Today at BBQ Q, he had eaten a lot of high-nutrition food, and at this moment, his Uchiha Bloodline (Green) had already reached the verge of lv10.
Based on Uchiha Hikaru's assessment of the Idle Training System's rate of passive growth, by this time tomorrow, the Uchiha Bloodline ability should just about break through to the next level.
That would be the moment to confirm whether his hypothesis was correct.
As for the newly acquired Medical Ninja knowledge, it still needed to be turned into an actual skill before it could be placed on auto-training.
With one idle slot currently available, Uchiha Hikaru placed Fireball Jutsu in it for now—no sense in wasting the time.
After finishing all that, Uchiha Hikaru walked over to the table stacked with medical books and sat down.
'So many books... it looks like turning this medical knowledge into an actual ability won't be easy.'
'I originally wanted to get close to Tsunade at the Academy, but things have gone so smoothly that I'm not sure what to do next.'
Looking at the mountain of books before him, Uchiha Hikaru couldn't help zoning out a little.
The plan to approach Tsunade hadn't even started before it was already accomplished. While he was happy, he also felt a bit at a loss.
Uchiha Hikaru was adopted by Mito Uzumaki. As long as he didn't do anything too outrageous—and as long as Mito remained alive—his safety was guaranteed.
Although Mito hadn't come to terms with the Nine-Tails, her powerful sealing techniques allowed her to forcibly extract its chakra and form a Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
With Konoha's current combat strength, they probably couldn't defeat Mito even if they ganged up on her.
So while the Third Hokage might seem to be in charge on the surface, if Mito didn't give her approval, there was nothing he could do either.
That thought helped Uchiha Hikaru calm the anxiety he had been feeling. Even if he often said he didn't want to work hard, the world of Naruto was never peaceful.
Although the First Great Ninja War had ended and a long stretch of peace followed, that didn't mean there were no conflicts.
Between the Five Great Nations, there were bound to be dirty dealings. For ninjas, assassination and espionage were always part of the job.
Hikaru might bear the name Uchiha, but given how little attention he was paid, he feared that someone might easily take him out in the early stages.
If assassinations were inevitable, then offing a weak, unnoticed Uchiha with no Sharingan would be a low-risk, high-reward move—and easy to cover up afterward.
Not to mention, the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars were separated by just three or four short years, and the Third War dragged on for over a decade.
Just imagining such a prolonged war was enough to conjure images of hell.
So even with the Idle Training System, Uchiha Hikaru still felt the pressure.
The system's current training speed wasn't bad, but the cap also mattered.
If the so-called "Color Rank" ability defined in the system merely meant evolving the Sharingan into Mangekyō, then the system might not be as powerful as he hoped.
Of course, that was just Hikaru's speculation—but soon, his anxiety would be replaced by surprise.
Meanwhile, Mito Uzumaki had returned to the Senju compound with Tsunade.
As they entered the house, a maid stepped forward to assist Mito.
Seeing this, Mito looked slightly exasperated.
"Chinatsu, I've told you many times already—I don't need your help. I'm not that old yet."
Despite looking like a youthful girl, Mito was actually over fifty.
In a world where the average ninja lifespan was barely into the thirties, someone in their fifties was a rarity.
Thanks to the Yin Seal, Mito was able to maintain her youthful appearance.
"That won't do. As your maid, it's only proper that I serve you, Lady Mito."
'Besides, I'm truly grateful to Lady Mito. It's thanks to her that I've been able to support my family.'
As she spoke, Chinatsu insisted on helping Mito with her duties.
Mito looked even more helpless. Most of the maids in her household were girls with no ninja talent, usually from struggling families.
She understood their desire to repay her kindness—but Chinatsu was the only one so stubborn about it.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Mito turned to her and said:
"Actually, I have something to trouble you with. In a few days, I'll be adopting a child. Please prepare a room for him—make it match Tsunade's standard."
Chinatsu didn't let the topic change distract her.
After finishing helping Mito with her shoes and cloak, she replied:
"Understood. I'll get the room ready. Please rest assured, Lady Mito."
Mito's attempt to dodge the issue had clearly failed, earning a barely-hidden smile from Tsunade—though her face remained expressionless.
"Chinatsu, you really don't need to serve me like this. I'm not too old to move on my own."
"And I've always seen you as my own child. You don't have to remain a maid forever. Your talent might not be the best I've seen, but it definitely ranks in the top ten."
As mentioned, most of the girls in Mito's household lacked ninja aptitude. Chinatsu was the only exception.
Chinatsu came from a ninja family and inherited all the strengths of her parents—her talent was exceptional.
During the First Great Ninja War, her parents inevitably had to fight on the battlefield.
Their squad was ambushed by Sunagakure's puppet forces. Luckily, they weren't killed like the others, but the poison left their bodies damaged beyond repair. Not only could they no longer be ninjas, but even survival now depended on costly medication.
Though the family had some savings, the cost was a bottomless pit.
At her most desperate moment, Mito Uzumaki had found her.
Chinatsu still remembered that day clearly—when she was thrown out of the pharmacy for not having enough money, crouching in a corner, crying helplessly.
Thinking of her parents smiling through the pain only made her cry harder.
She knew—if she couldn't bring medicine home that day, she'd be left alone in this world.
That was when Mito found her in that corner, offering the words that saved her.
"Flowers can't be watered with tears. Only bright sunlight can help them bloom beautifully."
"Little flower, no matter what hardship you're facing, come tell me. I'll help you."
From that day on, Mito had paid all of her family's medical bills.
And from that day on, Chinatsu vowed she would repay the woman who had saved her life.
Snapping out of her brief recollection, Chinatsu looked at Mito, who was puffing up her cheeks in mock anger like a child. The sight brought a small smile to her face.
"Let others be the ninjas—I want to stay by your side, Lady Mito."