Five days later.
"So this is the Flying Thunder God?" Uchiha Ran zipped back and forth between his office and bedroom, practically bouncing from place to place as he felt the exhilarating sensation of teleporting through space. He had to admit—it was one hell of a rush.
Now it was time to start laying the groundwork for Namikaze Minato. If he played his cards right, the kid might just master the Flying Thunder God Technique before the age of ten.
Returning to the office again, he found Tsunade silently staring at him.
To be fair, he had gotten a little carried away—he'd vanished in front of her a full twelve times.
But from this point on, Uchiha Ran would be truly safe. No one could threaten him anymore.
Tsunade, too, was starting to feel the urgency. She'd been spending a lot of time talking to her grandmother, Uzumaki Mito, and her resolve had only grown stronger.
Ran had been right. Uzumaki Mito saw things with stunning clarity. When she said that Hiruzen Sarutobi had changed, Tsunade had immediately understood what she meant.
"Ran, can you come with me to the village gate tomorrow to greet someone?" Tsunade asked once she saw he'd finally calmed down.
"Me? To the village gate?" Ran blinked. "Am I even allowed out there?"
"What's there to be afraid of with me around?" Tsunade replied confidently.
"I'm not worried about myself," Ran shook his head, "I just don't want you getting in trouble because of me."
"If we're going to clash with them anyway," Tsunade said coldly, "then there's no point tiptoeing around it. I've already made up my mind!"
"So soon?" Ran was surprised—he knew Tsunade had never shown the slightest interest in becoming Hokage.
And now, in just five days, she'd made her decision.
But that was Tsunade—once she decided on something, there was no turning back.
"Alright. So, who are we meeting?"
"My younger sister."
"Huh?" Ran gave her a puzzled look. "You have a younger sister?"
"Not by blood. She's my grandmother's cousin's granddaughter. But from now on, she's living with us."
Uzumaki Kushina.
The name popped into Ran's head.
Ah, the future daughter-in-law is arriving? Well then, of course he had to go greet her!
"Alright. Just say the word and I'll be there."
The next morning, Hiruzen Sarutobi received a report: Tsunade and Uchiha Ran were at the village gates, apparently waiting for someone.
"Hmph!" Utatane Koharu, standing nearby, scoffed. "That Tsunade is getting more and more outrageous. What if that wretched boy escapes?"
"As long as Tsunade's with him," Hiruzen said darkly, "I'm not worried about him running. But Tsunade is starting to push her limits."
"What should we do, then?" Koharu asked. "That child is going to be the next Nine-Tails jinchūriki. Are we just going to let Uchiha Ran get close to them?"
"As long as Lady Mito is alive," Hiruzen replied heavily, "and Tsunade and that boy are wrapped up in their little romance, we can't act openly. But once Lady Mito is gone and Kushina becomes the jinchūriki, there will be… matters to settle."
After all, officially, Uchiha Ran was a Konoha citizen—a free man with no criminal record. He had healed many people and earned the respect of the village.
More importantly, per Tobirama Senju's will, Ran had been granted the right to live as a normal person.
But the real reason Hiruzen was targeting him couldn't be made public. If the people found out that the Hokage had destroyed a child's life just because of one smile…
What a disgrace that would be.
Which is why, when it came to Uchiha Ran, brute force wasn't an option. He had to be taken down in secret.
Looking back at Hiruzen Sarutobi's entire career, it would seem he'd never done anything to harm the villagers. He was always courteous and kind, the very model of virtue.
He'd worked tirelessly for the village for decades—so why should one mistake ruin everything?
With that thought, Hiruzen grew even more conflicted about Danzo Shimura's plan to establish the Root division.
"Hmph," Koharu said coldly. "Let that boy have his fun. Once he hands over all the medical ninjutsu, I'll personally take care of him."
Meanwhile, Uchiha Ran wasn't burdened by any of the anxieties plaguing Hiruzen Sarutobi or Utatane Koharu.
In fact, he was planning to demonstrate his physical strength and showcase the Flying Thunder God Technique sometime soon.
And if Hiruzen had any objections?
He'd just tell him the full process of how he developed his own version of the technique—what could the old man even say to that?
When did you train?
I didn't. Just figured it out one day. So what?
As for his strength?
I was just born with monstrous power, you know.
What he really wanted was to see the look on Hiruzen's face when he demonstrated taijutsu rivaling Tsunade's, paired with his mastery of the Flying Thunder God.
Chances are, the old man wouldn't dare launch a direct attack.
Not because he didn't want to—but because he couldn't.
This was the Flying Thunder God we're talking about—the one-of-a-kind technique left behind by Tobirama Senju.
If a fight broke out and Ran wanted to escape—who could stop him?
If he couldn't be captured in the first strike, it would completely expose their intentions.
And if Uchiha Ran showed overwhelming strength and then fled the village, slipping from their control—that would be the worst-case scenario for Hiruzen.
With Flying Thunder God, Ran could return to Konoha at any time and cause chaos.
Clan members from Sarutobi, Shimura, or Utatane could start vanishing—and it'd be Hiruzen who paid the price.
Of course, Hiruzen understood all this. That's why his first move would be something subtler—some political trick or trap to lure Ran in and seal him.
But with Ran's unique perception and deep mistrust of Konoha's leadership, he'd never fall for it.
If neither open attack nor covert plot worked, then Hiruzen's only option would be to take a softer approach.
But on that battlefield—Uchiha Ran would be the one in control.
It would come down to a battle of wits.
Ran was doing all this to secure the highest possible degree of autonomy within Konoha.
After all, a barefoot man isn't afraid of losing shoes.
He wasn't afraid of breaking ties with Hiruzen—so he wasn't afraid of making a wrong move either. If things went south, he'd just fight to the bitter end.
He had promised Tsunade he wouldn't burn everything down—but that was only to spare her feelings, not because he lacked the resolve.
If he was pushed—well, that wouldn't be breaking a promise, would it?
Seven years of suppressed desire to create and experiment now blazed within him.
His head was filled with plans—thousands of them—just waiting for their time to be realized.
He could feel the fire in his chest burning brighter than ever!
As for Namikaze Minato's family, with threats from outside, Tsunade's protection inside, and Hiruzen's love for political games, nothing too serious should happen.
While Ran was deep in thought, a group of people appeared in his and Tsunade's line of sight.
Tsunade immediately grabbed Ran's hand and started walking forward.
Ran felt a bit awkward about how naturally she always took his hand, but she understood too.
She had noticed he still hadn't fully given up on the idea of leaving Konoha.
So even though it hurt her to see him keeping his distance, she could only continue patiently and gently closing that gap.
To be honest, it wasn't easy for Ran either.
He was starting to get scared.
Last time, when he said he was afraid of death and just wanted to survive—he'd lied to soothe Tsunade.
He was never afraid of death.
He had long since accepted that if it came to it, he'd burn everything to the ground.
He just didn't want to die a pitiful death.
But now… the fear was real.
Ever since Tsunade had bared her soul to him, casting aside every pretense, he had started to change too.
He was finding it harder and harder to say no to her, harder and harder to ignore her feelings.
If this kept up, he'd become another Tsunade himself.
Love can shake even the firmest resolve.
Guilt can do the same.
And love, magnified by guilt, can shatter it entirely.
Ran had once believed he had a heart of stone, and that Tsunade was merely a tool.
But he had overestimated himself.
After all—he was human, not a tree.
How could he possibly be without feelings?
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