I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 373 You know nothing about power!

Since we've mentioned Yekura...

Uchiha Hikaru also mentioned Deidara in passing—

This explosive kid is about the same age as Uchiha Itachi, and at this point in time, he's most likely around thirteen or fourteen years old, just after his falling out with Onoki.

Although the Uchiha clan's storyline changed, preventing Itachi from joining Akatsuki, the situation in Iwagakure remains the same. Obito will likely still notice this genius with considerable potential in explosives. If they can recruit him before Deidara joins Akatsuki... he could be a good prospect for mining and dam construction in the future.

[Yongdai: ...Understood. I'll keep a close eye on the people you mentioned, Ms. Guang.]

……

With a predetermined objective, Minato Namikaze's actions were highly efficient.

Within a few days, he successfully found an opportunity to approach the young Gaara and imprint his mark on him.

Then, following Yekura and her group, they rushed to the dense forest near the Land of Waves. When Yekura was ambushed by the Hidden Mist Ninja and was about to die after being riddled with thorns, Yekura rescued her and used a Senzu Bean to fully revive her.

Having experienced this betrayal, Yekura's previous outlook on life was indeed shaken. She was persuaded by Minato Namikaze's persuasive words and decided to join the "New Shinobi Government Alliance" to work together to realize this ideal.

Considering that the premise of promoting the idea is to be realistic, Yekura decided to first follow Minato Namikaze and travel all over the ninja world to confirm the feasibility of various measures.

This result wasn't entirely unexpected.

only……

[Bulma: Ms. Yōkura, she doesn't know your identity yet, Mr. Minato, right? If you act with her, aren't you at risk of your identity being exposed?]

[Anonymous: It's unlikely he'll be exposed, after all, he's always with girls. But who knows, something else interesting might happen...]

—The Namikaze family has a knack for hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress dynamic in their DNA, from Minato Namikaze to the future Naruto. And Pakura happens to be an exceptionally talented, older, unmarried woman.

If this rescue incident caused her to develop special feelings for Minato Namikaze, or even fall in love with him...

That would be quite a spectacle.

[Yongdai Mei: ...]

[Yongdai-mei: Thank you for the reminder, Ms. Guang. I will pay extra attention to this.]

[Nameless: I didn't warn you... Never mind, let's not talk about that. What are you planning to do about the Land of Water?]

The Naruto world during this period was generally peaceful.

Because less than ten years had passed since the Third Shinobi World War, all the ninja villages were still in the post-war recovery phase. The nine Jinchuriki of the Tailed Beasts were either children—such as Naruto, Gaara, and the dark-skinned girl from Takigakure—or people on the fringes of their villages—such as Roshi from the Land of Earth and Utakata from the Land of Water.

With Minato Namikaze's abilities, finding them and approaching them one by one to imprint their marks would not be difficult.

There was one exception:

[Yagami: Let's leave the Yagura part of this trip for the last leg of the journey.]

[Eternal Sister: After I've visited the other major countries one by one, I'll make a separate trip to the Land of Water to meet the Fourth Mizukage, and... my disciple.]

……

Apart from Minato Namikaze's movements.

The worlds of the other group members also continued to function during this time.

Among them, the world of sorcery is particularly noteworthy—

More than half a year has passed since Uchiha Hikaru and the others last left that place.

During this time, Gojo Satoru went through many twists and turns and overcame resistance from the higher-ups in the world of sorcery. He finally collected Sukuna's other fingers, as well as his "incarnation Buddha", from various parts of the world of sorcery, thus fulfilling the prerequisite for Sukuna's resurrection.

After learning this news from Hisahito Itadori.

During a break in training, Uchiha Hikaru took Esdeath and Yamato and went to that world again.

Then, they, along with Gojo Satoru and his group from the high school, as well as some high-ranking figures from the jutsu world—these guys were there to supervise how Gojo Satoru handled Sukuna and also to observe the danger posed by Uchiha Hikaru and the others—arrived in Fukushima Prefecture, north of Tokyo. In a secluded seaside area far from the city, they fed all twenty of their fingers to Itadori Yuujin, and then used his body to revive Sukuna.

"Ha...hahahaha, a bunch of idiots!"

"You actually dared to revive me with all my power... It seems you know nothing of true power! As the challenger, I, Sukuna, acknowledge your courage!"

The moment of recovery.

The "King of Curses" from a thousand years ago burst into laughter, unleashing an aura several times stronger than when he last appeared in his ten-fingers form, causing almost everyone present—except for Uchiha Hikaru and his companions who were not from this world—to show expressions of surprise.

Yi Gu You Tai drew his sword immediately.

Nanami Kento ripped off his tie.

Even Gojo Satoru took off his sunglasses, revealing his six deep blue eyes.

However, Sukuna's gaze only lingered on them briefly before settling on Uchiha Hikaru. A provocative expression appeared on Yuuto Itadori's face: "We meet again, little girl. Shall we confirm who's the strongest this time?"

"……puff."

Uchiha Hikaru couldn't help but laugh, a radiant glow spreading across her fair face: "Is there any need to confirm something like that?"

"What do you mean?"

Su Nuo frowned.

He had indeed witnessed Uchiha Hikaru's strength, but firstly, a long time had passed, causing his memories to fade; secondly, neither Uchiha Hikaru nor he had used their full strength at that time—to be precise, Uchiha Hikaru had not used his full strength, while Sukuna, being in his prime, always had the illusion of being honored even in defeat.

At this moment, with his strength surging, Sukuna felt confident again, as if he could already see himself defeating Uchiha Hikaru in front of him.

but……

What I mean is... have you ever seen me at my peak?

Uchiha Hikaru tilted his head and made a soft exhalation motion.

It was just a very light exhale, without even any accompanying body movements.

But the next moment, a fierce wind and thunder burst forth from the air around Uchiha Hikaru, and after a brief pause, it exploded with a roar!

BOOM—!!

Amidst a thunderous roar, a Force 12 gale rose from beneath Uchiha Hikaru's feet, instantly piercing through the clouds high in the sky. Then, carrying billowing yellow sand, it swept across the beach in all directions with the force of a whirlwind!

(End of this chapter)