I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 199 An Encounter in the Land of Demons

Might Guy is probably one of the few Jonin in Konoha who "doesn't know" Uchiha Hikaru.

It's not that I haven't seen it before.

It's because... this guy is face-blind and can't remember people's names at all.

At that moment, Guy seemed to sense the gazes of Uchiha Hikaru and Esdeath. He glanced in their direction while doing a handstand, then gave a thumbs-up, revealing two rows of gleaming teeth: "Yo~ Thanks for your support! Would you two like to join me in sweating it out?"

"No, you should just enjoy yourself on your own..."

Uchiha Hikaru waved his hand somewhat awkwardly.

Esdeath was somewhat tempted.

of course……

It wasn't that I wanted to run handstands around Konoha with Kai; I wanted to challenge him to a fight.

"Next time, Xiao Ai. It's almost lunchtime."

Hikaru Uchiha grabbed Esdeath from the side.

According to her estimation, Might Guy was indeed capable of fighting Esdeath, but only if he opened six or even seven gates of the Eight Gates. If that happened, the battle would likely be quite massive, potentially destroying several forests.

As for Guy with all eight gates open, theoretically he could even kick Esdeath to death with one kick... The only suspense is whether "Mokopatemo," which can freeze space, can freeze "Night Guy," which can even distort space.

However, "Night Guy" is the ultimate move that burns life force. Once used, the best outcome is a one-for-one trade. So unless Esdeath also wants Konoha to experience pain, Guy has no reason to reveal this trump card.

"Speaking of which..."

"Can Senzu Beans cure the aftereffects of the Eight Gates Formation?"

Uchiha Hikaru suddenly had this thought.

If possible...

In theory, wouldn't we be able to use "Night Kai" as a basic attack?

This conjecture cannot be verified at the moment.

After all, she couldn't very well let Kai open the Eight Gates on the spot and broaden her horizons...

present.

Uchiha Hikaru watched Might Guy run away, then led the two women all the way home, changed his clothes into pajamas, and started washing his hands and cooking.

Erii rushed over excitedly to help.

Well...

As a yakuza princess raised by the Snake Clan from a young age, Erii is quite talented at "cutting people with a knife," but she's completely clueless when it comes to "chopping vegetables." Although she tries her best to help, she looks clumsy and quickly cuts her finger.

Upon seeing this, Uchiha Hikaru quickly asked Esdeath to get some iodine and disinfectant wipes.

after all……

The wound would have healed if we had waited any longer.

After silently rinsing Erii's wound on her finger, Esdeath picked up the cleaver and skillfully began slicing the remaining half of a potato.

"what?"

Hikaru Uchiha glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, slightly surprised: "Does Ai usually cook?"

I guess so.

Esdeath continued working with her hands, her face expressionless: "Because I've always lived alone, I've practiced these housework skills to some extent. I'm not an expert, but it's enough."

"Um……"

Uchiha Hikaru pondered for a moment: "I remember you seem to have a habit of growing flowers? Would you like to go to the flower shop tomorrow?"

If I remember correctly, the Yamanaka family owns a flower shop, and they recently participated in a "flower exhibition" organized by Shisui and others. Since her room is a bit empty, bringing some flowers and plants to decorate it would be a good idea.

The problem is that she's often away for months at a time. If she were to actually stay home and grow flowers, she'd probably need to hire someone to water them regularly...

the other side.

Esdeath's expression turned somewhat strange.

It's true that she enjoys growing flowers.

But the purpose wasn't for viewing; it was to inflict pain on prisoners during interrogation...

For a fleeting moment, Esdeath's mind conjured up an image of binding Uchiha Hikaru and torturing him with "flower torture." After a brief emotional turmoil, she let out a soft sigh and lowered her eyes: "No need. It's just a boring way to pass the time anyway."

"yes……"

Uchiha Hikaru remained noncommittal.

After dinner that day.

Hikaru Uchiha settled Esdeath and Erii in the bedroom next to his.

There are quite a few empty rooms in her mansion, so there's no need to worry about not having enough room.

Wait until the next morning.

Uchiha Hikaru quickly packed up and prepared to take the two of them to the Land of Demons.

