After all, he possessed all of Senju Tobirama's innate talents—and thus, Uchiha Ran's chakra sensitivity was among the highest in the entire shinobi world, if not the highest.
All thanks to that damned Senju clan (as Ran liked to call them)—specifically, Senju Tobirama—who had a natural gift for extreme sensory perception.
He could press his chakra against the ground and accurately detect enemies kilometers away, with pinpoint precision.
Before the era of ridiculous power-ups and buffs, he was rightfully considered the number one sensor in the entire shinobi world.
—"Enough!" Ran commanded, sensing the right moment, and stopped the ninja.
Then he pulled up the patient's shirt, swiftly unfolded his set of silver needles, and began inserting them in a precise sequence along key chakra points.
By the time the twelfth needle entered the man's body, the wounded ninja shuddered—a faint tremor running through him.
And then, his chakra started moving on its own, concentrating around the wound and accelerating cell regeneration.
—"W-what…?!" The ninja gaped in shock at the sudden healing boost.
—"Doctor Ran… thank you! Thank you!" His voice trembled with such sincerity he nearly teared up.
After this session, his wound's healing speed had increased by at least thirty percent—and the faster it closed, the lower the risk of complications.
For a shinobi, especially one living on mission pay, combat readiness was everything.
He didn't farm. He didn't build houses. If an injury kept him from working, how would he feed his family?
That's why Uchiha Ran's medical art was seen as miraculous, leaving every shinobi who experienced it in awe.
Even the nurses and young medics watching him gazed at Ran with genuine admiration.
No matter the injury, no matter the illness—if Doctor Ran took the case, he always found a solution.
Rumors had long spread through Konoha: "The hospital has a man with life-restoring hands—Doctor Ran."
Some even whispered that Tsunade, the legendary medical genius, might be slightly inferior to him.
—"No need for thanks. Payment is at reception," Ran replied calmly. —"Come back in three days for another session."
He returned to his office, shut the door behind him, and walked to the window.
Again, he felt it—he was still being watched. His expression darkened.
Though he'd given no reason for suspicion (his chakra level remained that of an average genin, and he'd never been caught using any questionable techniques), Hiruzen Sarutobi had reduced surveillance a few days ago.
Where before an entire ANBU squad had monitored him, now only one remained.
But damn it all—this one was way too thorough.
More than once, Ran had wanted to scream out the window:
—"Hatake Sakumo, when the hell are you gonna stop?!"
—"I saved your life when you were half-dead! If you get yourself killed again, don't come crawling to me for help! I'll stick a needle right between your eyes, I swear!"
But of course, he kept those thoughts to himself.
He yanked the curtains shut, cutting off Sakumo's line of sight, then pretended to take a nap.
Moments later—his hands quickly formed seals.
Feeling the chakra flow through his internal pathways, Ran nodded in satisfaction.
Not bad. Close-range, B-rank technique—Suiton: Suigadan!
A water technique where pressurized water is spun into a high-speed projectile, striking from multiple angles for maximum piercing force.
Judging by the patient's chakra volume, he was clearly a special jōnin—and this wasn't a simple technique.
This was how he learned. Right under ANBU's nose. Every single day.
And thinking about it only made the frustration in his chest heavier.
With his current talent, had he not been forced into this training hiatus, he might've already reached Kage-level long ago.
Seven years!
Seven golden years wasted!
For a normal shinobi, missing this time would mean their career was over.
Uchiha Ran wasn't broken, but even so—all he had now was a chakra reserve slightly surpassing that of an elite jōnin.
And he had to admit: Senju Tobirama's innate abilities were terrifying.
In all these seven years, Uchiha Ran hadn't trained a single day in public—though he'd mastered chakra extraction as a child.
Six years ago, after inventing a chakra concealment technique, Ran finally dared to extract chakra again—even improving the method itself.
But beyond chakra volume, all his combat knowledge remained *purely theoretical*.
So talking about actual battle skills? Painful.
And that was the main reason he—despite dreaming of escaping Konoha—was still stuck here.
Fortunately, a year ago, Uchiha Ran developed a method of stimulating acupuncture points with chakra, guiding its flow to slowly but steadily strengthen the body.
He called it the Chakra Body Tempering Method.
For a full year, day after day, Ran's physical condition had been improving.
Plus—his mind endlessly simulated taijutsu drills and combat scenarios.
If he ever got to train for real, his growth would be explosive.
The only question was—would he ever get the chance?
That's why he'd long decided: the moment an opportunity arose, he'd flee Konoha. The farther, the better.
—"To hell with Konoha! To hell with Senju Tobirama! To hell with Hiruzen Sarutobi! To hell with Hatake Sakumo! To hell with every last one of them!"
Just as Ran was about to lie down and continue his Chakra Tempering, while mentally rehearsing techniques—
BANG!
The office door slammed open.
—"UCHIHA RAN! GET OUT HERE!"
A furious Tsunade stormed in like a hurricane, grabbed Ran by the collar, and dragged him out without a word.
—"You crazy ape, let go! Or you'll regret it!*" Ran kicked wildly. —"Damn brute, gorilla, baboon, skirt-wearing Tarzan…!"
But what was the use? Tsunade had monster strength. Even if Ran went all out, breaking free was unlikely—and right now, he had to pretend to be weak.
Tsunade ignored his stream of insults, hauled him into a patient's room, and planted him in front of a bed.
The ninja on the bed, seeing her furious glare, flinched and stammered:
—"Tsu… Tsunade-sama? What… what are you…?"
—"SHUT IT!" she barked, cutting him off. —"Last time, I lost to this bastard in a medical technique contest. Today's the rematch! And you—stay put!"
Meanwhile, Uchiha Ran was sneaking toward the door, ready to bolt—when Tsunade grabbed his wrist.
—"Trying to run?" Her fingers dug in.
Pain flared like lightning—Ran broke out in a full-body sweat.
But he only clenched his teeth, refusing to groan. His eyes locked onto hers—cold, stubborn, furious.
—"Listen, you savage… did you eat bricks for breakfast?" he hissed, trembling from pain. —"If you wanna kill me, just do it now!"
His whole demeanor screamed: "I won't yield. Not ever."
For a split second, Tsunade's grip softened. Her glare wavered.
—"…Don't go anywhere. This isn't over" she grumbled, trying to save face—but the edge in her voice had dulled.