116-120

Chapter 116: Found You, King General! 

The moment she heard that sharp clack sound, Uchiha Hikari froze in her tracks— 

He’s here! 

The King General was nearby, just as she’d suspected! 

As she scanned her surroundings, Genji Chika, already battered and bruised, lifted his head again. A surge of immense power erupted from his slender frame, and he lunged at Hikari! 

Hikari darted back a few steps, dodging his attack, her eyes locking with his. 

In that instant, the delicate boy’s gaze turned as menacing as a vengeful Onryō. His dark golden eyes shimmered with intricate, mandala-like golden patterns. 

“Word Spirit: Dream Tapir!” 

The Dream Tapir, a dangerous ability tied to the White King’s bloodline, wasn’t listed in the human Word Spirit catalog. It was rumored to create a mental prison like a nightmare, trapping the victim’s soul. If you believed you died in the dream, your real body would follow suit. 

At the same moment… 

Hikari’s own eyes flared with a strange pattern—not golden mandalas, but the black, spinning tomoe of a great windmill. 

“Genjutsu: Tsukuyomi!” 

The two stood face-to-face, both plunging into a dreamworld. 

In that fleeting moment, on a hillside nearly two kilometers away, a hidden sniper pulled the trigger of an AS50 rifle. 

Bang! 

A dark red bullet streaked from the barrel, crossing 1,500 meters in under a second, whistling through the air with deadly precision, aimed straight at Uchiha Hikari, who stood before Chika! 

This was a carefully planned assassination. 

From the start, the Fierce Ghost Clan’s heavy artillery, mercury smoke bombs, and even Chika hyped up on evolution drugs were just decoys—smoke and mirrors to set up the real strike. 

All of it was to create an opening for the sniper, hidden over a kilometer away, to fire this fatal shot. 

Word Spirit: Winter. 

With this ability, the sniper could lower their breathing and blood flow to reptilian levels, sustaining only the bare minimum to stay alive. Parts of their body went numb, leaving just the muscles needed to pull the trigger. Until the shot was fired, no one could sense their presence. 

And now… 

The dark red bullet—Fifth Element, Philosopher’s Stone—rocketed from the barrel! 

The sniper could already picture Hikari’s heart pierced clean through. 

But… 

“Susano’o!” 

Without warning, a crimson aura flared into existence mid-air! 

Even with both “Uchiha Hikari” and Chika locked in their dreamworlds, Susano’o activated in a flash, morphing into its second form—a towering, fleshy giant over ten meters tall! 

Crack— 

The dark red bullet slammed into Susano’o’s armor with ferocious force. 

But from the moment it made contact, its momentum plummeted, like a piece of chalk smashing against a stone wall. In mere seconds, it crumbled into a pile of dark red crystal dust, sliding off Susano’o’s surface, leaving only a faint white scratch, barely visible. 

Only then did a second Uchiha Hikari appear at the head of Susano’o. 

Or rather, she reverted from a thumb-sized miniature form back to her full size. 

That’s right. 

The Hikari inside Susano’o was her real body! 

The “Hikari” fighting Chika was a Shadow Clone infused with half her chakra. 

Just like the King General’s scheme, everything Hikari had done was a decoy to lure him out. Before she’d even stepped out of the car, she’d created a Shadow Clone, while her real body shrank with the Mini Bracelet, took to the skies with the Sky Dance Technique, and surveyed the battlefield from above. 

She didn’t know if the King General was absent or hiding with some trick, but even after ten minutes of fighting, she hadn’t spotted him. 

Not until Chika unleashed Dream Tapir. 

In that moment, Hikari caught a faint, almost imperceptible killing intent. She swooped down to her clone’s side and activated Susano’o. 

The Philosopher’s Stone was a dragon-slaying alchemical weapon, but a sniper bullet traveling at three times the speed of sound could still shred a flesh-and-blood body. If that shot had hit her clone’s heart or head, it might’ve forced the clone to dispel. 

And now… 

“Game over.” 

Hikari lifted her head from within Susano’o, tracing the bullet’s trajectory to a hillside over a kilometer away. A bright smile spread across her pale face. 

“Found you… King General!” 

In the next instant, her figure, wrapped in Susano’o, shot into the sky! 

“!?” 

The sniper’s eyes widened in shock, firing again. 

