The Uchiha Clan would have a field day then, laughing at the Senju Clan. Weren't you Senju supposed to be so impressive? Look, even your clan's little princess has been won over by one of us Uchiha. Tsk tsk, you've really gone downhill.
One could imagine how the Senju Clan would react. Even if the Uchiha continued protecting Uchiha Hikaru then, Hikaru's days would not be easy. He might even face all kinds of targeting and assassination attempts!!!
The village looked peaceful on the surface, but once you lacked the ability to protect yourself and had offended great clans like the Senju and Uchiha, you would die horribly. They might watch their image and refrain from doing anything to you while you were in the village, but would you stay there forever?
The moment you left the village would be the day you died!!!
"Tsunade... Hmph, this is interesting. If she wants to use me, Uchiha Hikaru, as a weapon, she'll have to pay a price first, won't she? Two ninjutsu scrolls is really stingy." Hikaru sneered inwardly and put the matter aside.
No matter how she hinted at it, Hikaru only needed to take the benefits while maintaining neither too close nor too distant a relationship with Tsunade. If the clan questioned him, he could simply say that Tsunade was difficult to deal with and that he was still working on it.
Fortunately, no one would think such a thing could be accomplished in a day or two. The stubborn old men of the Uchiha Clan could afford to wait.
Once I have absolute strength, I'll make you pay!!!!
Eating, bathing, refining Chakra—Hikaru's Chakra reserves grew day by day. As the intensity of his training continued to increase, his progress was tremendous, though it also left him exhausted and covered in injuries.
What was remarkable was that after one night's sleep, all the negative effects brought on by training would vanish completely. That was one of Hikaru's greatest strengths—or rather, the strength of the God-tier Evolution Potion.
"Great Elder... Sooner or later, I'll pay you back for this!!!"
Early that morning, Hikaru stood before the mirror and looked at his reflection. His pair of Sharingan stood out starkly.
Other than in his own little home, Hikaru had never used his Sharingan. He quietly continued making himself stronger. What he needed was time and an opportunity to soar into the sky. The Uchiha could give him that opportunity, but they could not be relied upon. Using him to deal with the Senju Clan was truly a fine scheme.
Besides the Uchiha, there was also Konoha's Highest Authority!!!
But it would not be easy to draw the other party's attention without making himself stand out too much. Moreover, the Third Hokage's favor was only a small safeguard, a platform for taking off. Countless difficulties still lay ahead, waiting for Uchiha Hikaru to overcome.
Carrying his breakfast, as well as Tsunade's meat pie, Hikaru slung his schoolbag over his back and left home for the Ninja Academy. As for the so-called reward, there was no reason to refuse something offered for free. Ninjutsu was one of the things Hikaru currently lacked the most.
As for waiting until graduation and earning Contribution Points through missions to exchange for ninjutsu scrolls, who knew how long that would take?
He wondered whether his current Chakra was enough to cast ninjutsu...
Hikaru became distracted again. Without a teacher's guidance, he knew practically nothing about this field. He could only wait until he got the scrolls and try them out to learn the result.
Spacing out absentmindedly seemed to have become something Hikaru enjoyed doing.
Before he knew it, Hikaru had arrived at the academy. Because he had been spacing out, his steps had been a little slow. By the time he reached the classroom, almost all the other students had arrived. Though they attended class together and could be considered classmates, aside from Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya, Hikaru had never paid attention to anyone else. They were basically strangers.
"Ah-ha~~~~"
Tsunade was sprawled over her desk, dozing as she waited for Hikaru's meat pie. She had deliberately slept a little longer today, but fortunately, Hikaru had not disappointed her.
Tsunade did not stand on ceremony. She picked up the meat pie and began biting into it as if everything were only natural. The two did not exchange a word.
Smack~ smack~
The sound of her eating the meat pie echoed through the classroom, and its aroma wafted out, making quite a few people widen their eyes. They were very curious where Hikaru had bought it. How had they never seen it before?
Jiraiya, who sat in the front, especially nearly drooled as he stared at the meat pie in Tsunade's hand. Perhaps he found it embarrassing, or perhaps he was afraid Tsunade would blow up, but he kept forcing himself not to look. His expression of enduring, enduring, and enduring again nearly made Hikaru burst out laughing. It was only a meat pie—was it really necessary?
Mmm~~~ Delicious, delicious!!!
Tsunade was not being polite with Hikaru because, in her heart, they could at least be considered friends now. It was not that Tsunade had fallen in love with Hikaru at first sight, nor was it some ridiculous case of love born from hate. Besides, for five-year-old children, if they did not find someone annoying and had a favorable impression of them, then they were friends. It was that simple.
They did not have the same twisted thoughts as adults.
"Tsk~~ Slow down. No one's going to take it from you."
Seeing Tsunade go from yawning one moment to brimming with energy the next, Hikaru noticed the crumbs stuck to the corner of her mouth. He did not know whether some compulsive urge had kicked in, but he subconsciously raised his hand and gently wiped them away.
It was a perfectly ordinary gesture, but with all sorts of messy rumors already spreading wildly outside, it became a big problem...
Before you continue