Uchiha Hikaru felt the lingering warmth left by Sword on his palm, and his mood noticeably lifted.
It seemed that Sword, having absorbed nearly one and a half dragon veins, had finally returned to full strength.
He could feel it from the pressure that touched his back moments ago.
After all, if her power hadn't been fully restored, she wouldn't have spent excess chakra to reform her body.
Strength and combat were what Sword valued most. Restoring her original power meant she could assist him more effectively.
As for her appearance… well, Hikaru couldn't deny—it was exactly his type. After all, Sword's heart contained only one person: him.
If she could choose, of course she would take on the form that he liked most.
Sword sat cross-legged in meditation, focusing on the residual chakra of the dragon vein.
Because of the previous time-space travel and the chaos that followed, he still had many memories left unprocessed.
Now that everything had calmed, it was time to organize his thoughts.
Back when he fought Mukade, he hadn't fully understood the state of his current strength. After unleashing the move that shook an entire country, he had nearly drained all his chakra.
He had to rely on the Nine-Tails' chakra and combine it with his own to summon a powerful Susanoo that subdued the Nine-Tails.
Closing his eyes, Uchiha Hikaru focused on the chakra surging through his body—especially the changes occurring in his eyes.
Normally, Mangekyō Sharingan users could only awaken the Eternal Mangekyō by transplanting a sibling's Mangekyō, merging the two to obtain eternal light and a new pattern.
Just like in the original history—Uchiha Madara's and Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyō bore the fused designs of two Mangekyō.
But after absorbing half the dragon vein's power, Hikaru's Sharingan had turned an ethereal azure blue—while the pattern itself remained unchanged.
Even though his ocular power had risen to the point where blindness was no longer a threat, Hikaru noticed something was off during his battle with Mukade.
It wasn't as smooth, as instinctive, as it had been before he absorbed the dragon vein.
This odd stiffness was likely the reason he'd been forced into tight spots against Mukade.
Though his chakra and visual prowess were stronger than ever, the power now felt... clumsy. Rigid.
He needed to understand it.
As Hikaru's meditation deepened, his consciousness finally slipped into his inner world.
Standing in the familiar space, he gazed at the towering Susanoo—the manifestation of his power.
A trace of nostalgia flickered in his eyes.
"Seems like I haven't been back here since I first awakened the Mangekyō…"
His voice echoed through the vast, hollow space.
Then came the soft splash of footsteps on water behind him.
"Master, you finally decided to return."
He didn't even turn. There was only one other presence allowed in this place.
Sword.
"I know, I know," Hikaru sighed, "You're pissed. But I just remembered. That's all."
"Come on—you've trained with me for centuries. Why are you throwing a fit over a few decades?"
Sword silently walked to his side, looping her arms around his and gently tracing circles on his skin with her fingers.
"You didn't seem to remember me when you turned me into chains to bind Tsunade…"
"I get jealous too, okay~?"
"I want that kind of attention too."
Hikaru gave a helpless smile. There was no reasoning with her. After all, they'd been bonded for so long. At this point, spoiling her was just part of the deal.
Who could resist a seductive weapon spirit? (〃▽〃)
✦ ✦ ✦
Half a day later…
✦ ✦ ✦
Sword returned to her resting space—once a seal on Hikaru's wrist, now transformed into her private dimension under the influence of the dragon vein chakra.
Calling it a "seal" was no longer accurate. It had become her own private room—her boudoir.
With her gone, Hikaru finally turned his focus back to the Susanoo within him.
The Susanoo was the manifestation of his Mangekyō Sharingan's chakra—its tangible embodiment.
His Mangekyō powers—illusion weaponry and Word Spirit—were expressions of his very being. Even without the Uchiha bloodline, such abilities would have awakened in some other form: maybe through Magnet Release, or chakra-based illusions...
He started inspecting the Susanoo more carefully.
The outer appearance was unchanged.
But inside… it was a mess.
Scattered within were clusters of unfamiliar energy—residue from the dragon vein chakra.
It suddenly reminded Hikaru of his past life—of a world governed by spiritual energy, where all herbs and elixirs were refined forms of that power.
Back then, spiritual pills refined by alchemists were gentle and easy to absorb. Raw spirit herbs, on the other hand, were potent and often too aggressive for the body to handle.
The same principle applied here.
Dragon veins were raw chakra, natural energy only barely refined. Hikaru had treated them like tailed beasts—sealed, controlled, consumed.
He had foolishly assumed that his Mangekyō Sharingan could suppress and absorb it all directly.
That level of overconfidence nearly cost him.
He was lucky the Sharingan could indeed contain and slowly refine the dragon vein chakra.
Like a human digesting an overly rich meal, it took time—but the absorption was happening.
Still, the process was far too slow. So Hikaru focused his energy, diving into complete refinement of the power within.
✦ ✦ ✦
Two days passed…
✦ ✦ ✦
After finally refining all the chaotic chakra within his Susanoo, Hikaru summoned Sword again.
With her help, they restored the damaged altar and erased the sealing jutsu left behind by Mukade.
Hikaru then channeled the purified dragon vein chakra through his body, synchronizing his chakra with the ancient altar beneath him.
A pillar of light surged into the sky, surrounding him in a blinding glow.
As space and time twisted around him, Uchiha Hikaru closed his eyes, a determined thought echoing in his mind—
"This time… I'm going to the Warring States Period."
✨🌌⚔️
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