But in his panic, the shots went wild. Even if he’d stayed calm, it wouldn’t have mattered—against a target moving near the speed of sound, shielded by meters-thick chakra armor, even a howitzer would struggle to land a killing blow. 

Mere seconds later, Hikari landed on the lush green hillside, her eyes locking onto the sniper. 

A face hidden behind a Noh mask. 

The moment their gazes met, the windmill pattern in Hikari’s eyes spun again. 

“Engraved Tsukuyomi!” 

Minutes later, Hikari crouched on the hillside, staring at the “King General,” now reduced to a limbless torso. She reached out, tugged at his chin, and yanked at the mask. 

“Huh, this mask is really stuck to his face? Can’t even peel it off without ripping his skin.” 

“Ew, he’s even drooling. Gross…” 

She’d just used Yasaka Magatama to forcefully probe the “King General’s” memories. 

The results? Disappointing. 

This guy was just a shadow warrior, a disposable pawn for this assassination. He wasn’t the real Fierce Ghost Clan leader. His mind held barely any useful intel—less than what Tachibana Masamune knew. 

His bloodline was weak too, with only a low-tier Word Spirit: Winter. 

Still, not a total loss. 

Word Spirit: Winter, paired with his professional sniper skills and the AS50 rifle, made for a solid package. Plus, there was an unused Philosopher’s Stone bullet. Hikari planned to pack it all up and keep it for herself. 

As the price for her memory probe, the shadow warrior’s brain was fried, leaving him a drooling husk. 

After confirming there was nothing more to gain, Hikari’s blade flashed, slicing the “King General” in half. Leaving the mangled corpse behind, she took off again with the Sky Dance Technique, returning to the battlefield. 

Back at the fight, her Shadow Clone and Chika’s duel had ended. 

Chika stood frozen in place, his expression blank—neither crying nor smiling, like a puppet with cut strings. 

“…What’s up with him?” Hikari asked her clone, puzzled. 

“He shut down,” the clone replied curtly. 

“Huh?” 

Chapter 117: The Makings of a Madman 

Kekkei Genkai: Dream Tapir—an ability that drags its target into a nightmare. 

For those with weak mental strength, the user can craft any nightmare they want, trapping the victim inside. But for someone with a strong mind, it can only pull them into their own deepest fears—their “inner demons.” 

Uchiha Hikari didn’t have any “inner demons.” 

If she had to pick something, maybe it was the century of loneliness her former self endured, sealed away as a human weapon in the dark depths underground. 

So… 

With such a massive gap in mental strength, when Minamoto no Yorimitsu tried using Dream Tapir on her, it backfired spectacularly. He was thrown into a first-person experience of being buried deep underground, surrounded by endless darkness, devoid of color or sound. Then, her Shadow Clone pulled him into Tsukuyomi, forcing him to face his inner demon— 

The memory of being killed by his brother in a rural town at seventeen. 

And just like that, Yorimitsu broke himself… 

After dispelling her Shadow Clone, Hikari absorbed the memories from the illusion space and couldn’t help but feel a bit speechless. 

Slap, slap— 

She tried smacking Yorimitsu’s face a few times to snap him out of it, but even with half his face red and swollen, he stayed frozen, unresponsive. 

“…Whatever,” Hikari muttered. “Let him stew in his ‘inner demons’ for a bit.” 

To be fair, Yorimitsu’s willpower was far stronger than his brother’s. Unlike Chisei, who never doubted Tachibana Masamune, Yorimitsu had tried multiple times to break free from the “King General” while with the Fierce Ghosts. He’d even planned a few assassination attempts against him. That kind of mental fortitude meant he shouldn’t be stuck in his nightmare forever—just needed some time. 

That said… 

Hikari suddenly thought Yorimitsu had the makings of a true Uchiha madman. With this love-hate, kill-or-be-killed vibe with his brother, if he were an Uchiha, he’d probably awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan in no time, becoming a nutcase on par with Obito or Itachi. 

Meanwhile, Chisei, supported by Crow, approached her and thanked her, his expression complicated as he glanced at Yorimitsu. 

“Miss Hikari, about Yorimitsu…” 

“He’s fine. Not dead,” Hikari said. “Take him back. If he’s still a zombie in a few days, let me know, and I’ll check on him.” 

She glanced at Sakura Yabuki nearby. “Your assistant okay?” 

Chisei’s eyes showed worry, but he shook his head. “She’s fine… Yorimitsu’s sword veered slightly, missing her heart. With a hybrid’s constitution, she should recover.” 

