"…You're saying that girl unconsciously released Ryūi (Dragon Aura) on the street?"
"Yes."
Inside the Enforcement Division office, Yabuki Sakura, dressed sharply, nodded. "I was nearby and felt it myself—the overwhelming presence bursting from her. She didn't even open her eyes… Your judgment was spot-on. Only a Dragon King could pull that off. This so-called 'Sharingan' might just be a unique kind of golden pupil."
She paused, then added hesitantly, "Also, I don't know if it's just me, but that aura felt a little similar to your Ōken (Kingship)."
"…Got it."
Gen Chisei rubbed his temples, irritation creeping in.
Since last night, he'd been hit with one shock after another, each enough to rattle the Sheqi Bajia. On top of that, the Patriarch, Tachibana Masamune, was suspected to have suffered a mental breakdown and was bedridden, leaving everything on Gen Chisei's shoulders as the young master. The pressure was crushing.
Right before Sakura returned, he'd even felt a sudden wave of exhaustion, like something had drained him dry. It took him ages to recover.
"Where's she at now?"
Sakura glanced at her phone. "She was in Taitō earlier, but now she's heading toward Bunkyō… Looks like she's near Tokyo University."
…
"Found it."
Uchiha Hikari stopped at an intersection near Tokyo University's back gate, glancing at her phone.
—She'd swiped the thing off a Genji Heavy Industries guard. A 2009 Nokia, one of the first smartphones. Honestly, it was a pain to use, but at least it had a map navigation function.
It was already late at night.
The streets were quiet, with only a handful of student-looking types coming and going at the campus gate.
At the roadside, a ramen chef behind a人力小車 (hand-pulled cart) was packing up, looking ready to close shop.
"One bowl of ramen, please."
Uchiha Hikari lifted the curtain and plopped down on a wooden stool in front of the cart.
Master Uesugi, dressed in a white hemp uniform, froze mid-motion, looking up with mild surprise. "Sorry, I'm out of ingredients for today. Come back another time…"
"No toppings is fine. Plain broth works. I'm not picky."
"?"
Uesugi raised an eyebrow, shooting a glance at an Enforcement Division agent trailing not far behind—though they'd tried to blend in, they couldn't fool the former Kage-Ō (Shadow Emperor). Then he looked at Uchiha Hikari's calm expression, hesitated briefly, and reopened his cutting board.
Ten-odd minutes later, Uchiha Hikari set down her bowl and wiped her mouth.
Honestly, Uesugi's cooking was a bit underwhelming compared to her expectations. Verdict? Not as good as Ichiraku Ramen.
But whatever. She wasn't here for the food.
Handing the bowl back, she cut to the chase. "Master Uesugi, want a son?"
"??"
Uesugi blinked, totally thrown. "Kid, do you even know what you're saying? Sure, I'm a lone old man now, but I'm not desperate enough to adopt someone's son to take care of me in my old age."
"Not someone else's. Your son. And a daughter, too."
Uchiha Hikari slowly looked up, her Mangekyō Sharingan swirling in her eyes. "Want the truth? Step inside and see for yourself… Tsukuyomi!"
In an instant, her 瞳力 (eye power) surged.
The world shimmered like mist, and the scene around them transformed.
When Uesugi came to, he found himself standing on a snow-covered ice plain, a pitch-black castle looming ahead like it stood at the edge of the world.
"…What is this place?"
Uesugi turned, his eyes now molten gold, as if molten lava churned within them.
"This is the memory of a man named Bondarev, who now goes by 'Tachibana Masamune.' He's the foster father of your son and daughter. See it for yourself, and you'll understand."
Uchiha Hikari leaned back, hands behind her head, casual as ever.
She'd only recently figured out this method of training her 瞳力.
Thanks to help from Miko's world and Kikyo, she'd partially patched up the flaws of her Mangekyō, pushing her Tsukuyomi to a new level. The illusion space she could create was no longer limited to a small area—it could now hold richer, more expansive content.
Like this Black Swan Bay, built from fragments of Tachibana Masamune's memories.
In theory, she could even use memories from Naruto, Hiruzen Sarutobi, or kid Goku to whip up a Konohagakure or Mount Paozu nearby.
But still…
This was just crafting scenery.
Uchiha Hikari was mulling over whether she could expand the illusion space further, simulating sights, smells, sounds, and textures to project people from different worlds into it, creating a near-real illusionary world… Yes, an Infinite Tsukuyomi with herself as the server!
If she pulled that off, she could drag everyone from various worlds into the illusion space under the guise of a "VR game," like the Uchiha Hikari from the original timeline. Each time they logged in, she could siphon a bit of chakra for sustainable growth.
And… it could serve some other purposes, too.
The idea was theoretically doable.
But for now, it was a stretch.
Constructing a "world" required an obscene amount of 瞳力, more than she could handle. She'd need to fully unlock the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan first.
For now, Uchiha Hikari used Bukū-jutsu (Sky Dance Technique) to float up, tinkering with her "Minecraft" in the illusion space while subtly probing Uesugi's memories with Yasakanotsume (Eight Thousand Spears).
Houses and bridges slowly took shape under her 瞳力's guidance.
Fragmented images flickered in the nearby void—since this wasn't a forceful dive like with Tachibana, what she glimpsed from Uesugi's memories was limited, just bits and pieces spilling out when he recalled the past.
Meanwhile, Uesugi finished watching the "CG" of Black Swan Bay and moved on to the Lenin…
Time blurred.
By the time Uchiha Hikari had nearly finished building Konohagakure, she spotted Uesugi drifting toward her on a small boat.
"Done watching?"
Hovering above her "Konohagakure," Uchiha Hikari adjusted the Hokage Tower's position slightly before floating down. "So, how's it feel? Believe you've got two sons and a daughter now?"
"…"
Uesugi's expression was heavy. "I'm more curious about your identity… Herzog and Bondarev might be freaks, but your abilities are even more terrifying. Is this mental world built with a yanrei? And did you bring me here just to show me this 'truth'?"
"Let me clarify: what you saw isn't the full picture.
The truth is, Herzog isn't dead. This 'Tachibana Masamune' isn't the real Bondarev either—he's a manufactured stand-in. And your other son, Gen Chise, isn't dead either… Before I reveal more, I've got a question for you."
Uchiha Hikari looked up, her Sangōdama Sharingan (Three-Tomoe Sharingan) glinting as she spoke slowly, "Here, in this place—can you use your yanrei?"