"Baaa! Sis brought a guy home!" — Navaaki shouted across the entire estate.
Tsunade immediately flushed deep red with embarrassment. But her hands... she still wouldn't let go.
She was scared: if she let go now, Uchiha Ran would surely run off. So, she kept pulling him along, dragging him right into the yard.
Only when they stood before Uzumaki Mito did she finally release his hand. But her face was burning as though she'd just run out of a bath.
Only now did it begin to sink in that she had, without letting go, dragged this guy all the way across half the village.
And now what? How could she face people?
Especially considering they didn't have… any official relationship.
What if everything went back to how it was tomorrow — rumors would spread twice as fast. Maybe by morning, they'd start saying they'd broken up.
"So, you're Ran?" — Uzumaki Mito, holding a watering can, looked up from the flowerbed and smiled at Uchiha.
There was no trace of the grandeur she was surrounded with in stories — only the warmth of an old grandmother. And this surprised Ran.
He knew what Uzumaki Mito had been like in her youth — her temper rivaled even Uzumaki Kushina's.
One could say that fury was a family trait of the Uzumaki women.
But, it seemed even that was subject to time. Including — character.
"Lady Mito, good day. I'm Uchiha Ran," he bowed respectfully.
"Tsunade spoke of you often. Sit down. Make yourself at home, don't be shy!"
Once everyone was seated, half of Navaaki's head popped out from under the table. He was staring at Ran with unhidden curiosity.
I must admit, Uchiha Ran was indeed quite handsome. Moreover, he had a unique aura.
However, there was nothing surprising in this — Uchihas just don't have unattractive people. Take anyone — they're all beauties and handsome men.
The family's genes were truly terrifying.
And even against his own family, Ran still stood out.
Although he never paid much attention to his appearance. What was the point in beauty when you're a step away from death?
Noticing that Navaaki was still staring, Ran cast him a glance, trying to put on a crooked smile.
The boy was only four years old then. Cute, round-faced — just a little ball on legs. Very amusing.
Tsunade and Navaaki were separated by thirteen years — a rare case even in the world of ninjas, where there are no restrictions on children.
Their parents had died two years ago on a mission.
This tragedy had a profound impact on Tsunade. Since then, she'd thrown herself into studying medical ninjutsu with renewed determination… And, ultimately, it was she who cornered Uchiha Ran.
"Tsunade, you so suddenly brought Ran home... did something happen?" Uzumaki Mito finally asked.
"Grandmother, please save Ran. He… he might not have long…"
"You both are top-class ninja medics. You can handle it yourselves. What can I do?" Mito asked, puzzled.
"It's not that…"
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Tsunade began to explain. How the higher-ups wanted to eliminate Uchiha Ran. How he had to prove his worth in order to survive. And how she, step by step, forced him to reach the breaking point, after which those very higher-ups decided — he was no longer needed.
Uzumaki Mito silently listened to the whole story. And didn't know what to say.
What a tangled mess they had all created…
"Tsunade. Take Navaaki and leave. I want to talk to Ran alone."
Mito didn't say yet whether she would help. She wanted to check something.
After all, she was the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails.
And Kurama had one special ability — to sense whether a person emanated good or evil.
The problem was, there was no connection between Uzumaki Mito and the Nine-Tails — just a rough, forced seal. He was sealed by force, not by agreement.
To get even the slightest help from him, she would have to pay a high price.
But for the sake of her granddaughter's future… maybe it would be worth it.
After Tsunade and Navaaki left, Uzumaki Mito turned back to Uchiha Ran, studying him intently.
I must admit, Uchiha Ran was indeed handsome and possessed a strong charisma — no wonder her granddaughter had fallen so hard for him.
Unlike Senju Tobirama, Uzumaki Mito, as the wife of Senju Hashirama, didn't hold any particular prejudice against the Uchiha clan. So she never interfered with Tsunade's feelings for Ran.
"Ran, do you hate Tobirama?" After a long silence, having received her answer from Kurama, Uzumaki Mito finally spoke, not paying attention to his sarcastic remarks.
"I hate him!" — Uchiha Ran responded without hesitation.
How could he not hate him?!
Just for Tobirama throwing a glance his way in the crowd, his life had turned into a nightmare for the last seven years.
Every day felt like walking on a blade. Constant fear, constant pressure. And on top of that — mockery and nitpicking from Utatane Koharu, that spiteful old witch… What normal person could endure that?
"Ugh…" Uzumaki Mito sighed heavily and asked again: "And do you hate Konoha?"
"No," Ran shook his head slightly.
He had already figured out Mito's method of checking him — so he answered honestly.
He didn't have deep hatred for Konoha. Unlike Uzumaki Naruto, who was beaten and cast aside by everyone, his foster parents treated him warmly, and, generally, he was respected in the village.
Aside from threats from the top, his situation wasn't that terrible — far better than he showed to people.
But if not for that whole play, Tsunade wouldn't have gone to extremes.
There were only a few people who truly caused him pain.
Yes, for survival, he had resorted to many tricks. But he was never one to take pleasure in revenge.
He didn't want to take revenge on the whole village — he wasn't crazy. There were specific people to blame, and the punishment was deserved only by them.
Then Uzumaki Mito asked him many more questions, naming dozens of names. All the while, she was checking Ran's emotional reaction through Kurama.
Nearly an hour passed.
Finally, Mito said:
"Ran, wait outside in the outer courtyard. I want to talk to Tsunade."
"I'll call her now," Ran nodded obediently and left.
Soon Tsunade entered the inner courtyard, looking at Mito with concern:
"Grandmother, you've been talking so long... what was it about?"
"Just some old wisdom," Uzumaki Mito smiled. "Tsunade, do you really want to help Uchiha Ran?"
"Grandmother, why are you asking that?" Tsunade frowned. "He ended up in this position because… first, Uncle the Second destroyed his life just because of one glance. Then our teacher decided there was no need to watch over him, but he shouldn't live either — wanted to kill him. And then, I — with my madness — finally drove him to the edge."
"All the mistakes were ours. And he's been the one suffering all this time. Why shouldn't I help?"
"Ugh…" Mito sighed heavily. "What a cursed fate…"
"Just now, I used a special technique to feel his soul. There's both good and bad."
"The good news — he doesn't harbor any hatred for you. The bad news — he doesn't feel any kindness for you either."
Tsunade became a little gloomy:
"I thought he hated me. Today he said it was over between us, like we were strangers. I thought he was cursing me. But now I understand… Maybe he's just completely lost faith in me."
"Good that you realized that yourself," Uzumaki Mito said sadly.
"But he's still friendly to Navaaki and me. I think it's all because of you. Even if he doesn't want to see you now, it's out of old affection…"
"Grandmother, stop!" Tsunade interrupted quickly, blushing.
She didn't dare to hope right now. All she wanted was to end this nightmare and try to salvage whatever could still be saved.
"Haha!" Mito laughed, seeing her granddaughter turn red. It genuinely amused her.
"So pure… my little one…"
But the joy quickly turned to worry. A shadow of anxiety appeared in her eyes again.