If it were the old Uchiha Hikaru, he would probably summon the Flying Nimbus at this point and fly over with Erii and Esdeath.

But now...

"Let me see. The Land of Demons is located northeast of Konoha, about 900 kilometers away as the crow flies..."

After roughly comparing them on the map.

Uchiha Hikari flicked the "Shangri-La" on her wrist. As a wisp of spiritual energy flowed into the Imperial Arm, blurry images appeared in her mind, stretching out towards the northeast. At the same time, a teleportation array, glowing with fluorescent light, appeared in the room.

A flash of light.

The three figures vanished from their original spot and reappeared in a humid mountain range.

"This should be within the Land of Demons. Let's find a nearby town and check the situation first."

As Uchiha Hikaru spoke, he took a step.

……

As one of the oldest countries in the Naruto world.

The political system of the Demon Kingdom is very unique.

Unlike most countries in the ninja world, which are ruled by "daimyo", the supreme ruler of the Land of Demons is the "shrine maiden" of each generation, giving it a sense of "theocracy".

Therefore, the towns here are quite different from those of the five great kingdoms, with shops featuring witchcraft and supernatural elements everywhere.

Uchiha Hikaru bought two Hannya masks and casually handed one to Erii, who happily put it on her face.

Then he bought a bunch of cornflowers and handed them to Esdeath.

"This is?"

"Well, consider this a small gift for our guests who have come from afar."

Uchiha Hikaru said with a smile, "Besides, this bunch of cornflowers is blue, which matches your hair color very well. It should look quite nice to hold in your hand."

"..."

Esdeath's eyelids twitched, and after a moment of silence, she hesitantly took the bouquet from Uchiha Hikaru's hand.

Erii, standing next to her, made a photo-taking gesture with her hand, then held up her little notebook: "It's really pretty, Esdeath-neechan."

"……Thanks."

Esdeath then stopped talking and simply followed behind, half a step behind.

Uchiha Hikaru would occasionally stop at the stalls to buy snacks and treats, then turn around and share them with the two. Erii, on the other hand, picked out several wind chimes and hung them on her fair wrists, where they tinkled melodiously as she walked.

"By the way... is there some special holiday recently? It seems quite lively here?"

At a goldfish scooping stall, Uchiha Hikaru struck up a conversation with the owner.

"Um?"

The stall owner paused for a moment, then asked, "You...you're not citizens of the Land of Demons, are you?"

"Oh, we are tourists from the Land of Fire."

"No wonder..."

The boss spoke eloquently: "During this period, it is the annual 'Kamisho Festival' of the Land of Demons. All towns are holding celebrations to express their gratitude to the gods who have given us our current lives, and to pray for good weather and abundant harvests in the coming year... By the way, you still don't know who the 'gods' are, do you?"

She is the first priestess of the Land of Demons. Legend has it that thousands of years ago, a ferocious monster once inhabited this land, wantonly killing and devouring humans. It was the first priestess who stood up, using her powerful spiritual energy to slay it, and then protected the remaining people, establishing the Land of Demons as it is today. If you travel to the capital soon, you might even meet the current priestess at the festival.

"Oh? Is that so?"

Uchiha Hikaru looked intrigued.

While listening to the boss's story, she had already shared it in the chat group and casually asked about it.

【Eternal Girl: The Land of Demons?】

[Eternal Sister: I've heard some rumors about that country. It seems to have existed since the time of the Sage of Six Paths, and its history is even longer than that of the Five Great Nations... Moreover, the rulers of each generation were all priestesses with spiritual power, perhaps somewhat similar to Kikyo.]

[Yotsuya Miko: Hmm... from Hikaru-san's description, it sounds a bit like the "Yamatai Kingdom" mentioned in history books.]

[The Tiger of the West: Yamatai? Is that the one ruled by Queen Hiruko? I think I've heard of it too.]

[Iron-Headed Kid: Um, can I ask what you guys are saying? I can't understand a word...]

Amidst a rapidly scrolling list of discussion messages.

Uchiha Hikaru locked onto Kikyo, who had just started bubbling.

