And so, two days passed.The surveillance team hadn't seen anything suspicious.The three of them hadn't met up or acted out of the ordinary.Everything stayed quiet—until the day Toji had warned them about.
That's when things finally started to unravel.
First, the monitoring ninja found something odd:Koichi, the vegetable seller, had a kunai wrapped with an explosive tag hidden in his home, along with a few other explosive tags.And today, he had them on him.Same with Yuya Miyata.But Toji Lee?Still working in his restaurant like always, no red flags.
Later, on one of the busier streets in the village, the two met up.The same street that led right to the Ninja Academy.Clearly, that was the target—to go after the students or the instructors there.
This had been Toji's suggestion.He said it would be easier to succeed there, since academy instructors hadn't been on active duty in a while and might be less alert.And even if things went south, they could always blame some "future ninja" for the mess.
Trying not to raise suspicion, the two whispered to each other when they crossed paths.
"Where's Toji? Why didn't he show up?" Koichi asked, looking around nervously.His first thought? That coward bailed.
But Yuya Miyata gave him a firm pat on the shoulder and replied,"Don't worry. He's working on something else.If we get caught and cause a scene, he might have a better shot at success on his end."
Koichi relaxed a little after that.
The plan was underway.Koichi would make the first move—being a civilian, he couldn't activate explosive tags by himself, so Yuya would back him up from a distance.
But before they could split up or get anywhere near the academy, two masked ANBU ninja dropped down in front of them, blocking Koichi's path.
"Your plan's been exposed. Surrender!" one of them said.
Koichi froze, shocked—then his expression twisted into rage."Damn you! Die!!"
He lunged forward with a kunai wrapped in an explosive tag.
The two ANBU remained calm at first, like Koichi was no threat at all.But as he got closer, both their eyes suddenly narrowed behind their masks.They sensed chakra—something wasn't right.
One of them yelled,"Move—NOW!"
BOOM!
The explosion sent shockwaves down the street.Both ANBU had dodged just in time, but Koichi hadn't been so lucky.His arm was gone.He was badly injured and bleeding out.
One ANBU exhaled in relief.They hadn't expected him to be this desperate—to actually blow himself up.But it made sense now why Toji's tip-off had emphasized Koichi.
If they had gone after Yuya first and let Koichi slip into the academy, the results could've been a disaster.
Now that Koichi couldn't move, one of the ANBU said,"Watch him. I'll handle the other one."
Just as he was about to leap into action—
BOOM!
Another explosion.
Koichi's body convulsed, and this time the blast came from his head.
No one noticed, but when Yuya had patted Koichi on the shoulder earlier, he'd slipped another explosive tag into Koichi's collar.
"Damn it!""DAMN IT!"
The ANBU were furious now.This wasn't just desperation—this was full-on suicide bombing.
Without hesitation, they dashed toward Yuya, determined to take him down.
But Yuya just smirked at them with this eerie calm.
Then he opened his flak vest—Inside? Explosive tags. Lined top to bottom.
And right on his forehead? Another tag, stuck to his skin.
What was meant to be a takedown suddenly became a nightmare.
Yuya charged them.
BOOM!
A massive explosion.The blast sent both ANBU flying.Whether they were alive or not, no one could tell.As for Yuya… he was gone. Completely obliterated.
Back in the restaurant, Toji was going about his business like nothing had happened."Boss! Check, please!""Sure thing!" he said with a grin, wiping a table with a greasy rag.
"One bowl of white rice, green tea, and Dongpo pork. That'll be 280 yen.Thanks for coming—see you next time!"
But once the restaurant emptied out and the last customer left, Toji's smile disappeared.His face turned cold.
From his apron, he pulled out a photo.It showed him standing with a group of customers.Koichi and Yuya Miyata were in it too.
Their only picture together.
He stared at it for a moment.Then muttered quietly,"Guess it's over now…"
"Koichi…""Yuya…""If anyone's to blame, it's you—for pushing me too far."
Without another word, he tossed the photo into the fire.He watched it curl up in the flames and slowly turn to ash.
At the end of the day, the whole thing—the plan, the timing, the targets—was all set up by Toji.
Besides giving Koichi and Yuya advice, Toji had used 7,000 black points from the system shop to buy a one-time-use ability called "Otherworldly Loyalty Seal."
He used it to alter Yuya's mind.So Yuya would see him as his most trusted comrade.And if the mission failed, Toji would still be there to carry on the cause.
As for the explosive tag hidden in Koichi's collar?That was Toji's final touch—he made sure no usable evidence would survive.He knew the Yamanaka clan could scan the memories of even the dead.
So, he arranged for the explosive to destroy anything that might reveal their connection.
That way, no one could ever trace it back to him.
Was it worth using such a powerful ability on a random Genin like Yuya?Toji had already weighed the cost.
And to him…
It absolutely was.