Chapter 10: Tsukuyomi!

"It's the old man!"

Hearing this aged voice, Naruto's face lit up with joy, then he hesitated a bit before looking over at Uchiha Hikari: "Sister, this is the old man I was talking about earlier, he..."

"This is your home, don't mind me. Go ahead and open the door."

Uchiha Hikari, holding a cup, stood aside, sipping water casually and waved her hand dismissively.

After receiving her response, Naruto ran to open the door.

The figure that appeared in the corridor was an elderly man dressed in a divine robe and wearing a hat.

He first patted little Naruto's head, then walked in with a cheerful smile. If one were to judge by appearances alone, he seemed no different from an ordinary elderly passerby. However, his identity was that of the village's highest authority, and the very person Uchiha Hikari had come to see—

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Eh, does little Naruto have a guest?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi first exchanged pleasantries with Naruto, then, as if he had just noticed Uchiha Hikari, asked with a smile, "Is this a new friend Naruto has made?"

"Yes! She's the sister who brought me home earlier, her name is..."

Naruto wanted to introduce her but suddenly realized he didn't know the sister's name.

Uchiha Hikari timely spoke up: "Hikari. Uchiha Hikari."

"Oh? So you're Miss Hikari from the Uchiha clan... But I thought I knew most members of the Uchiha clan, how come I've never seen you before..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi continued to feign ignorance.

But Uchiha Hikari had no patience for his act: "Of course, you wouldn't have seen me, as I only arrived in this village last night... I believe, your subordinates would be more aware of my background."

The naive Naruto might think the Third Hokage's visit was a coincidence, but Uchiha Hikari thought otherwise. The several hidden presences outside the house, accompanying the old man, had already revealed his true intentions.

Yet, Uchiha Hikari was not panicked.

Not to mention whether the aged Hiruzen Sarutobi was stronger or weaker than her.

As long as Hiruzen Sarutobi had any sense of measure, he wouldn't dare to make a move against her in front of Naruto, the Jinchuriki. Otherwise, if anything went wrong, the tragedy from four years ago might repeat itself. The village of Konoha, already weakened and having just suffered the defection of Orochimaru, could hardly afford another Nine-Tails incident, which would likely lead to its complete collapse.

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Uchiha Hikari, his expression subtly changing.

On his way from the Hokage building, he had already reviewed the information collected by the Anbu.

Although both the testimony of Morino Ibiki and the records from the Senju clan indeed mentioned such a story, even after hearing Uchiha Hikari's own confirmation, he still found it somewhat unbelievable.

A girl from the Uchiha clan, who had been sealed for over a hundred years and had risen from her grave in the Warring States period...

"What... do you want to do?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Naruto beside him and lowered his voice: "I don't know if the information you've mentioned is true or false, but even if it's all true, the era you're familiar with, the Warring States period, has long passed. Your former comrades and enemies have all passed away, and even the Uchiha and Senju, once mortal enemies, have reconciled... The peace Konoha enjoys today was hard-earned and cannot be disturbed by anyone!"

"And Naruto, although I don't know why you sought him out or for what reason you came here with him, he is a very important part of our village, and we cannot allow those with ulterior motives to get close and deceive him."

"Oh."

Uchiha Hikari nodded: "So, being hated, bullied, insulted by everyone in the village, pointed at wherever he goes, drinking expired milk, eating nutrition-less instant noodles, and not being able to buy what he wants even at triple the price... That's the treatment 'an important part of the village' deserves?"

"…Is that so?"

In front of Naruto, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned awkward, pretending to be unaware as he turned to look at him: "Little Naruto, is what... this sister said true? You're at the stage of growing up, you need milk and vegetables, you should tell grandpa, I'll have them delivered to you."

"…It's okay! Grandpa, you're so busy, it's already great that you can visit me every month, I can figure out those things on my own!"

Naruto responded softly, then looked a bit uneasily at Hiruzen Sarutobi and Uchiha Hikari: "Um, although I don't quite understand what you and grandpa are talking about, Hikari sister is a good person, she won't harm me!"

On the other side.

Uchiha Hikari couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Lord Third, your ability to dodge the important issues is truly admirable... Well, let me also speak frankly. Actually, an old friend asked me to come and talk to you about his will, which is why I'm here."

"An old friend?"

"Yes, a friend who sacrificed himself in the battle four years ago. You should be very familiar with him, after all, he was once your most promising successor."

"?! "

Because of the promise with Minato Namikaze, Uchiha Hikari did not directly mention his name in front of Naruto. But with such an obvious hint, Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally guessed it.

"You mean the Four... That's impossible! He's already..."

"Already used the Reaper Death Seal and was consumed by the Shinigami, right?"

Uchiha Hikari continued: "But in fact, I not only met him but also learned from him that when he and his wife sacrificed their lives for the village, they had entrusted you to take good care of their child. But now it seems, you haven't fulfilled that promise. Oh... perhaps in your view, as long as he's still alive, that counts as 'taking good care of him'?"

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression fluctuated.

The world of Naruto indeed acknowledges the existence of souls, and there are many related ninjutsu techniques. For example, his teacher, Tobirama Senju, invented the "Impure World Reincarnation", and there's also the Katō clan's secret "Spirit Transformation Technique". However, for Hiruzen Sarutobi to believe that Minato Namikaze, who had performed the "Reaper Death Seal" and died four years ago, had entrusted a Uchiha clan member from the Warring States period to look after his child...

"Absurd!"

"Even if you really met Minato, he would never say such a thing to you! Moreover, the affairs of Konoha village cannot be interfered with by an irrelevant outsider!"

"I knew it..."

Uchiha Hikari sighed.

"Talking to you old folks who are too cunning is really tiring, let's change the place to talk... Tsukuyomi!"

(End of Chapter)

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