I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 279 Encounter with Lu Mingze

This was Uchiha Hikaru's first time entering this "Bronze Castle".

As the palace that King Norton built for himself, this place was larger and more magnificent than she had imagined. The walls inside were forged from whole pieces of bronze, which then divided the space into courtyards and rooms. Some of the rooms were furnished with stone furniture, engraved with small seal script characters, giving it a rather ancient feel.

She originally came in to look for the "Seven Deadly Sins".

After all, that's a 100 million dollar alchemical weapon. Even if Uchiha Hikaru isn't short of money, she'd never complain about having too much. Besides, although she doesn't have dragon blood, it doesn't mean she can't use alchemical weapons in other ways. If the "Seven Deadly Sins" are of good enough quality, then keeping them for herself is a good option.

but……

Hikaru Uchiha had no idea where this thing was placed in the "Bronze Castle".

Because Constantine didn't know either.

—The latter's mind was basically a jumbled mess, except for "brother." He had virtually no common sense, and was even less capable than Erii before she joined the chat group. Since waking up, he had been in a daze, barely saying a few words all day, and was completely unable to provide them with any useful information.

and so.

Hikaru Uchiha could only approach it with the mindset of a tourist, wandering around the metal palace, occasionally taking a few photos with her phone, intending to share them with Esdeath and the others when she got back.

Keep moving forward.

Midway through, Uchiha Hikaru used "Fire and Thunder God" to forcibly cut through several walls, choosing the shortest path to break through the walls from the inside and enter the next room.

After going around in circles for a while, things have come to this.

For some reason, Uchiha Hikaru found himself in front of an old house with a courtyard.

This appears to be the same place that appeared in the original work, the residence used by Norton and Constantine, and which was then stormed by the Eastern Han army two thousand years ago. However, at this moment, there are already people in the courtyard of the house.

He was a boy of thirteen or fourteen years old.

He was about 1.6 meters tall, dressed in a black suit and tuxedo, with leather shoes and a white silk scarf. He was sitting at a stone table, drinking a glass of red wine by himself.

He had clearly heard footsteps, but instead of turning around immediately, he slowly put down his glass and wiped his mouth, saying, "You've come."

"……I am coming."

Uchiha Hikaru, observing the other party's nonchalant tone, spoke up.

"You shouldn't have come."

"..."

Uchiha Hikaru narrowed his eyes slightly, ignoring the last sentence, and instead let out a soft sigh: "Lu Mingze?"

The other party was indeed Lu Mingze.

Although Uchiha Hikaru had anticipated that she might encounter this guy when she got involved in the "Kuimen Project"—after all, Lu Mingze had been keeping an eye on Kuimen, and he even had a hand in pushing the project forward behind the scenes—she didn't expect it to happen so soon.

It seems so.

Lu Mingze had anticipated her return, so he waited here in advance.

Hmm... It seems that Mai Shude and Su Enxi are not here.

Also.

Those two were essentially laborers recruited by Lu Mingze. Although they were well-paid and trusted, Lu Mingze would still be reserved with them when it came to matters involving dragon secrets.

As for the other member of the nanny group, Letana...

Right now, he's still at Kassel College, playing house with Lu Mingfei as "Zero," so there's no way he could have gotten here.

"...When two masters meet here, shouldn't they first say some sophisticated lines to set the mood? Well, they really have no chemistry at all."

opposite.

Lu Mingze seemed a little bothered that Uchiha Hikaru didn't continue with "But I'm already here."

After sighing, he jumped off the stone bench, turned around, looked calmly at Uchiha Hikaru, and tilted his head:

"Nice to meet you. Should I call you Miss Hikari, or... 'White King'?"

"what ever."

Uchiha Hikaru said it casually.

Unlike Xia Mi and the others, Lu Mingze had met the White King and even had a fairly deep relationship with him.

Using the same excuses he used to deceive Xia Mi and the Snake Clan to conceal his identity in front of him is simply self-deception and utterly meaningless.

And since this guy chose to appear here...

Therefore, Lu Mingze should already have some idea about her identity.

"Six months ago, a rumor circulated in Japan that the esteemed White Emperor had been resurrected in the burial ground of the gods and, in the guise of the mother goddess 'Izanami,' had taken over the Snake-Headed Eight Families and spearheaded their suppression of the Oni Clan. To verify this rumor, I went to Japan myself, but I couldn't find you."

