The last of the medical charts were filed, and the sun was beginning to bleed orange across the horizon of the Land of Rain.
Tsunade stretched, her joints popping audibly. She looked down at Ren, who was wiping his hands on a clean towel. They had been working for hours, and the adrenaline was finally fading into a dull ache.
"Good work, brat," Tsunade said, a tired smile gracing her lips. She reached into her pouch and pulled out a small flask. She uncorked it, the sharp scent of high-quality sake filling the air between them.
She took a swig and offered it to him. "Here. Wash the taste of blood out of your mouth."
Ren looked at the flask, then at her. "Lady Tsunade, I'm fifteen."
"So?" Tsunade scoffed, waving a hand dismissively. "We're at war. You've saved more lives today than most Jonin do in a lifetime. No one is going to report you. Drink."
Ren hesitated. For a split second, the idea was appealing. But then, a terrifying image flashed in his mind: his mother's smiling face turning into a mask of demonic fury if she ever smelled alcohol on his breath.
He shuddered involuntarily.
"I... I value my life, Lady Tsunade," Ren said, taking a decisive step back. "My mother has a sensory ability for trouble. If I drink that, I won't survive the night."
Tsunade blinked, then burst into laughter. "Hah! The boy who stared down Orochimaru is scared of his mommy? Fine, more for me."
Ren bowed politely and turned to leave. "Rest well, Lady Tsunade."
Ren navigated the camp toward the Uchiha sector. The atmosphere shifted as he crossed the invisible line separating the general infantry from his clan.
Dozens of Uchiha ninja were gathered near the fires. When they saw Ren, the conversation stopped, replaced instantly by cheers.
"Ren!" "There he is! The hero!"
Three Uchiha Jonin surrounded him, their faces flushed with pride. They clapped him on the back, shaking his hand with fervor.
"We heard everything!" one of them beamed. "Sixty clones! Saving the Senju heir! You showed them the true power of the Uchiha!"
"Keep it up, Ren," another whispered conspiratorially, leaning close. "With power like this... and the fame you're garnering... you could definitely be the next Hokage."
"Yes! The village won't be able to ignore us anymore!"
"Ren Uchiha, the Fourth Hokage! It has a nice ring to it!"
Ren forced a polite smile, nodding mechanically as he pushed through the crowd. "Thank you. I just did my duty. Please, excuse me, my parents are waiting."
He extricated himself from the crowd, his smile vanishing the moment his back was turned.
'Next Hokage...' Ren thought bitterly. 'They are so desperate for validation. They don't see the knives being sharpened in the shadows.'
He reached his family's tent. His father, Satoshi, was waiting outside, leaning against a crate. He gave Ren a curt nod, his eyes scanning the surrounding Uchiha celebrating Ren's return.
"They are loud tonight," Satoshi commented quietly.
"They have hope," Ren replied.
Satoshi didn't say anything to that. He just opened the tent flap. "Come in. Your mother is waiting."
Inside, the warm glow of a lantern illuminated the small space. His mother sat on a rug, mending a torn flak jacket. When she saw Ren, she dropped the needle and rushed over, pulling him into a bone-crushing hug.
"Ren!" She checked him over, her hands glowing faintly with green chakra to scan for injuries. "Are you hurt? Is your chakra stable? I heard you used a massive amount."
"I'm fine, Mom," Ren said, relaxing into her embrace. "Just tired."
She cupped his face, her eyes shining with tears of pride. "My brave boy. Everyone is talking about you. They say you are the greatest medic Konoha has ever seen."
She led him to sit down, pouring him tea. Her expression softened into something wistful.
"You know," she said softly, looking at the Uchiha fan symbol on the tent wall. "With talent like yours... maybe the village will finally accept us. Maybe... just maybe... my son will be the one to wear the hat. You could be the Hokage, Ren."
Ren froze with the teacup halfway to his mouth.
He looked at his father. Satoshi was looking down at his tea, but there was a subtle tightness in his jaw.
Ren realized something profound in that moment.
His parents—Satoshi and his mother—had withdrawn from clan politics. They claimed to be neutral. They avoided the coup talk. But deep down, buried under layers of resignation, they still harbored the collective dream of the Uchiha. They still wanted to be acknowledged. They still wanted to lead.
'Even the quiet ones dream of it,' Ren realized. 'The desire to be Hokage isn't just about power for them. It's about acceptance. Proof that they are part of this village.'
But Ren knew the truth. He knew about Danzo. He knew about the suspicions of the Elders.
'The Hokage faction will never let an Uchiha take the seat easily,' Ren analyzed coldly as he sipped his tea. 'The more the Uchiha push for me, the more the Council will push back.'
He thought about the state of the clan. The Police Force was their only domain, but it was a cage. It isolated them, made them hated by the populace, and worse—it was underfunded. The village controlled the purse strings. Without financial independence and political leverage outside of "force," the Uchiha were doomed to fail.
Ren set his cup down.
'I cannot become Hokage by just being strong. Madara was strong, and he failed. I need leverage. I need something the village cannot function without. Something that makes me indispensable, not just formidable.'
His mind drifted to a project he had been theorizing about during his medical studies.
'The Police Force needs funds. The Clan needs good press. And I need a way to distribute my influence.'
He looked at his hand, flexing his fingers.
'While increasing the compatibility of the Quincy branch to ensure my survival in combat, I also need to focus back on the Healing Tags. and now I also have data and experience '
"Did you say something, dear?" his mother asked.
Ren looked up, a new resolve in his eyes. He smiled gently.
"Nothing, Mom. Just thinking about the future."
'I will focus on the Healing Tag,' Ren decided internally. 'A consumable medical jutsu that anyone can use. If I can perfect it, the Uchiha will control the supply of the most valuable resource in war: survival.'