Tsunade was in the middle of fighting Uchiha Hikaru over food when she heard Mito's words and visibly froze.
She was still young, so of course she didn't understand the deeper meaning behind Mito Uzumaki's offer.
But thinking back to how she'd just misunderstood Uchiha Hikaru, and how kind he'd been in return...
She turned to look at him—at his handsome features and sunny, radiant smile.
For a moment, something clicked the wrong way in her head. Tsunade blushed and set down the piece of barbecue she had just wrestled for.
She quickly sat back in her seat, face red, and murmured:
"I-I don't really mind... but shouldn't you ask the person involved first?"
Mito Uzumaki had seen it all in her life, and just one look at Tsunade's expression told her that the girl had misunderstood something.
It must've been her wording—Tsunade probably thought she was trying to marry Hikaru into the family. That explained her reaction.
Mito couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Kids these days really do understand way too much...
Still, she didn't expose Tsunade's little misunderstanding. Instead, she turned to Uchiha Hikaru and said:
"Little Tsunade's right. I was the one who forgot to ask the person most affected."
"So, Hikaru, would you like to come live with me?"
The sudden invitation surprised Uchiha Hikaru. But then he realized Mito Uzumaki's offer likely wasn't just because she found him pleasant—it had to have deeper motivations.
After all, they had just met. Who adopts a child out of nowhere? Clearly, there was more going on beneath the surface.
Sure, Hikaru could be lazy at times, but that didn't mean he was stupid.
The original story didn't go into detail about this period, so he couldn't be certain if someone else had once been this lucky.
But now that the opportunity had fallen into his lap, he might as well take it.
Accepting Mito Uzumaki's offer would only bring advantages to his future goals—no downsides at all.
So even though the invitation had come out of nowhere, Uchiha Hikaru gave it some thought… and responded.
"But we just met. We don't even know each other's names."
Mito Uzumaki smiled apologetically.
"That's okay. I already like you. And names can come later. I'm Senju Mito, and this is my granddaughter."
"And your name?"
She looked at him with anticipation, clearly waiting for his final answer.
"I'm Uchiha Hikaru. I'm from the Uchiha clan—are you sure you can adopt me?"
Seeing the hopeful look in Hikaru's eyes, Mito Uzumaki smiled and nodded.
When she nodded, Hikaru lit up and turned to the still-shy Tsunade.
"That's great! Then let's get along from now on!"
Tsunade stared at the boy who seemed to be glowing in the sunlight and was momentarily dazed. She was still too young to truly understand what it meant to like someone.
But when she saw how happy Uchiha Hikaru was, she couldn't help but feel happy too.
"Mhm!"
She broke into a huge smile and gave her firm reply.
Mito Uzumaki watched the two with a classic "auntie smile" on her face.
The scene reminded her of when she'd first met Hashirama Senju. They had met through an arranged marriage, and by the time they got to know each other, they were already adults.
But Hashirama had been like a giant kid—goofy, clueless, and always passive.
Whether it was dating or proposing, she'd had to take the lead. Hashirama was basically a wooden block.
These days, Mito found herself reminiscing a lot. Old age did that—made you look back on the beautiful memories of youth. Even someone like Mito Uzumaki was no exception.
She gently patted both kids on the head and scolded them fondly:
"Alright, this is a public place. Don't get too rowdy."
Even Uchiha Hikaru blushed a little. After all, his soul wasn't actually a child.
Tsunade had an excuse for being childish, but he had gotten carried away too.
He quickly pushed the blame onto his body—clearly, the hormones were messing with him, making him act more childish than usual.
Wanting to salvage the moment—or at least not be the only one embarrassed—he looked up with an innocent face and asked:
"By the way, just now you said you're Tsunade's grandma, right? So how old are you, sis?"
As soon as he said it, a cold chill swept across his skin, raising every hair on his body.
He slowly turned toward Mito Uzumaki. She was still smiling—but somehow that smile was terrifying.
Her entire presence felt like it had slipped into shadow. Her eyes radiated a killing intent that chilled him to the bone.
Meanwhile, Tsunade had taken the chance to sneak away under the excuse of going to the bathroom.
Now left all alone, Uchiha Hikaru had no choice but to pretend to be calm. He swallowed and said:
"I misspoke just now! What I meant to say was—can I call you Sister Mito from now on?"
The moment he said that, Mito's stormy aura vanished, and her kind demeanor returned as if nothing had happened.
The murderous vibe and shadowy aura disappeared like a bad dream, and even the sunlight seemed brighter again.
"You can call me Sister Mito. You and Tsunade can call me whatever suits you."
"And also, try not to say thoughtless things like that anymore, okay?"
Uchiha Hikaru let out a long breath. That was close.
Clearly, no matter what world you're in, a woman's age is always a taboo topic.
At that moment, Tsunade suddenly returned from who-knows-where. After confirming Mito's mood had calmed, she breathed a sigh of relief too.
Then she casually picked up her chopsticks and resumed eating barbecue, while Hikaru gritted his teeth in silent rage.
That little snake! She just bailed the moment things got serious! He hadn't even seen how she slipped away.
And judging by how natural she was at it, this clearly wasn't her first time pulling that move.
That made Hikaru feel a little uneasy about the days ahead, now that he was going to live with Mito Uzumaki.
Still… he couldn't afford to offend Mito. And Tsunade? She was just a brat—what trouble could she cause?
Besides, he was hungry. So Hikaru decided to take revenge… by stealing food from her.
Suddenly, chopsticks clashed wildly across the table. The barbecue disappeared at lightning speed as the two went head-to-head in a fierce eating battle.
But neither of them dared touch the portion in front of Mito Uzumaki. Clearly, they hadn't lost all their common sense—they weren't about to anger the final boss.
Time passed in this playful atmosphere. As more and more people left BBQ Q, the "war" between Tsunade and Uchiha Hikaru gradually came to an end.
Tsunade was leaning back, belly full, clearly suffering from having overeaten just to keep up with Hikaru.
She looked at his flat stomach with unconcealed frustration. She'd expected to lose, but actually losing in a food fight stung more than she thought.