Itachi's Sharingan looked at Tsunade, showing no fear even when facing one of the Sannin who stood above all other Ninjas.
"Because my uncle killed fellow villagers, he is already a rogue ninja. Every Ninja in Konoha Village has the right to kill a rogue ninja."
Tsunade nodded: "I didn't expect an Uchiha of your age to see things so clearly. Mikoto, as a mother, you aren't even as mature as he is."
"I'm sorry!" Mikoto bowed deeply.
Tsunade shook her head: "I can't be bothered to care about your Uchiha affairs anymore, but remember, a tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. This kid named Itachi shouldn't run around recklessly in the future; be careful not to be targeted by those with ill intentions."
"Thank you for your concern, Lady Tsunade."
Mikoto felt that if Tsunade became the Hokage, she might be able to change the Uchiha's awkward situation in the Village.
She wasn't like those elders who held onto such rigid, ingrained views.
On the surface, Tsunade appeared calm and indifferent, but in her heart, a massive wave was surging.
He was only four years old!
No wonder Granduncle, Sensei, and that old guy Danzo were so guarded against the Uchiha.
The power of the Uchiha was too extreme; they gained power only upon losing their beloved!
"Let's go. Tell me, what kind of person is Ryou? Even to this day, I have never truly seen into his heart."
Mikoto nodded, leading Tsunade toward a certain place while reminiscing about Ryou's past: "My brother... he was the most cheerful and lively Uchiha."
"Once, he stayed up for three nights straight, making his eyes bloodshot just to go to the clan to ask for subsidies, claiming he had awakened his Sharingan."
"Hahaha..."
Kushina had a low threshold for laughter; hearing about Ryou's ridiculous antics as a child, she couldn't help but burst out laughing.
In this Village, the person who most suited her taste was Ryou. Unfortunately, Kushina was strictly forbidden from approaching the Uchiha, so she could only interact with a few who didn't have ulterior motives.
The Third Hokage had specifically warned Kushina not to get close to Ryou, even though he had been kind to Minato!
Tsunade also couldn't help but laugh, thinking of some of the stupid things Ryou did as a child just to get her attention.
The place Mikoto took Tsunade and Kushina to was the Konoha Hospital, where Ryou used to work.
"Ryou was a real scoundrel. He got accident insurance for a child and then directly brought two balls of paper to file a claim."
"Ryou had the lust but not the guts. I knew he had money, so I wanted to have a romantic night with him for some compensation, but he just asked me if I could swipe his medical insurance card?"
Kushina laughed so hard she had to clutch her stomach the whole way. She decided she had to give Minato a good lecture when she got back.
How could such an interesting Uchiha be killed like that? Wouldn't it be better to capture him and keep her entertained?
Minato really lacked foresight!
Itachi was somewhat speechless. Ryou had always lied to him about how highly respected and benevolent he was at the Konoha Hospital.
This was completely unlike the Uchiha style!
No wonder the clan always looked down on him!
Until—
Mikoto led Tsunade and the others to find the patients Ryou frequently treated. As soon as Tsunade and the others mentioned Ryou, the patients would deny any wrongdoing, and speaking of him, they all became vibrant and full of life, as if they were jumping for joy at the sight of the sun.
"Lord Ryou? I never believed he would defect. The Lord Third Hokage must have made a mistake."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade, let me tell you a secret. Every time I came to Lord Ryou for treatment, it was the best deal. A specialty medicine that cost ten thousand Ryo would only be one thousand Ryo in his hands."
"The hospital didn't have this kind of medicine. Lord Ryou made it himself. He even grew the raw materials himself and did the quality checks himself."
"But I didn't tell him that the money I gave him was actually drawn by me, hahaha..."
"..."
Tsunade looked at a patient in front of her who had lost all his hair, yet was gloating over being able to take a small advantage of Ryou.
She shook her head and turned to the next one, a disabled Ninja with missing limbs.
That Ninja cursed as soon as Ryou was mentioned: "That bastard Ryou! He drew a bunch of Exploding Tags himself and told me to sell them on the Black Market. I almost got beaten to death when I was caught."
Tsunade was puzzled: "Your leg and arm were caused by Ryou?"
The disabled Ninja shook his head: "No, I accidentally stepped on an exploding tag on the front lines. I didn't expect Ryou to save me, but I ended up crippled. My home is gone, and my wife and kids ran away."
"The little compensation from the Village couldn't treat me at all. Fortunately, I still had some mobility, so Ryou brought me in and let me help him sell those forged Exploding Tags on the Black Market."
The disabled Ninja glanced at Tsunade: "Lady Tsunade, did Ryou really commit suicide? Then I can keep all the money from selling the fake tags for myself?"
