Just two months after Uchiha Ran moved in, Namikaze Shajin's wife was discovered to be pregnant.
Fortunately, both Namikaze Shajin and his wife were exceptionally kind-hearted people. Rather than treat Uchiha Ran with disdain, they cared for him even more, doing everything they could to ensure he never felt alone.
From then on, the family lived in peace and harmony, cherishing every moment together.
"Brother," Minato asked softly at dinner, glancing briefly at the door, "will you stay with me a little longer tonight?"
"Haha, of course! No problem at all." Uchiha Ran chuckled, ruffling the blond hair on Namikaze Minato's head, and agreed without hesitation.
It was a coded phrase between them.
Minato had shown remarkable talent since childhood. A year ago, he officially enrolled in the shinobi academy and began his training.
But in truth, the majority of his ninjutsu knowledge came from Uchiha Ran.
Not even Namikaze Shajin knew about this.
To outsiders, "stay with me" simply sounded like a child clinging to his older brother.
But in reality, it meant: I've got tons of training questions—are you not working tonight?
After dinner, Uchiha Ran brought Minato to the training grounds.
Minato began demonstrating his recent progress—retreating and throwing shuriken from a distance, then closing in on a wooden dummy for close-combat combos.
Uchiha Ran sat off to the side, looking bored and barely paying attention.
But in truth, he was focused entirely on Minato's movements, observing each detail and step with hawk-like precision.
Half an hour later, Minato stopped and came over with a proud grin.
"Brother, I'm pretty awesome, right?"
"Haha, awesome, awesome!" Ran ruffled his hair again, offering sincere praise.
Watching from a distance, Hatake Sakumo didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.
—
Back in the bedroom, Ran's face turned serious—so serious that Minato felt a chill in his chest.
Without a word, Ran pulled out a sheet of paper and began to write. He then handed it to Minato.
Minato read intently.
The longer he read, the brighter his eyes became. He nodded vigorously and began writing in the remaining space.
Though it seemed like Uchiha Ran paid no mind to ninjutsu, in truth he never stopped thinking about it.
His theoretical knowledge and depth of understanding were so profound that few in the shinobi world could compare.
Thanks to his guidance, Minato was growing in strength and talent at a speed far beyond the norm.
This written exchange was a unique form of mentorship—one of the few Ran dared to use.
To keep it secure, they didn't even write in the common shinobi script—they used symbols only they could understand.
To be fair, Ran was giving his all—partly to repay Namikaze Shajin and his wife for their kindness.
But of course, he also had his own goal: to test many of his theories through Minato. It was both a favor and an experiment.
After quite a bit of back-and-forth, Minato wrote:
"Brother, I'm running into a problem with that chakra body reinforcement technique you showed me."
"Explain in detail."
Minato took a diagram of chakra pathways and pointed to three specific nodes.
"When chakra flows through these points, it gets stuck."
"Activate the technique. I'll try to sense it."
Watching closely, Ran narrowed his eyes. After a moment, he smirked and wrote:
"You simply don't have enough chakra yet to break through those nodes. In six months, that won't be a problem anymore. When the time comes, your physical power will surge."
Minato beamed and nodded, then shredded the paper, burned the scraps, and flushed the ashes down the toilet.
That marked the end of their exchange for the night.
For Uchiha Ran, it was routine.
But for Minato, it always left a dull ache in his heart.
His brother had never done anything wrong. On the contrary, he was incredibly gifted—his ninjutsu knowledge far surpassed that of any academy instructor.
So why wasn't he allowed to train?
Why was the Hokage still sending people to monitor him?
Ran would only smile wryly and say it was probably because his talents were "too exceptional"—and because he was an Uchiha.
But Minato didn't buy that.
He just wanted to grow stronger as fast as possible—so that his brother could train freely and live an unburdened life.
That's why he wanted to become Hokage. He was willing to give everything for that.
Because only by becoming Hokage could he make that dream a reality.
To the world, Uchiha Ran and Namikaze Minato weren't blood relatives. But ever since Minato could remember, Ran had been there—more than a brother, always by his side, protecting and caring for him.
Ran had no idea what Minato was thinking. And even if he did—he'd probably just wave it off with a smile.
He never placed hope in a child who hadn't even turned seven.
You want freedom? The right to train?
You'll have to save yourself.
His only concern now was—if he ran, how would it affect the Namikaze family?
Fake his death, maybe?..
—
The next morning, as usual, Uchiha Ran arrived at the hospital.
But as soon as he walked into his office and saw who was inside, he stepped right back out and checked the door number.
"What are you jumping for?"
Before he could turn around, a pale hand grabbed his collar and yanked him inside.
"Saw me and tried to run, huh?" Tsunade crossed her arms and glared at him.
"Can't I go to the bathroom?" Ran clearly had no intention of admitting he'd been trying to escape.
"No, you can't!"
"Do you even have a conscience? Savage monkey, chimpanzee, Neanderthal—"
"Shut it!" Tsunade roared, cutting him off mid-rant.
She didn't even know how she'd survived the past five days.
If she hadn't been so stubborn in the beginning—losing and wanting a rematch—she might've gone her whole life avoiding this guy.
And now… she'd actually gotten used to his insults?
People weren't wrong when they said habits were terrifying.
Realizing escape was futile, Ran flopped into his chair with a scowl.
"Fine, spit it out. What do you want this time? Make it quick."
"Obviously—I came to continue our competition!"
"Are you kidding me?" Ran exploded. "I already admitted defeat! What more do you want?!"
"And this is how you talk to someone who saved your life?" Tsunade said, watching him unravel with smug satisfaction.
"Oh, a savior now?" Ran snorted. "Yes, yes, you're my great and glorious savior—I'm so grateful."
"So please, do us both a favor and leave, before my gratitude becomes too… overwhelming."
Just then, two orderlies rolled in a desk and placed it directly across from Ran's.
The hospital director followed, personally carrying in a chair, which he set behind the new desk.
"Lady Tsunade, this will be your seat from today onward," he said with utmost courtesy.
Tsunade sat down unceremoniously and met Ran's stare with a challenging look.
Ran was stunned.
What the hell was going on?
"I quit!" he blurted, snatching a sheet of paper. "Director, hang on—I'm writing my resignation right now."
"Scumbag!" Tsunade snatched the paper and tore it to shreds.
"Tsunade, what the hell are you playing at?!" Ran was totally lost.
He understood now—Tsunade was officially working at the hospital. And more than that—they were sharing an office.
But how the hell had this been arranged?
Sensing the storm brewing, the director made a hasty retreat—thoughtful enough to close the door behind him.
"So you really were sent here to monitor me by the Hokage, huh?" Ran asked, narrowing his eyes.