"Since you already understand the risks, I won't press the issue."
"You're still young, Ren. Don't push yourself too hard. Moderation is key."
Mito Uzumaki's voice was warm, but carried genuine concern.
She could sense it clearly—this boy carried an unusual sense of urgency. Like something was chasing him. Something dangerous. It was as if he was constantly racing against time.
She thought of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura—how they viewed the Uchiha. And she thought of the Senju's slow decline.
Mito knew the truth well enough: it was Hiruzen and his circle who'd sacrificed many of the Senju's finest during the last war, sending them to die under the banner of "protecting Konoha." She knew it all.
And yet, she had endured it—because it was already too late. And for Konoha's stability… for Tsunade and Nawaki's future, she had chosen not to retaliate.
But if she could have, she would have. She would've made them pay. She would've rebuilt the Senju and put those men in their place.
Sadly, she didn't have that kind of time anymore.
All she could do now was pave the road ahead—for Tsunade, for Nawaki, and for young Kushina too.
"…I understand. Thank you for your concern," Ren replied quietly.
Mito's heartfelt kindness moved him. She was the kind of elder worth respecting.
After that, they exchanged a few more words before Tsunade took Ren back to the hospital.
Once inside her office, Tsunade didn't go to her desk. Instead, she pulled Ren down onto the couch and turned to face him seriously.
"Ren, based on your current medical knowledge… can you tell what's wrong with my grandmother's body?"
"Huh?"
Ren blinked, caught off guard by the question. He took a moment, then slowly nodded.
"On the surface, she looks radiant—vital and strong. But beneath that…"
"There's significant life force depletion. Her vitality's been hollowed out. She's still standing, but it's like a castle floating in midair."
"If nothing is done to restore her vitality, I'd say she has only a few years left."
He wasn't exaggerating.
Tsunade might still be ahead of him in raw skill, but not by much—and Ren's knowledge was evolving rapidly. He'd begun cross-referencing his past life's medical training with Konoha's unique physiology and chakra-centric medicine. The results had dramatically accelerated his progress.
"…So you noticed too."
Tsunade's expression grew dark. "Ren, you're clever—quick-thinking. If you could come up with things like healing serums, energy tonics, nerve restoratives… even a theory for bloodline-purifying drugs…"
"Then do you think… there's any way to develop something that can restore life force?"
"My grandmother is the last elder I have left," she added, voice low. "I'm not ready to lose her."
Not just emotionally.
Mito Uzumaki still ran the clan's affairs. If she were gone, Tsunade wasn't sure how she'd hold the reins.
But if she could extend her grandmother's life—by ten years even—it'd be enough.
By then, Tsunade would be more seasoned, more prepared.
And Ren… with how fast he was growing, she had little doubt he'd surpass even her, maybe even surpass the Third Hokage by then. Together, they could face anything.
With Mito alive a little longer, the Senju clan could stabilize, maybe even rise again.
Nawaki would be older too. He could help carry the burden.
It would be the perfect outcome.
"…Actually, I do have some ideas," Ren said, brows lifting.
"Truth is, Grandma Mito's not the only one suffering from this. My parents… most jonin, even average ninja—many of them show signs of life-force wear."
"Theirs comes from years of overusing chakra, stretching their limits in battle."
"So when I was working on healing and recovery formulas, I naturally started thinking about something for restoring vitality too."
"At the time, though, I didn't have enough foundational knowledge. I shelved the idea… temporarily."
"But if you really want to do this for Lady Mito—then I'm in. We'll move it up to the top of our research list."
"Give us a year or two, and I think we can make it happen."
Worst case, Ren could always use his wish ability to artificially spike his comprehension. Just once. That'd be enough to push through any block.
Keeping Mito alive was far too valuable.
She was Konoha's unshakable pillar. So long as she stood, Sarutobi and Danzo wouldn't dare cross the line. Not completely.
With her alive, Ren could protect himself, Tsunade, and the future industries he planned to build. Any project backed by the Senju couldn't be touched.
There were simply too many benefits.
And Mito had shown him nothing but respect. She'd offered to teach him sealing techniques without hesitation, despite his Uchiha blood.
If she hadn't—if she'd treated him with prejudice—he might've made a very different decision.
But she chose well. So did Tsunade.
And in truth, Ren knew that both his internal energy cultivation and his chakra cycle method could be used to extend one's natural lifespan.
But now wasn't the time to share that. Not yet. He wanted to build deeper trust first.
"Really? You're serious?"
Tsunade leaned forward, eyes bright with hope, hands gripping his shoulders.
Ren nodded with confidence. "I believe we can do it."
"YES!" Tsunade shouted, slapping his shoulder in excitement—hard.
"GAH—!"
Ren winced, face contorting from the impact.
"…Oops! Sorry! My bad!" Tsunade quickly rubbed the sore spot with a sheepish grin. "Got a little too excited there."
"Anyway… when do we start?"
Ren rolled his eyes. "When the funding comes through? We need to build the lab, order equipment, get our team set up—basic stuff first."
"Also, we can't focus only on this. We still need to finish the other drug projects."
"After the research facility's operational, we'll need to produce those early-stage formulas to generate cash flow."
"Otherwise, we'll burn through that 20 million ryō in no time."
"…And don't forget, I'm still studying daily."
He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Don't plan on dragging me into non-stop experiments just yet."