"Uchiha... Hikaru, huh?"
Standing outside the door, Uchiha Chiri murmured to herself as she listened to her grandfather and father speak of the so-called genius.
She then cast a reluctant glance at the door, as if she could see through it and gaze directly at the two men inside.
A single tomoe slowly surfaced in Uchiha Chiri's eye before disappearing again.
Whether it was due to insufficient chakra, or an emotional trigger not quite reaching the threshold—
This time, her Sharingan didn't awaken.
Still, the very fact it nearly did was proof enough: Uchiha Chiri was an undeniable genius.
But due to all her fuss outside, the two inside the room had already noticed her presence.
As soon as Uchiha Noboru opened the door, he found Uchiha Chiri pouting, eyes red, staring up at him.
No need to guess—he knew right away. His little princess had overheard their conversation… and was clearly jealous.
Seeing this, Uchiha Ang quickly stood up and scooped Uchiha Chiri into his arms.
"My precious little girl, what's wrong? Who made you upset? Tell Grandpa and I'll teach them a lesson!"
Though Uchiha Ang was a man who cared deeply about profit, there was one exception: his granddaughter, Uchiha Chiri.
Chiri had lost her mother at a young age. To make up for that void, the entire family doted on her like royalty.
It's no exaggeration to say—whatever she wanted, she got. Anyone else raised this way might have grown up spoiled rotten.
But not Chiri. She had a calm and steady heart, never arrogant or impatient.
She was also polite and considerate, always making a perfect impression in front of others.
Yet even someone as perfect as Uchiha Chiri had one tiny flaw: she was terribly prone to jealousy—a little jar of vinegar, as they say.
Perhaps it stemmed from how much attention she received from Ang and Noboru. That overflowing love made her cling tighter to both.
Chiri buried her head into Ang's chest and muttered, her voice muffled:
"Is that Uchiha Hikaru really that amazing? Is he better than me?"
Hearing this, Uchiha Ang shot Noboru a look—You'd better fix this.
Receiving the signal, Uchiha Noboru gave a helpless smile. He honestly didn't know how to spin it.
Luckily, Chiri's jealousy flared fast—and faded just as quickly.
Before either man could answer, she squirmed free from Ang's arms in a leap.
Gone was the weepy little girl from moments ago—her face now brimming with pride.
"Hikaru might be stronger now, but one day, I'll surpass him!"
"I'm going to train. Call me when it's time to eat."
And with that, she dashed off before either could say a word.
The two men left behind shared a look of comforted pride.
'That's my daughter (granddaughter)!'
Meanwhile, Mito Uzumaki had completed the registration process and officially adopted Uchiha Hikaru.
It would only take a few days before the news of her adopting an Uchiha spread throughout Konoha.
Mito held Hikaru's hand gently as they strolled along the road back home.
Hikaru hesitated to speak, unsure why Mito hadn't asked him a single question.
They walked for quite a while. Hikaru could already see the Senju Clan compound in the distance… and still, not a word from her.
Unable to hold it in any longer, he let go of her hand and turned to her.
"Don't you have anything you want to ask me?"
Mito stopped and turned to face him, her eyes meeting his clear gaze.
"Everyone has secrets they don't want to share," she said softly. "When you're ready to tell me yours, I know you will."
She gave a gentle smile and flicked his forehead with a finger.
Watching him wince and grab his head in pain only made her laugh even harder.
After a good while, her laughter faded and she spoke again.
"Did you know? Hashirama's greatest regret?"
Hikaru froze, his mind recalling Hashirama Senju's life as told in the Naruto story.
He had witnessed the horrors of the Warring States era—children under ten slaughtering one another, the world steeped in blood.
He had befriended Madara Uchiha, drawn together by shared ideals, only to become enemies over differing visions.
He founded Konoha and distributed the tailed beasts to maintain balance among the five nations, hoping to bring lasting peace.
Hashirama had many regrets:
His brother never grew up healthy, perishing in that bloody era.
He gave away powerful tools in the name of peace, only to see them misused.
And his closest friend—Madara—fell by his own hand, simply because they walked different paths.
Too many regrets. Hikaru couldn't guess which one Mito meant.
But she didn't wait for his answer and began the tale on her own.
"Hashirama once told me—his greatest regret in life was not pulling his best friend back to the right path."
"I still remember that day. The day Hashirama buried Madara with his own hands."
"When he came back, he collapsed into my arms—his body covered in wounds even medical ninjutsu couldn't heal."
"It was the first time I'd ever seen him that heartbroken. He cried and said, 'If only I had let Madara become Hokage from the start, none of this would've happened.'"
"He even said Madara was right. That he himself had strayed from his original intentions."
"Hmph! That idiot Hashirama. He never spoke to me with that much sincerity before—makes me mad just thinking about it."
She puffed out her cheeks in mock annoyance, then fell quiet.
Hikaru didn't say anything either. He could tell she was remembering something painful.
After a moment, Mito recovered and gently ruffled his hair.
"After that day, even though Hashirama's body recovered, his chakra was lifeless. That gave me a terrible feeling."
"On the surface, he seemed the same as always. But I already knew…"
"And sure enough, he passed away before little Tsunade even had the chance to grow up. Left me all alone, this old granny."
"And that's when I realized something: when you truly trust someone, what they want most is for you to keep believing in them—to never stop holding that trust."
She looked him directly in the eyes and said, sincerely:
"Hikaru, can I trust you?"
Mito's heartfelt words and emotions—Hikaru had never seen anything like it, not in this life or the last.
That pure, unconditional trust struck deep into his heart.
"Of course you can. You can always trust me! As long as Mito-neesan believes in me, I'll never lose sight of my path."
In that moment, Uchiha Hikaru wholeheartedly accepted Mito Uzumaki.
Though there were clearly parts of her story he didn't yet know, one thing was undeniable:
Her trust in him was real.
And the only response to genuine trust—was to offer the same in return.