Although it was still too early to talk about jointly hosting the Chūnin Exams—the Five Kage Summit hadn’t even been convened yet—
the the of this eting was precisely peace talks.
With Mito Uzumaki stepping onto the stage, the other Hidden Villages were already starting to feel wary.
Her invitation to these talks served as clear proof of intent.
What’s more, the matter of the daimyōs providing money and titles hadn’t yet spread publicly.
Once that news got out, the great nations would be even less inclined to fight Konoha.
At that point, a system for distributing interests would be necessary.
And a relatively fair exam was sothing the other villages could accept.
After all, Konoha’s current generation of young shinobi didn’t seem as overwhelmingly strong as the previous one.
Mito Uzumaki trusted in her village’s new generation.
But for Konoha’s absolute victory—her thoughts turned to Uchiha Hikaru.
Though she wasn’t yet sure of his full strength, what she did know was enough:
he certainly wasn’t weaker than a Kage.
So naturally... Uchiha Hikaru had been roped into the plan she herself had proposed.
Mito Uzumaki couldn’t help but laugh softly at the deadpan, "I’ve-given-up-on-life" expression on his face.
"Don’t worry—you might not even need to show up. You’re just the insurance."
As she spoke, Mito Uzumaki paused for a mont and pulled out a scroll from who knows where.
It was half her height. She picked it up and placed it before him, continuing:
"I was originally going to wait until you were a little older to give you this."
"But you’re already this strong... so I figure you can probably make use of it now."
"Little Hikaru, have you ever heard of a Sage?"
The mont Uchiha Hikaru heard that, he knew exactly what this scroll was.
It had to be the Summoning Scroll of the Slug Sage Land.
Although he understood what it was, Hikaru still shook his head in denial.
His past experiences simply didn’t allow him to know about sothing like this.
Strength could be explained as talent, but secrets like this? That was harder to justify.
Mito Uzumaki didn’t seem surprised at all by his reaction. After all, very few people knew about this.
And so, she began to speak, slowly unveiling the mystery behind the sages.
"Little Hikaru, did you know this world is vast beyond belief? On this continent, there are three sacred lands."
"Each one is ruled by a Sage—Slug Sage, Great Toad Sage, and White Snake Sage."
"These Sages have lived for over a thousand years. Their power is unfathomable."
"Those sacred places... that’s where people learn Sage Mode."
"Hashirama only managed to sweep across the world after mastering Sage Mode."
"And this scroll... belongs to the Slug Sage’s land—Mount Myōboku’s counterpart, the Shikkotsu Forest."
"I’m giving this to you now in hopes that you too can master Sage Mode."
Her voice brimd with hope as she looked at Uchiha Hikaru.
She drew a deep breath, as if exhaling all the mories locked in her heart.
Uchiha Hikaru, however, wasn’t particularly interested in Sage Mode.
After all, he already had the Idle Training System—his own thod for rapidly growing stronger.
Still, this was a heartfelt gesture. And there might co a ti in his plans when this scroll would be useful.
So, he accepted it.
Seeing him take the scroll, Mito Uzumaki looked deeply satisfied.
With Hikaru’s talent, she believed he would definitely be able to master Sage Mode.
Even if he didn’t surpass Hashirama one day, he’d still be strong enough to protect Konoha.
She then moved on to the topic of the Chūnin Exams.
Her suggestion: Uchiha Hikaru should join under a false identity.
If Konoha’s official candidates perford well and held their ground—
—then he could simply sit back and enjoy the show, dropping out at the end without fanfare.
But if sothing went wrong, and soone needed to step in to stabilize the situation,
that’s when Hikaru would make his move.
Naturally, Uchiha Hikaru agreed without hesitation.
He figured as long as he only needed to jump in during ergencies, it wouldn’t be much trouble.
And besides, he thought the chances of such an ergency were slim.
As for the insurance? That would be Hatake Sakumo—the White Fang.
Though he had just graduated, his na had already spread throughout Konoha.
Even before graduation, people were already calling him a prodigy.
The joint Chūnin Exams wouldn’t happen imdiately.
The Five Great Nations weren’t going to rush—they’d take advantage of this opportunity to promote their villages.
So, the whole thing would likely be delayed for at least half a year.
And during that ti, White Fang’s strength would only grow stronger.
As long as the other four Kage didn’t send in their Jinchūriki,
White Fang should have no trouble securing victory.
By then, Hikaru’s participant slot would basically be a front-row spectator ticket.
Just as Mito Uzumaki was preparing to leave, thinking everything was settled—
Uchiha Hikaru suddenly asked,
"Can Tsunade sign this scroll too?"
Mito Uzumaki stopped mid-step. She turned and replied:
"Of course she can. But you should remind her to train within her limits—don’t let her overuse her Chakra with the summoning."
"And this scroll, just like the Senju clan’s treasured artifacts—now that it’s in your hands,
you have the right to decide where it goes."
With that, she left without waiting for a reply.
Uchiha Hikaru nodded silently.
This kind of trust—it felt like a warm current flowing through him,
filling his heart with joy and determination.
He understood. This was recognition of his strength.
But more than that, it was a hope for what he would beco.
And he would answer that hope with his actions.
Ti flew by.
Half a month had passed since receiving the invitation to the Five Kage Summit.
After repeated discussions and negotiation, the summit’s location was finally decided.
Mito Uzumaki, as Konoha’s representative, had already finished preparations and departed.
During this ti, Uchiha Hikaru had managed to grasp the basics of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Though there were still noticeable wind-up and recovery phases during use—and the Chakra cost was steep—
he had already achieved consistent execution.
It was a breakthrough.
The day before Mito Uzumaki’s departure, he sought her out especially to deliver sothing.
When he handed her a shuriken engraved with the Flying Thunder God seal,
a flicker of surprise and delight flashed in her eyes.
She knew exactly what this ant.
With it, this summit now had a safety net.
And Uchiha Hikaru’s rapid growth was even more thrilling to witness.
Mito Uzumaki couldn’t help but feel a deep wave of emotion.
She knew he was progressing fast—
—but to already have learned the Flying Thunder God?
It was truly astonishing.
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