“Good to know.” 

Hikari nodded, looking toward the road ahead. “Your little sister’s at Elysium Hall, running things as the Fierce Ghosts’ ‘Ryoma.’ Wanna go see her? Though I’m guessing they’ve probably cleared out by now.” 

“…Little sister?” Chisei blinked, a question mark slowly forming on his face. 

After the battle, the ordinary highway was a wreck—overturned cars, motorcycles, and corpses littered the scene. Flames roared in several spots, and the road itself had cracked and collapsed in places. The Eight Families’ enforcers stopped passing cars far back, leaving curious onlookers craning their necks to see. 

Faint police sirens wailed in the distance, and a few local gangs tied to the Eight Families were rushing over. 

Good thing the Fierce Ghosts picked a remote spot for this fight. If this had gone down near downtown, it wouldn’t just be cops and gangsters showing up—NHK News would probably be here with cameras rolling. 

With the road in this state, driving further was out of the question. 

So, with Chisei’s okay, Hikari grabbed his shoulder, enveloped him in ki, and used Sky Dance Technique to fly low over a dozen kilometers. 

After a bit of searching, they found a modest mountain villa nestled in lush green hills. 

Elysium Hall. 

As Hikari expected, the place was deserted, and flames were already licking up the walls. 

The fire would’ve spread, burning down the entire hall and the surrounding forest. 

But… 

“Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!” 

Chakra surged within Hikari, and a massive water dragon roared from the sky, crashing down as a torrent to douse the flames. 

Chisei watched, stunned, swallowing hard. 

Well… she was the White King’s incarnation, so mimicking a few Water King kekkei genkai was par for the course. 

Still… 

Water Dragon Bullet? Was that dragon language too? It sounded kind of weird… 

While Chisei mulled it over, Hikari pushed open the carved bronze doors of Elysium Hall. 

It was clear the place had been a thriving casino in its heyday. The interior was massive and ornate, with rows of pachinko machines on one side and gaming tables on the other, big enough for nearly a thousand people. 

According to the original plot, there was also a vast underground space here where the Fierce Ghosts “granted wishes” for the right price—whether it was a night with a celebrity, a meeting with the prime minister, or killing someone and taking their stuff. 

But it’d probably been cleaned out by now, leaving no useful clues. 

Chisei poked around, unwilling to give up. 

Hikari, after a quick look, decided searching further was pointless. She plopped down at a pachinko machine, tossing in a handful of steel balls. 

As she played, her eyes flicked upward, catching a security camera on the wall. The fire hadn’t reached it yet, and a red light blinked faintly behind the glass cover. 

“…” 

Hikari propped her chin on one hand, staring at the camera for a moment. Then, with a flick of her finger, she shot a steel ball. 

Bang! 

The glass cover shattered, and the smell of burnt wiring followed as the camera went dark. 

At the same time, hundreds of kilometers away in another city, a man in a Noh mask sat in a dark, cramped room, staring at a monitor that had just gone black. He fell silent. 

A few hours later, in the dead of night, EVA at Cassell College’s headquarters intercepted a data stream from Japan. 

Chapter 118: No Naughty Stuff Allowed! 

“Breaking news: A major traffic accident occurred recently in the suburbs of Osaka, involving…” 

In Tokyo, at Genji Heavy Industries. 

Uchiha Hikari and Eriyi, dressed in matching pajamas, sat side by side on a plush sofa, each cradling half a watermelon. They scooped out the juicy flesh while watching TV. 

It had been three or four days since the Fierce Ghost Clan’s assassination attempt in Osaka. 

The incident was a big deal, and even now, news reports about it were still airing. Online, videos and photos were circulating—especially a short clip of a “red giant soaring into the sky.” Though it was only a few seconds long, it sparked heated debates until Tsuburaya Productions stepped in, claiming it was footage from a “new Ultraman set,” which finally calmed the buzz. 

Of course, that was the Snake Qida Eight Families pulling strings. 

As Japan’s underworld emperors, handling a little PR crisis was child’s play. 

The attack had lit a fire under the Snake Qida, pushing them to crack down harder on the Fierce Ghost Clan. In just a few days, they’d smashed several of their strongholds. 

On the flip side, the Fierce Ghost Clan reacted swiftly. Likely under the King General’s orders, they’d evacuated and destroyed most of their Deadpool research data in advance. There were some skirmishes, and a few members got nabbed by the main family, but hardly any top brass were caught. 

