Uchiha Chiri was stunned, then her face flushed red.
The offer was, undeniably, quite tempting for her.
Since she and Uchiha Hikaru belonged to the same clan, this so-called secret to becoming stronger might just suit her as well.
So, despite her unbearable shyness, after thinking it over, Uchiha Chiri nodded.
She then moved her feet and slowly walked toward the podium.
Tsunade watched from the side. Although she knew Hikaru was clearly teasing Uchiha Chiri, she was still quite curious about the "secret to getting stronger" he mentioned.
"If she does it, will you really tell her the secret?"
Uchiha Hikaru nodded and said confidently,
"Of course. Honesty is my whole brand."
As for Hikaru's secret to becoming stronger, it was nothing more than the Idle Training System.
Everything else about him was no different from others.
This teasing of Uchiha Chiri was actually a test—an experiment.
If she was this shy just talking to people…
Then asking her to sing in front of an entire class was clearly putting her on the spot.
And after she forced herself to complete the task despite her embarrassment, he planned to give her a response that wouldn't satisfy her—
Perhaps even deliberately make fun of her.
The emotional shift between these stages would be huge.
Then, he'd see whether Uchiha Chiri could awaken the Sharingan.
If she could, it would prove that the Sharingan didn't necessarily require the loss of love to be awakened.
A powerful emotional fluctuation could trigger it as well.
Of course, after all of this, Hikaru did plan to sincerely apologize to her.
After all, a joke is only a joke if both sides find it funny.
As for why he didn't do this to Tsunade?
That's because what Tsunade needed was to change her bad habits and preferences—not just to be made fun of.
At that moment, Uchiha Chiri, overcoming the shame and fear in her heart, stepped onto the podium.
Seeing the curious gazes from below, she simply closed her eyes and began to sing.
"You said if you spread your wings, you'd never come back."
"And what you gaze at is that endless, endless blue sky."
"......"
Contrary to her shy appearance, her voice was beautiful and enchanting.
The once noisy classroom gradually quieted down, everyone falling into silence to listen.
When Uchiha Chiri finished singing and opened her eyes again, the entire class was staring at her.
The sight made her socially anxious brain freeze on the spot.
But then—thunderous applause snapped her back to reality.
Uchiha Chiri opened her eyes wide. The scene before her made her smile unconsciously.
Everyone was clapping for her performance.
That wave of courage surged in her heart, helping her regain her confidence.
After a bow, she walked back to Uchiha Hikaru's side.
"I've done it. Now it's your turn to keep your promise."
Uchiha Hikaru was a bit emotional. He hadn't expected her singing to be that good.
His plan completely fell apart.
Because instead of being overwhelmed with embarrassment, she was now bursting with confidence.
Still, he had to go through with it.
"My secret to getting stronger is very simple."
He paused, drawing the attention of everyone eavesdropping nearby.
"It's that I don't smoke or drink. I sleep by 11 p.m. and make sure I get 8 hours of sleep every day."
"Before bed, I always drink a glass of warm milk and do 20 minutes of stretching. As soon as I hit the bed, I fall right asleep."
"I sleep until morning and never carry fatigue or stress into the next day. That's my secret to getting stronger!"
His so-called "secret" sent all the eavesdroppers tumbling to the floor in disbelief.
Uchiha Chiri felt like she was being messed with, her eyes wide with rage.
She felt terrible, especially after she had just been admiring him a little.
'How could someone with such a terrible personality, who bullies his classmates, ever be worthy of admiration?'
That thought dominated Uchiha Chiri's mind.
As the saying goes: "The more you endure, the angrier you get. The more you retreat, the more you feel wronged."
Overwhelmed with emotion, her chakra unconsciously began to circulate throughout her body.
Just as she was about to unleash something big on Uchiha Hikaru, she noticed everyone around her staring in shock.
Even the infuriating Uchiha Hikaru was looking at her with admiration, and then he said:
"Congratulations, Chiri. You've awakened your Sharingan."
Surprised, Uchiha Chiri touched her eyes and then took the small mirror Tsunade handed her.
When she saw a single tomoe spinning in her eye, she broke into a silly grin.
Uchiha Hikaru was full of emotion.
As expected of Uchiha Chiri—even without intense emotional trauma, she still managed to awaken her Sharingan.
Such talent… no wonder she would one day unlock the Mangekyō.
And this confirmed Hikaru's theory as well.
The Sharingan doesn't necessarily require the loss of love to awaken. A strong enough emotional surge was enough.
He even speculated further: if one's spiritual strength was high enough, perhaps the Sharingan could awaken naturally.
Of course, that possibility was slim.
After all, even Indra, the ancestor of the Uchiha, only awakened the Mangekyō under intense stimulation.
So spiritual power was more likely a prerequisite rather than a condition.
As for why Uchiha Hikaru's own Mangekyō awakened naturally? Well, the Idle Training System doesn't follow the basic rules of the ninja world.
This confirmation gave Hikaru a stronger hand in his future efforts to lead the Uchiha Clan.
But now wasn't the time to think about that.
There was still an apology he owed Uchiha Chiri.
Watching her silly grin in the mirror, Hikaru smiled, walked up, and gently lowered the mirror from her hand.
"Chiri, I'm really sorry about earlier."
"My method of getting stronger is actually the same as yours—there's no real difference."
"The only possible distinction is that maybe… I try a little harder."
Uchiha Chiri was still a little upset about what had just happened.
But seeing Hikaru apologize so sincerely—and the fact that she had awakened her Sharingan because of it—she decided not to hold it against him.
And although she was still young, she wasn't lacking in wisdom.
She had a feeling that what Hikaru did wasn't just a joke.
But with her limited knowledge, she couldn't figure out the reason behind it. So, she decided to ask her grandfather after school.
"It's okay. But next time, you really shouldn't joke around like that, Hikaru."
Hikaru, who had somewhat underestimated Chiri, had no idea she had a secret move: calling for backup.
With all his goals now accomplished, he was quite pleased with himself.
Soon, Orochimaru and Tsunade joined the conversation as well. Feelings between kids always rise and fall quickly.
Under Hikaru's mature influence, even Orochimaru began to set aside his parents' warnings and started to take Hikaru seriously.
A boy who'd had no friends growing up… had quietly begun to regard Uchiha Hikaru as a friend.