Although Tsunade spoke harshly, in her heart she knew that Uchiha Hikaru had been training like a man possessed recently.
Ever since the end of the Chunin Exams—after Obito and Black Zetsu escaped—Hikaru had locked himself away in constant training. He only stopped temporarily when the Akatsuki joined the Shinobi Alliance and the Cross-Sea Bridge project required his appearance.
Tsunade was stubborn. She couldn't speak gently like Uchiha Saya, so she could only express her thoughts in this way.
At that moment, Shizune walked out of the kitchen with two sets of bowls and chopsticks, sitting down across from Tsunade. She pushed one set toward Uchiha Hikaru.
"Lady Tsunade, Lord Hikaru has his own responsibilities. The danger isn't over yet," Shizune said softly.
"And honestly, it hasn't been that hard. At least I don't have to work overtime anymore. Kurenai-sensei has taken on a lot of the load for us."
Tsunade only snorted, choosing to keep eating. Filling her stomach was more important right now. After all, Uchiha Hikaru was definitely going to pay the price tonight.
You need to eat enough if you want energy—so you don't collapse later. (๑•̀ᄇ•́)و✧
…
That night, Tsunade, Shizune, Uchiha Saya, and Uchiha Hikaru sat together playing cards—Landlord, a type of gambling game.
Tsunade suddenly suggested switching to a version based only on card size—her favorite style. Simple, fast, and she never got tired of it.
Miraculously, Tsunade—whose luck in gambling was normally abysmal—won the game. Shizune placed second, perhaps benefiting from being Tsunade's disciple.
Uchiha Saya, young and inexperienced, ended up in third place.
But that was okay. She still had time to grow—her future was bright! (≧▽≦)
Only Uchiha Hikaru lost completely. When it came to comparison by size… he had no chance. He was a man—sometimes humility is painful. (ಥ﹏ಥ)
…
Hikaru spent the entire night accompanying the three of them, playing round after round.
Tsunade had hardly visited a real casino since becoming Hokage. With her addiction to gambling, she could only scratch the itch by playing with Hikaru at home after work, adding prizes to raise the stakes.
With Shizune and Saya present, surrounded by warmth and laughter, Tsunade naturally relaxed and enjoyed herself.
By sunrise, all three women had passed out one after another, leaving Uchiha Hikaru awake alone.
Even though he had awakened the Rinnegan and mastered two nature transformations—Earth and Fire—enhancing his physical endurance dramatically…
…paying public grain was still exhausting work ★
But thanks to his stamina, he wasn't tired. In fact, he had slipped into a calm mental state—almost like Sage Mode—mind clear and processing rapidly.
He created two shadow clones, transformed them to resemble Tsunade and Shizune, and sent them to the Hokage Building to handle paperwork.
Meanwhile, Hikaru focused fully on analyzing every possible outcome of his unique Rinnegan ability—a mysterious system of Sixty-Four Seals, like chakra formulas that altered fate, randomly buffing or weakening him in battle depending on which seal activated.
He rehearsed combat scenarios in his consciousness, testing each pattern one by one.
…
It was afternoon when the three women were awakened by Hikaru's quiet muttering.
He had reached the deduction of the 41st Seal: Diminish—a dangerous seal that represented temporary loss and unstable chakra flow.
"This one's bad…" Hikaru murmured faintly. "Prosperity and decline in balance… like dragging a cart uphill… steep roads… pressure—"
Before they could make sense of his words, the two shadow clones dispelled simultaneously. Their stored memories crashed back into Hikaru's mind at once.
Overloaded, his consciousness shut down. His vision went dark and he collapsed forward.
Tsunade, Shizune, and Uchiha Saya immediately rushed to him.
"Sister Tsunade, what happened to Lord Hikaru?!" Saya cried, tears filling her eyes (｡•́︿•̀｡).
Tsunade and Shizune performed medical ninjutsu. Fortunately, nothing serious—just severe mental exhaustion.
…
Hikaru slept until noon the next day.
When he finally opened his eyes, Saya, who had been sitting beside his bed the entire time, jolted upright in worry.
"Lord Hikaru, what happened yesterday? Why did you suddenly faint?" she asked urgently. "Shadow clone backlash shouldn't be that serious. Did you damage your chakra network while training?"
Her rapid-fire questions made Hikaru rub his forehead, trying to recall the moment he lost consciousness.
He remembered running mental simulations of the Sixty-Four Seals, meditating, analyzing… then…
Where did he leave off?
The beginning was clear, but the memory blurred the deeper he went. He vaguely recalled feeling like he understood all the world's changes—omnipotent, able to shape outcomes at will.
The memory made Hikaru frown sharply. He looked at Saya, voice serious.
"Do you remember what I said before I fainted?"
Saya repeated it carefully, word for word.
"You said, 'Prosperity and decline balanced… this is a bad seal… like pushing a cart uphill, rugged mountain road—' and then you collapsed."
The 41st Seal? Had he really reached that far?
But why did his memory stop at the fourth?
The realization hit him—he must have fallen too deep into his inner world, dangerously close to losing himself. If the clones hadn't dispelled in time and shocked his brain…
He might have been lost forever.
A chill ran through him. The power was incredible—but too much dependence would destroy him.
He learned the limit: four deductions at most. Normally one is safe, two risky, three dangerous—but never attempt a fourth unless it's life or death.
And ideally… never use it at all.
…
…
…
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