Just when everyone thought the matches were progressing smoothly, something unexpected happened on the arena.
Out of nowhere, Zhang Zhiwei, personal disciple of the legendary Zhang Jingqing, leapt onto the same stage as Lu Jin.
A wave of murmurs swept through the crowd—none had anticipated this sudden move.
Lu Jin frowned, locking eyes with the intruder.
The pressure radiating from Zhang Zhiwei didn't feel like something a peer should emit—it was dense, controlled, oppressive.
Lu Jin's instincts screamed: this was no ordinary opponent.
Without hesitation, Lu Jin activated Threefold Reverse Rebirth—his trump card.
A forbidden technique capable of boosting his strength drastically for a short time.
He took a deep breath, cupped his fists, and declared:
"Please enlighten me."
In the next instant, he launched forward like lightning, swift and fluid—clearly aiming to overwhelm with speed.
But Zhang Zhiwei didn't even move.
He stood there, completely expressionless—almost bored.
Truth be told, he was zoning out.
His mind drifted back to the conversation he had with Hikaru the night before. Hikaru had specifically instructed him to go all-out today.
Zhang Zhiwei sighed lightly and returned his attention to the match.
Lu Jin, meanwhile, was fuming. This guy dared to daydream during their duel?!
His charge accelerated, burning with the intent to teach this arrogant clown a lesson.
And just when Lu Jin was about to strike—
Zhang Zhiwei casually turned and delivered a single, lazy smack to the head.
It wasn't dramatic. It wasn't flashy.
But it carried immense force.
Lu Jin's world spun. His footing collapsed.
Even his precious Threefold Reverse Rebirth was instantly disrupted and dissipated.
He staggered back several steps, then fell to one knee, panting, defeated.
Silence.
Everyone had expected a fierce and evenly-matched duel.
Instead—they got this.
Then a thunderous voice boomed across the arena:
"You brat!!"
It was Zhang Jingqing, standing from his seat, red-faced.
Zhang Zhiwei immediately knelt down on the stage.
"Disciple Zhang Zhiwei accepts his master's scolding."
Jingqing grew more furious and looked about ready to storm the stage himself.
But Zuo Ruotong intervened quickly.
"Master Zhang, please calm down. Your disciple clearly held back. There's no need to punish him further, is there?"
Old Master Lu also took the chance to help defuse the situation.
"Exactly! Why scold the boy? He beat my grandson fair and square. If I make a fuss, won't others say our Lu Clan can't take a loss?"
He turned back to the stage.
"Jin'er, are you alright?"
Lu Jin was still facing away, trembling slightly. His voice cracked:
"I-I'm fine…"
Satisfied, Old Master Lu turned back to Zhang Jingqing with a dramatic sigh.
"You really kept that monster of a disciple hidden up in the mountains? Never even told me about him. That's just mean!"
Jingqing gave a wry smile. "I'm… ashamed."
Lu Jin was finally recovering.
He jumped to his feet, flipped into a somersault, tossed his hair dramatically, and bowed deeply:
"Thank you, Master Zhang, for the lesson! Thank you, honored elders, for your concern! Lu Jin is perfectly fine!"
But the tears shimmering in his eyes betrayed the bravado.
The elders politely held back their laughter.
The younger generation, however—burst out laughing.
And Lu Jin, teary-eyed but deadly serious, added:
"I fully understand now! There's always someone stronger out there. Senior Brother Zhang is leagues above me! I'm not bitter in the slightest!"
That was the last straw.
Old Master Lu broke down laughing, wiping tears from his eyes.
"Hahaha! My precious grandson got slapped to tears and still trying to act tough! Hahaha!"
The entire arena exploded with laughter.
Lu Jin couldn't hold it anymore—he turned and ran crying toward the estate.
"I-I'm just going to change my clothes, Grandpa!"
His trembling sobs echoed as he vanished.
High above, Hikaru Uchiha was grinning ear to ear.
He tucked the Konoha-brand recording device back into his robes, perfectly satisfied.
'When the time comes to ask for the Heavenly Talisman… if Lu Jin refuses… heh… I'll just upload this video.'
Mission complete, he stood up.
With Kaguya Hime and Chinatsu at his side, the trio disappeared into thin air.
No need to linger now.
Their sudden disappearance left the arena in brief confusion.
Some guests were disappointed.
Others looked thoughtful.
But the Lu Clan's hospitality team quickly stepped up to smooth things over, and the event continued without incident.
Meanwhile, Zhang Jingqing stared at Hikaru's now-empty seat and muttered to Zuo Ruotong:
"I don't know why, but I've got a feeling that kid is going to cause a whole lot more trouble. I've only met him once—but I wouldn't want to be from Sakura Country right now."
Zuo Ruotong recalled the nightmarish scene from the artillery field days ago, and nodded in full agreement.
Surprisingly… things remained calm.
No news. No disasters.
Ten whole days passed without incident.
So what was Hikaru doing?
Easy.
He was on a honeymoon.
Kaguya and Chinatsu were far more important than anything in Sakura Country.
But when the World Gate cooldown in his system approached zero, Hikaru finally sobered up.
He first settled Kaguya and Chinatsu safely into his personal pocket dimension.
Then, he sought out two key allies:
The mad genius Orochimaru, and
The ever-serious Tobirama Senju.
Despite their obsession with experiments, both agreed to follow Hikaru back to his dimension.
With everything arranged, Hikaru teleported.
Now suspended in outer space, Hikaru hovered silently.
He stared at the blue planet below.
His gaze turned toward Sakura Country, and a chill flickered in his eyes.
Susanoo began to coil around his form.
It grew.
And grew.
Until it was nearly the size of half a planet.
And from every corner of the world—no matter where they stood—
Everyone looked up.
They all saw it.
This godly figure towering over the Earth, draped in celestial armor.
Their hearts stopped.
Their eyes widened.
And every mouth whispered…
"Kami…?"