Without a word, Tsunade pushed away the playing cards in front of her.
She had just been tricked for the three-hundredth day—if she still hadn't caught on by now, she'd really be hopeless.
Fortunately, the 'poison' hadn't sunk too deep this time—or rather, she hadn't suffered enough pain yet.
So when her initial excitement faded, she realized she'd been fooled again.
And judging by what happened last time, she wouldn't be able to wiggle her way out of it.
A pained expression crept onto her face like a mask.
The smile hadn't vanished—it had simply moved.
The grin that had been on Tsunade's face half an hour ago was now firmly planted on Uchiha Hikaru's.
Her gaze was a little terrifying, but Uchiha Hikaru just couldn't help it.
Tsunade's blank, unamused expression did make him feel a bit pressured.
So he tried to justify himself:
"You know, as shinobi, we go through intense training. No matter how funny something is, we're trained not to laugh."
"Unless we really can't help it… hahaha."
With that, he finally burst out laughing.
Seeing him laughing so gleefully only made Tsunade's face twist further in irritation.
Orochimaru, sitting nearby, had no idea what had led to this moment.
But his snake instincts told him it was best to stay far, far away from this mess.
The more Tsunade looked at the grin on Uchiha Hikaru's face and heard that ever-louder laughter, the more her anger flared.
Without thinking, she instinctively used the Monster Strength taijutsu she'd recently been practicing.
Crack!
With a sharp snap, the bed they'd been sitting on collapsed.
Now it was Hikaru's turn to be dumbfounded—that had been his bed.
He had a habit of being picky about where he slept, and it had taken days for him to finally get used to this new one.
And now, just when he'd gotten used to it, it was gone.
The smile on his face slowly faded away.
Tsunade hadn't meant to. Her emotions had just surged too strongly, and she'd unconsciously used the unfamiliar taijutsu.
Even she had been startled when it happened.
She'd tried to restrain herself immediately, but it hadn't been enough to save Hikaru's bed.
Tsunade had felt a bit guilty at first—but when she saw Hikaru's dejected expression, the smile had once again transferred… to her face.
Blinking her big eyes, she put on an innocent look and said:
"You know, I've been practicing Monster Strength lately, and I'm still not very good at it."
Hikaru could only sigh.
After all, he was the one who had suggested she train in Monster Strength in the first place—he'd brought this on himself.
It was just a bed, no big deal.
(Bed: "Does no one care about me...?")
With that thought, Hikaru let it go and stopped fussing over it.
Looking at Tsunade—now grinning with her eyes nearly shut—he said:
"Since you're still not great at using that taijutsu, let's count this toward our bet. Treat it as extra training."
"See? I'm doing this for you."
Tsunade's happy smile instantly froze on her face.
She hadn't expected Hikaru to use her own words against her.
With that one line, he cut off all her escape routes. She couldn't argue back at all.
Training in Monster Strength required both precise chakra control and physical conditioning.
Compared to just learning sealing techniques, it was way more exhausting.
After spending the past few days with him, Tsunade had come to realize that Hikaru had a heart harder than iron—he wouldn't change his mind easily.
Especially when it came to tricking her—if no opportunity existed, he'd create one.
So Tsunade didn't even try to argue. Instead, she gave Hikaru a frustrated kick and muttered:
"Not playing anymore. I'm going to practice Monster Strength!"
"Otherwise, someone will just use it as an excuse to scam me again."
With that, she jumped off the collapsed bed, put on her shoes, and stormed off.
Uchiha Hikaru and Orochimaru looked at each other and shared a silent, exasperated expression.
Tsunade had been the one to suggest playing cards… and now she was the one who'd left first.
The two of them had no interest in gambling.
Hikaru gathered the cards, pulled out a ninjutsu scroll, and handed it to Orochimaru.
"Since you chose knowledge for knowledge, let's get started now."
"This scroll contains C-rank and lower-level ninjutsu. I'm giving it to you now so you can start learning on your own."
"After you're done, write up your findings and bring them back. I'll trade you for a new scroll then. Sound good?"
Orochimaru looked genuinely excited.
Sure, Hikaru had said he would mentor him—but he hadn't expected him to be this generous.
Even in this era—and even in the generation when the protagonist would be born—what held civilian shinobi back most was the lack of ninjutsu resources.
Never mind secret techniques—those alone could build up an entire clan.
Even regular C-rank ninjutsu weren't something civilian Genin could get easily.
In the Ninja Academy, they only taught the Clone Transformation techniques.
Not everyone got assigned a Jōnin teacher after graduation.
Being able to perform C-rank ninjutsu already made you a proper Chūnin.
Yet here was Uchiha Hikaru, handing over a C-rank scroll just like that—and even promising more in exchange for research.
Orochimaru was both thrilled and deeply grateful.
Taking the scroll, he said:
"Thank you so much, Hikaru-kun. I won't let you down."
Hikaru chuckled.
"Then when I become Hokage, come work for me."
He said it casually, but Orochimaru took it to heart.
Hikaru didn't even realize that he had just unintentionally recruited Orochimaru.
With his long-awaited scroll in hand, Orochimaru exchanged a few awkward words with Hikaru before diving into study.
Hikaru also picked up his sealing scroll and began reading.
For a while, the only sound in the room was the turning of pages.
Out in the courtyard, Tsunade was also diligently practicing her Monster Strength.
Three kids, each chasing their own dream.
Once you truly immerse yourself in learning, your sense of time becomes hazy.
While they were all absorbed in training, Chinatsu had not only finished preparing Orochimaru's guest room…
She'd also completed dinner.
Watching Tsunade practice so earnestly, Chinatsu felt a little dazed.
For a moment, she saw the image of Mito Uzumaki teaching her ninjutsu long ago.
'If I'd chosen to become a shinobi… would my life have been different?'
That thought made her shake her head and quickly push the idea away.
'Since I've decided to repay Lady Mito, I have to keep my word.'
With that, Chinatsu composed herself and walked over to Tsunade.
"Tsunade-sama, dinner is ready."
Tsunade stopped her training, grabbed Chinatsu's sleeve, and pouted playfully.
"Chinatsu-neesan, don't call me 'sama' anymore. You watched me grow up, and Grandma liked you too."
"We all think of you as family."
Chinatsu didn't argue. She'd heard this many times before.
Instead, she gently wiped the sweat off Tsunade's forehead and tidied up her messy hair.
Once everything was neat again and Tsunade was back to looking bright and radiant, Chinatsu gave her a soft smile.
"Let's go, Tsunade-sama."