To be honest, based on how things were now, Toji didn't really need to be afraid of the two men in front of him anymore. But to keep them from ruining his plan to leave Konoha, he had no choice but to keep stringing them along, calming them down and delaying their crazy "go down fighting" plan.
"That's enough! No more explanations!"
"I don't even get how you know so much about ninja stuff."
"But it's been dragged out this long, and you still haven't given us a solid plan. We're done waiting!"
"Every day when I go home, I sit in that empty house staring at four blank walls. You know what that feels like!"
"We can't take it anymore! If we die, we die — but at least we take some of them with us!"
This time, it was the middle-aged Genin, Miyata Yuya, who finally spoke up. He'd been quiet until now.
Like the vegetable vendor, his family had also died in one of those so-called "accidents" caused by ninja battles. Konoha's response was cold and indifferent, and the ninja who accidently killed his family was never punished. That only deepened his hatred for them — especially Konoha's ninjas.
And it was Miyata Yuya who worried Toji the most.
After all, this guy was a real ninja.
The difference in strength between a civilian and a ninja was huge. If it weren't for Miyata Yuya, Toji might never have been forced into joining their little anti-ninja group in the first place.
And of the two, it was always Miyata who threatened him.
Seeing that Toji still seemed unsure, Miyata gritted his teeth and growled, "Are you afraid of dying? If you don't give us a straight answer today, don't blame me if I stop do something drastic!"
He and Koichi stared Toji down, waiting for his answer. It was clear —Toji didn't agree, they might really attack him.
Toji didn't flinch.
He was angry too.
A part of him wanted to burn some of his dark points and just wipe them out.
But logic stopped him.
Killing them would waste his resources — and worse, bring him no benefit.
If they wanted to throw their lives away so badly…
And if he wanted the higher-ups in Konoha to lower their guard around him...
Then fine.
Why not use these two fools as pawns?
Maybe they weren't completely useless after all.
The hesitation disappeared from his face. He straightened up and pretended to make up his mind: "Fine. Let's do it. Even if we only take down one, it's worth it. If we get two? That's a win."
Miyata Yuya: "When do we move?"
Toji: "Two days from now."
Koichi: "Perfect. Two days it is!"
Even so, neither of them was about to trust Toji that easily. Over the past couple of years, he'd come up with excuse after excuse to stall their revenge plan. They were getting suspicious.
"You say two days — then what exactly happens two days from now?" Miyata Yuya stared him down.
Before Toji could answer, the vegetable vendor Koichi cut in with a smirk. "What's the matter? You said we're finally doing it. Don't tell me you've got no plan. Weren't you the one with all the ideas? Now that it's time to act, you've got nothing?"
They were clearly testing him.
If he couldn't back it up with real details, they weren't going to let it go.
But Toji stayed calm.
When you've spent years living on edge, you'll do anything to survive. And over the years, even though he didn't train in ninjutsu, he had perfected something else — acting.
There were no second takes in real life.
You either got it right or you didn't.
And Toji had learned how to get it right.
So, he began laying out the plan with confidence, like he didn't even notice the hostility in their voices. "There's just three of us. If we're going to give it our all, then we should make it count."
"First—"
Toji carefully explained every step of the operation. He gave them a location, a time, and the exact moment to strike.
Everything sounded realistic and well thought out.
And slowly, the tension in the room started to ease.
The two men even started going over some of the finer points with him.
By the time they finished, it was almost 9 p.m.
It wasn't safe for them to stick around. Walking around Konoha at night was bound to attract attention — especially from ninja.
Just like always, they left separately to avoid being seen together.
The first to go was Koichi, the vegetable vendor.
A while later, Miyata Yuya stood to leave — but before he reached the door, Toji called out, "Yuya, wait a sec. I need a word with you."
Yuya stopped.
He turned around with a scowl, assuming Toji was going to back out again. "I'm telling you, don't—"
But he never finished the sentence.
All he saw were a pair of red, glowing eyes in the darkness.
Then everything spun.
And everything went black.
A moment later, Miyata Yuya walked out of the restaurant like nothing had happened.
…
The next morning.
It was barely dawn.
Toji stepped out of his house.
Normally, he wouldn't open the shop until nine.
But today, he was out two hours early, trying not to draw attention.
He headed for one place — the Hokage's office.
But before he could get close to the Hokage Building, two masked Anbu ninja suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking his path.
"What are you doing here? Don't you know where this is?"
"Turn back. This area isn't open to just anyone."
Toji didn't seem fazed. "I want to speak to the Hokage. I've got something important to report."
"If it's important, you can tell us. We'll pass it on."
Toji shook his head. "No. I don't know who you are, and I don't trust you. I need to speak with the Hokage directly."
The two Anbu didn't like that answer.
Their tone turned cold and sharp. "Do you know what you're saying? We serve the Hokage directly. Are you accusing us of being disloyal?"