"…"
Fugaku and the other elders exchanged glances, then fell silent.
How to put it…
It was a strange feeling.
Aside from her youthful appearance, Uchiha Hikari's strength, seniority, and commanding, no-nonsense demeanor perfectly matched their ideal image of a powerful leader—basically, the Uchiha Madara they'd all imagined in their heads.
Sure, when the real Uchiha Madara broke with the First Hokage and defected from Konoha, not a single clansmember followed him. But that didn't stop the modern Uchiha from occasionally reminiscing about the glory days when their clan was revered and feared by all of Konoha's families. Some even started longing for the fictional "early Warring States era" Hikari had spun, where "dozens of Uchihas could summon Susanoo."
Either way, it didn't matter.
If things went south, they had their "Great-Grandmother" to back them up. And honestly, the Uchiha clan's situation was already so bad—how much worse could it get?
After confirming Hikari had no further instructions, the elders gathered around a table, quietly discussing how to carry out their ancestor's will within the clan.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room…
Uchiha Hikari sipped her tea and waved a hand. "Fugaku, come here."
Fugaku blinked, then quickly stepped forward. "Great-Grandmother?"
"I need you to do something for me, but keep it low-key."
…
Though he didn't quite understand why Uchiha Hikari suddenly wanted blood samples from the clan, Uchiha Fugaku followed her orders without question.
Three days later, he delivered a scroll and a small booklet into her hands.
"Great-Grandmother, this scroll contains sealed blood and skin samples from seventy-one clansmembers. I followed your instructions, collecting from people of different ages, genders, and Sharingan tomoe stages. Key details, like when their Sharingan awakened, are recorded in the booklet and match the labeled samples.
"Also, there are blood samples from two clansmembers with Mangekyō Sharingan included. Please keep them secure and ensure they don't fall into the wrong hands."
"I'll be careful," Hikari said, taking the scroll. She glanced at Fugaku. "Two Mangekyō samples. One's from Uchiha Shisui. Who's the other?"
It couldn't be…
"It's mine."
Fugaku glanced around to make sure no one was listening, then admitted in a hushed tone, "I awakened my Mangekyō during the Third Shinobi World War. I've kept it hidden from the clan to avoid any reckless actions. Please, I ask you to keep this a secret…"
"Hm?"
Hikari froze for a moment.
She'd had her suspicions.
After all, ever since they'd started interacting, the current Uchiha clan head had never once shown off any eye-based techniques. And in the original timeline, he'd died at his own son's hands without putting up a fight. But to think…
He actually had a Mangekyō?
Say what you will, Fugaku's ability to keep that under wraps was impressive. Now Hikari was genuinely curious about what his eye powers were…
On the other side, Fugaku cautiously ventured, "Great-Grandmother, what are your plans moving forward? Will you return to live with the clan? We've prepared a large house for you—fully furnished, cleaned daily by dedicated staff. You can move in anytime you like."
"I'll think about it later," Hikari replied, considering. "For now, I'm leaving for a bit to visit a friend."
She paused. "I'm not sure when I'll be back—could be three to five days, maybe a week or two. In the meantime, follow my earlier instructions and negotiate with the Third Hokage. Oh, and if you spot a guy near the clan grounds wearing a swirl-patterned mask, calling himself 'Uchiha Madara,' be on guard. Play along with him for now, but wait for me to return before making any moves."
"Uchiha Madara?!"
Fugaku's eyes widened, his face a mix of shock and fear. "You mean the one who fought the First Hokage at the Valley of the End? He's still alive?!"
"He's just *claiming* to be Madara," Hikari said dismissively. "Even if it was the real Madara, in my eyes, he'd be no different from any other junior like you. You're the clan head—can't you keep it together?"
"…My apologies, Great-Grandmother."
…
That same afternoon, after securing the blood samples, Uchiha Hikari stopped by to check in with Naruto. Then, from his house, she crossed over into the *Dragon Ball* world.
First, as planned, she tracked down Dr. Brief and handed over half of the samples from the scroll.
—The other half was earmarked for Dr. Gero, but that part of the plan would have to wait until next year, after she'd brought him under her control.
Then, Hikari spent a few hours explaining the Uchiha clan's origins and the process behind awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan to Dr. Brief in detail.
She also entrusted him with three specific samples, handling them with extra care.
Shisui, Naruto, and Sasuke.
Shisui's sample was a lucky bonus—Hikari had only mentioned it in passing, not expecting to actually get it.
As for Naruto and Sasuke…
She'd collected those herself, on the sly. With her skills, sneaking a blood sample from a couple of kids was child's play.
Excluding the Ōtsutsuki clan, the only pair of Rinnegan in the *Naruto* world had belonged to Uchiha Madara, who'd been dead for years. Nagato, who inherited those eyes, was out of Hikari's reach for now—and even if she could get to him, it wouldn't help much. Nagato was just a vessel for the Rinnegan, with Uzumaki blood. Studying his genes wouldn't reveal much.
So, she'd settled for the genes of this generation's Ashura and Indra—Naruto and Sasuke—in hopes of finding clues to unlocking the Six Paths.
Feeling a bit guilty for repeatedly imposing on Dr. Brief, Hikari offered, "Is there anything I can do to help out?"
Dr. Brief waved her off with a grin. "No need to worry! You're Bulma's friend, and friends help each other out. Besides, these blood samples and all this talk of 'kekkei genkai' and 'Sharingan'—it's all new to me. For a research nut like me, diving into uncharted territory like this is its own reward.
"If you really want to do something, just keep an eye on Bulma. She's always off on some adventure, and her mom and I worry about her safety."
"Deal."
After wrapping up with Dr. Brief, Hikari was immediately dragged by an excited Bulma into another lab.
"Come on, Hikari! Check out my latest project—an ultraviolet ray weapon. What do you think?"
**(End of Chapter)**