The Experiment Exposed!
22: Danger!
The Experiment Exposed!
Every gain came with a cost.
Toji had earned his place in Konoha through consistent effort and discipline, but in doing so, he had also lost a certain degree of freedom.
Without Hashirama, Konoha could still function for a while.
At least until other forces learned that the God of Shinobi had fallen, the surface peace wouldn’t easily break.
But without Toji, Gospel Hospital simply couldn’t run.
Many high-level surgeries could only be performed by him.
Not just within Konoha, even nobles across the Land of Fire had heard of the hospital, and appointments were always fully booked.
If he kept leaving the village after asking for leave, sooner or later, someone would grow suspicious.
Toji wouldn’t allow that kind of uncertainty.
This meant he could only secretly leave Konoha late at night, when he returned to the Zenin clan estate to rest.
The time window was short, and the risk was high.
The bandits in the immediate vicinity of Konoha had long been wiped out by eager ninjas.
If he wanted fresh experimental subjects, he had to go far.
The maximum range his Earth Grudge Fear clone could operate independently was around the Forest of Death.
And right now, since Hashirama was still alive, Konoha hadn’t set up its barrier yet.
Once that barrier was in place, even sneaking out at night would become impossible.
So, the first task Toji gave Yanagi was to gather human test subjects for him.
“Alright.” She agreed without hesitation.
She didn’t care what those captured ninjas would be used for or what fate awaited them.
She only knew that helping him meant getting closer to greater power.
“But…” She paused, frowning.
“Where is this place?
And how am I supposed to deliver people to you?” She hadn’t seen sunlight for over three months.
Aside from the clock in the lab, she had no sense of where she was.
The meals she received daily were standard nutrition packs.
The taste was fine, but they gave no clue about her location.
If it were seafood, it would be the Land of Water.
If it were camel meat, the Land of Wind… that was her simple way of guessing.
“Do you know genjutsu?” Toji asked.
“Yes.” “Then control your target with genjutsu and bring them to the Forest of Death.
I’ll mark the exact location on a map.
After that, you don’t need to worry about anything else.
Once you leave, clean up your tracks.
Don’t leave any trace.
The Uchiha are searching for you across the entire ninja world.” “The Forest of Death?!” Yanagi’s expression changed.
“This place… don’t tell me it’s near the Forest of Death?” Logically, she had been captured there.
The place she was held should have been far away.
Yet the delivery point he gave was the same place.
“That’s not something you need to concern yourself with.” Toji’s tone turned cold.
In his mind, a proper underground organization required absolute obedience from its lower ranks.
Unnecessary questions should not be asked.
The boss’s identity had to remain completely hidden.
All communication should go through intermediaries to prevent anyone from tracing it back and exposing everything.
In this crude “organization” of just him and Yanagi, that intermediary was his Earth Grudge Fear clone.
“Say… you’re not a ninja from Konoha, are you?” Toji ignored her probing and spoke on his own terms.
“Get ready to lose consciousness.
When you wake up, you’ll be near the Forest of Death.
That’s also where future handoffs will take place.” Yanagi clicked her tongue.
“I was unconscious when I got brought here.
Now that I’m leaving, can’t you at least let me walk out awake?” Toji didn’t respond.
Instead, he picked up a thick syringe and walked toward her.
“Fine, fine.
Do whatever you want.” * * * Under the cover of night, Toji controlled his Earth Grudge Fear clone and sent Yanagi away.
The Five Elements Seal, the Earth Grudge Fear Cursed Seal, and the lure of the Mangekyo… everything had already been set in place.
This first chess piece he released into the ninja world would bring him a steady supply of experimental subjects.
Still, this method was too crude.
Once Konoha established its barrier, he would have Yanagi deliver the required “materials” through more “legitimate” means, using Gospel Hospital as the channel.
The night passed quietly.
* * * The next morning, Toji went to Gospel Hospital as usual, only to find Takayuki waiting at the entrance.
As soon as he arrived, the boy stepped forward.
“Toji-sensei.” “Takayuki, what is it?” “My father asked you to come see him.” “Alright, I’ll head over now.” Toji turned and made his way to the Hokage Residence.
Hashirama knew how busy he was, so he hadn’t summoned him like this for quite some time.
Something must have happened… As he walked, Toji quietly thought it over.
* * * Soon, Toji arrived at the Hokage’s office.
Inside were Hashirama and Naori.
Tobirama had been back in the village for a while, but he had been keeping a low profile, rarely showing himself.
He didn’t even appear for this meeting.
The last time all four of them gathered like this was when the Ninja Academy had just been established.
“Toji, you’re here.
Sit.” Hashirama gestured for him to take a seat, his expression gradually turning serious.
“Since everyone’s here, I’ll get straight to the point.” “Recently, I’ve received reports that prisoners have been going missing from Konoha’s prison.
Some families have even come to me to file missing person requests.
I personally went to the prison to ask, but the guards all claim they know nothing.” “Toji, Naori, do you have any idea what’s going on?” Even though many departments had yet to be established, the prison had already been built early on.
That was unavoidable.
Even in Konoha, the most civilized place in the ninja world, peace had only recently begun.
Crime rates in the surrounding areas were still high.
Many missions involved capturing or eliminating criminals.
Hashirama, being kind-hearted, didn’t order immediate execution.
Instead, he required them to be captured alive, giving them a chance to repent.
‘Prisoners going missing?’ Toji’s heart tightened for a moment.
If one had nothing to hide, there was nothing to fear.
His first instinct was that his own actions had been exposed.
But then he calmed down.
He hadn’t touched the prisoners, nor had he acted on hospital patients yet.
This had nothing to do with him.
Which meant… someone else in the village was secretly abducting people.
Given the situation, a thought formed in his mind.
Toji spoke in a measured tone, “Hokage-sama, this matter… might be related to Tobirama.” “Tobirama?!” Hashirama froze, his expression growing even more serious.
“How could this involve him?
Toji, explain.” Toji calmly laid out his reasoning.
“Konoha’s prison is heavily guarded.
Ordinary people couldn’t possibly take prisoners away without being noticed, unless the guards are deliberately hiding it or they’ve been placed under genjutsu.” “But even after you personally questioned them, they still refused to speak, and there are no signs they’ve been under genjutsu.” “That leaves only one possibility.
The person responsible holds a special status.
One that makes the guards unable, or unwilling, to speak.” “In this village, someone who can do that… the only one I can think of is Tobirama.” “It’s likely he took the prisoners from the prison to some unknown location, and ordered the guards to keep it secret from you.” ** ** ** Thank you for reading!
VOTE for me!