I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 263 is here? Borrow some chakra.

Not to mention Yamato's so-called "lifelong request".

Uchiha Hikaru had already planned to visit the One Piece world soon to confirm the current timeline there, and also to scout out Bulma's "Dimensional Pirate Crew Plan" in advance. If there was enough time, rescuing Ace would be just a side benefit.

As for now...

"Want to go for a walk, Xiao Ai?"

Uchiha Hikaru glanced at the military princess beside him.

"The weather looks pretty good today."

Regarding Uchiha Hikaru's suggestion.

Esdeath agreed without much thought. Then, they changed shoes together and left the Uchiha clan's territory, arriving at a village outside.

Well...

Having grown accustomed to the modern metropolises of the Dragon Ball and Jujutsu worlds, returning to Konoha in the Naruto world gave Uchiha Hikari a feeling of being in a different world—in fact, it truly felt like a different world altogether. However, to the rest of Konoha, it was merely a short trip.

On the road.

Several patrolling security personnel bowed to Uchiha Hikaru, saying, "Greetings, Great-Grandmother!"

"Greetings, Lord Guang."

"Um……"

Uchiha Hikaru nodded and glanced at it casually.

The one calling her "Great-Grandma" is clearly an Uchiha. The two people next to her are Inuzuka and Yamanaka, which can be seen from the paint on the former's face and the blond hair on his head.

However, these ninjas from different clans seemed to be getting along well at the moment. And the Konoha villagers by the roadside no longer showed the fear and hostility they once had, but rather a greater sense of closeness.

This is probably a result of the recent implementation of "civilized law enforcement" by the security forces.

Although it is not mentioned in the original Naruto work, most of the villagers of Konoha are essentially a group of "ignorant people".

—His educational level is not high, only to the point of being able to read and write. He has only a superficial understanding of many rules and regulations inside and outside the village, which is why he has a resistant attitude towards the police force that arrests people at the drop of a hat.

And now.

Shisui and other younger members of the clan began to learn how to occupy the high ground of public opinion, paying particular attention to the propaganda work of the garrison. They established a special "legal propaganda department" to explain the various systems in the village to the general public and subtly dispel the hatred of other villagers towards the Uchiha.

Judging from the results, it was done quite well.

"Good."

"Children and grandchildren have their own blessings, and I, as their great-grandmother, can now retire to the second line with peace of mind."

Uchiha Hikaru nodded slightly, offering his assessment in an air of maturity.

Esdeath's lips twitched slightly at this, her expression somewhat speechless.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Esdeath shook her head. "I just think it's kind of cute that you say something like that, considering your appearance."

"……what?"

Uchiha Hikaru was taken aback.

What she said just now was mostly a joke, but judging from Esdeath's expression, it seemed like she took it seriously.

At that moment, Uchiha Hikaru didn't explain much, simply leading Esdeath on a leisurely stroll. They even managed to buy several boxes of three-colored dumplings, which they shared with Esdeath, each getting a bag. Then they went to a nearby shopping street and bought a bunch of nice-looking clothes and handicrafts.

To be fair, Konoha Village has a few pretty good wood carving shops. If you took the items from there to the world of Jujutsu or Dragon Raja, they could very well be sold as collectibles for a high price.

……

After wandering around the village for an afternoon, and then running up to the top of the Hokage Rock to enjoy the breeze for a while.

Uchiha Hikaru brought Esdeath to the entrance of the Ninja Academy.

It was time for school to let out.

Groups of children, ranging from six or seven to ten years old, were noisily emerging from the school. Among them, a blond boy wearing a swirling pattern T-shirt stood out, while a few meters away, another boy with black hair and spiky hair, dressed in a blue shirt and white pants, stood out.

That's right.

These two are, of course, Naruto and Sasuke.

When I saw Uchiha Hikaru.

Naruto's eyes lit up, and the expression on his face, which had been arguing with Sasuke, quickly disappeared. He dashed over at a trot:

"Hikari-neechan! It really is you!"

"Yes, it's been a long time."

Before Naruto could hug him, Uchiha Hikaru grabbed his shoulder and rubbed the little guy's head: "Hmm, looks like you've been taking baths on time, your hair is quite soft."

"Of course! I've been following your advice, Hikari-neechan, eating well, sleeping well, and taking a shower on time every day!"

"Oh right, and there are also rice cakes and rice balls. They've changed so much lately. Hikaru-neechan, would you like to come back with me to see them?"

Naruto started talking nonstop.

next to.

Sasuke paused for a moment, seemingly hesitant about whether to come over and greet Uchiha Hikaru, or pretend he didn't see her and just walk away.

While he hesitated, Uchiha Hikaru had already waved.

"Sasuke, right?"

"Shisui said you and Naruto have been getting along really well lately. Haven't you visited his house yet? Want to come along?"