[Anonymous @ Kikyo: Miss Kikyo, would you like to come and take a look? Although we're not from the same world, we're both priestesses, so maybe we'll have some common ground.]

[Kikyo: ...If it's not too much trouble, that's fine.]

[Anonymous: Okay, I'll bring you over after we get to the capital. Right now, I'm asking for directions.]

Perhaps it's because travelers from outside the Land of Demons are not often seen.

The stall owner chatted with Uchiha Hikaru and the other two for a long time before finally pointing out the way to the capital city, still seemingly unsatisfied.

Finally, the boss also gave them a fish tank full of goldfish.

Uchiha Hikaru originally wanted Erii to hold the fish tank, but the goldfish seemed to sense the dragon-like aura emanating from her, and they swam wildly, almost jumping out of the tank. When the fish tank was handed to Esdeath, they all fell silent, as if frozen in place.

no way.

Uchiha Hikaru could only create a shadow clone, holding the fish tank, and then leisurely wandered around the town for another day, planning to rest for one night before heading to the capital.

While searching for a hotel.

An unexpected person suddenly appeared in her line of sight—

"...Thank you both so much. If it weren't for your help, Young Master Zhushan's illness might have..."

"This is the agreed-upon reward of two million taels of silver. Please take a look!"

In front of a grand mansion.

The blonde woman, dressed in a dark green robe, crossed her arms and looked languid.

Although she was actually close to forty, she looked like she was in her early twenties, with fair skin, dazzling blonde hair, and braids tied at the ends of her hair that draped down her back, highlighting a huge "gambling" character. Even without her ridiculously large breasts, this outfit was enough to attract attention.

Beside her, a black-haired girl holding a pig bowed politely, took a black briefcase from the old housekeeper of the mansion, glanced at it briefly, and then zipped it up.

"Lady Tsunade, it has been checked, and the amount is correct."

"Okay, that's good."

The blonde woman nodded slightly and looked at the old butler: "If you know any other wealthy businessmen who have sick family members, you can come to me, as long as you can afford the consultation fee."

As they were talking.

She turned around, and after taking only a few steps, the stern expression on her face vanished, replaced by an unusually cheerful one: "Hurry up, hurry up, be quiet! While the casino is still open... I lost so much there the other day, this time I'm going to win it all back, with interest, and teach those cheaters a lesson!"

"..."

Silent opened her mouth, but hesitated to speak.

Having been by Tsunade's side for so long, she knew her master's gambling luck all too well.

Winning money?

impossible.

Based on past experience, winning three out of a hundred bets would be considered good luck for Tsunade. She truly deserves the title of "the fattest sheep in the ninja world."

She could already foresee Tsunade losing all the two million yen she hadn't even had a chance to enjoy within a few days, and then, under the pressure of the debt collectors, leaving to continue being a fat sheep somewhere else...

It was also at this time.

Tsunade, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped and frowned as she looked in a certain direction.

"That is..."

at the same time.

On the other side of the long street, more than 100 meters away.

Uchiha Hikaru stopped, narrowed his eyes slightly, and showed a surprised expression.

"...What a coincidence."

After a brief eye contact.

Tsunade glanced to both sides before walking over with a slightly hesitant expression: "Hikari... Miss, it's been a long time."

When it came to addressing Uchiha Hikaru, Tsunade clearly hesitated for a moment, still unable to bring herself to use terms like "sir" or "senpai."

However, Uchiha Hikaru didn't mind: "Oh, it's Tsunade. What a coincidence, you're also traveling to the Land of Demons?"

"almost."

Tsunade nodded.

Shizune, standing beside her, gave a slight bow and respectfully added, "It's like this, Lady Hikaru. Recently, a wealthy merchant's son fell seriously ill and offered a very high reward for his treatment. Lady Tsunade happened to be passing by and came to find him..."

"I see."

Uchiha Hikaru glanced at the briefcase under Shizune's hand and roughly understood what had happened.

then.

Under the slightly puzzled gazes of Tsunade and Shizune, she smiled and casually explained, "As you can see, I'm traveling with these two friends... It's quite a coincidence that we met in the Land of Demons. How about we find a place to have a drink?"

"……Can."

(End of this chapter)