The manager of Paradise Hall, Sakurai Kogure—the “Ryoma” close to Genji Chika—hadn’t shown up either. 

Hikari lent a small hand in the process. 

Using Yasaka Magatama, she rifled through the memories of a few captured Fierce Ghost Clan higher-ups, digging up a list of moles. 

From the original plot, the King General had planted an alarming number of spies within the Snake Qida—practically one next to every family head. With a single order, they could take out multiple heads in a flash, crippling the entire organization. 

Hikari didn’t care much about the Snake Qida’s fate. 

But fewer moles meant a safer environment for Eriyi. At least she wouldn’t hop into a taxi one day and end up whisked off to some shady place like Red Well. 

“This list probably isn’t complete. You’ll have to root out the rest yourselves. If you nab any Fierce Ghost Clan big shots, let me know, and I’ll come take a look.” 

That’s what Hikari told Uesugi and his son. 

“Got it.” 

“Thanks for your help, Miss Hikari. Here’s what you asked for…” 

Over those few days, the items Hikari requested started arriving. 

A small wooden box containing serum and related research documents, supposedly found at Tachibana Masamune’s place. The medical team had double-checked everything—legit. 

And then… 

Eight whole cardboard boxes. 

Packed with the manga, DVDs, books, and gaming consoles Hikari had listed. Even she hadn’t expected it to take up this much space. 

But no worries. 

Her house back in Konoha was plenty big—room for a few more boxes. Plus, with Universal Capsules and sealing scrolls, hauling it all was a breeze. She’d just stuff them in when she had a moment. 

“By the way, how’s Genji Chika doing?” Hikari asked. 

Chisei hesitated before answering honestly. “He’s snapped out of that puppet-like state, but he’s barely said a word these past few days. He’s under strict watch by the Executive Bureau. I’m planning to visit him tomorrow…” 

“Cool.” 

If he’d broken free of his “inner demon,” that was good enough. The rest was for Chisei and Uesugi, the “father and brother,” to figure out. 

Chisei chatted with Eriyi for a bit before hurrying off. 

As Hikari casually opened one of the boxes and sifted through its contents, Eriyi leaned over, picking up a manga from another box. She flipped through a couple of pages, then tugged at Hikari’s sleeve, holding up her notebook: “Hikari, what are these people doing? Why aren’t they wearing clothes?” 

“…Cough cough! Good kids don’t look at that stuff!”  

Hikari froze, then snatched the manga from Eriyi’s hands, nearly choking on her own spit. 

Seriously? 

Weren’t the spicy manga supposed to be buried at the bottom? How’d this one end up right on top? 

Hikari bent down to check the labels on the boxes, sealed the one full of adult manga, and pulled out a copy of Das Kapital from another box, handing it to Eriyi. “Read something wholesome.” 

“?” 

Eriyi took the book, looking puzzled. She stared at it for a bit, but her dark eyes kept sneaking glances at Hikari—specifically at the slight curve of her chest. Then she looked down at her own, which hid her toes from view, and held up her notebook again: “Hikari, do you like girls with bigger… you know?” 

“…” 

Hikari was stumped. 

She couldn’t exactly lie and say she didn’t… 

“No naughty stuff allowed!” she blurted. 

That said, Eriyi’s lack of gender awareness was a real issue. Hikari started wondering if she should give her a proper talk sometime soon. 

Problem was, the chat group didn’t have many women well-versed in this stuff. Bulma knew a bit, but she was only sixteen—probably half-clueless herself. Minato might know more, but he wasn’t exactly the right fit to teach Eriyi. Maybe Kushina would work… 

“…Forget it.” 

Hikari patted her slightly flushed cheeks and sighed. “I’ll just give Eriyi a one-on-one lesson later…” 

Over those two days, Bulma had made some progress too. 

[Bulma@NoName: Hikari, I finished the Sacred Jewel Radar!] 

[Bulma: Lady Kikyo and I tested it twice, and it’s basically good to go. We’re planning to start hunting for the Sacred Jewel shards in a few days. Wanna join?] 

[NoName: …I’m down, but Bulma, don’t you have school?] 

[Bulma: …Who cares? I’ve already mastered high school stuff. As long as I show up for the entrance exams, I’m golden.] 

[NoName: Lol, nice.] 

