After confirming that Uchiha Hikaru didn't plan on graduating early, Mito Uzumaki didn't press the matter. She just gave him a few words of advice and left.
At that moment, Tsunade walked over.
She had been quietly waiting nearby the whole time and only approached after seeing her grandmother finish speaking with Hikaru.
Her steps were light, her face glowing with excitement and anticipation.
Tsunade rushed up to Uchiha Hikaru, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she exclaimed,
"Hikaru! I've mastered it already!"
Her tone was filled with pride and joy—it was clear just how thrilled she was.
Uchiha Hikaru blinked in surprise.
What she meant by "mastered" was obviously the Wood Release scroll he had given her not long ago.
That left him genuinely astonished.
After all, he hadn't given her that scroll long ago.
And now she'd already succeeded?
A trace of doubt crept into his mind.
The Wood Release scroll wasn't exactly easy to cultivate. Even with innate Water, Earth, and Yang affinity, there was no way it should've worked this quickly.
He frowned slightly and asked, his voice tinged with both confusion and disbelief:
"You've already mastered Wood Release?"
Clearly, Hikaru found it hard to believe Tsunade had truly pulled it off in such a short time.
Seeing his skeptical face, Tsunade immediately pouted with dissatisfaction.
"Hmph! Who do you think you're looking down on? You really don't believe I could've done it that fast?"
Without waiting for a reply, she grabbed his wrist and dragged him toward the outdoor training grounds, eager to show him the fruits of her training.
Though she pulled him along somewhat unsteadily, Hikaru didn't shake her off.
He let out a helpless sigh—but deep down, curiosity and anticipation bubbled up.
He really did want to see what she meant by "mastered."
Following her lead, they soon arrived at the training ground.
As soon as they stepped inside, Tsunade could hardly wait another second to demonstrate.
She quickly formed hand seals, her entire posture tense and brimming with effort, like she was holding her breath for a final push.
"Aaaah~!"
All at once, the grass on the field trembled—as if summoned—and then stretched upward, growing several centimeters taller.
Seeing this, Tsunade beamed and ran up to Hikaru with a proud expression plastered on her face.
"Well? I did it, right?!"
But her triumph was met with something entirely unexpected.
Hikaru froze in place, his mouth agape, yet not a single word escaped.
He glanced at Tsunade's face… then slowly turned his gaze toward the newly sprouted grass.
His lips twitched. A glint of suppressed laughter danced in his eyes.
"Pfft—"
In the end, he couldn't hold it in.
His shoulders shook violently as laughter spilled from his lips—tears nearly streamed down his face.
He didn't dare speak—afraid that if he opened his mouth, it would all come out in hysterics.
Seeing her beaming proudly only made the whole thing funnier.
To be fair, technically speaking, Tsunade had succeeded.
Even though the result wasn't exactly stellar, she had grasped the core technique and could wield it.
It was just… not what he expected. The outcome was way too hilarious.
With her confident and smug little face, Hikaru simply couldn't hold back anymore.
But he quickly noticed that Tsunade's expression was clouding over, like a storm gathering on the horizon.
Sensing danger, Hikaru quickly stifled his laughter and cleared his throat to ease the tension.
He braced himself and said,
"You've definitely got the basics down. Keep at it."
Unfortunately, that didn't seem to help. Tsunade's face remained stormy, and the air around her practically crackled.
Seeing this, Hikaru knew it was time to make a tactical retreat.
He quickly turned to leave.
But just as he took a step, her voice roared like thunder behind him:
"U-CHI-HA HI-KA-RU!"
The sheer fury and indignation in her voice froze him in his tracks.
'Oh no… I've stepped on a landmine,' he thought.
Slowly, he turned back around to face the wrath that was surely coming.
To his surprise, she didn't lash out.
She only shot him an angry glare—then turned and stormed off.
As she walked away, he noticed something sparkling fall to the ground.
That stunned him—and gave him a strange sense of relief at the same time.
But the moment also made him realize how out of line he'd been.
Tsunade had come to share her joy with him first, not with Mito Uzumaki, not with her parents—but with him.
That meant he was already someone very important in her heart.
And yet he'd repaid that joy with ill-timed laughter.
That had hurt her deeply.
Realizing this, Hikaru scratched his head in frustration.
In his past life, he'd been a straight-laced guy—never even dated—so he had no experience with emotional nuance.
Now faced with a moment like this, he had no idea how to make it right.
He thought hard for a while… but still couldn't come up with a good solution.
In the end, he decided to just face it head-on and offer a proper apology.
So, Hikaru walked toward Tsunade's room.
He gently pushed open the door—and saw her curled up under the covers, her body trembling slightly.
The sight stirred a deep sense of guilt in him.
He took a deep breath and softly said:
"Tsunade, it was my fault. I shouldn't have laughed at you."
His voice was sincere, his tone filled with remorse.
Tsunade slowly peeked out from beneath the blanket and let out a faint "hmph."
Her face looked aggrieved, her eyes puffy and red—clearly she had cried.
Honestly, it was his first time seeing that side of her.
Even when she lost big in gambling, she never looked like this.
It made him realize—some things really do matter more than others.
Like he always told himself: jokes should only be told when both people find them funny.
Silently, Hikaru sat on the edge of the bed and reached out, gently brushing her hair.
"You came to share something that made you happy. I shouldn't have laughed at you."
Tsunade looked into his eyes and whispered:
"Got it... But if you laugh at me again, I'm not talking to you anymore."
Though her voice still held the trace of a sob, there was also a playful and teasing note in it.