Naori had been entrusted with the task in a critical moment.
With less than two weeks left before the official opening of the Ninja Academy, she needed to get everything ready as soon as possible.
So that very night, she once again visited the Zenin Clan estate and explained the situation to Toji.
“The Hokage appointed you as principal…?” Toji muttered with a strange expression.
What was counterintuitive was that in the original timeline, future pillars of Konoha such as Hiruzen and Danzo were not part of the first graduating class of the academy.
They had become ninja before the academy was ever established.
But because of his interference, the Ninja Academy had been founded at least ten years early, and its first principal had changed from Tobirama to Naori.
History had split onto another road.
Everything was in chaos now.
Still, he quickly calmed himself.
No matter how the future changed, he would continue growing at his own pace.
“Sorry.
I drifted off for a moment.
As for building the Ninja Academy, I do have some suggestions…” Toji handed Naori the framework of the original academy system.
While explaining it, he quietly inserted one personal addition.
“I recommend regular physical exams for academy students.
Focus especially on children with Yang Release talent and give them specialized training.
Make full use of their gifts.” Naori looked genuinely amazed.
This unprecedented Ninja Academy had been given a complete structure in just one hour of conversation.
Student recruitment.
Course planning.
Graduation placement.
Everything had been considered.
It gave her the refreshing feeling of suddenly seeing the sky after clouds had parted.
Naori sighed in admiration.
“Toji, you really should become the Hokage’s advisor.” Looking down at the notes she had written, she said, “So the most urgent matter now is recruiting suitable chūnin to serve as academy teachers.
They don’t need to be top-tier fighters, but they must have good character, be loyal to the village, and treat students from every clan equally.
Correct?” “Your understanding is right.” Toji poured tea for both of them and took a sip.
“I can probably spare one afternoon each week to teach at the academy.
A public lecture is fine.
Teaching a dedicated medical class is also fine.” “I’ve written that down.” Naori added his name to the roster.
Then a trace of sadness appeared on her face as she took out a sealed scroll and handed it to Toji.
“This is?” “I read the donation notice at Gospel Hospital.
It said, ‘Without donation, there is no dissection.
Without dissection, medical ninjutsu cannot improve.'” Hearing that, Toji looked again at the scroll in her hands.
He already had a guess.
Naori continued, “Inside are the bodies of two of my clansmen.
They died during a mission.
Their families agreed to donate them for hospital research.
It can be considered another form of protection.” “That should be called cadaver, right?
Please treat them with respect.
Only you may use them.
Do not publicize it.
Do not hand them to other medical ninja.” “Consider it the Uchiha quietly doing our part for the village’s medicine…
and also my thanks for helping last night.” Toji reached out with both hands and solemnly accepted the scroll.
His face was full of seriousness as he declared, “I will not allow cadavers to be dishonored.
I will do everything I can and not betray their trust.” “Thank you.” Naori clearly did not want to linger on the subject.
She rose, said goodbye, and left the Zenin estate.
The moment she was gone, Toji did not hesitate for even a second.
He turned around and walked straight into the deepest part of the underground laboratory.
He opened the sealing scroll and took out the two corpses.
Tags hung around their necks: Yusuke Uchiha.
Masayuki Uchiha.
“Heh…
Hahaha!” In the empty underground chamber, Toji laughed freely.
This was an unexpected windfall.
He had never imagined the Uchiha would deliver two corpses directly to him, and out of concern for family shame, they had even specifically requested that no information leak out.
The identity he had carefully built once again brought him rich rewards.
“Died during a mission?
Not quite.
I saw what happened yesterday…” He took out a scalpel.
With swift and decisive movements, he sliced open their chests.
Two hearts that had already stopped beating came into view.
Behind him, tendrils of Earth Grudge Fear extended outward.
Toji sensed them carefully.
“Both Fire Release.
One jōnin.
One chūnin.” Snap.
Earth Grudge Fear swallowed the jōnin’s Fire Release heart in one bite and completed the replacement.
A powerful surge of strength flooded Toji’s body.
“The quality of a jōnin’s heart is far beyond a genin’s.” There were levels even among chakra.
Madara’s Great Fire Annihilation required over a dozen Water Release users combining Water Wall to block it.
That was the difference in chakra quality.
Higher-quality chakra meant greater power even in equal amounts.
The same applied to Hashirama’s Wood Release compared to Yamato.
A Fire Release heart from an Uchiha jōnin and one from a rogue genin were worlds apart.
“Konoha…
is sacred land to me.” Toji could not help but sigh.
If Kakuzu wanted a heart like this, he would need to risk his life in battle and offend the Uchiha, perhaps all of Konoha.
How dangerous.
Unlike himself, all he had to do was be a “good person,” and hearts would keep arriving endlessly.
After changing hearts, Toji carefully examined the two corpses.
As expected, their Sharingan had already been removed.
Only four empty eye sockets remained.
Even so, Uchiha bodies still held immense research value.
Speaking of research…
Toji put on a plague doctor mask and walked toward the operating table.
Yanagi Uchiha had been unconscious for a full day and night.
At last, she slowly opened her eyes.
* * * The moment Yanagi awoke, she instinctively struggled.
There was no blindfold.
No gag.
She stared blankly around her.
For a moment, the memory of escaping mixed with the dark nightmare around her, but within seconds, her mind cleared.
Then she saw him.
A strange man in black robes wearing a plague-bird mask.
Yanagi’s pupils shrank as she instinctively tried to form hand seals for Great Fireball Jutsu, but both hands were restrained.
Her chakra points had been sealed.
She did not even have enough chakra to activate the Sharingan.
Every means of resistance had been taken from her.
Trapped in despair, Yanagi instead became calm and stared fixedly at the masked figure.
Toji slowly spoke, “Not bad.
Among all who have come here, your quality is the best.” “Where is this place?
Who are you?” “This is my laboratory.
As for who I am, that is not important.
I can be Madara Uchiha.
I can be Naori Uchiha.
Or I can be your Konoha’s Toji, or even Ichiraku, some nobody no one remembers.
In short, you are now my experimental subject.” “Tch.
Coward hiding behind a mask.” Yanagi sneered.
“What do you want?
Kill me?
Take my Sharingan?” “Relax.
I’m not some devil either.” Toji’s tone remained calm.
“Essentially… I only want to make an equal exchange with you.” ** ** ** Thank you for reading!
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