"...?"

A question mark slowly appeared on Sasuke's face.

—Me... with Naruto? We're close? Really?

Although I have some doubts.

But since Uchiha Hikari, this "elder," had personally extended the invitation, Sasuke felt embarrassed to refuse her. After stammering a few words about how his parents and brother were waiting for him to come home for dinner, Uchiha Hikari grabbed his wrist and led him towards the neighborhood near the Ninja Academy.

Naruto's house is quite close to the school.

About ten minutes later, the group arrived at Naruto's single apartment.

As the door opened.

A large, cream-colored dog, about half a person's height, wagged its tail and came up to them, sniffing around. Then, it seemed to recognize Uchiha Hikaru and immediately raised its body, as if it wanted to pounce on him and lick him with its tongue.

"snort!"

Esdeath snorted coldly, startling the big white dog, who tucked its tail between its legs and wore a look of surprise and uncertainty on its face.

"Okay, Xiao Ai, stop scaring it."

Uchiha Hikaru waved his hand, then squatted down in front of the white dog and stroked its soft fur: "I remember, your name is 'Rice,' right?"

"...Um, Hikari-neechan, it's 'mochi' (rice cake)."

Naruto quietly corrected him from the side.

"Oh right."

Uchiha Hikaru suddenly realized, then glanced at the large black and white dog lying lazily in its kennel not far away: "Is that called 'Sushi'?"

"...It's 'rice ball'."

"Well, they're all pretty much the same."

Uchiha Hikaru chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eyes: "Speaking of which, these two seem to have been born in the same litter, right? They should actually be called 'Sesshomaru' and 'Inuyasha'."

"?"

Unfortunately, none of the people present understood this joke.

Especially Sasuke.

Perhaps because most members of the Uchiha clan are cat or crow lovers and not particularly fond of canines, Sasuke and Mochi seemed to dislike each other a bit. The former stood aside, pretending to be aloof and not saying a word, while the latter didn't approach him to sniff him like he would with Hikaru and Naruto.

Seeing this, Uchiha Hikaru could only sigh, shoveling a few mouthfuls of rice cakes and rice into his mouth before standing up and glancing at the clock on the wall: "It's almost lunchtime... Since you're here so rarely, I'll cook today. Do you have any fresh ingredients at home?"

"Yes, there are!"

That evening, Hikaru Uchiha and Esdeath cooked the meal together.

Quite abundant.

Sasuke initially wanted to go back early, but intimidated by Uchiha Hikaru's elder-like authority, he sat down and ate a few bites. Then, a look of surprise appeared on his face, and he began to use inconspicuous and quick little movements to put food into his own bowl.

Naruto didn't dare to show weakness either.

The two almost started fighting with their chopsticks.

After a hearty meal and drinks.

Naruto took the initiative to pick up the bowl and chopsticks and start washing them.

Sasuke, on the other hand, reverted to his original aloof demeanor, looking around as if searching for an excuse to leave.

At that moment, Uchiha Hikaru beckoned to Naruto, calling the blond-haired boy over from the side, and then put a hand on his shoulder.

"...Hikari-neechan?"

"Don't move, let me see."

As they were talking.

Uchiha Hikaru closed his eyes slightly and began to activate "Inaction Transformation," transforming his consciousness into tendrils that extended from his palm into Naruto's body, beginning to observe his soul.

"...Hmm, so this guy's soul is this resilient? It's much more solid than those cursed spirits."

"...Could this feeling be the legendary 'Asura Chakra'?"

"besides……"

Just as Uchiha Hikaru was carefully observing Naruto's soul, trying to uncover Ashura's secrets,

Another trace of chakra fluctuation suddenly appeared at this moment. Then, Naruto's originally peaceful "mental world" began to rapidly transform, quickly spreading and filling with a crimson pool of blood. Under these circumstances, a prison-like building appeared in Uchiha Hikaru's "vision".

"here it is……"

Uchiha Hikaru looked around and had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

This place was naturally familiar to her; it was the place where the Nine-Tails was imprisoned inside Naruto.

It seems this place is located within Naruto's soul, a place similar to his sea of ​​consciousness or spiritual world. So when she tried to peer into Naruto's soul, she unknowingly connected to this place. And if nothing unexpected happens, the large orange fox should also be here.

Uchiha Hikaru had previously thought about taking some time to meet with the Nine-Tails inside Naruto.

And now...

There's no time like the present.

Since we're already here, and the Nine-Tailed Fox's orange figure is already faintly visible inside the cell, we might as well just call him out for a chat.

"Cough cough..."

present.

Uchiha Hikaru faced Kurama opposite him, a smile on his face: "You're there? Kurama, can I borrow some chakra?"

(End of this chapter)