I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 266 Feeling... Not as good as a catgirl

Time flew by and the next day arrived.

All morning.

Uchiha Hikaru arrived at the training ground under the Naka River Waterfall. He first did a few sets of basic stretching exercises. After his joints were slightly loosened up, he took out several sealing scrolls from the world of cursed arts and began to try out the spells of several cursed spirits one by one.

The concept of "transformation through non-action" goes without saying.

Uchiha Hikaru practiced this technique almost every day. Since it didn't require any special location, he could just use it on himself. He could even practice while eating and drinking.

In theory, she can now transform herself into almost any form she desires using "inactive transformation," such as a "catgirl form," a "mecha girl form," or even a "mature woman form." However, these forms are somewhat embarrassing, so Uchiha Hikari has only tried them in private and has never shown them to others.

—Except for the "catgirls" that Esdeath has seen.

As for the other cursed spirits...

Uchiha Hikaru's technique has the highest compatibility with the clepsydra.

"Domain expansion..."

"A coffin sealed within an iron wall!"

As Uchiha Hikaru formed hand seals...

An invisible aura silently formed from her body, spreading outwards in all directions and enveloping the space within hundreds of meters. At that moment, countless dark red sparks silently appeared in the air, fluttering down to the earth like snowflakes.

—Domain capabilities derived from the water clock.

For Uchiha Hikaru, who was already skilled in Fire Release and whose Mangekyou Sharingan artifact was "Fire and Thunder God," this ability was the easiest to master. She didn't even put much effort into practicing it; after just a few simple attempts, she easily reproduced it.

The instant the domain was formed.

Within a radius of several hundred meters, the grass, fallen leaves, and everything that could be burned vanished silently.

The ice layer that Esdeath had laid out beforehand melted away in an instant.

This process can no longer even be described as "combustion".

It is closer to "annihilation".

It's as if a volcano was artificially created using "cursed power" and placed here, resulting in such an astonishing burning effect. If a few ordinary people were placed here, they would probably be burned to ashes in no time by this heat.

"……good."

Uchiha Hikaru nodded slightly.

In terms of sheer power, "Coffin Iron Mountain" is nothing special, roughly equivalent to an enhanced version of "Great Fire Annihilation," a quick-clearing type of spell. But she has many similar techniques.

but……

Its appearance, resembling "heavenly fire," is quite intimidating.

especially……

As Uchiha Hikaru used the "Fire and Thunder God" ability, dyeing his long hair red and covering his entire body in a red veil that billowed in the wind, he looked even more breathtakingly beautiful.

"Click—"

A crisp click of a camera shutter rang out from not far away.

Esdeath took out her phone, snapped a picture, and then walked over with an admiring look on her face.

During this process, a wisp of white smoke rose from her body, giving her an ethereal, otherworldly appearance.

—In fact, it was the effect of Esdeath covering herself with a layer of ice, which was continuously evaporated by Uchiha Hikaru's "Iron Mountain Coffin".

"Is this the ability of that guy called 'Water Clock'?"

"Looks pretty good, suits you well. Like my 'Ice Storm General,' it's an ability suitable for screening out strong individuals."

Esdeath commented, then paused slightly: "But it's still not as good as that ability to conjure cat ears."

"?"

A question mark slowly appeared on Uchiha Hikaru's face.

Although Esdeath said that, she certainly couldn't possibly do as the other party suggested and demonstrate her "catgirl form" again.

Trying something like this in private is one thing, but doing it in broad daylight is incredibly shameful. And if other Uchiha clan members happened to be passing by and saw it, she, as the "great-grandmother," would probably lose face.

opposite.

Esdeath put her phone back in her pocket, then stretched her neck, looked over with interest, and spoke again: "So...want to practice? I can also help you digest the new abilities you've gained recently."

"...I think you just want to fight someone."

Uchiha Hikaru curled his lip.

The two of them haven't sparred for a while; the last time was at the World Martial Arts Tournament in the Dragon Ball world.

After that battle, Esdeath kept fighting opponents who were far weaker than her, such as Doma, Gojo Satoru, and Louju. Although it was fun, after a while, she inevitably got a little itchy to fight.

and so……

"Let's just do a quick job. Be careful not to damage this part, otherwise it will be a real hassle to fix."

"Uchiha Hikaru said."

……

Although Uchiha Hikaru and Esdeath did indeed hold back, primarily relying on taijutsu in combat and barely using large-scale ninjutsu, let alone abilities like Susanoo and Ice Demon, the aftershocks of their battle still created a turbulence akin to a small earthquake, which then spread throughout most of the Uchiha compound.

