I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 278 Returning to Bronze City

For Uchiha Hikaru, bringing the Nine-Tails clone out of Naruto's body was simply a matter of chance, not a premeditated act.

but……

Now that we have obtained the Nine-Tails' chakra, it would be a waste not to try to develop it.

The problem lies in how to obtain the Nine-Tails' cooperation.

Forcibly controlling the Nine-Tails with the Sharingan, like Obito and Madara did, is not the correct way to unlock its power. And gaining the Nine-Tails' "acceptance" through prolonged contact, like Naruto did, is too cumbersome. Therefore, Hikaru Uchiha intends to be more pragmatic, using a mutually beneficial "transaction" to attempt to develop the Nine-Tails' chakra.

So...

Revealing a little secret to the Nine-Tails is a very important step.

As long as Kurama shows interest in these worlds outside the ninja world, that's when Uchiha Hikaru will make an offer to it.

……

The next day or two.

Uchiha Hikaru stayed briefly at a hotel on the banks of the Yangtze River.

Meanwhile, Bulma uploaded several sets of glass containers to the chat group, saying that Dr. Brief had helped procure them; they could withstand high temperatures and preserve the activity of the blood samples as much as possible. Uchiha Hikaru used these to collect some more blood samples from Constantine and Natsumi, then sealed them in a scroll, intending to send one each to Dr. Gero and Orochimaru later.

"Speaking of which..."

"Perhaps we should consider adding Orochimaru to the private chat list as well."

Uchiha Hikaru suddenly had this idea.

Because she herself came from the Naruto world, and another member from the Naruto world was dead, she was completely unaware of the situation in the ninja world while she was in another world. It was possible that something might suddenly happen, and by the time she returned, everything would have settled down.

In that case, it would be best to set up a contact person in the Naruto world.

Orochimaru is a good candidate. The only problem is he's a bit too calculating and prone to having unnecessary thoughts.

And apart from him...

Shisui, Karin, and Naruto are all options to consider.

"...Let me think about it some more."

"There's no rush anyway. It's not too late to make a choice after considering all aspects."

Uchiha Hikaru hesitated for a moment and did not rush to make a decision. Instead, early that morning, he called Xia Mi and the others and went to the Kuimen Pass area again.

Several days have passed since the "Gundam incident".

During this period, the area around Qutang Gorge remained calm. Whether they were outsiders, local fishermen, or managers of the Three Gorges Dam, they all seemed completely unaffected by the incident, going about their daily lives as usual, with only rumors circulating discreetly through word of mouth.

For example, the identity of Uchiha Hikaru, the "Gundam pilot," has been the subject of much speculation, from initially being Kira Yamato to later even Shinji Ikari. Her attitude towards such news is to let it go, since it's unlikely that the other party could pinpoint her identity with such a small clue.

……

"It seems like there are more fishing boats in this area these days."

On a small hill near the riverbank.

Esdeath surveyed the surroundings from her elevated position and made a judgment.

"Um."

Xia Mi nodded, then softly recited a few lines of dragon script. An inexplicable power emanated from her body, forming transparent ripples that swept outwards—it did resemble a high-level Observation Haki. But in reality…

—Words of Power: Blood Ties

The function of this Word of Power is to enhance one's sensitivity to bloodlines, allowing one to search for people with dragon blood in a vast space. This manifests as red threads visible only to the user, connecting oneself to other individuals with dragon blood, even if the other party is out of sight.

This power of words was originally possessed only by Wan Boqian, a specialist in the Kassel Executive Department.

but……

For Xia Mi, a dragon king skilled in learning and imitation, mastering it was not difficult.

"On those fishing boats over there, there are people with dragon blood, who should be human-human hybrids."

Xia Mi closed her eyes slightly, then opened them again after a moment. She pointed to one side of the river, which was obscured by the shadows of the trees, and said, "From what I've seen, the purity of their bloodline should be around C grade on average, but there are also individuals at B grade or even higher."

"Um?"

Uchiha Hikaru was surprised: "You can even tell the purity of bloodlines?"

"Yes."

Xia Mi nodded again: "The threads that Blood Ties 'see' signify the strength of the perceived being. The darker the color, the higher the bloodline... but if it's as high as the Dragon King, that's another story."

The Dragon King can achieve "magic suppression" to a certain extent, which means preventing the other party from releasing words of power against him, and then using the resonance between bloodlines to interfere with or even kill the releaser... As the Dragon King, Xia Mi naturally does not have this worry, but she may feel a little uncomfortable.

At this time.

Uchiha Hikaru gazed at the fishing boats in the distance and guessed, "C-rank hybrids... they must be from Kassel College."

"Or... a mixed-race force native to China?"

Uchiha Hikaru was a little uncertain.

Considering the proximity to the Three Gorges Dam, she didn't want to cause too much trouble and disturb the nearby residents. So she first switched to her magic form, then used her "mini bracelet" to shrink herself to the size of a thumb, and finally used her flying technique to leap up, intending to get closer and take a look.

This scene left Xia Mi momentarily stunned.

"This...this item was also constructed by you, Hikari-neechan, using your 'spiritual' authority?"

"Oh, right."

Uchiha Hikaru nodded naturally.

Her identity as the White King had already been confirmed by Xia Mi, so whatever strange or unusual things she brought out, she could just attribute them to the White King. If she could even pull out a "Gundam," then a bracelet that could shrink one's body was nothing surprising.

present.

Following his previous memories, Uchiha Hikaru flew all the way to the skies above "Bronze Castle".

Although this city is also a "Nibelungen," it is different from the one in the Beijing subway. It has a physical form, so it will not change its location. Instead, it will remain quietly submerged at the bottom of the river, waiting for the next destined person to enter.

Uchiha Hikaru first surveyed the area from above, getting a general understanding of the situation of the mixed-race individuals around him.

Then, in his shrunken form, he covered his body with "qi" and submerged into the water. He took out the blood sample that he had collected beforehand, which belonged to Constantine, dipped his finger in it, and smeared it on the mouth of the "living spirit" at the door.

click-

It sounded like gears turning.

The gates of "Bronze City" have been opened once again.

(End of this chapter)