Tanjiro?
Uchiha Hikari froze for a moment before realizing—
Oh, not Calabash Brothers, but Demon Slayer?
Kamado Tanjiro, the protagonist of Demon Slayer, whose head… was indeed very hard, earning him the title of the Demon Slayer Corps' "Head Pillar."
[Hardheaded Kid: I don't really understand what you were talking about earlier, but you all seem like very, very amazing seniors. Can I ask you a question?]
[Nameless: …Go ahead.]
[Hardheaded Kid: How do I cut this rock with a sword? [Rock.jpg]]
"..."
A brief silence.
[The Eternal Hokage: In my and Hikari-san's world, coating the blade with wind-natured chakra would do the trick. However, cleanly slicing through such a large rock requires exceptional swordsmanship and chakra control. But if it's a world without chakra… I'm not so sure.]
[The Eternal Hokage @ Nameless: Hikari-san, do you know?]
[Nameless: A little.]
[Nameless @ Hardheaded Kid: The world you live in is called the Demon Slayer World, where creatures known as demons lurk in the night, preying on humans. To fight them, you must master Breathing Styles and the swordsmanship techniques that accompany them… As for how to train in Breathing Styles, your master, Urokodaki, should have taught you. Just follow his instructions.]
Uchiha Hikari recalled the plot of Demon Slayer as she responded.
On the other side:
[Hardheaded Kid: Breathing Styles… I see! Thank you very much for your guidance, Hikari-san and Eternal Hokage-sama!]
Quite polite.
Uchiha Hikari pondered for a moment.
From Tanjiro's words, the timeline in the Demon Slayer world seemed to be near the beginning of the story.
—The Kamado family had been slaughtered by demons, leaving only Tanjiro, who had been out selling charcoal, and his sister Nezuko, who had turned into a demon. Under the guidance of the Water Hashira, Tanjiro sought out the cultivator Urokodaki to learn swordsmanship and Breathing Styles in order to join the Demon Slayer Corps. Splitting the boulder was the final test Urokodaki had arranged for him.
According to the original story, Tanjiro would receive guidance from his deceased senior, Sabito, during his training, allowing him to complete the trial. Whether Uchiha Hikari gave this reminder or not wouldn't change much.
But…
Considering the overall worldview of Demon Slayer, Uchiha Hikari added one more line:
[Nameless @ Tanjiro: If you ever run into trouble you can't handle, just say so in the group. Everyone will be happy to help you.]
"Demons" were indeed dangerous and troublesome for ordinary humans.
But for someone with the Mangekyō Sharingan like Uchiha Hikari, they were nothing.
She happened to be a little interested in the Breathing Styles of the Demon Slayer world. Maybe in a few days, when she had time, she could discuss it with Tanjiro and pay his world a visit.
As for now…
Uchiha Hikari raised her head, listening to the wind rustling through the forest.
"Someone's coming… Did they hear the explosion earlier?"
She stood still, waiting patiently.
Soon—
Several dark figures emerged from the surrounding trees. After observing from a distance for a while, they leapt down, surrounding the massive crater left by the explosion and encircling Uchiha Hikari.
"Who are you?"
"That explosion just now was your doing, wasn't it? Which village are you from? What's your purpose in infiltrating Konoha?"
"Hmph, no need to ask when the evidence is right here. She's clearly an evil little spy from another village! Let's just drag her to the interrogation room and get the truth out of her!"
"..."
Uchiha Hikari narrowed her eyes slightly, scanning the group.
These were clearly ANBU operatives, their faces hidden behind animal masks of various designs, making their identities impossible to discern. The only thing she could confirm was that Kakashi wasn't among them—none of them had white hair.
"Who's your leader?"
Uchiha Hikari retracted her gaze and spoke slowly. "I don't belong to any village, nor do I intend to be your enemy. I just have a few things I'd like to discuss. Could you tell me who the current Hokage of Konoha is?"
"?"
The ANBU members exchanged glances.
Uchiha Hikari genuinely wanted to know the answer, but her words were taken as a provocation.
"Tch, asking such a stupid question—are you mocking us? Fine, we'll take you in for interrogation. Come with us!"
As the lead ANBU operative spoke, two of them immediately lunged forward with their blades drawn.
Uchiha Hikari instinctively stepped back.
But she was already surrounded. The moment she moved, the ANBU operatives behind her drew their short swords and attacked from the rear.
The wind howled!
The distance of less than ten meters closed in an instant. The blades were already upon her, the cold steel pressing against her skin with a stinging sensation.
At the critical moment, Uchiha Hikari crouched low, her back barely avoiding the slash from behind, then used the Body Flicker Technique to dart forward. In one swift motion, she grabbed one of the ANBU's wrists and drove a fist into his stomach!
"Guh—!"
Despite her slender, seemingly delicate frame, the punch carried terrifying force. The ANBU operative's face twisted in pain, his grip on the short sword loosening.
Without missing a beat, Uchiha Hikari wrenched the blade from his hand and spun, slashing out in a dazzling arc. The sword clashed against a barrage of shuriken, sending sparks flying in all directions!
"…Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"
"Water Style: Water Whip!"
Seizing the moment, the ANBU captain completed his hand seals. As his hands pressed against the ground, chakra surged, causing the earth within a dozen meters to churn violently. In an instant, towering earthen walls erupted from the ground, lifting Uchiha Hikari into the air!
At the same time, a torrent of water lashed toward her waist like a whip!
It was clear they still prioritized capturing her alive rather than killing her outright.
But…
"Looks like you've decided not to talk properly…"
Uchiha Hikari's expression darkened as crimson light ignited in her eyes.
"?!"
"Those eyes… Could they be—"
Before the word "Sharingan" could leave their mouths—
Uchiha Hikari's hands blurred through a series of seals at blinding speed: Snake → Boar → Dog → Horse → Monkey → Tiger!
"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!!!"
In an instant!
A searing line of fire spewed from Uchiha Hikari's lips, expanding in the blink of an eye into an overwhelming tide of flames that blazed into the sky like a rising sun, illuminating the night for hundreds of meters in all directions!
BOOM!!!
The inferno collided with the earthen walls. The ANBU captain's Earth-Style Wall lasted barely a second before being obliterated. The watery whip evaporated instantly, dissipating into a cloud of steam. The scorching heat warped the air, distorting the space within dozens of meters!
Flames danced wildly!
The blistering heat spread!!!
Amid the firestorm, Uchiha Hikari's hair billowed, her pale face bathed in crimson light:
"Mere grains of sand… not worth half of me!"