During the chat, Hikari glanced at the boxes nearby, a thought sparking. 

[NoName: Oh, by the way, I got the complete sets of Inuyasha and Dragon Ball manga here at Eriyi’s place—all finished editions. @Bulma, @LadyKikyo, wanna check them out?] 

Chapter 119: The Concept of the Three Sacred Treasures 

[NoName has requested to enter Kikyo’s world] 

[Kikyo has approved the request] 

With a flash of white light, Uchiha Hikari appeared in a forested area on the outskirts of a village. 

In front of her was a helicopter, grounded and idle. 

“…So you guys have been using this to hunt for the Sacred Jewel shards these past few days?” Hikari asked. 

“Yup!” Bulma nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Kikyo’s world is still stuck in the olden days. The roads are awful, and there are mountains everywhere. Cars are useless here, so this is the way to go.” 

Fair enough. 

But… 

Hikari glanced at Kikyo, who was resting on the grass in her traditional miko outfit, then back at the high-tech helicopter. The mental image of Kikyo sitting in the cockpit felt like something out of a weird Naruto crossover episode. 

Bulma, meanwhile, jumped to another topic, her eyes sparkling. “Hey, Hikari, where’s that manga you mentioned?” 

An hour later, Bulma set down the manga, looking like she was questioning her entire existence. “So, this arrogant, pint-sized jerk who almost killed Goku and the others… is supposed to be my future boyfriend?” 

“Not just boyfriend—your husband,” Hikari clarified. 

When it came to Vegeta, a character who went from villain to hero, Hikari wasn’t sure how to judge him. She just went with Bulma’s own framing. “The story in this manga is just one possible path your life could take. It’s not set in stone. Just take it as a reference.” 

“Hmm…”  

Bulma stewed for a bit, then flipped through the manga again. “Okay, but Goku seriously did that to me? Letting that pervy old Turtle Hermit see me like that… Next time I’m at Kame House, I’m gonna teach those two a lesson! And get this—the Dragon Balls were made by the Kami of Earth? If we track him down and get him to whip up a few more sets, couldn’t we make a wish every day?” 

“…I don’t think it works like that,” Hikari said, shaking her head. 

There wasn’t hard proof that only one set of Dragon Balls could exist, but a wish-granting system that powerful probably had some limits. Maybe only one Shenron could be active at a time. 

Instead of banking on “getting Kami to make more Dragon Balls,” which sounded like a long shot, Hikari was more curious about checking out Namek. 

Problem was, Namek was far. With Dragon Ball’s current space tech, it’d take about 4,000 years to get there. Even with a Namekian ship, it’d still be over a month. 

More importantly, wishing on Namek’s Dragon Balls required speaking their language, and the wishes might need approval from the locals. The Dragon Balls were guarded by different tribes, and you’d likely have to pass their trials to use them. 

With the strongest Namekians boasting power levels in the tens of thousands, passing those trials the normal way would be tougher than facing a tailed beast. 

So, figuring out how to earn the Namekians’ trust and craft a wish they’d accept was something to think about carefully… 

“Eh, I’ll figure it out later,” Bulma said, scratching her head. She flipped to the Dragon Ball Z section and rubbed her chin. “These Saiyan battle suits and that gravity training room… the tech seems pretty straightforward and useful. I might try building them later.” 

Meanwhile, Kikyo calmly set down the Inuyasha manga, her expression as serene as if she’d just read a random folktale. 

“So, Kagome made that choice in the end…” she murmured. “Good. Compared to me, she’s a better match for Inuyasha.” 

Seeing Kikyo’s detached, almost zen-like vibe, Hikari scratched her head, unsure how to respond. “Uh… you know, there’s more to life than romance, Kikyo. Just try to keep an open mind.” 

“Exactly!” Bulma chimed in. “Even if this world’s full of jerks, there are tons of great guys in other worlds. Like…” She paused, struggling to think of an example from her own world, then continued, “Like in Tanjiro’s world! Some of the Hashira are pretty cool. I think that Rengoku guy’s not bad. And Uzui Tengen—yeah, he’s kind of a loudmouth, but he’s pretty hot. Worth considering, right?” 

“He’s got three wives,” Hikari cut in. 

“What?!” Bulma’s eyes went wide. “There’s no bigamy law in the Demon Slayer world?” 

After some playful bickering, they dropped the topic. 

Hikari asked about Miko’s situation—based on earlier chat group messages, Kikyo had already visited her world. 

