"Well, I lost—so what... huh?" Uzumaki Mito was just about to comfort her granddaughter when she suddenly stopped short. "Why do you look like you're feeling even worse than usual when you lose?"
Tsunade had lost before, and Mito was used to it. But this time—when she said she'd won—it somehow sounded... off.
"I wish I had lost!"
Tsunade became even more upset—and told her grandmother in detail everything that had happened that day.
"You're saying that boy created a medical ninjutsu that even surpasses your Shōsen Jutsu?" Uzumaki Mito straightened up at once, astonishment plain on her face. She'd seen a lot in her lifetime.
"I saw it with my own eyes. How could that be a lie?" Tsunade looked genuinely crushed.
"Could there really be someone with such a natural gift..." Mito slowly sat back down again, sinking into silent thought.
---
Uzumaki Mito knew Tsunade's talent for medicine firsthand.
From a very young age, she'd been developing original medical techniques—each of which could, in theory, revolutionize treatment across the shinobi world.
Mito had always taken pride in that. And she'd firmly believed Tsunade had reached the absolute peak for a medical ninja.
But now—Uchiha Ran...
"Baa-chan," Tsunade broke the silence, "I still don't understand—why was my second grandpa so hostile toward Uchiha Ran? Can you tell me the truth?"
"Well..." Mito shifted slightly, an awkward smile tugging at her lips. "It might've been because... the boy smiled at the wrong moment."
"What?" Tsunade stared. That didn't even sound like a real reason.
"That day, your grandfather was about to leave for the Hidden Cloud Village. I had a bad feeling, so I went to see him off. Ran happened to be on the same street. I think he remembered something nice—and... he just smiled."
"Your grandfather noticed it immediately. And his look was... very unpleasant."
"That's it?" Tsunade flared up. "That's not fair!"
"I thought so too. I even had him investigated—but there was nothing suspicious to be found. So that's the only explanation I was ever able to come up with."
"You know your second grandpa always distrusted the Uchiha," Mito sighed heavily.
"But even I didn't expect that one inappropriate smile from a ten-year-old would lead to that kind of persecution."
After those words, silence fell once more.
"What else is there to say?"
But in truth, Mito had been wrong about Tobirama.
The reason he had started suspecting Uchiha Ran wasn't the smile.
It was the look—mad, obsessed—that Ran accidentally threw toward the crowd.
Tobirama, as a scientist, had seen that kind of look before—in the mirror. When he was so deep into his own research he forgot the world around him.
And when he saw that same madness in another's eyes—he was afraid.
"If Ran hadn't been an Uchiha... maybe none of this would've happened."
But that expression—the same that had once flickered across Uchiha Madara's face—combined with the name "Uchiha"... that, Tobirama couldn't overlook.
He knew what kind of forbidden techniques he had created. He knew how dangerous they were.
If someone from the Uchiha clan, equally obsessed and research-driven, walked the same path...
It couldn't be allowed.
There was no time for investigations—after the Golden and Silver Brothers attacked him, Tobirama knew he wouldn't survive.
So he gave the order—even at the cost of his legacy.
"That boy must not be allowed to live."
---
After a long silence, Tsunade finally looked up.
"Baa-chan... maybe you... could help Ran?" Her voice was unexpectedly soft.
"His gift is truly extraordinary. If it's wasted for a reason like this—I won't accept it," Tsunade said, her outrage unmistakable.
Uzumaki Mito sighed heavily.
"That was your second grandfather's final decision. And Hiruzen—how could he openly go against it?"
"What if we let him only extract chakra?" Tsunade's eyes lit up with sudden hope. "No ninjutsu training, no combat prep—just so he can become the best medical ninja. Isn't that allowed?"
"That's... not entirely out of the question," Mito finally wavered.
War was cruel.
Mito had seen it firsthand—survived countless battles, watched with her own eyes as loved ones, clanmates, and comrades-in-arms died one after another.
And many hadn't fallen to enemy attacks—but to the lack of medical help.
That's why talented medical ninjas were priceless. They genuinely reduced casualties.
If someone with Ran's level of talent were allowed to develop—it could mean everything for Konoha.
Having made her decision, Uzumaki Mito suddenly smirked.
"Tsu-na, aren't you afraid you'll raise a future rival?"
"Hmph!" Tsunade crossed her arms and snorted. "The day will come when I beat him fair and square. And he'll know who's really the number one medical ninja in Konoha!"
---
By sunset, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, received a report from the ANBU and arrived at the Senju estate.
"Lady Mito," he said respectfully, bowing his head.
"You've come, Hiruzen? Sit down," Mito gestured to the seat opposite her.
At that time, the Land of Whirlpools had not yet been destroyed. Tsunade's parents had died on a mission, but Uzumaki Mito still hadn't lost faith in the village—that would come later. She still intervened in its affairs, if rarely.
She knew exactly where the line was—and possessed flawless judgment. That's why Hiruzen almost never disagreed with her advice.
After all, she had been the wife of the First Hokage, the sister-in-law of the Second—and her authority in Konoha was absolute.
If not for her age and disinterest in everyday politics—she would have remained Hiruzen's greatest political obstacle.
"You've probably heard what happened at the hospital today?" Mito got straight to the point.
"Yes, I've been informed."
"What do you think?" she asked, pouring tea.
"Childish rivalry isn't always a bad thing. In recent years, Tsunade has grown immensely—not just in skill, but in creating new medical techniques," Sarutobi praised. "She's become a true asset to Konoha."
"Yes, a medical ninja of her level is a real treasure," Mito nodded. "We lose so many lives in every war just because there's no one to treat them..."
"She has an impeccable gift. For Konoha, it's an enormous blessing."
"You're absolutely right, Lady Mito," Hiruzen agreed.
"By the way," Mito added as if she'd just remembered, "how's the medical ninja program progressing these days?"
"Uh..." Hiruzen's face darkened. "We've invested a lot... but the requirements are too strict. So far... the return has been minimal."
"That's not surprising," Mito said without reproach. "But it's an investment we have to keep making."
"You fought in the First Great Ninja War. You understand as well as I do how crucial medical ninjas are."
"You have my word, Lady Mito," Sarutobi said seriously. "In that matter, you can count on me. The only issue is... I'm not sure Tsunade is willing to pass her Shōsen Jutsu on to the village's other medics."