"I never expected to hear rumors about you again here."

You are smaller than I imagined.

Lu Mingze spoke softly, while looking at Uchiha Hikaru with a scrutinizing gaze.

In this process.

Uchiha Hikaru also scrutinized him, then smiled faintly under the latter's gaze: "But you look a bit older than I imagined."

That's the truth.

In Uchiha Hikari's imagination, Lu Mingze should be smaller than her current body, but unexpectedly, she looks more like the younger sister...

After a brief silence.

Lu Mingze spoke again: "At first, I really thought you were the 'White King'."

"After all, the White King has a history of resurrection, and he did indeed reappear in the world as a human... that is, Izanagi from ten thousand years ago. Although it is not quite the same as the script I had in mind, it is not impossible for such a revered being in the dragon world to do something that is beyond my expectations."

"If it really is her, returning to this world after millions of years, then as a former friend, I'm quite happy."

"However, after contacting the Snake Clan and learning about the background of your appearance, I realized that you are not her at all."

"A person with no past and a blank identity suddenly appeared in the vision of the Snake-Headed Eight Families and made them believe that they were really the noble and exalted Dragon King... If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I probably wouldn't have believed it."

"But now..."

"I have a pretty good idea of ​​where you come from."

Lu Mingze paused for a moment, then said slowly and deliberately, "After eliminating all the impossibilities, no matter how absurd the remaining one may seem, it can only be the truth. You... you're probably not from this world, are you?"

"……Yes."

Uchiha Hikaru nodded readily.

There is no need to deny this issue.

After all, Lu Mingze's identity is what it is, and he is also very smart. Fabricating lies would only be exposed instantly, so it's better to just admit it directly.

Anyway...

Lu Mingze probably can't do anything to her either.

This man may have been a powerful figure in the past, possessing supreme power and authority, but now he is merely a wandering ghost. He is even somewhat incapable of dealing with ambitious individuals like Odin, whose status is far lower than his own, let alone Uchiha Hikaru.

Only rule-based abilities like altering the timeline would make her somewhat wary. However, given Lu Mingze's personality and style, he probably wouldn't resort to such a desperate measure before things are clear.

the other side.

Lu Mingze narrowed his eyes slightly: "So... you really are a character from that manga? From the Uchiha clan of Konoha Village in the Land of Fire?"

—This judgment was something he made a long time ago.

but……

Even someone as worldly-wise as him could hardly believe that a character who should belong to the world of anime and manga could actually break through the dimensional barrier and come into reality, and even possess power that could move him. This kind of thing should only exist in those online novels.

"Is it possible... that the world you live in is also a comic book, or a novel?"

Uchiha Hikaru said calmly.

"!"

Lu Mingze was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly realized: "No wonder you recognized Herzog's identity the first time you appeared at the Snake Clan, and you called out my name immediately just now... It turns out this was not a coincidence, but something you already knew."

In the world of Naruto, has anyone drawn or written about the stories that take place in this world?

"……almost."

Of course, Uchiha Hikaru wouldn't tell Lu Mingze that he was a time traveler.

It's impossible for Lu Mingze to go to the Naruto world to verify whether the manga "Dragon Raja" exists there.

Therefore, this reason is sufficient to explain it.

"...What an amazing discovery."

Lu Mingze pondered for a moment before letting out a soft breath and slowly saying, "I never imagined that I would also be a character in a story... May I ask, in your world, what was my final fate?"

"have no idea."

Uchiha Hikaru shook his head: "Because the work about you is still being serialized."

"……Um?"

Lu Mingze was slightly surprised, but he didn't dwell on this issue involving the dimensional barrier.

In fact, such matters cannot be discussed in depth, as it may lead to the conclusion that "one does not exist," resulting in the shattering of one's Dao heart.

and so.

Lu Mingze merely sighed symbolically before raising his head again and locking onto Uchiha Hikaru: "So, you really are the granddaughter of that man named Uchiha Madara, using his identity to operate in the ninja world, and through a series of conspiracies and schemes, ultimately instigated the Fourth Shinobi World War? Such a feat certainly has the style of a dragon king."

"?"

"Wait a minute..."

Uchiha Hikaru was slightly taken aback: Uchiha Madara's granddaughter... what does that mean?!

Shouldn't it be the other way around?

(End of this chapter)