“Yes,” Kikyo nodded. “Miss Miko has remarkable spiritual power. If she were born in my world, she’d make an excellent miko. Her friend, Yurikawa Hana, has even stronger spiritual energy—perhaps surpassing what I had in life. I left her some talismans and taught her a few techniques to deal with spirits. She should be fine for now.” 

“Got it,” Hikari said, then tilted her head. “Hey, about spiritual power… could Bulma and I learn to use it?” 

“Probably,” Kikyo replied after a moment’s thought. “Spiritual power is essentially mental energy, drawn from a person’s soul. Since everyone’s soul varies in strength, so does their spiritual power. In theory, anyone can develop it, but recklessly channeling that energy could disrupt the balance between body and mind, potentially harming the body or even shortening one’s lifespan. But you, Miss Hikari, should be fine. I haven’t studied it closely, but your world’s ‘Mangekyo Sharingan’ likely shares some similarities with spiritual power. If you’re interested, I can teach you how to channel it.” 

“Awesome!”  

Hikari wasn’t aiming to become a miko. Her interest was in whether spiritual power could enhance her Susano’o. 

For example… 

What if she could craft the Three Sacred Treasures with it? 

Hikari had always been curious about where Itachi got his treasures. The Yasaka Magatama was standard for any Susano’o, but the Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror seemed unique to him. If they weren’t physical objects but spiritual constructs made from Sharingan chakra… 

She might be able to pull it off too. 

Like, combining Kikyo’s barrier techniques with the Four Violet Flames Formation to create an unbreakable Yata Mirror. Or fusing Kikyo’s sealing arrows with the Eight Trigrams Seal to whip up a Totsuka Blade—or at least a Totsuka Arrow. 

Right then and there, Hikari sat down with Kikyo to brainstorm and exchange ideas. 

As the sun began to set, she said goodbye to Bulma and jumped into the Dragon Ball world. 

First, she paid a visit to Dr. Brief, handing over the serum samples and research data from Tachibana Masamune, along with a live Deadpool specimen. Compared to the demons in the Demon Slayer world, Dragon Clan’s Deadpool were less dangerous—aside from the rare ones with Word Spirits, most were just tough, thick-skinned beasts. 

After that, Hikari swung by to check on the Cat Sage. 

Chapter 120: Three Sentences to Make Shisui Dig Out His Eyes 

“…Here’s the latest batch of manga and DVDs.” 

“And this is a gaming console, loaded with tons of single-player games. As long as it’s got power, you’re good to go.” 

Uchiha Hikari showed Korin how to use the console, watching as the old cat fumbled a bit getting the hang of it. 

Yeah… pretty clumsy. 

Operating a PS3 with those cat paws was honestly asking a lot. 

After playing a few rounds of King of Fighters with the lonely old feline and chatting half the night about training progress, Hikari finally left the Dragon Ball world and returned to the long-absent Konoha Village. 

Dawn was just breaking. 

Back in the Uchiha clan’s compound, her standalone villa looked much the same as when she’d left. The pillows and blankets on the bed, the books and potted plants on the desk… everything was untouched, just covered in a thin layer of dust. 

But… 

After spending weeks in the bustling, modern world of Dragon Clan, coming back here felt oddly empty. 

“Maybe it’s time to get a pet or something…” Hikari mused. 

She washed her face in front of the mirror, swapped her outfit for a thicker jacket, and pushed open the door to take a walk. 

The moment she stepped outside, she spotted a small figure waiting at her doorstep, looking like he’d been there forever. 

“…Sasuke?” 

It was indeed five-year-old Uchiha Sasuke. 

His eyes lit up when he saw her. “Oh, Great-Grandma, you’re back! Please wait here a sec—I’ll go tell Father. He’s got something he wants to talk to you about.” 

“Hm?” 

Hikari was a bit curious but had nothing pressing, so she stopped Sasuke and followed him to Fugaku’s house. 

Fugaku was used to her popping in and out of the clan compound at random. After a respectful bow and greeting, he got to the point. “Great-Grandma, do you remember a while back when Shisui and the others were sent out of the village on an investigation mission?” 

Hikari did recall it. 

The info came from Izumi— 

After the Mist Village attack a month or two ago, Uchiha clan members sent on missions outside the village kept getting ambushed by “unknown assailants.” Three or four had already gone missing. 

