I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 129 Erii, the Orphan of the Whirlpool

The day after returning to Konoha.

Uchiha Hikaru first went to Fugaku to ask about the recent situation in the clan, then went to see Naruto, and then packed up and left the village.

Strictly speaking, ninjas need approval from the Hokage Building to leave their village.

But she was too lazy to go through all that trouble. Just showing her face to the ANBU members like Uzuki Yugao and giving them a hint was already a lot of face for them.

Once outside the village.

Uchiha Hikaru summoned his Flying Nimbus, then compared it with the map and compass before flying towards the Land of Rice Fields—the place where Orochimaru founded the Sound Village.

Although she didn't know the exact address of the Sound Village, the Land of Rice Fields wasn't a large country, so she could just spend some time looking for it.

Kikyo uploaded a video titled "Spiritual Power Training Method".

Kikyo uploaded a video titled "Archery Training Method".

[Kikyo @ Anonymous @ Bulma: This is the training plan I just compiled. You can take a look first, and feel free to ask me if you have any questions.]

[Kikyo: If Miko, Erii, Minato, and Tanjiro are interested, please feel free to read on.]

Bulma: Yay!

[Yongdai-mei: Miss Kikyo, you're too kind. Due to my current situation, I'm unable to upload written materials, but if Miss Kikyo is interested in ninjutsu, I'll answer to the best of my knowledge.]

[Iron-Headed Kid: Thank you, Miss Kikyo! Although I don't know much, please feel free to look through this if it's helpful to anyone!]

[Iron-Headed Kid uploaded a video of "Water Breathing"]

[Iron-Headed Kid uploaded "Hinokami Kagura (incomplete)"]

Amidst a string of skipped messages, Uchiha Hikaru noticed the ones Tanjiro had sent and raised an eyebrow:

[Nameless: Has Tanjiro mastered the Hinokami Kagura yet?]

[Iron-Headed Kid: Oh, it's Miss Hikari. Actually, I haven't quite mastered it yet... It's just that after the special training arranged by Mr. Rengoku and Mr. Uzui, and the two recent battles with the Lower Moon Demons, I've gradually recalled some things, but it's still far from my father's skills.]

[Anonymous: What about the 'Transparent World'?]

[Iron-headed Kid: ...I think I've heard my father mention this concept before, but I'm too stupid to grasp it yet.]

[Anonymous: Is that so...]

Hikaru Uchiha had previously promised to take Tanjiro to see the Neko Sage and teach him some "ki" techniques. However, he had been busy with Erii and the others lately and had somewhat forgotten about that promise.

After this meeting with Orochimaru, I can take some time to carry it out and see if I can use the "Eight Thousand Spears" to probe memories and bring out Tanjiro's "Transparent World" to see what kind of ability it is.

the other side.

Erii's focus was completely different from Tanjiro's and the others.

[Little Monster: Light, are you there? My brother and dad just left. Can I come play with you now?]

[Anonymous: Hmm... that's possible.]

But your way of putting it sounds a bit strange...

After receiving permission from Uchiha Hikaru, Erii submitted an entry request and appeared on the flying Flying Cloud in the next second.

"?!"

Erii clearly hadn't expected to find herself high in the sky the moment she opened her eyes. A look of panic crossed her face, and she kept her mouth tightly shut. She cautiously looked around before turning to Uchiha Hikaru beside her, raising her notebook to greet her.

Hikaru Uchiha was also looking at her.

Compared to the first time when she came without even wearing clothes, Erii was clearly prepared this time.

Her face was washed clean, her hair was neatly combed, and she wore a clean red and white shrine maiden outfit. However, her crimson hakama was clearly modified. In addition to a long, alchemical sword hanging at her waist, the skirt had more than a dozen pockets of various sizes sewn on it, all stuffed full. One could vaguely see comic books, rubber ducks, a PS3 controller, and a few things that looked like glass tubes...

Erii herself was holding a small teddy bear that was nearly half a meter tall, and her usual notebook was in the pocket on the bear's chest.

"Eri, what are those things in your pockets...?"

"It's a serum."

Erii held up her little notebook, her expression saying, "I asked my brother for a few more potions, so I can stay with Hikaru for a few more days this time."

"...Alright then."

"Bring it here and I'll put it into the multi-purpose capsule for you. Don't let it fall and break."

As he spoke, Uchiha Hikaru instructed the Flying Nimbus to slow down a bit, then took out several glass tubes from Erii's pocket and carefully put them away.

During this process, Erii leaned forward slightly towards the edge of the Somersault Cloud, her dark red hair being blown by the cool breeze as she curiously gazed at the surrounding mountains and rivers.

suddenly.

Erii seemed to have noticed something. She scribbled a few words in her notebook, then held it up to Uchiha Hikaru: "Hikaru, there are a lot of people down there, it looks like they're fighting..."

"Um?"

Uchiha Hikaru followed her gaze and looked down, quickly spotting a group of ninjas fighting. One group wore headbands with a pattern resembling "M" on their foreheads. A little further away, in a small town, some wounded were being carried on stretchers from outside the village into the hospital, waiting to receive treatment.

This is just a very ordinary scene.

Even in the current ninja world, only the areas where the five great ninja villages are located are relatively peaceful and stable, while most other countries and regions are in a state of constant war, with chaos and killing being the eternal themes.

but……

"The Land of Grass?"

Suddenly, Uchiha Hikaru had a thought.

Speaking of which, it seems there were two orphans from the Uzumaki clan living in the Land of Grass during this period—

Karin and her daughter, Uzumaki!

The pureblood Uzumaki clan possesses healing abilities almost equivalent to Senzu Beans, allowing them to rapidly restore chakra and recover from injuries through their own blood. Therefore, this mother and daughter have been used freely by the Grass Ninja as "blood packs."

Karin Uzumaki's mother died as a result, having exhausted her life force.

Karin herself followed in her mother's footsteps, and it wasn't until Orochimaru took a liking to her and brought her back to be a researcher that she was finally freed a little bit—this "little bit" means that she was more restrained when being drained, so that she wouldn't be drained to death like the Grass Ninja.

There aren't many surviving members of the vortex from this era. If I hadn't encountered them, it wouldn't have mattered. But since I happened to be passing by here...

"Eri, would you like to go down and take a look?"

Erii readily agreed to Uchiha Hikaru's suggestion.

So the two stopped on the clouds and landed in a corner of Kusagakure.

After jumping down from the cloud, Uchiha Hikaru signaled the Flying Nimbus to fly back into the sky, while Erii looked around curiously.

There weren't many buildings or people around, and a few Kusagakure ninjas were hurrying past.

suddenly.

One of the tall ninjas seemed to notice Uchiha Hikaru and Erii—or rather, Erii—and frowned. He strode over and said, "Hey, where did you two sneak in from? I don't remember having anyone like you in Kusagakure."

"you……"

Before Uchiha Hikaru could respond, he looked at Erii again, his expression shifting slightly as if he had thought of something: "That red-haired girl, are you from the Uzumaki clan?"

(End of this chapter)