Plans Couldn't Keep Up with Changes

At the end of the day, Tsunade was still a child. It was only natural for her to care about winning and losing over something like this.

Hoshiryu Uchiha, meanwhile, had been provoked into taking an interest by Tsunade, which was why he had gone along with this contest between children.

Looking at Tsunade lying in her seat with a hand over her stomach, Hoshiryu Uchiha delivered the final blow.

"Mm, seven-tenths full is enough. Eating too much will upset your stomach."

After saying that, Hoshiryu Uchiha gave Tsunade a meaningful look and let her figure it out herself before turning to Mito Uzumaki.

"Sister Mito, I can't go to your place today yet. There are still a lot of things at home that I need to sort out."

"So, would it be okay if I went the day after tomorrow?"

Naturally, Mito Uzumaki had no reason to refuse such a reasonable suggestion. Besides, her decision had been so sudden that the Senju Clan residence only had rooms prepared for guests.

Leaving a day as a buffer would also give them time to prepare a room for Hoshiryu Uchiha.

"Of course. I'll pick you up the morning after tomorrow and take you to the Hokage Tower to complete the formalities."

Hoshiryu Uchiha rose to his feet and gave a solemn bow, his eyes shining as he said,

"Thank you for adopting me. No matter what, I will repay you."

Mito Uzumaki smiled faintly and helped Hoshiryu Uchiha straighten up, then told him,

"It's all right. Being able to adopt such a kind child as you would be my honor as well."

Looking at the woman before him, Hoshiryu Uchiha knew that she had not understood the meaning behind his words.

In truth, Hoshiryu Uchiha's words carried another meaning, but because of their unequal information, she had failed to catch it.

Hoshiryu Uchiha knew that Mito Uzumaki had other motives for adopting him, but he did not care, because being adopted by her had indeed brought him benefits.

Judge a gentleman by his deeds, not his heart; if one judged hearts, no one in the world would be flawless.

In this world, what mattered was what a person actually did, not the reasons behind it.

Though it was somewhat results-oriented, Hoshiryu Uchiha lived by that principle.

His suggestion just now might have taken advantage of the Orphanage, but the result was that the Orphanage would get to eat barbecue two more times every month.

No matter how calculating Hoshiryu Uchiha might have been inside, the outcome of his scheme was good.

Unlike the future Pot Kage and Third Hokage, who claimed that everything they did was for Konoha.

Yet not a single thing they actually did benefited Konoha. If Konoha had not possessed such a deep foundation, the two of them would have ruined it long ago.

Meanwhile, Mito Uzumaki's adoption of Hoshiryu Uchiha brought him tangible benefits.

For example, with Mito Uzumaki protecting him in the future, he could change all the plans he had originally made.

His AFK System still needed time to develop. Given that old schemer Danzo's hatred for the Uchiha Clan, if Hoshiryu Uchiha displayed exceptional talent,

there was a chance Danzo would secretly kill him in the name of serving the village before he had even grown strong.

If that happened, then no matter how brilliant Hoshiryu Uchiha's future might have been, it would all be fleeting smoke, shattered at a touch.

Therefore, his original plan had been to become a ninja with only medical talent, then carry out the more aggressive parts of his plan after he gained the ability to protect himself.

But things were different now. Mito Uzumaki was going to formally adopt him, which would provide him with an umbrella of protection.

With that protection sheltering him, he would have enough time for his early growth, allowing him to carry out his plans sooner.

So Hoshiryu Uchiha's talk of repaying her was by no means empty words. He would definitely protect the future Uzumaki Clan!

That would count as repaying Mito Uzumaki for her kindness now. He was not the kind of person who only talked without acting.

After calling over the owner and settling the bill, Mito Uzumaki ignored the owner's fawning smile and led Tsunade and Hoshiryu Uchiha out of Barbecue Q.

A light cold breeze drifted past, and the three, who had felt a little stuffy after eating barbecue, wore relieved expressions.

Mito Uzumaki released Hoshiryu Uchiha's hand, then took Tsunade by the hand and slowly walked up to him.

"Then it's settled. I'll come pick you up the morning after tomorrow, so remember not to oversleep."

"Little Tsunade and I are leaving now. Be careful on your way back alone, understand?"

Hoshiryu Uchiha nodded and waved to the two of them.

"I understand. Don't worry, Sister. My home is very close to here."

The three then headed down their separate roads home. Before long, Hoshiryu Uchiha saw his house.

When Hoshiryu Uchiha reached the door, he found a stack of books neatly arranged in front of it.

There was also a letter on top. Hoshiryu Uchiha picked it up and read it carefully.

{I knocked for a long time, but no one answered, so I knew you had not returned yet.

So I left the medical books at your door. Remember to study hard.

Uchiha Sen}

It was a very brief letter. In fact, Hoshiryu Uchiha had known who wrote it even before he finished reading.

After all, with so many books placed before him, there was no one other than Uchiha Sen, who had promised him, that it could have been.

Carrying the books, Hoshiryu Uchiha opened the door and returned home.

After arranging the medical texts in order, Hoshiryu Uchiha recalled what had happened today.

First, he had been told that he would be enrolling in the Ninja Academy. Then he had met the young Sannin and Might Duy there. Finally, in a dramatic twist, he had been adopted by Mito Uzumaki.

One thing after another—it truly proved the old saying: plans could not keep up with changes.

His original plan of slowly getting closer to Tsunade and the others after entering the Ninja Academy had been declared over before it even began. Now, he had to consider what to do next.

He still needed to study medical knowledge, then use the AFK System to raise its level.

But his own strength was also important. He had to reserve one slot for an ability that could improve his combat power.

For a moment, he felt troubled. Two AFK Slots were simply not enough, and he did not know when the system would unlock a new AFK Slot.

However, he now had a guess: perhaps the Uchiha Bloodline skill already included the Sharingan. If so, would keeping both on AFK be redundant?

The Uchiha Bloodline was currently green-grade. Once it rose to blue-grade, it would most likely become Indra's Bloodline or an incomplete Six Paths Bloodline.

Hoshiryu Uchiha remembered that the Mangekyo Indra awakened had been Eternal from the start. Even before awakening the Mangekyo, he could use Divine Power—Susanoo—with just Three-Tomoe.

So if the Uchiha Bloodline leveled up, would it directly drive the Sharingan's evolution as well?

If things were truly as Hoshiryu Uchiha suspected, he could free up an AFK Slot and ease his current shortage of skill slots.

But this needed testing, so Hoshiryu Uchiha opened the system and placed One-Tomoe Sharingan (Green) into the AFK Slot.

Then he placed Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique (Green) into the AFK Slot. He intended to verify his guess through practical action.