The Uchiha Clan Pays Their Respects to Grand Ancestor!

Uchiha Hikari had no idea that so many people in Konoha had spent that night unable to sleep because of her.

After getting a good night's sleep and spending the day building snowmen with Naruto, easing her strained nerves a little, she gathered her thoughts and turned her time back to training.

It had to be said...

The Shadow Clone Jutsu was simply far too convenient!

Taking her chakra reserves and mental capacity into account, Uchiha Hikari created three Shadow Clones. One practiced "ki" and the Levitation Technique, one refined chakra, and one went out to train in taijutsu, while she herself explored the abilities of Yachihoko. Then, every night when she dispelled the clones, she could enjoy the fulfilling sensation of having four times the knowledge flood her mind.

Thanks to the boost from her dual souls, she quickly digested and absorbed that knowledge, with no side effects aside from a little fatigue.

And that fatigue could be eliminated just by sleeping a few extra hours.

Naruto watched from the side with obvious envy, and during meals, he began cautiously asking whether she could teach him ninjutsu.

Nameless: Fourth Hokage, what do you think?

Forever with Sis: Well... Naruto is still too young. Starting to learn ninjutsu this early may not necessarily be a good thing. Besides, the Nine Tails' chakra inside him will interfere with him. Even if he learns how to refine chakra, his training may not go smoothly.

Nameless: If necessary, I can go talk to the Nine Tails.

With Uchiha Hikari's Mangekyo ocular power, meeting the Nine Tails would not be difficult.

The difficult part was figuring out how to persuade it.

Minato Namikaze had little confidence in that.

He had half of the Nine Tails on his side as well. He had taken it into the Shinigami's stomach with the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, and they had spent over four years together. Even now, every conversation between them ended in an argument.

Uchiha Hikari, however, had some ideas.

—She had the complete contents of all 700 episodes of Shippuden in her head. As long as she extracted those memories and passed them on to the Nine Tails, it would not be hard to make it understand Naruto, its Jinchuriki. If things went well, she might even be able to bring out Nine Tails Chakra Mode ahead of schedule in a few days.

But...

It was indeed a little too early.

After all, Naruto was only four or five years old. He had not even attended the Ninja Academy yet, his body had only just begun developing, and his values had yet to take shape. If he gained such immense power at this point, he might lose himself because of it.

Nameless: Then let's talk about it in a couple of years. Next time I go out for a morning run, I'll bring him along and let him train his taijutsu first.

Nameless: Also, Fourth Hokage, could I ask for your guidance in Sealing Technique training?

Forever with Sis: Sealing Technique?

Nameless: Yes. I want to try bringing the "demons" from Tanjiro's world back to the Naruto world for some research, to see whether I can find a way to turn demons back into humans sooner. But many demons have very strange Blood Demon Arts. I may need to seal them first before taking them elsewhere.

Forever with Sis: ...All right. I'll pick a few simpler sealing techniques to teach you first. Sealing techniques may not count as particularly profound ninjutsu, but they still require some talent and fairly precise chakra control. They're more difficult to learn than Shadow Clones, so you'll need to be patient and take it slowly.

Nameless: All right.

Meanwhile, Tanjiro also reported on his recent situation in the group.

Iron Head Kid: Miss Hikari, Miss Bulma, and Mr. Forever with Sis, I've passed the Demon Slayer Corps' Final Selection!

Iron Head Kid: Just as Miss Hikari said, there really was a powerful demon on that mountain. Before me, it had already killed thirteen of Master Urokodaki's disciples! Luckily, I trained for two extra months as Miss Hikari instructed, and managed to defeat it. Haganezuka is forging my Nichirin Blade now. Once I get it, I'll be able to go out and carry out missions!

Bulma: Congratulations! But what is a Nichirin Blade?

Nameless: A weapon used exclusively by the Demon Slayer Corps. It's said to be made from "Scarlet Sand Iron" and "Scarlet Ore," which can absorb sunlight. Only by severing a demon's head with this kind of blade can they be killed.

Bulma: ?

Bulma: What even is all that...

To be honest, Uchiha Hikari did not really know what those two minerals were either.

That was also why she suspected that ultraviolet light alone might not be enough to deal a fatal blow to "demons."

—Judging from what Nichirin Blades were made of, perhaps sunlight in the Demon Slayer World contained a component that could be called "scarlet rays."

Bulma: If that's the case, I'm afraid we'll need to bring over some spectrum analyzers... Hikari, you're not in a hurry to visit the Demon Slayer World, right? I may need some time to prepare all that equipment. And the ultraviolet lamps we discussed last time may need further improvements too.

Nameless: No rush. I need to learn Sealing Technique first anyway.

After chatting for a few more moments, Bulma logged off to attend class.

Come to think of it... she was still the only student among the four group members.

There was only one explanation for why she had the highest IQ.

Uchiha Hikari then turned her attention back to reality and vaguely heard someone knocking at the door out in the hallway.

Knock, knock, knock—

In the bedroom next door, Naruto seemed to have heard it too and began rustling as he put on his clothes.

After glancing out the window, Uchiha Hikari lightly jumped down from the bed and walked to the entrance of the living room outside.

"Who is it?"

As the door opened—

Kakashi, with his head of white hair, appeared before her.

Uchiha Hikari raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Kakashi glanced from the corner of his eye at Naruto, who was poking his head out from the bedroom to look around, then spoke in a low voice. "Miss Hikari, could I have a word with you in private?"

"?"

"Several Konoha residents insisted on coming to visit you. They've already arrived downstairs. If you have some free time now, could you spare a moment to meet them...?"

Listening to Kakashi's vague explanation, Uchiha Hikari was somewhat confused.

But in the end, she still took two steps outside and followed Kakashi's gaze toward the corridor beside them.

There, more than a dozen figures of varying heights stood conspicuously.

The group included both men and women. Some wore Konoha's dark green shinobi flak jackets, while others wore dark-colored kimono. Their only common trait was... the red-and-white ping-pong paddle emblem embroidered on their clothes—the crest of the Uchiha Clan!

The moment they saw Uchiha Hikari, every Uchiha clansman dropped to their knees in unison, prostrating themselves on the ground before loudly declaring, "Uchiha Clan's current head, Uchiha Fugaku, together with the younger generation—Shisui, Yashiro, Mikoto, and the others—pays respects to Grand Ancestor!"

"..."

Uchiha Hikari froze.

She had seen her share of grand spectacles.

But this scene before her... she truly had never seen anything like it!