"Do you want some? I'll give you a share?"
"..."
Tsunade really wanted to throw this guy into the Konoha prison, but seeing his miserable state, she decided to let it go.
After a round of questioning, Tsunade and Kushina's hearts felt heavy.
Ryou was indeed not as simple as he appeared on the surface. Everything he did in secret was undermining the interests of the Konoha Hospital.
Even if he hadn't defected because of the human experiments, he would have been locked up as a long-term inmate one day anyway.
But where was the money? Where did the money eventually go? Was it in his fridge?
Mikoto said: "My brother didn't live a good life himself, yet he couldn't bear to see so much suffering in the world. The Police Force only found some Exploding Tags he drew and counterfeit medicine in his fridge."
"Part of his money was used for forbidden jutsu experiments, and the rest was used to help these Ninjas who came back from the battlefield and lost their ability to make a living!"
"Lady Tsunade, you also know about the medicine at Konoha Hospital..."
If Konoha were truly as peaceful as it appeared on the surface, where everyone is happy, you'd only need to go to the Konoha Hospital and ask about the medical fees to know the truth!
In the official Hokage novel Itachi Shinden, there is a branch of the Hyuga family called Mukai Kohinata, a Jonin.
Because his child was seriously ill and required high medical fees, he had to serve as a spy for Kirigakure.
A Jonin couldn't afford his own child's medical expenses?
A Jonin's reward for performing an A-rank mission is between 150,000 to 1,000,000 Ryo.
Just how expensive does medicine have to be to be called 'expensive'?
Konoha's medical system is the most complete in the Ninja World, but its structure is not Village-owned; it is monopolized by various great clans.
The Ino-Shika-Chō trio provides medicinal materials, the Sarutobi Clan provides political protection, and the Senju Clan provides Medical Ninja...
Note: The Senju Clan is not extinct or disbanded as some fanfictions claim. In the official novel Itachi Shinden, the Senju Clan is alive and well, still teaching at the Ninja Academy.
The relationship between Ninjas and the Village is one of employment, but it's a buyout system.
The higher-ups must consider the motivation of Ninjas to perform missions, much like the upper class designs the driving forces for people.
Is three thousand yuan a month enough for someone to risk their life after being fed?
A Jonin only needs to complete a few A-rank missions to achieve financial freedom. But once they have financial freedom, would they still be willing to return to those days of living on the edge, where their lives aren't their own?
Unless it's a mandatory commission from the Village, such as a forced mobilization during wartime.
As for other times, a Jonin has the right to refuse dangerous missions.
Ninjas are a group of people who do the dirty work for the rich and powerful. If they lack motivation, who will take the Village's commissions?
Therefore, the Village will always keep a tight grip on Ninjas who lack a financial foundation to ensure they risk their lives to complete missions.
This is specifically reflected in the high cost of medical and logistical expenses. Ninjas aren't immortal cultivators; although their damage resistance is higher than that of ordinary people, they haven't transcended the human realm.
They eat when they're hungry and sleep when they're tired. They get hurt, they bleed, and it's common for Ninjas to lose limbs in battle.
Moreover, most of the injuries are caused by Ninjutsu, which ordinary medical personnel simply cannot treat.
It requires Medical Ninja with exquisite Medical Ninjutsu, and it must be paired with specially made specialty medicine.
During the Chunin Exams, Rock Lee was injured by Gaara, suffering bone damage.
Such accidents are all too common for Ninjas.
Rock Lee was lucky to have a good mentor like Might Guy and a Hokage like Tsunade who recognized his Ninja Way.
If there were no personal connections or Tsunade's favor, even an elite Jonin like Might Guy would have had to become a spy just to scrape together enough money for Rock Lee's surgery.
And it wouldn't even be guaranteed to work.
Ninjas without a clan or backing are just a group of delivery drivers.
Everyone only sees the generous rewards Ninjas get for completing missions, but on the other hand, medical care specifically for Ninjas is extremely expensive.
The prices of weapons are also beyond what an average Ninja can afford. Not to mention custom-made ones; even common weapons like Exploding Tags, Kunai, and shuriken are ridiculously expensive.
If you want to perform well in combat, you have to fully mod yourself, stocking up on Exploding Tags, Kunai, and shuriken, and using the most expensive painkillers and medical kits.
Konoha has already abandoned the heavy armor of the Warring States Period, which has resulted in everyone becoming glass cannons that collapse at a single touch.
Ninjas may seem flashy, capable of scaling cliffs and walking on walls, but in reality, they are just like ordinary people, constantly being screwed over by life.