When Chinatsu brought Tsunade to the dining hall, everyone was already present.
Mito Uzumaki sat at the head seat, with the long-absent Senju Yosuke and his wife sitting beside her, engaged in lively conversation.
Orochimaru was asking Uchiha Hikaru about something.
Upon seeing her parents, Tsunade ran over joyfully, proudly showing off the results of her training that day.
This warm and cheerful scene brought a beautiful smile to Chinatsu's face.
Noticing Chinatsu standing there, Mito Uzumaki chuckled and said:
"Little Chinatsu, come have a seat too."
Hearing that, Chinatsu shook her head and gave a polite bow before leaving.
Seeing that she was still the same, Mito Uzumaki didn't insist.
All these years, no matter how much Mito tried to persuade her, Chinatsu always imposed strict standards on herself.
Some things could only be resolved by the person experiencing them.
Mito Uzumaki withdrew from her thoughts and turned to Senju Yosuke:
"Yosuke, has anything happened within the clan lately?"
Upon hearing the question, Yosuke's expression soured slightly, as if he had remembered something unpleasant.
But after a moment of hesitation, he opened his mouth to speak:
"Mother, within Konoha, the Senju haven't faced any issues recently."
"But on the battlefield, our casualties have been severe."
"They know they've already lost, so their attacks have become frenzied."
Mito Uzumaki was aware of this as well, but she was also helpless.
That final burst of madness on the battlefield was nothing more than a last act of revenge by those whose loved ones had fallen at the hands of Konoha.
The war was nearing its end—if they didn't seize the chance to take revenge now, who knew when they'd get another?
Mito, with her exceptional skills and mastery of sealing techniques, could have provided effective support on the frontlines and helped ease the burden on the Senju.
But as the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, her appearance on the battlefield would only prolong the war that was already winding down.
As for the other clans, they weren't about to abandon their own just to help someone else.
Everyone had their own difficulties. Mito didn't blame anyone for that.
All she could do was stay in Konoha and take care of the families of the fallen Senju.
There was a hint of sorrow in her expression—the Senju Clan had lost far too much in this war.
Not only were their casualties heavy, many who had survived the Warring States Period had now perished.
Even the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had fallen before the dawn.
He had gone to sign a peace treaty, only for both the Second Raikage and the Second Hokage to die in the process.
If not for the aggressive faction of the Hidden Cloud, led by the Gold and Silver Brothers, this war might have ended long ago.
With no good solution at hand, Mito could only discuss with Yosuke how to give more compensation to the families of the fallen.
Listening quietly, Uchiha Hikaru fell deep into thought.
The conversation between Mito and Yosuke revealed something: although the war was ending, the Senju were losing more people than ever.
This might be connected to the clan's eventual disappearance.
Hikaru wondered if there was anything he could do.
Over the past few days, he had read many texts about sealing techniques and had gained a basic understanding.
There was a method in sealing arts to seal jutsu—explosive tags were a simple example of this.
So… could he seal Healing Palm Jutsu into a tag to create emergency medical supplies?
It sounded simple, but would definitely be difficult to execute.
After all, the ninja era had existed for over a thousand years. If it were easy, such a method would have long since replaced standard battlefield healing.
No hand seals, no channeling—just throw the sealed technique out during combat. That would be far more convenient.
So the issue wasn't that no one thought of it—it was that no one could pull it off.
After thinking it over, Hikaru turned his attention to the Idle Training System.
Other people might not manage it—but that didn't mean Uchiha Hikaru couldn't.
Given how the system ranked skills, he estimated that if he could level up his Sealing Arts to blue grade, this would become feasible.
As for Healing Palm Jutsu, there were still Medical Ninja in Konoha who could perform it. He didn't need to grind that skill himself.
The Senju were destined to become his allies one day. Reducing their casualties now meant preserving their strength for the future.
Not to mention, Mito Uzumaki had treated him so well. Even if he helped out purely from goodwill, it was worth it.
And if he really could create a "Medical Tag," it would greatly boost his reputation.
Kakashi Hatake became famous for creating Chidori. Tsunade reshaped Konoha's medical system and reclaimed her title as Fifth Hokage decades later.
The Medical Tag could be seen as a fusion of both accomplishments. If this revolutionary product came to light, Uchiha Hikaru's chances of becoming the next Hokage would skyrocket.
Sure, other villages might see him as a threat—but he wasn't afraid.
He had no plans to graduate early. It would still be five or six years before he became a ninja.
As long as he wasn't a ninja, the village couldn't assign him missions, and if he didn't go on missions, he wouldn't encounter ambushes.
And inside the village, who could possibly hide malicious intent from Mito's sensory abilities?
With that in mind, Uchiha Hikaru removed Fire Style from the system's Idle Training slot and replaced it with the Sealing Arts (Green).
At the system's current speed, skills below blue grade leveled up quickly—it would only take around ten days to reach blue.
Besides, Sealing Arts were useful anyway. Grinding them wasn't a waste.
Although Hikaru had decided to help Mito, the project was still in its early stages. So he said nothing for now.
He wanted to perfect it first—then give them a surprise.
By this time, Mito and Yosuke had finished discussing work-related matters.
Although the topic had given her a headache, it was now mealtime.
Suppressing her thoughts, Mito knocked lightly on the table and said:
"Today, little Hikaru brought a classmate with him. Let's welcome him."
Hearing that, everyone raised their drinks to welcome Orochimaru.
Caught off guard, Orochimaru blushed slightly. After regaining composure, he said:
"Thank you, Grandma Mito. I'll drink first."
With that, he picked up his drink and downed it in one go.
His grown-up manner made everyone laugh.
The room was instantly filled with joyful energy.
Meanwhile, at the home of Uchiha Ang, the Second Elder of the Uchiha Clan...
The elders and clan heads had just gathered not long ago, yet here they were again.
Unlike the last time, which was called by Uchiha Setsuna, this meeting had been convened by the Dove Faction's Uchiha Ang.
"Are we meeting a bit too often lately?"
"I was eating with my grandson when I got summoned again. What's this about this time?"
"I was dining with my precious granddaughter too. If this isn't important, I swear I'll beat the crap out of Ang—let him know this old man isn't some obedient lapdog to call at will!"