Konoha had dispatched an Anbu team to investigate, including Jiraiya and Shisui. That lineup was pretty stacked—strong enough not just for intel-gathering but to handle a small-scale battle if needed. 

But… 

“…While Shisui’s team was investigating near the Land of Fire’s border, they ran into a planned ambush. The attackers included the Mist’s Seven Ninja Swordsmen and a few unidentified powerhouses. Jiraiya wasn’t there at the time, so to protect the team, Shisui had to activate Susanoo.” 

Fugaku’s expression grew complicated. “As you know, that ocular jutsu takes a heavy toll on the body, so…” 

“So, someone gouged out Shisui’s eyes?” Hikari immediately jumped to the worst-case scenario. 

Was Shisui’s eyes destined to be taken, even without Danzo? Would someone else step in to do it? 

Fugaku blinked, startled. “Huh?” 

“No, no… it’s not that. Shisui overused his ocular powers to fend off the enemy. He succeeded, but his vision’s taken a serious hit—almost blind. According to Konoha Hospital, he might not be able to continue as a ninja.” 

“Oh…” 

That’s not so bad then. 

If Kotoamatsukami had fallen into the hands of the Mist or someone like Obito, that’d be a headache. But blindness? Hikari didn’t care much. 

For the Uchiha clan, though, it was a bombshell. 

Fugaku had kept it quiet, but Shisui’s were the only pair of Mangekyo Sharingan in the clan. His retirement would weaken the whole clan significantly. 

“So, you’re asking if I’ve got a way to fix this?” Hikari said. 

“Yes.” Fugaku nodded. “According to clan records, a Mangekyo can be restored by transplanting the eyes of a blood relative, turning it into an Eternal Mangekyo to prevent blindness. But you…” 

Hikari thought for a moment. “Take me to him.” 

Ten minutes later, Fugaku led her to a residence on the other side of the compound. 

They crossed the courtyard. 

Hikari slipped off her shoes at the porch, stepping onto the wooden floor in white socks. A few steps later, she pushed open a door and saw Shisui lying in bed, his eyes wrapped in bandages, looking a bit worse for wear. Itachi was nearby, helping with tea and water. 

“Great-Grandma, you’re here,” Shisui said, struggling to sit up and bow when he heard her steps. 

Hikari waved off the formalities and got straight to it. “I’ve heard what happened. You’ve got two options. First, follow the hospital’s advice: stop using your Mangekyo and retire from being a ninja. 

Second, swap out for a new pair of eyes.” 

“?!” 

Shisui was stunned. “You mean… take another clansman’s eyes and transplant them into me?” 

“Not a transplant. Your own eyes.” Hikari pulled a Senzu Bean from her pocket. “This is a miracle cure. It can heal any injury, even regrow eyes if they’re gouged out. I haven’t tested it on an Uchiha, so I can’t guarantee the new eyes will still be Mangekyo or that your vision will fully recover… 

Point is, it’s a risky experiment. You wanna give it a shot?” 

“Regrow new eyes… that’s actually possible?” Shisui asked, shocked. 

Hikari’s tone was firm. “If I say it can, it can.” 

Silence. 

After a long pause, Shisui nodded. “Alright.” 

Next, Shisui personally removed his eyes, placing them in a container with nutrient fluid, then ate the Senzu Bean. 

Hikari watched as the flesh in his empty sockets slowly regenerated, forming a new pair of eyeballs. 

“How’s it feel?” 

“…My vision’s back, but…” Shisui activated his ocular powers, and his eyes revealed black, two-tomoe Sharingan. 

“Tch, it dropped that much?” Hikari clicked her tongue, a bit disappointed. 

She’d been hoping that if the new eyes were still Mangekyo, she could talk to Fugaku about using Senzu Beans to keep gouging and regrowing eyes, mass-producing dozens of Mangekyo for the whole clan. Guess that was wishful thinking. 

But at least… 

“I’m taking these eyes, okay? Call it payment for fixing your vision. No objections, right?” 

With Shisui’s consent, Hikari pocketed the container with his old eyes. 

For Shisui, those near-blind eyes were useless and could even be dangerous due to their lingering ocular power. But for Hikari… if Dr. Brief’s research made progress, she might be able to fix their genetic flaws, upgrade them to Eternal Mangekyo, and give them to someone trustworthy. 

A pair of Eternal Mangekyo with Kotoamatsukami was still worth a lot. 

(End of Chapter)