In one of Konoha Hospital's offices, Uchiha Ran clenched his teeth, fury raging inside him.
The mere memory of everything that had happened to him reignited his hatred for Senju Tobirama with unprecedented intensity, gnawing at him relentlessly.
He wanted to dig that man out of his grave, grind him to dust, and scatter his remains to the wind.
Seven years ago, he had died in a car accident and, without fully understanding how, found himself transported into the world of Naruto, merging with the soul and memories of a ten-year-old boy from the Uchiha clan—becoming the new Uchiha Ran.
That very day, having shaken off the shock, he happily stepped out onto the streets of Konoha—and laid eyes on Senju Tobirama for the first time.
At that exact moment, an unfamiliar voice echoed in his mind:
[Ding! System activated. Host has acquired all of Senju Tobirama's innate talents (available for upgrading)!]
The voice yanked him back to reality—Ran shuddered, but then elation surged through him.
Yet when he, unable to contain his joy, raised his head—and locked eyes with Tobirama himself—the man's cold, piercing, bone-chilling gaze froze him in place.
Those eyes were filled with suspicion. He stared at Ran as if he were something alien—a monster.
"What the hell are you staring at me like that for?! You seriously planning to kill me over a single glance in a crowd?! Do laws even exist here?!"
Fortunately, Tobirama was in a hurry that day—heading to a peace treaty meeting with Kumogakure and the Second Raikage.
He only shot Ran a final warning glare, icy and sharp, before swiftly leaving the village with his students and guards in tow.
Only once he was out of sight did Ran finally exhale in relief.
He already had an idea why Tobirama had stared at him like that.
Senju Tobirama had always been suspicious of the Uchiha clan.
And that crazed glint that had flashed in Ran's eyes for just a moment was all too familiar to Tobirama—it was the same look he had when engrossed in his experiments.
To him, that look was a genuine threat.
"This one must be eliminated! Immediately!"
Tobirama wasn't the type to show mercy—not even to a ten-year-old child. He was far too ruthless for that.
So, in his heart, Ran roared:
"Yasshiyare! (Drop dead, bastard!)"
After all, he knew Tobirama would walk into an ambush that day—he'd be fatally wounded during the betrayal of the Gold and Silver Brothers.
And to save his students, he'd draw the enemy's attention and die.
The thought of it eased Ran's heart.
"That's what you get. Stare at me—and drop dead."
And sure enough, news of Senju Tobirama's death soon spread through Konoha.
The village plunged into mourning, while Ran—finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But just as he thought, "Now it's over, I can live in peace…"—real trouble began.
The moment Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, returned to Konoha and took office, Ran immediately came under surveillance.
"Not just surveillance—he was outright tailed."
Without explanation, he was expelled from the Academy, stripped of any chance to graduate and become a genin.
Worse—he was strictly forbidden from any kind of training.
No ninjutsu study. No practice. Just the life of an ordinary civilian. And—under constant watch.
"What are you so afraid of? That I'll become strong? Or that I'll run away? Did you just decide to break me outright?! I went through so much to end up in the world of *Naruto—who wouldn't dream of becoming the strongest, with Tsunade on one side and Mei on the other?! And here I am—not even allowed to start. Failed right out of the gate. All because of one damn look from Tobirama in a crowd. I might just be the unluckiest transmigrator ever."*
But the misfortunes didn't end there.
Even Uchiha Kagami—the clan elder known for his gentleness—acted with uncharacteristic harshness this time.
He declared that Ran had violated the clan's code and, against all expectations, personally exiled him from the Uchiha.
From then on, every move Ran made was shadowed by an ANBU squad.
They rotated shifts like clockwork. Watching him around the clock.
"Even Danzō would envy this level of security."
No need to guess—it was obvious: before his death, Senju Tobirama had left something for his students.
"So what's your grudge against me, Senju Tobirama? What feud do we even have? You couldn't even die properly—you still keep meddling in my life! All because of one look? Have you completely lost it, you damn bastard?!"
Drowning deeper in hatred for Senju Tobirama, Uchiha Ran felt a wave of helplessness rise in his chest.
His adoptive parents had died when he was still a child—in the drawn-out, bloody First Shinobi World War.
So Uchiha Ran never received proper Uchiha upbringing. All his knowledge came solely from the Ninja Academy.
He had no exceptional talent—by age ten, he was only slightly stronger than a fresh genin.
In this situation, all he could do was scream into the void—neither Heaven nor Earth answered.
So what if he had all of Senju Tobirama's innate talents, with the potential to upgrade them?
Did he dare study them? Dare practice them?!
With dozens of eyes tracking his every move, the moment he did anything suspicious—the consequences were easy to imagine.
And Hiruzen Sarutobi, fresh into his role as Third Hokage, was known for his decisiveness.
So for the past seven years, Ran could only immerse himself in theoretical study.
Breaking down the logic of various ninjutsu, analyzing ways to refine techniques, mentally calculating paths to creating unconventional, rare arts.
But practice? None. Not yet.
Fortunately, the family that took Ran in turned out to be kind—over these seven years, they'd come to treat him almost like their own son.
Especially after he unexpectedly displayed a remarkable talent for medicine.
Unaware of the truth, his adoptive father, Namikaze Shajin, used his connections to get him apprenticed at Konoha Hospital.
Apparently, Hiruzen decided that a doctor—even if he became a medical-nin—posed no real threat, so he didn't interfere.
And so, Ran became a medic... No, not a medic-nin, since he held no ninja title at all. Even though he'd already mastered many medical techniques.
"Doctor Ran, emergency! One of the wounded needs surgery!"
Just as Ran was still cursing Senju Tobirama in his heart, a nurse burst into the office, shouting urgently.
"Ninja or civilian?" Ran asked, as per protocol.
Everyone in the hospital knew: Ran treated ninja and ordinary people with completely different approaches. So the question surprised no one.
"Ninja!" the nurse answered without hesitation.
"On my way—prepare the operating room!" Ran nodded, already gathering his medical kit.
---
Operating Room.
Uchiha Ran swiftly treated the gruesome wound on the patient's arm—stitching it up, bandaging it.
"How do you feel?" he asked softly.
"Much better, Doctor Ran," the shinobi exhaled in relief, glad to have kept his arm.
"I'll perform an additional procedure now—it'll speed up recovery," Ran nodded, opening his kit and retrieving silver needles.
"Try activating the technique you know best. Don't fully execute it—just recreate the chakra flow pattern internally. The key is to do it as slowly as possible."
"Uh... Doctor, why?" the wounded ninja asked, puzzled.
"Don't you want to heal faster?" Ran frowned slightly, as if annoyed.
"Got it! I'll try now!" the ninja immediately complied.
He raised his injured arm, slowly forming hand seals with his uninjured one.
Meanwhile, Ran placed a hand on his abdomen, intently sensing the chakra flow.