Toji Cares About His Students' Physical and Mental Health

Looking at the names on the list alone, Toji remembered them, but felt no real connection to them.

Yet when he truly saw them gathered together, some hidden link deep within his heart was awakened, restoring his familiarity with them.

Heizō Shimura, Sarutobi Shūshō, Hiro Nara.

All three had been selected as squad-leading Jōnin, and they shared another secret in common—

Their hearts had all suffered severe damage, and when Toji treated them, each had been implanted with a Parasite Seed.

At present, Toji could control at most five Parasite Seeds.

Aside from Type Zero and Type One, who remained in the Land of Rice Fields, the hidden pawns awaiting his activation in Konoha were the three men before him.

If Toji wished it, a single snap of his fingers would turn these three highly respected squad-leading Jōnin of Konoha into rogue ninja on a dark and windy night.

How heartbroken would their clansmen and students be...

But Toji would not use them lightly.

Making them defect merely for his own amusement offered no benefit whatsoever.

Some hidden pawns would never know they were hidden pawns for their entire lives, never to be activated even at death. But once activated, they had to either deal a devastating blow to the target or bring him immense benefits.

Neither the Shimura nor Sarutobi clans possessed any special 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 Hiro Nara and have him imitate his third brother, steal the Nara clan's Shadow Secret Technique scroll, then defect in the process.

After Toji's testing,

he found that he could control parasites to use ninjutsu. However, there was no guarantee that secret techniques could be successfully used.

He was worried about a situation where they knew how to do it but not why it worked, leaving only specific parasites able to use a secret technique. Thus, taking the scroll and defecting was the safest choice. As long as the main body could learn it, all parasites could use the secret technique.

Secret techniques were unlike Bloodlines, which were directly bound to the heart. They were special skills that had to be learned and mastered later.

As for why he did not simply activate a parasite and have it steal the scroll for the main body...

For one, activation was a one-time affair. Toji did not have the energy to control it around the clock, and leaving it under Earth Grudge Fear's management for too long would inevitably expose flaws. For another, ninja clans would certainly guard secret technique scrolls with extreme care.

Strategically, Toji looked down on Konoha's people, but tactically, he remained cautious at all times.

Any secret technique that had been passed down for a thousand years without leaking naturally possessed airtight protective measures. Once a parasite was activated to steal one, it would have to flee far away.

Uchiha Chiri's voice pulled Toji's thoughts back to reality. "Toji, what are you thinking about so intently?"

"Me..."

Toji looked at Chiri, then shifted his gaze to the bright moon beyond the window. Raising his wine cup, he drank alone. "I was thinking that the moon is beautiful tonight."

The two were in a private room, yet their atmosphere was utterly out of place with everyone else inside.

At another table,

Hashirama Senju, the Gambling King, held a cup in one hand and dice in the other, thoroughly enjoying himself;

Tobirama Senju, the Singing King, continued singing that song, Tears Never Dry.

Nothing more was said that night.

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

Toji arrived at Gospel Hospital on time. The hospital welcomed a batch of newcomers today.

The first five students from the Ninja Academy's Medical Corps had all graduated.

According to the rules, they had not been assigned to ordinary ninja squads. Instead, Toji, as the hospital director, arranged for them to be placed in various positions throughout Gospel Hospital as management trainees, easing the hospital's medical workload.

Compared to medical ninja of the Warring States Period, who had taught themselves, these five Medical Corps graduates had undergone two years of systematic training under Toji. Though still inexperienced, their professional foundation was not weak in the slightest.

Sitting at his director's desk, Toji could not help recalling rumors about the Senju Clan's future.

The Senju had not been exterminated. Their members had merely been scattered throughout Konoha's key departments.

The hospital and the academy both had members of the Senju Clan.

Under his interference, that rumor had already become reality.

The morning's work was not particularly busy.

After Toji arranged the Medical Corps' assignments, they went off to complete their onboarding procedures.

Gospel Hospital had a rule: every newly hired medical ninja had to leave a blood sample, while patients admitted to the hospital also had to provide a portion of bodily tissue for storage.

Toji himself was no exception.

As for why such a strange rule existed...

Sampling employees was merely a smokescreen. The real target was patients' biological samples.

For those "selfish bastards" unwilling to sign organ donation forms, or ninja who died on the battlefield with not even their remains recoverable, Gospel Hospital would become a vast repository of materials.

That would make it convenient for Toji to use Impure World Reincarnation to revive whomever he wished in the future.

As long as Konoha's powerful figures had ever been injured, they would all fall into his net!

Just then, a knock sounded from outside the door.

"Come in!"

Matsumoto Kazuka entered with books in her arms. Two years had passed, yet she still wore the non-prescription glasses Toji had given her. The purple eyeshadow at the corners of her eyes had deepened somewhat, and her temperament had grown even gloomier.

Only the white snake coiled around her shoulder remained unchanged, hissing as it flicked its tongue.

It seemed that even after making friends, Matsumoto Kazuka had not fundamentally changed.

Ever since he discovered that she had limited talent for Curse Mark research, Toji had paid her far less attention. Other than offering routine words of encouragement when collecting homework every week, he would at most ask whether she had made any new friends.

On the surface, he was concerned about his disciple's physical and mental health.

In truth, he was keeping an eye on her romantic prospects.

Matsumoto Kazuka was already fourteen this year, yet showed absolutely no sign of falling in love. That was not normal in the Shinobi World.

Affected by chakra, ninja generally matured early.

At three, they possessed the mentality 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 themselves to each other for life at eight; disputes over romance were commonplace in the Ninja Academy as well...

Just look at Takayuki Senju 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 Kazuka's side, there had been no movement whatsoever.

Toji was not a gossip, but Matsumoto Kazuka was different. She was special. Her future child, Orochimaru, was an important part of his plans and could not be allowed to go wrong.

"Kazuka, you're here."

Toji smiled. "You spent the morning getting used to Gospel Hospital. How did it feel?"

"I adapted well, Teacher." Matsumoto Kazuka's voice was somewhat hoarse. "I interned here before the New Year, so there was no problem. You don't need to worry."

"Mm."

Toji nodded slightly. "You've now been assigned to the secretary position, taking over Yakushi Yashi's work. You'll be responsible for scheduling my surgeries and coordinating with general affairs. The work is not too demanding, but you must still take it seriously..."

"In your spare time, you may continue advancing the Curse Mark project. Of course, it would be best if you went out and made more friends."

Toji had deliberately placed Matsumoto Kazuka in the most leisurely position.

The hospital did not have any work that truly required her, but in his plans, she was indispensable.

"Yes, Teacher."

Matsumoto Kazuka replied casually, clearly not taking Toji's suggestion that she make friends to heart.

Then, she carefully took a scroll from her arms.

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