"Don't worry, Hikaru, I'll keep a close eye on her."
Ignoring Tsunade's sobbing, Mito Uzumaki smiled cheerfully and accepted the bet.
Tsunade had already realized there was no way she could get out of it this time, but hearing that Mito Uzumaki truly intended to follow through on the bet still made her feel even worse.
And with that rising misery, she cried even louder.
Tsunade was hoping her tears would awaken Mito Uzumaki's compassion.
Unfortunately, Mito Uzumaki didn't even look at her. Instead, she gave Uchiha Hikaru an approving nod.
Hikaru smiled back at her, and for a moment, the entire room was filled with joy and laughter.
Only Tsunade's heart was left in ruins.
After making a bit of a scene, Tsunade finally gave up when she saw it wasn't working.
Still, the whole way there, she kept glancing at Uchiha Hikaru with resentment, as if trying to guilt him into feeling sorry.
Unfortunately, even when dinner began, Hikaru didn't show the slightest hint of remorse.
Angry, Tsunade challenged him again at the dinner table—this time in a food-eating contest.
The silent clash between the two kids added an extra layer of laughter to the meal.
Of course, in the end, Tsunade lost—again.
During the meal, Mito Uzumaki also informed both Hikaru and Tsunade that the Ninja Academy would begin classes in three days.
She reminded them to prepare in advance and not forget the date.
Hikaru's eyes gleamed with anticipation upon hearing the news.
Once school started, his plan would formally begin.
Of the three Legendary Sannin, Tsunade was already completely in the palm of his hand. Only Orochimaru and Jiraiya remained.
And it wasn't just those three—others with talent also needed his attention.
As long as he guided these seedlings correctly, he could one day sit back and relax as everything ran smoothly.
But right now, there was one particular seedling that needed pruning.
Uchiha Hikaru gave Tsunade a playful look.
Tsunade, busy dreaming about how she'd spend her day tomorrow, suddenly felt a chill, like something was watching her.
She turned around suspiciously, only to see Hikaru chatting with the others.
Thinking it was her imagination, she didn't dwell on it.
Little did she know… she was about to enter study hell.
Three years of mock exams, five years of high school entrance prep—Tsunade was about to learn the horror of cram school.
Three days passed in a flash.
Now, Tsunade followed behind Uchiha Hikaru, biting her lip and red-eyed with frustration.
Just as Hikaru predicted, Tsunade had tried to goof off the day after that dinner.
She was immediately caught by Mito Uzumaki and dragged back to fulfill her end of the bet.
In those three days, not a second passed where she didn't regret gambling with Hikaru.
Of course, Mito wasn't heartless enough to make her study twelve hours a day.
She only made her study five or six hours daily.
Still, for someone like Tsunade—who'd never faced much hardship—it was a decent challenge.
Hikaru hadn't slacked off either.
He spent the time familiarizing himself with his Mangekyō Sharingan's abilities, and also practiced Tree Walking and Water Walking.
With his chakra increasing daily, he had to focus on control.
Fortunately—whether due to the Indra Bloodline {Fragment} or just his own natural genius—in just three days, Hikaru mastered both Tree Walking and Water Walking.
He could now manipulate chakra with ease.
And the Idle Training System's improved speed brought him another pleasant surprise.
In just three days, Fireball Jutsu had reached level 10.
Just one more level and the skill would evolve to blue-grade.
His fireballs had already turned white, with a massive increase in temperature.
This made him all the more curious about what would happen once it leveled up again.
Right now, they were on their way to the Ninja Academy.
Originally, Hikaru had thought of walking with Tsunade hand-in-hand, but the moment they stepped out, she was already in this sulky state.
He didn't mind her silent anger—it was just a child throwing a tantrum.
Truthfully, their time together over the past three days had been rather pleasant.
Tsunade wasn't ungrateful; she was just a bit lazy—not dumb.
She knew Hikaru was using this method to help her improve her habits.
She'd also noticed how hard he'd been training.
But even knowing all that, it didn't make her any less annoyed.
So, she expressed her dissatisfaction in the only way she could—by sulking and waiting to be coaxed.
Too bad Hikaru, in both this life and the last, was completely dense when it came to girls.
Hearing her grit her teeth, he thought she might bite him.
So instead of slowing down to comfort her, he picked up the pace.
'Time to dip. A bite from her would really hurt.'
Watching him nearly vanish in a blink, Tsunade stood there, stunned.
Senju Yosuke had actually offered to escort the two of them to the Academy today—but they'd both refused.
On that point, they had the exact same reason:
"We're grown up now. We can walk to school by ourselves."
So now that Hikaru had run off, Tsunade couldn't afford to stay angry. She sped up and chased after him.
Hikaru saw her catching up and genuinely thought she was going to bite him.
Before she could get close, he quietly picked up the pace again.
Tsunade, watching him get faster and faster, was already fuming inside.
But she had no choice. With no way to stop him, she just ran faster too.
And so, the two of them kept accelerating.
A walk that normally took over ten minutes was finished in just a few.
When they arrived, Hikaru handed the panting Tsunade a water bottle.
She shot him a glare, but still took it and drank without a word.
'Guess she really is mad... Should I let her bite me once?'
Just as he hesitated to extend his hand, Tsunade gave him a light punch on the shoulder.
"I'm exhausted! We've still got plenty of time—what were you running for?"
Hikaru instantly realized he'd misunderstood.
But even a clueless guy like him knew he couldn't tell the truth now.
Thinking quickly, he came up with a terrible excuse.
"Running is good for your health. I was working out."
It was an obvious lie, and Tsunade could guess the real reason even if he didn't say it.
Still, she didn't let the excuse stop her from exploiting the moment.
After all, his answer screamed guilt.
"I don't believe you. Grandma asked you to take me to school, and you almost left me behind."
"If you don't want me telling her, how about knocking half off our ninety-nine bet penalties?"