Senju had not been wiped out; their clansmen were simply scattered across every key department in Konoha.

The hospital, the school—the presence of the Senju Clan could be found everywhere.

Under his interference, this rumor had already become reality.

The morning work was not busy.

After Toji finished arranging the work for the medical class, they went off to handle their onboarding procedures.

Gospel Hospital had a rule: all newly hired medical ninjas had to leave blood samples, and admitted patients also had to provide bodily tissue for storage.

Toji himself was no exception.

As for why such a strange rule existed...

Taking samples from the staff was merely a cover; the true targets were the patients' bodily samples.

For those "selfish" individuals who refused to sign organ donation forms, or ninjas who died on the battlefield whose remains could not be recovered, Gospel Hospital would become a massive repository of materials.

It made it convenient for Toji to resurrect whomever he pleased, whenever he wished, using the Reanimation jutsu.

The powerhouses of Konoha, once injured, all fell into his trap!

Just then, a "knock-knock" sounded at the door.

"Enter!"

Matsumoto Waka walked in, clutching books to her chest. Two years had passed, yet she still wore the non-prescription glasses Toji had given her back then. The purple eyeshadow at the corners of her eyes had deepened, and her temperament appeared even more somber.

Only the white snake coiled around her shoulders remained unchanged, flicking its tongue with a hiss.

It seemed that even after making friends, Matsumoto Waka hadn't changed in any fundamental way.

Ever since discovering her limited talent for Cursed Seal research, Toji's attention toward her had faded significantly. Aside from reciting formulaic, encouraging words while collecting assignments each week, he would at most ask if she had made any new friends.

On the surface, it was concern for his disciple's physical and mental health.

In reality, however, he was keeping tabs on her romantic prospects.

Matsumoto Waka was already fourteen this year, yet there was absolutely no sign of her pursuing a relationship, which was abnormal in the Ninja World.

Influenced by chakra, ninjas were generally precocious.

At three, they possessed the maturity of an eight-year-old; at eight, they were comparable to sixteen-year-olds; and by ten, they were already equivalent to adults.

Hashirama and Madara had pledged their lives to each other at eight; jealousy and romantic rivalry were common sights at the Ninja Academy...

Look at Senju Takayuki next door; in a few years, he would marry the princess of the Land of Fire, and Tsunade would be born soon after.

Yet on Matsumoto Waka's side, there was still no movement at all.

Toji was not a gossipy person, but Matsumoto Waka was different; she was special. Her child, Orochimaru, was a vital link in his plan and could not be allowed to fail.

"Waka, you're here."

Toji wore a smile. "How did it feel adapting to Gospel Hospital this morning?"

"I adapted quite well, Teacher." Matsumoto Waka's voice was somewhat raspy. "I interned here before the new year, so there were no issues. You don't need to worry."

"Mm."

Toji nodded slightly. "You have been assigned to a secretarial role, taking over the work of Yakushi Yato. You will be responsible for my daily surgery scheduling and coordinating with general affairs. The work isn't heavy, but you must still take it seriously..."

"In your spare time, you can continue to advance the Cursed Seal project. Of course, it would be best to go out and make more friends."

Toji had specifically arranged for Matsumoto Waka to be in the least demanding position.

There was no work at the hospital that strictly required her, but for his own plans, she was indispensable.

"Yes, Teacher."

Matsumoto Waka replied offhandedly, clearly not taking Toji's advice about making friends to heart.

Then, she carefully withdrew a scroll from her arms:

"Teacher, I would like to give this to you..."