To be fair, Tsunade was still a child, so it was perfectly normal for her to care about winning or losing over something like this.
Uchiha Hikaru was simply intrigued by her provocation, which was why he played along in this childish showdown.
Watching Tsunade lying on the bench, rubbing her stomach, Uchiha Hikaru delivered the final blow.
"Mm, being seventy percent full is enough. Eat too much and you'll have trouble digesting."
After speaking, Uchiha Hikaru gave her a look, signaling her to understand on her own, then turned to Mito Uzumaki.
"Mito-neesan, I won't be able to come to your place today. There's still a lot I need to sort out at home."
"So, I was wondering if it would be okay for me to come the day after tomorrow?"
Mito Uzumaki naturally had no reason to refuse such a reasonable request. Besides, her decision had been rather sudden, and there were only guest rooms available in the Senju estate.
Having a day to prepare would allow her to get a room ready for Uchiha Hikaru.
"That's fine. I'll come pick you up in the morning the day after tomorrow, and we'll go to the Hokage Building to complete the official paperwork."
Uchiha Hikaru stood up and bowed solemnly, then said with a bright gaze:
"Thank you for adopting me. No matter what, I'll make sure to repay you."
Mito Uzumaki smiled softly, helped him straighten up, and said gently:
"It's alright. Being able to adopt such a kind child is my honor as well."
Looking at the woman in front of him, Uchiha Hikaru knew she hadn't picked up on the deeper meaning in his words.
In truth, his words carried another implication. But due to the gap in information between them, she hadn't noticed.
Uchiha Hikaru knew Mito Uzumaki had her own reasons for adopting him, but he didn't mind. After all, it was undeniably beneficial for him.
'A gentleman judges actions, not intentions; if you judge intentions, no one in the world is without fault.'
What mattered in this world was what people actually did, not what their motives were.
Though it may seem like results-based thinking, Uchiha Hikaru had chosen to live by this principle.
Earlier, his proposal may have taken advantage of the orphanage, but the result was that the children could now eat at BBQ Q twice a month.
No matter what schemes might have been in Uchiha Hikaru's heart, the outcome of his maneuver was undeniably positive.
Unlike future "Pot Shadow" and the Third Hokage, who always claimed to act for Konoha…
But whose actions never actually benefited the village. If it weren't for Konoha's deep foundations, those two would've already run it into the ground.
In contrast, Mito Uzumaki's decision to adopt Uchiha Hikaru brought him very real benefits.
For instance, with her protection in the future, many of his original plans could be changed.
His Idle Training System still required time to develop. With Danzo's old hatred toward the Uchiha, if he showed too much talent too soon…
There was a real risk Danzo would have him quietly assassinated "for the good of the village" before he could grow strong enough.
And in that case, no matter how brilliant Uchiha Hikaru's future might have been, it would all be meaningless—just a fleeting dream shattered too early.
So originally, his plan was to pose as a Medical Ninja with healing talent, wait until he had the strength to protect himself, and only then carry out the more radical parts of his plan.
But now, things were different. With Mito Uzumaki formally adopting him, she would act as a shield.
With that shield protecting him, he would have the time he needed to grow, allowing him to start executing his plan sooner.
So when Uchiha Hikaru spoke of "repayment," it wasn't just empty words. He was determined to secure the future of the entire Uzumaki clan!
That would be the way he repaid Mito Uzumaki's kindness now. He wasn't someone who spoke without acting.
After calling the shopkeeper over to settle the bill—ignoring the man's eager, flattering smile—Mito Uzumaki took Tsunade and Uchiha Hikaru and left BBQ Q.
A light breeze blew past, cooling the three of them slightly after the heavy, meat-filled meal and making their expressions soften in comfort.
Mito Uzumaki let go of Hikaru's hand and gently pulled Tsunade forward, walking to stand in front of him.
"Alright, it's settled then. I'll come pick you up in the morning the day after tomorrow. Don't oversleep, okay?"
"Tsunade and I are leaving now. Be careful on your way home, alright?"
Uchiha Hikaru nodded and waved to the two of them.
"I got it. Don't worry, Nee-san. I live very close by."
The three of them went their separate ways home. Not long after, Uchiha Hikaru arrived in front of his house.
When he reached the door, he found a neat stack of books waiting for him on the doorstep.
There was also a letter placed on top. Uchiha Hikaru picked it up and began to read it carefully.
I knocked on the door for a long time. When no one answered, I figured you weren't home.
So I left the medical books at your door. Be sure to study them well.
—Uchiha Noboru
It was a short note, and Uchiha Hikaru had already guessed who wrote it even before finishing it.
After all, with this many books, who else but Uchiha Noboru—the one who had promised to lend them—would bring them?
Carrying the books, Uchiha Hikaru unlocked the door and stepped inside his home.
After carefully arranging the medical texts in order, he began to reflect on everything that had happened today.
First, he was told he would be entering the Ninja Academy. Then, he encountered the young versions of the Legendary Sannin and Might Duy at the academy, and finally—quite dramatically—was adopted by Mito Uzumaki.
One surprise after another… Truly living up to the old saying: Plans can't keep up with change.
His original strategy of slowly getting close to Tsunade and the others after entering the academy hadn't even begun before it had already ended. Now he had to reconsider what to do next.
He still needed to study medical knowledge and level it up using the Idle Training System.
But personal strength was also important. He needed to reserve a slot for developing combat-related skills.
For now, he was a bit troubled—two Idle Training slots just weren't enough. Who knew when the system would unlock new slots?
But he had a theory: maybe the "Uchiha Bloodline" skill already included the Sharingan. If so, putting both in the slots might be redundant.
Right now, "Uchiha Bloodline" was at green rarity. If it evolved to blue, it would likely become the Indra bloodline or even a fragment of the Sage of Six Paths bloodline.
Uchiha Hikaru remembered that Indra's Mangekyō Sharingan started as an Eternal one. Even without awakening it, his three-tomoe Sharingan could already wield divine power—Susanoo.
So if the "Uchiha Bloodline" skill upgraded, could it also evolve the Sharingan?
If things went as he imagined, he could free up a slot and ease the pressure on his current setup.
But this still needed to be tested. So Uchiha Hikaru opened the system and removed the One-Tomoe Sharingan (Green) from the Idle Training slot.
Then he placed Fireball Jutsu (Green) into the training slot instead. He would test his theory through action.