If he had enough blackening points, he could buy the Gender God just once. Honestly, when he first saw Sarutobi Hiruzen, the idea popped into his head to use it on him and turn him into a puppet.
But that thought vanished almost immediately.
It was just too risky.
What if the nearby ANBU picked up on anything?
That'd be the end of him—fastest Transmigrator death in history.
And more importantly, Sarutobi Hiruzen—the kind, gentle old man—was a rare asset for his plan to corrupt Naruto. Turning him into a puppet would've been a waste.
Toji had his limits. He didn't want to become some tool for the system. He'd rather expose the world's existing darkness and use that to push Naruto over the edge.
So yeah, that idea? Totally scrapped.
And what about using the Gender God on someone else strong to be his bodyguard?
Same reason—too risky.
If it didn't work, he'd be dead. No second chances.
Yuya Miyata, though? That was different. Even if it failed, the worst that might happen is Yuya going, "Huh? What are you doing?" and then just brushing it off.
Plus, the odds of failure were low.
They met secretly. No one else knew.
As for using a cheaper genjutsu instead?
Also, a no-go.
Chakra-based illusions leave traces. If a Chunin got caught under a genjutsu in his own village and someone picked up on it? Game over.
And there was no guarantee the genjutsu would hold until the end when Yuya was supposed to blow himself up.
Bottom line?
Compared to his life, those 7,000 blackening points were nothing.
If that was all it took to make the higher-ups in Konoha drop their guard and let him pull off everything else he had planned? Totally worth it.
And yes, this was just one part of a bigger plan.
Toji had a lot more in store.
He was confident: once he was out of Konoha's line of sight and off their radar?
Whether it cost him one batch of 7,000 points or a 10 thousand, even a 100 thousand—he'd make it back easily.
Right now, staying alive was the most important thing.
Compared to that, 7,000 points didn't mean much.
And just like that, everything went according to plan.
The Yamanaka clan came in to take over the investigation.
They wanted to read the memories of the deceased to see if any other accomplices were involved.
But once they saw the condition of the bodies, they could only shake their heads.
There was nothing left to examine.
Case closed.
They reported it all to the Third Hokage.
…
Two days later.
Early morning.
Toji was just about to open his shop when Kakashi showed up, mask and all, walking toward him calmly.
Toji blinked like he was surprised. "Ah, ninja-sama! What's the matter?"
"Hokage-sama wants to see you."
"Oh, okay. Just give me a sec."
He set down the wooden sign he was carrying and locked up the shop.
Then he followed Kakashi toward the Hokage Building.
As they walked, Kakashi suddenly spoke up. "The two people you reported the other day—they really were planning to attack our village's ninja. They're both dead now."
Toji looked shocked, then gave a sad little sigh. "I… I didn't think it was true. I still don't understand why they would do something like that."
Kakashi didn't respond. He just kept walking, quietly watching Toji's face as they moved.
The rest of the walk passed in silence.
Eventually, they reached the Hokage Building.
Kakashi led Toji up the same stairs and through the familiar corridors to the Hokage's office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was behind his desk, reviewing documents. He finally put his pen down and looked up with his usual gentle expression.
He glanced at Kakashi first.
After seeing Kakashi give a small shake of his head, Sarutobi turned his attention to Toji.
"Toji, is it?"
Toji laughed awkwardly. "Ah, Hokage-sama, yes! I'm surprised you know my name—it's a real honor!"
Toji played the part well.
Nothing seemed off about him.
And thanks to Kakashi's subtle "no," Hiruzen's suspicions started to fade.
"Thank you for the information you provided," Hiruzen said sincerely. "You were right—those two were targeting our ninja. Their target was actually the Ninja Academy. And their methods were brutal."
"If it weren't for your warning, we could've lost a lot of lives."
Toji looked like he was glowing with pride. "Haha, it was nothing, really! As someone from Konoha, I couldn't just stand by and do nothing."
Hiruzen nodded approvingly. "If only more people in the village had your sense of responsibility, things like this might never happen."
There was a quiet pause after his words.
Both Hiruzen and Toji seemed to fall into their own thoughts.
Then Hiruzen smiled again and asked, "You've done a great service. Have you thought about what kind of reward you'd like?"
Toji quickly waved his hands. "No, no! Hokage-sama, I didn't report them to get rewarded. I just wanted to protect the village."
Hiruzen's respect for Toji grew.
Still, he pressed. "Don't be shy. You deserve recognition—not just for yourself, but as an example to others."
Toji hesitated. "Well… Hokage-sama, I…"
Before he could finish, Hiruzen cut in gently. "I heard your parents died in an accident. If you really can't think of a reward…, would you like us to carve their names into the Hero Monument? it would be the greatest honor"
At that moment, both Hiruzen and Kakashi watched him closely.
But they saw nothing unusual.
If anything, Toji looked genuinely touched and a bit sorrowful.
Finally, Toji spoke, voice low: "Hokage-sama… there's no need. We're all part of Konoha. This is just something I should've done, I feel like if my parents were here, they would be proud of me and that's more than enough"
Hiruzen took a deep breath and smiled warmly.
Completely reassured.
After all their careful checks, they finally let their guard down around Toji.
All surveillance on him was lifted.
But then, just two days later…
Hiruzen called Toji in again.