Shisui and the others who remained in the clan territory thought that an unexpected incident like the previous attack by the Hidden Mist had occurred. They rushed over upon hearing the noise and breathed a sigh of relief after confirming the situation.

the end.

Shisui looked at the severely damaged training grounds around him and sighed.

"Grandma's strength has indeed increased compared to before."

"But it's truly extraordinary that Lady Esdeath could actually hold her own against her great-grandmother."

Uchiha Hikaru, standing nearby, scratched his head: "It seems we went a bit too far... Shisui, why don't you get someone to come and fix this place up? I'll cover the cost."

"No, how could I dare let my great-grandmother spend so much money..."

Zhi Shui shook his head repeatedly: "The clan has a special fund for regularly repairing these training grounds. It's been a while since the last repair, so I'll just discuss it with the clan leader."

"...Okay, that works too."

Hikari Uchiha didn't actually mind paying the money; she had plenty of money, and she even had a gold mine in the Demon Slayer world that was under development. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she was incredibly wealthy. But since Shisui insisted on not accepting her financial assistance, she simply let it go.

……

Next.

Uchiha Hikaru moved to another location and tested the abilities of Hanamichi and Takarazuka again.

Among them, Hanamichi's ability is somewhat like a low-powered version of Wood Release, capable of promoting rapid plant growth or, conversely, draining the life force of plants in the surrounding area to replenish itself. Furthermore, it is highly adept at concealing its presence, thus deceiving others' barriers.

—In the original Jujutsu manga, Hanami can use this ability to conceal herself, allowing the barrier surrounding the Jujutsu High Specialist to recognize her as a plant, thus enabling her to freely enter and exit without triggering an alarm.

In theory, this ability should also be applicable to the ninja world, allowing them to deceive the defensive barriers of Konoha, Kirigakure, Kumogakure, and Amegakure, thus enabling secret infiltration.

Uchiha Hikaru had previously considered visiting these places.

Although with her current strength, she could easily barge in and attract the entire village's siege, only to escape unscathed, it's still better to keep a low profile. After all, she still has her pride, and she can't bring herself to carry out a kidnapping like Yunyin did in someone else's home.

As for the fourth cursed spirit, Tuogen...

Its abilities are related to water.

Its "Domain: Rippling Horizon," which can create a beach, is one of the abilities that Uchiha Hikaru favored most in the world of jutsu, making it perfect as a portable resort.

but……

Uchiha Hikaru and these two cursed spirits are not very compatible.

So when trying to use their abilities, they encountered a little obstacle. Even after spending an afternoon studying them, they still couldn't use them successfully.

"Looks like I'll need to practice for a while longer..."

That evening.

Uchiha Hikaru went to Naruto's house, brought out the blond-haired boy, and together with Esdeath, they went to a barbecue restaurant in Konoha Village. They ordered more than a dozen servings of high-quality barbecue, ready to feast.

During this process, she also released the Nine-Tails, and then used "Inaction Transformation" to shape it into the appearance of an orange cat. She then threw a few pieces of roasted meat in front of it. Theoretically, the Nine-Tails does not need to eat, but it has the sense of taste, so if it wants to eat, it can still taste the flavor like an ordinary ninja beast.

Since Uchiha Hikaru promised to let Kurama "see" the outside world, he should naturally share some of the good food with Kurama now that it's time to enjoy it.

the other side.

Naruto carefully glanced at the prices on the menu, his expression turning somewhat uneasy.

"Sister Guang, aren't these vegetables... too expensive? They seem to be more than ten times more expensive than in the supermarket..."

"Don't worry, it's on me. My sister is very wealthy now."

Uchiha Hikaru smiled slightly.

Speaking of which, when she moved out of Naruto's house, she had already given him Minato and Kushina's savings account, letting him manage the money as he pleased. However, the little guy was clearly used to a poor life where he was looked down upon, so after she taught him how to buy groceries, he basically only bought affordable ingredients and often bought discounted bento boxes for dinner. Now, coming to a high-end place like "Yakiniku Q," he was somewhat at a loss.

This made Uchiha Hikaru feel a little guilty.

"Come to think of it, it seems like it's been a while since I sent Minato a picture of Naruto..."

"Bulma mentioned last time that she wanted to visit Naruto, Erii, and Yamato... How about we bring him along next time we go to other worlds for a gathering, so he can broaden his horizons?"

(End of this chapter)