Gen Chisei's attitude had softened slightly compared to earlier, but he was still on high alert.
"I'd like to ask, what's your purpose for coming to the Sheqi Bajia?
If you have any other needs—anything at all—as long as it doesn't violate the basic rules of human society, the Sheqi Bajia will do our best to accommodate you. But Eriyi is the head of the Uesugi family and my little sister. When it comes to her, I won't budge, no matter what. Not even if you're a revered Dragon King!"
"…Dragon King?"
Uchiha Hikari paused, then let out a soft chuckle.
Fair enough.
To a grown adult living in a normal society, the idea of "a character from an anime crossing into reality" sounded pretty outlandish. Plus, she didn't even technically count as an "anime character" since she never appeared in the original Naruto story. Imagining her as a Dragon King wasn't exactly a stretch.
She couldn't be bothered to explain, though.
—She was just a tad curious which of the four great Monarchs the Sheqi Bajia had pegged her as, especially since this world didn't seem to have any yanrei (spirit command) that matched up with Susanoo…
Her thoughts wandered briefly before she spoke plainly, "To be blunt, I'm here because of Eriyi."
"Hm?"
"No need to get all tense. I don't have any ulterior motives. It's just… friendship."
"…Friendship?"
Gen Chisei's brow furrowed, his face screaming disbelief.
Uchiha Hikari wasn't about to waste words on the topic. "Eriyi, you should rest. It's getting late… Come on, I've got something to show you."
The second half was directed at Gen Chisei.
After softly reassuring Eriyi, Gen Chisei stood and followed Uchiha Hikari out of the room.
Outside, the hallway had been cleared of injured personnel, and the mess from the earlier fight was gone. A few people still lingered, though. Uchiha Hikari didn't recognize any of them, but she figured some might be Gen Chisei's crew—maybe Crow or Yasha—or other high-ranking members of the Sheqi Bajia.
Right now, most stood with heads lowered, hands at their sides, lining the corridor. Only two men, at Gen Chisei's signal, followed them, their footsteps rustling as they moved forward.
The scene looked a bit odd—
Uchiha Hikari was barely over 1.5 meters tall, her face youthful enough to pass for a junior high student. The three men trailing her were easily a head and a half taller. Yet, her presence completely overshadowed them, making her seem more like the master of the Sheqi Bajia than Gen Chisei.
They crossed the hallway.
Entered the elevator.
Descended to the underground Tetsukyū Shinden (Iron Dome Temple).
During the ride, Gen Chisei finally broke the silence. "Miss Uchiha Hikari… how do you know the internal layout of Genji Heavy Industries?"
"Take a guess."
She didn't even turn around.
She'd seen it in Tachibana Masamune's memories.
Though his recollections of his early life were fragmented, the parts after joining the Sheqi Bajia were crystal clear—likely because those were experiences he'd actually lived through. A good chunk of those memories revolved around this genetics lab.
The elevator kept descending.
The display lit up with the word Naraka—the deepest layer of hell in Buddhist scriptures, an endless void of falling.
Uchiha Hikari stepped out with ease, pushing open a rusted iron door.
A thick stench of blood hit them.
What came into view was a room packed with tools: rows of steel operating tables, razor-sharp knives, bone-cutting gears, hooks dangling from the ceiling, and shelves of bottles filled with unknown liquids.
Most striking was the massive water tank occupying an entire wall, connected to the sewer system via a turbine. Through the deep teal glass, they could see bizarre aquatic creatures swimming inside. They had no lower limbs, just tails covered in dense scales, and faces eerily human-like, straight out of myths about snake-bodied, human-headed monsters.
When a flashlight beam swept over, it revealed the sunken remains of cows, sheep, fish, and massive dark-golden skeletons floating at the tank's bottom, all marked with gruesome bite marks.
"My god…"
Crow's jaw dropped, utterly stunned. "These things… they're all Deadpool, aren't they? Someone's been raising these in the building?!"
Gen Chisei's face darkened.
As the young master of the Sheqi Bajia, he knew more about Genji Heavy Industries than most. He was already piecing together who was behind this lab.
But there was another possibility…
"Miss Uchiha Hikari, are these things… connected to you?"
"If they were, why would I bring you here? To show off?"
She turned, pointing at her temple with a look that said are you serious? "Brains are nice. Hope you've got one…
This is all your Patriarch Tachibana Masamune's doing. Ask him yourself—he'll probably be thrilled to share his story.
Also, as gross as this place is, don't just burn it down. Eriyi's condition still relies on serum extracted from those Deadpool fetuses to stay stable. After you grill Tachibana about the experiment's details, make sure to send me a copy of the data and a few serum samples."
With that, Uchiha Hikari covered her nose, looking a bit disgusted as she headed out.
"That's the deal. Handle the rest yourselves. I'm stepping out for some fresh air."
"…"
The old iron door creaked shut.
Once only their group remained, Crow turned to Gen Chisei. "Boss, what now? You buy what that girl's saying?"
"…Whether I believe her or not, lock this place down for now. I'll talk to the Patriarch first."
Gen Chisei rubbed his temples, a vague irritation gnawing at him.
Crow hesitated, then asked cautiously, "So… keep digging into her identity?"
"Of course, but be discreet."
Gen Chisei glanced back at the iron door, as if listening for any breathing outside, before lowering his voice. "That girl might not be human. She could be an awakened Dragon King. I suspect the 'Konohagakure' Eriyi mentioned before is a Nibelungen she created…
Look for any leads on that, but be extremely careful. Starting a war with a Dragon King in a place like Tokyo isn't something we can afford."
"Understood."