The sun gradually climbed to its peak, and its blazing rays scorched the earth, making everyone sweat profusely.
As time passed, the tests at the Ninja Academy soon came to an end.
With the proctor announcing the results, a large crowd bustled out of the training field in a lively commotion.
Uchiha Hikaru didn't bother to rush—he waited until the crowd had mostly dispersed before heading to the Academy's bulletin board.
By then, a large number of people had already gathered around it. Some wore excited expressions, while the children who didn't make the list looked disappointed and downcast.
As expected, his name was on the list for Class 1 of the Elite Track.
Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade had also made it into Class 1 of the Elite Track, while Might Duy was placed in the Regular Track.
This outcome matched his expectations. Although Jiraiya and Orochimaru weren't from major ninja clans, they were undeniably talented.
There was no need to elaborate on Orochimaru. As for Jiraiya—even though he was known as the underachiever of the class before signing a contract with Mount Myōboku—he was still an underachiever within the Elite Track.
Besides, his chakra reserves were absurdly large, the kind of ridiculous quantity required to be eligible for Sage Mode training.
Looking at the sun's position, it was already noon. It was too late to head home and prepare lunch.
Fortunately, he had received a good amount of clan compensation today, so Uchiha Hikaru decided to indulge himself with a nice meal at BBQ Q.
He strode briskly through the streets and swept aside the hanging curtain at the entrance of BBQ Q to walk in.
The moment he entered, the owner greeted him warmly and came over to take his order.
Last time, Hikaru had dined alone but spent more than most large groups combined—of course the owner was thrilled to see him again.
Uchiha Hikaru calmly placed his order. After all, he was spending his own money. If it were a free meal, then he might've shown a genuine smile.
The restaurant was packed today. Nearly every table was full, mostly families celebrating their children's successful enrollment.
Just then, a young woman with bright red hair tied in a bun entered the restaurant with Tsunade at her side.
"Grandma, I got into the best class! How are you going to reward me today?"
Tsunade bounced up and down next to the woman, her joy obvious in every gesture.
Judging by the red hair and Tsunade calling her grandma, there was no doubt—this young woman was Mito Uzumaki.
Mito squatted down and gently patted Tsunade's head with a soft smile.
Seeing that all the tables were taken, she looked around, slightly troubled.
Her eyes suddenly lit up when she spotted Uchiha Hikaru sitting alone, and she pointed toward him.
"Then how about I introduce you to a handsome little guy?"
Without caring about Tsunade's embarrassed reaction, she took her by the hand and walked straight over to Uchiha Hikaru.
"Hey there, handsome. Mind if we share a table? Everywhere else is full, and this one's on me. How about it?"
Uchiha Hikaru, who had just been quietly enjoying the scene, was suddenly stunned. From spectator to spectacle in mere seconds...
'So that's where Tsunade and Kushina got their firecracker personalities... They must've inherited it from Mito Uzumaki.'
Still, when he heard her say she was footing the bill, his expression brightened like a sunny sky, and he gave her a cheerful smile.
"Of course! I'd be happy to dine with a beautiful big sister and a cute little miss."
Mito Uzumaki felt something was slightly off about his smile, but being called beautiful big sister still made her quite pleased.
She didn't overthink it. It was just a meal, after all—and she owned this entire street. Money didn't mean much to her.
She dragged a reluctant Tsunade over and sat opposite Uchiha Hikaru. Then, with a hint of sympathy, she asked:
"Handsome, are you enrolling this year too? Which class did you get into?"
Seeing such a small child dining here all by himself, and considering the recent war, she guessed that his parents had likely passed away.
Naturally, she didn't want to bring up any painful memories—she had decades of wisdom, after all.
Uchiha Hikaru was slightly confused by the look in her eyes but answered her question anyway.
"Yeah, I'm enrolling this year too. I made it into Elite Class 1."
Tsunade looked surprised—she hadn't expected him to be in the same class as her.
Most of her little friends hadn't ended up in the Regular Track, but they had been placed in the less prestigious Elite Class 2.
Still, she wasn't too thrilled. She pouted and turned to Mito.
"Grandma, look at the crest on his clothes. He's from the Uchiha Clan!"
At that, Mito Uzumaki's expression turned serious, and she looked sternly at Tsunade:
"That's not acceptable, Tsunade. I understand that there are still some unpleasant voices in the clan—we've fought against the Uchiha for a long time, after all."
"But you can't behave that way. You're the granddaughter of Hashirama Senju. Everyone is watching you."
"The Uchiha are part of this village too. You need to set an example by accepting them. Otherwise, wouldn't that betray your grand-uncle's lifelong dream?"
After saying that, Mito turned to Uchiha Hikaru and offered an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry about that. Tsunade is still young—she may not fully understand these things yet."
"You seem to really like this place. Tell you what—from now on, whenever you come here to eat, it's on me. I'll cover the bill."
Tsunade, seeing Mito's serious face, didn't fully grasp the reasoning but still obediently turned to Uchiha Hikaru and bowed her head.
"I'm sorry. Please forgive me."
Seeing the two of them—one elder and one child—apologizing so sincerely, Uchiha Hikaru quickly waved it off.
"It's really fine. No need to be so serious."
Of course, those words didn't upset Uchiha Hikaru. He was already half-abandoned by his clan anyway.
His ambitions weren't confined to the Uchiha alone—but what truly surprised him was Mito Uzumaki's magnanimity.
The Uchiha were often seen as aloof and hard to integrate into Konoha society.
But the reality was the opposite—it wasn't that the Uchiha refused to integrate; it was that the village had never truly accepted them. That division would one day lead to conflict.
Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha had founded Konoha so that every child of every clan could grow up in peace.
Hashirama held to that dream, and under his influence, no one would have dared to reject the Uchiha.
But eventually, he and Madara parted ways, and their battle left Hashirama gravely wounded. He died not long after.
His death cost Konoha the power to suppress the other great nations, indirectly leading to war.
Thus, the village began to unconsciously ostracize the Uchiha. It was a cowardly form of blame—but still understandable as human nature.
So many lives were lost in the shinobi wars. The lovers, parents, and children of the dead would naturally seek someone to blame.
That blame, Tobirama Senju's calculated politics, and the Uchiha's own prideful nature eventually created a deep rift between the clan and the village.
And yet, the one who had the most reason to resent the Uchiha—Mito Uzumaki—chose instead to protect the greater good. That strength of character earned Uchiha Hikaru's respect.