Tsunade's talent in medical ninjutsu was something Mito was very well aware of. At such a young age, she had already created multiple original medical techniques, each of which could elevate the entire ninja world's medical standard by several levels.
She had always felt deeply gratified by this. In her experienced eyes, this was already the pinnacle of what a medical-nin could achieve.
But Shin...
"Obaachan!" Tsunade interrupted Mito's train of thought and asked, "I've always been curious, why was Tobirama-ojisan so hostile toward Shin? Can you tell me the reason?"
"It seems..." Mito fell into a recollection, looking quite embarrassed. "It was because that boy smiled at the wrong time."
"Huh?"
That's actually a reason? Tsunade thought she must've heard wrong and looked at her grandmother in disbelief.
"At the time, he was about to leave for Kumo. I had a vague bad feeling, so I went to see him off," Mito continued reminiscing.
"Shin happened to be on that street. For some reason, he suddenly smiled, probably thinking of something that made him happy. Tobirama immediately noticed him and gave him a very hostile look."
"That's it?" Tsunade said angrily, clearly upset. "That's so unfair!"
"I thought it was unbelievable too. I even investigated that boy and found nothing suspicious. So aside from that explanation, I honestly can't think of any other reason."
"He always disliked the Uchiha clan, you already know that," Mito sighed.
"But I never imagined he'd go so far as to target a 10-year-old boy just because he smiled at the wrong time."
After speaking, Mito and Tsunade fell into a long silence. What more was there to say?
But in truth, Mito had misunderstood Tobirama. The real reason he targeted Shin was because, in the boy's slightly crazed eyes, he saw something only he could understand. As a mad scientist of ninjutsu himself, he occasionally fell into the same kind of state that Shin had shown. And upon seeing that same madness reflected in someone else, especially in an Uchiha, how could he not be wary?
If Shin hadn't been part of the Uchiha clan, he might have overlooked it. But someone who wore that same crazed expression as himself absolutely could not belong to the dangerous Uchiha clan.
He couldn't even remember how many forbidden jutsus he had created, but he knew exactly how dangerous they could be. If a similarly mad Uchiha appeared, someone who also started inventing forbidden jutsu, would that be good or bad?
To him, there was only one answer: This child must not be allowed to live.
That was why, even at the cost of harming his own reputation, he gave the order to suppress a 10-year-old child before his death.
Originally, he had intended to come back and investigate Shin further to confirm whether he was truly dangerous. But after being ambushed and realizing his time was short, he had no choice. So, he made that final decision.
"Obaachan!" After a long silence, Tsunade finally spoke. "Can't you think of a way to help Shin? His talent is truly unparalleled. If it's wasted because of this, I just can't accept it."
Mito sighed and said, "That was Tobirama's final decision before his death. As for Hiruzen, he wouldn't dare openly go against it."
"What if he's only allowed to train in chakra?" Tsunade's eyes lit up as she suggested, "Don't let him train in ninjutsu or anything else, just enough to help him become a better medical-nin. That way, his talent won't be wasted. Is that really not possible?"
"That… might not be out of the question." Mito hesitated.
War was cruel.
When she was young, she had experienced many battles and had seen her relatives, clansmen, and comrades die one after another. Many of them hadn't been killed directly by the enemy, but had died from a lack of timely and effective medical treatment.
That was why exceptional medical-nin were precious everywhere, they could significantly reduce the death toll in wartime.
With Shin's medical talent being so exceptional, if it could truly be unleashed, the benefit to Konoha was self-evident.
After making up her mind, she suddenly smiled. "Aren't you afraid you're raising a future rival?"
"Hmph!" Tsunade crossed her arms confidently. "Someday I'll defeat him fair and square and show him who Konoha's number one medical-nin really is!"
---
Evening fell, and the Third Hokage arrived at the Senju clan's residence after receiving notice from the ANBU.
"Mito-sama!" Hiruzen greeted Mito with respectful formality.
"You're here? Sit down." Mito gestured toward the seat across from her.
At this point in time, the Land of Whirlpools had not yet been destroyed. Though Tsunade's parents had died in the line of duty, Mito had not yet grown disheartened or withdrawn from village affairs.
On the contrary, she would occasionally offer Hiruzen some advice. Because she understood proper boundaries and wielded influence skillfully, he usually accepted her suggestions.
After all, as the wife of the First Hokage, she held immense prestige in Konoha.
If not for her advancing age and growing disinterest in meddling, he would probably have found her involvement quite troublesome.
"You've heard about what happened at Konoha Hospital today, right?" Mito got straight to the point, no need for pleasantries between the two.
"I've already heard."
"What's your take on it?" Mito asked while pouring tea.
"Children being competitive isn't necessarily a bad thing. Tsunade has worked even harder in recent years, created numerous medical techniques, and made great contributions to the village," Hiruzen praised without hesitation.
"Indeed. The importance of an excellent medical-nin to the village goes without saying." Mito nodded in agreement. "Every time war breaks out, how many people die from lack of effective treatment? Tsunade's talent in medical ninjutsu is truly a blessing for Konoha."
"You're absolutely right," Hiruzen echoed her sentiment.
"Oh, by the way," Mito suddenly remembered something. "How is the village's current training of medical-nin going?"
"Well…" Hiruzen's expression turned bitter. "Although we've been investing in this area, medical ninjutsu requires very high talent. So far… the results have been minimal."
"That's not surprising." Mito didn't blame him and instead reassured him. "But we must still invest in it."
"You participated in the First Great Ninja War, you understand the importance of medical-nin."
"Don't worry. I can guarantee that." Hiruzen nodded solemnly. "But I'm not sure whether Tsunade would be willing to teach the Mystical Palm Technique to other medical-nin in the village."
"Why wouldn't she?" Mito smiled at the direct segue. "However, the Mystical Palm Technique is extremely difficult to learn. Even those with high talent can take a year or more to master it."
"Uh…" Hiruzen was surprised. "But I heard that Shin mastered the technique after seeing Tsunade perform it just once."
"That's true," Mito nodded. "In terms of talent for medical ninjutsu, that boy even surpasses her."
Then she handed a cup of tea to Hiruzen and fell silent, continuing to brew tea without saying another word.