"You wanted to see me today, do you have something in mind?" Hiruzen asked proactively when he noticed Mito had gone silent.
"It's about Shin," Mito replied with a smile. "This child missed the most critical seven years of training, he's basically a lost cause in terms of becoming a ninja. But you've seen his talent in medical ninjutsu. I've never seen anyone with such a natural gift for medicine and healing techniques. So, I plan to have him become a medical-nin and contribute to the village. What do you think?"
"This…" Hiruzen fell into deep thought.
He understood Mito well. She always sounded like she was asking, but she'd usually already made up her mind. How could he possibly refuse?
"I don't mean to make things difficult for you," Mito saw through his hesitation and continued. "After all, you're the Hokage now. The final decision lies with you. I'm just making a small suggestion."
"Do you know why Tobirama targeted him back then?" Mito asked again.
"I do," Hiruzen nodded, replying with some helplessness.
Tobirama never explained his reasons for suppressing Shin, even until his death, he simply issued an order. As a strict man, he disliked lying. He was straightforward in all matters. Even his disdain for the Uchiha clan was something he never tried to hide. So if all he had was a suspicion based on a single look, he truly wouldn't have had a concrete explanation.
Still, Hiruzen shared the same judgment as Mito.
"This matter was handled too carelessly!" Mito said with displeasure. "Tobirama isn't here anymore, so I won't speak ill of him, but if he were, I'd definitely scold him. How could a Hokage ruin a child's future just because he smiled once? Is it because he's from the Uchiha clan that he's not even allowed to smile?"
"Uh..." Hiruzen looked awkward, unsure of what to say.
"Speak your mind!" Mito urged.
With a sigh, Hiruzen explained, "We've suppressed that child for so many years, it's inevitable that he harbors resentment. His lack of strength doesn't matter, but I'm worried that if he becomes powerful, he might harm the village."
"That's a very reasonable concern," Mito nodded, acknowledging his point.
"Here's what I'm thinking: Tobirama's wishes should still be respected." Mito, after taking a roundabout approach, finally laid out her plan. "That child missed the best years for growth, so there's no need for him to undergo ninja training."
"But his talent in healing shouldn't go to waste. So, just allow him to learn how to mold chakra correctly and become an excellent medical-nin, to serve the village. Of course, the surveillance can continue. I know you're the one who follows Tobirama's orders most strictly. But there's no reason to reject the chance to gain a genius medical-nin. After all, that child has never done anything against the village, nor shown any such inclination. If anyone objects, just blame me. It won't be you disobeying Tobirama's orders, it'll be because I asked you to do it."
At this time, Hiruzen hadn't yet shown the signs of senility he would later be known for, so Mito made sure to preserve his dignity.
Given all she said, hr really couldn't refuse. He nodded and said, "I'll agree to this."
With his promise, Mito felt much better. Tsunade, I can only help you this far. The rest is up to you!
When one lived long enough, their experience naturally became richer.
Though Tsunade always grits her teeth and seems like she wants to devour Shin every time she mentions him... But for a girl her age to talk about a boy every single day, do you really need to ask what that means?
In her eyes, Tsunade had already placed Shin deep in her heart. Only Tsunade herself didn't realize it. Of course, that foolish boy also seemed completely unaware, and even found Tsunade annoying.
When it came to the Uchiha clan, Mito, just like Hashirama, held no prejudice. But as for matters between children, she couldn't be bothered to interfere. Let the kids sort themselves out.
---
At the Namikaze household, After finishing work and returning home, Shin shouted loudly when he saw Yasuto.
"I'm home!"
"Lost today?" Yasuto affectionately rubbed Shin's head and asked.
The events at Konoha Hospital had already spread quickly, so he naturally knew what happened.
"Heh, don't worry, I didn't take it to heart at all," Shin said sincerely, he truly didn't care.
His actions today were just to provoke Tsunade a bit, to see if he could use her influence to gradually ease the village's restrictions on him, making it easier for him to find a chance to escape.
"Where's Minato?" He glanced around and asked.
"Probably still training," Yasuto replied, a little proud yet also worried. "That boy's great in every way, just trains way too hard."
But just as he finished speaking, Minato burst through the door.
"Dad, Nii-san, I'm home!"
"Go wash up. We're eating."
As for how Shin ended up in the Namikaze household and became Minato's older brother, that story goes back seven years.
Yasuto and his wife were not ninjas, just ordinary civilians in Konoha. Though after years of observation, Shin was convinced that Yasuto's bloodline was anything but ordinary, likely descended from someone remarkable. But by his generation, he was the only person in Konoha left with the Namikaze surname, so his ancestry couldn't be traced.
Yasuto and his wife had been married for nearly 20 years but had never had a child, which caused them great sorrow.
The Namikaze line was about to end!
Around that time, thanks to Kagami's arrangements, Shin was expelled from the Uchiha clan and severed all ties with them.
Desperate for a child, Yasuto immediately felt a strong connection to the boy who had just moved in next door and applied to adopt him.
No biological son? A foster son was just as good.
Especially since after Shin moved in, he was deeply respectful and filial to the couple, making them incredibly satisfied.
Then, just two months after he became part of the family, Yasuto's wife was unexpectedly found to be pregnant. Fortunately, Yasuto and his wife were kind-hearted. Far from rejecting Shin, they treated him even better out of fear that he might feel abandoned.
And so, the family had lived happily together ever since.
"Nii-san," at the dinner table, Minato glanced toward the door and softly said, "Can you spend more time with me today?"
"Haha, of course!" Shin chuckled as he ruffled Minato's golden head, agreeing without hesitation.
This was a secret code between the two brothers.
Minato had shown remarkable talent from a young age and had officially entered the Ninja Academy a year ago to begin his studies.
But in truth, most of his ninjutsu knowledge had been taught to him by Shin, even Yasuto didn't know this. What sounded like a simple "spend time with me" to outsiders was actually code for: "I've got a lot of training questions, can you skip overtime today and help me?"