Though Uchiha Dan had only spent an hour with Uzumaki Mito, he had been completely sincere and answered all her questions honestly. Yet without even realizing it, he had kept finding ways to draw closer to her.
An ordinary person would simply have found Dan pleasant to be around and never given it another thought.
But Uzumaki Mito had a wealth of experience. Her ability to read people and discern their nature far surpassed that of most. How could she fail to see what Dan was up to?
She trusted the Nine-Tails' judgment of Dan's good and ill intentions, and with her own wealth of experience, she was confident she had a basic understanding of his thoughts and character.
But what about her own foolish granddaughter, getting involved with someone so calculating? Would it be a blessing or a curse?
"Grandma, what are you thinking about?" Tsunade grumbled when she saw the worried look on her grandmother's face.
"Nothing!" Mito smiled gently, then continued, "I just wanted to tell you that the person Dan feels the most goodwill toward is Namikaze Toneri and his family."
"Especially his younger brother, Namikaze Minato. He loves him to the core. Maybe you can find a way in through him."
Tsunade's eyes lit up.
Maybe it really could work!
A roundabout approach. If Minato accepted me, wouldn't everything be simple after that?
"But what surprised me was how strongly he dislikes Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, and Utatane Koharu. His ill will toward them is greater than his ill will toward everyone else combined."
"Especially toward Koharu. That's not just ill will anymore; he practically hates her to the bone. If he gets the chance, he'll probably kill her without hesitation."
"I have no idea where all that hatred came from."
"I know a little!" Tsunade explained in a low voice, then told her about the years of relentless exploitation and biting humiliation Koharu had inflicted on Dan.
Mito didn't know what to say.
She was simply astonished. Was this Utatane Koharu Tsunade described really the same sweet, considerate girl who used to follow Tobirama around?
It really took getting to know someone well to judge their true nature.
If the Nine-Tails hadn't helped her, she wouldn't have dared trust Dan so quickly.
"Looks like the hurt Koharu caused him will never heal," Mito said wistfully.
"But Tsunade, helping Dan wouldn't have been a problem in itself," Mito said. "He isn't dissatisfied with the village, and he has no particular grievances against the other villagers."
"But his attitude toward the village leadership..." She paused. "We can't rule out the possibility that Dan might become our enemy someday."
"But can you blame Dan?" Tsunade had become so set on helping him that she was starting to lose sight of where her loyalties lay. "In the end, Second Grandfather was the one who caused all this."
"By the way, how strong is Dan's ill will toward Second Grandfather?"
"What surprised me was that it isn't particularly strong. It's nowhere near as strong as his feelings toward Koharu—not even as strong as his feelings toward Danzō and Hiruzen."
Mito was genuinely surprised.
She had assumed Dan would hate Tobirama Senju most of all, since he was the one who had started it. But who would have guessed the boy didn't hate Tobirama all that much?
Even Dan himself didn't know that ever since he had gained Tobirama Senju's talent, the benefits it brought him had gradually dulled his hatred.
Insulting Tobirama had become nothing more than a habit. He didn't truly hate him to the bone.
"Why is that?" Tsunade asked in confusion.
"Maybe it's because of you," Mito teased with a smile.
"H-He hates me so much now. How could it possibly be because of me...?"
"Maybe his feelings faded as he spent more time with you," Mito explained. "So, Tsunade, I want to ask you one last question."
Tsunade swallowed nervously and nodded.
"Are you confident you can keep Dan steady?"
"I... I would have been confident before today. Lately, my relationship with him has been getting better and better, but now... I can't be sure."
"Still..." Tsunade added, "if his younger brother and I work together, I think I can do it."
"But even if you can keep him steady, what if your teacher and Koharu are determined to get rid of him and keep escalating the conflict? What then?" Tsunade voiced her concern.
"Grandma, can you talk them out of it?"
Mito shook her head with a self-deprecating smile. "I'm just someone retired at home."
"They still show me respect, but they've been paying less and less attention to what I say. They only put on a show for me."
"Power... It's a knife that draws blood. It's only been seven years, and I hardly recognize them anymore."
"Never mind. Since we've talked this far, go bring Dan in."
"When I spoke with him earlier, he seemed to have a clear plan. If I can keep Hiruzen Sarutobi in check for the time being, he may be able to break the deadlock on his own."
When Uchiha Dan returned to the back courtyard, he had a long, private conversation with Mito and Tsunade.
In the end, Dan was indeed the one who proposed a way to break the deadlock.
Tsunade was very surprised by how resourceful Dan was, while Mito remained unfazed.
She knew all too well how much potential someone could unleash when fighting to survive.
Judging by the results of her test, she believed Dan wasn't bad at heart.
But how could he have survived in such an environment for so many years—and even started laying plans to break the deadlock by using Tsunade years ago—without having a backup plan?
That was right: Mito had seen through the fact that Dan was using Tsunade to break the deadlock.
But she wasn't very angry. In her years of experience, she could tell that Dan had genuinely developed feelings for Tsunade.
But what did that make it? A twisted kind of love?
Never mind. Grandchildren made their own way in life. She would let him be.
As for this, Mito, who usually knew where to draw the line, said nothing.
Early the next morning, Mito went to the Hokage's office herself.
She told Hiruzen Sarutobi that Dan was currently developing three Medical Ninjutsu techniques, each with unprecedented healing effects.
She also mentioned that Dan had told Tsunade he would teach her the techniques when they were ready, as an exchange of medical arts between them.
She had been delighted when Tsunade told her about it, so she had come to inform Hiruzen.
One of the techniques was nearly complete: the one Dan had used in his contest with Tsunade.
The other two, however, required him to consult some existing Medical Ninjutsu for reference. She had come on Dan's behalf to request some less confidential techniques.
She also said that once Tsunade mastered those techniques, she would immediately begin training a new group of Medical Ninjas for the village.
Hiruzen was naturally delighted.
Tsunade was a staunch member of the Hokage faction, a loyal Konoha native, and his prized student.
If Tsunade mastered those three techniques, wouldn't that mean Konoha had mastered them too?
Hiruzen naturally had no reason to refuse such a good deal. He was even looking forward to seeing how effective the techniques would be.
As a result, he temporarily shelved his plans to eliminate Dan.
As long as Dan could provide value to Konoha, Hiruzen didn't mind letting him live for now.
After all, he was just a Medical Ninja with no real strength. What trouble could he possibly cause?
Besides, word of Dan and Tsunade had spread throughout Konoha. If the two of them ended up together, there was no reason not to spare Dan.
Wouldn't it be better to let him keep contributing his talent to Konoha?
Without Hatake Sakumo reporting what he knew, Hiruzen was missing a crucial piece of information and naturally didn't think too much of it.
Meanwhile, at noon, Tsunade received an invitation from Utatane Koharu and headed to the Pharmaceutical Department once again.
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