"Hmm?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow in surprise at Ren's request. "Sealing techniques, huh? I do know a fair bit—if you're interested, I can teach you later."
"But wait... You're saying the Uchiha clan has almost no sealing scrolls left? And what they do have was only gathered in the past ten years? That can't be right."
"Both the Senju and Uchiha clans go back over a thousand years. How could they have so little left?"
Ren sighed and shook his head. "It's true. I asked my father."
"According to him, when Uchiha Madara left the village, he was furious that the clan didn't follow him. He saw it as betrayal... so he took nearly all of the Uchiha's valuable ancient scrolls with him."
"That's why so much of our clan's knowledge—sealing arts, high-level jutsu, sword techniques, even history—is missing."
Tsunade blinked in understanding, then chuckled. "So that's the reason. I always suspected there was more to that story."
"That Madara really was a ruthless one."
Ren shrugged bitterly. "No kidding."
"Alright, don't sulk."
Tsunade reached out and ruffled his hair like an older sister teasing her little brother. "You're my student, aren't you? A little thing like sealing arts—of course I'll teach you."
"And if my knowledge isn't enough, I'll have my grandmother teach you instead."
"You already know—no one in the shinobi world understands sealing like the Uzumaki do."
Ren's eyes brightened. "I'd really appreciate that."
He hesitated for a second. "But... would it be okay?"
"Of course it is!" Tsunade waved it off casually. "You're my student. If I say it's fine, it's fine."
Just then, they arrived at a large compound deep within the Senju district. Tsunade pushed open the gate and walked inside with Ren.
In the courtyard, a dignified elderly woman sat beneath a shaded pavilion, sipping tea.
Next to her was a young red-haired girl.
"That must be... Kushina Uzumaki?"
Ren immediately guessed her identity. So she's already arrived in Konoha. I'll probably be seeing her at the Academy soon.
"Grandma! Kushina! I'm back!" Tsunade called out with a grin, waving as she led Ren over.
"This is Ren Takashi, my student. I've mentioned him before."
She then turned to Ren. "Ren, this is my grandmother, Mito Uzumaki. And this is Kushina Uzumaki."
Ren gave a polite bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Mito. And hello to you as well."
Mito looked him over quietly, then smiled warmly. "So you're Ren? No need to be so formal, dear. If you're Tsunade's student, just call me Grandma Mito."
She gave him a subtle once-over, gently probing with her chakra—what she sensed left her pleasantly surprised.
Ren had no ill intent. Only respect and kindness.
And not just that—he already had chakra reserves on par with a mid-level chunin and life force far beyond his age.
If I didn't know he was Uchiha, I might've mistaken him for one of ours, Mito thought. His vitality is unbelievable.
She also noticed something else—there was no trace of Sharingan chakra in his eyes. He hadn't awakened his dojutsu yet.
That's impressive. No Sharingan, yet already this strong? No wonder Sarutobi and Tsunade are so invested in him.
"Yes, Grandma Mito," Ren answered quickly, adjusting his tone with a charming smile.
He wasn't going to miss the chance to build a good relationship. After all, Mito was his best shot at learning high-level sealing arts.
"Hi there," Kushina said softly. "You can call me Kushina."
She glanced at him, then quickly looked away, sneaking another peek from the corner of her eye.
Wow... he's really handsome… she thought with a flustered grin.
Ren caught her glance and gave a small nod, acknowledging her greeting.
Mito smiled at the two of them, then turned to Tsunade.
"Back so soon, Tsunade? And bringing your student with you—what's going on?"
She glanced at the folder in Tsunade's hands. "What's that?"
"I'm glad you asked," Tsunade said, sitting beside her. "Ren and I have been working on a joint proposal—a medical research institute and pharmaceutical company."
"It's got major profit potential. More importantly, it can enhance the village's medical strength and benefit both our clans."
"We'd love for you to take a look."
She handed over the folder.
"Oh?" Mito raised an eyebrow, intrigued. She took the folder and began leafing through its contents with practiced eyes.
Meanwhile, Kushina peeked curiously at the pages—then back at Ren.
A boy my age, making business plans with Tsunade? He's got to be incredible...
After ten minutes of reading, Mito finally looked up.
"Tsunade, you're saying Ren came up with this?"
Tsunade nodded. "Yes. Every part of it."
Mito turned back to Ren and gave him a long, thoughtful look.
"I've heard people praise your talent before—Tsunade, even Sarutobi—but I never had a clear picture of what that meant."
She smiled kindly.
"But now I understand."
"You're a good child. This plan—if the medicines listed here can be successfully developed—will benefit you, Tsunade, the Senju, the Uchiha… even the entire village."
She closed the folder gently.
"But research like this isn't easy. Are you two confident you can actually produce results?"
Ren gave a confident nod. "Absolutely."
"I've already developed early-stage formulas for most of the items mentioned. If I have Tsunade-sensei's support, I'm confident we can mass-produce at least one type of medicinal product within six months."
He wasn't exaggerating—but he wasn't telling the full truth either.
If he used his [Wish] ability more aggressively, he could probably do it in half the time.
But he had no intention of rushing. Every extra day gave him more time to grow stronger.
Currently, his [Wish] talent had progressed to:
Talent: Wish (Lv. 1 | 98/100 | One small wish per day)
He was only two points away from leveling it up.
Once it did, he'd be able to make two wishes per day.
That would be a game-changer.
A silent grin flickered behind Ren's calm demeanor.
This was only the beginning.