Uchiha Hikari knew Bulma's family was loaded.
But seeing it in an anime and witnessing it in real life? Totally different vibe.
While waiting for her check-up results, Bulma gave her a tour of the house. The sprawling, castle-like complex left Hikari gaping in awe.
Along the way, she met Bulma's parents.
They greeted her warmly, not even blinking at the random girl suddenly hanging out with their daughter.
Then again, in the original story, Vegeta's arrival didn't faze them either. A plain Jane like Uchiha Hikari, an otherworldly Earthling? No big deal. Her mind, though, was already wandering to something else:
"Uh… Bulma-nee, how much do those Capsule Corp capsules cost? Got any budget-friendly ones?"
The Dragon Ball world was full of treasures.
Forget the wish-granting Dragon Balls for now.
Senzu Beans, Flying Nimbus, Ultra Divine Water, the Room of Spirit and Time… every one was a game-changer.
Problem was, Hikari couldn't get her hands on any of them yet.
Bulma didn't know Son Goku or Kame-Sennin at this point, and she had no clue where places like "Baozi Mountain" or "Turtle Island" were. Tracking them down would be like finding a needle in a haystack.
So, Hikari set her sights on tech gadgets, wondering if she could sweet-talk her way into a few on credit.
Bulma, though, was super chill about it. "Capsules? Those aren't exactly high-end. Next time you swing by, I'll hook you up with a set."
"No way, that's too much…"
"It's fine! We're friends now. Who knows, I might need your help when I go Dragon Ball hunting." Bulma's eyes glinted, like she was scheming something. "From your chats with Eienni妹, you guys sound like some seriously badass ninja, right?"
"Something like that."
Hikari hesitated a bit. "When you start collecting Dragon Balls, just give me a shout."
At this point in the Dragon Ball timeline, things were still pretty safe. No weird aliens running around. The worst threats were probably Tao Pai Pai or the Red Ribbon Army. Kame-Sennin was strong too, but that old perv wasn't likely to be an enemy.
If she played her cards right, Hikari wouldn't mind learning a bit of "ki" from this world. And if she could snag a wish or two? Even better.
…
A few days flew by.
During that time, Hikari popped back to her world.
Following Namikaze Minato's advice, she cracked the seal on her body just enough to slip out a tiny probe Bulma had given her. It scanned the rock layers around her coffin, sending the data back to Bulma for blast simulations.
Once everything was ready, Hikari grabbed the mini-bomb Bulma made and returned to the Naruto world.
**[Nameless: Here we go.]**
**[Bulma: You got this, Hikari! If anything goes wrong, teleport back to me ASAP.]**
"…"
It wasn't the first time she'd heard it, but "Hikari" always made her think of some kids' show character. Like any second, a Piplup would waddle out and start bickering with her.
**[Eienni妹: Good luck, Hikari-san. If you get out and see Naruto, please check on how he's doing for me.]**
**[Nameless: You got it!]**
One thing Hikari still hadn't figured out—
Was she and Eienni妹 on the same timeline?
The chat group could pull people across dimensions, so yanking folks from parallel worlds or different points in the same world's history wouldn't be a stretch. If their timelines were different, Konoha could be in any era—maybe even one where Minato was still alive. But if they were the same…
Then Konoha was likely a few years after the Nine-Tails attack, with Naruto still too young for ninja school.
Hikari was curious.
What would Namikaze Minato think when he saw how Naruto was living as a kid?
"By the way, who's that IronHead kid in the group? They haven't said a peep in days. Social anxiety or what?"
Hikari made a mental note to DM them later.
For now…
*Huff…*
Hikari took a deep breath. With her barely mobile hands, she carved a small slit in the coffin and slid the slim bomb out.
*Click—*
The bomb's suction cups snapped open, clamping onto the coffin's sides.
Then came the *tick-tock* of the countdown.
10… 9… 3… 1…
*BOOM!!!*
In an instant, blinding light and heat erupted inches from Hikari's face. Even with her eyes shut and Bulma's custom sunglasses on, the glare stung. Her ears, plugged with earbuds, roared with a sound like a tsunami crashing through a mountain!
The shockwave rippled outward, jagged cracks spiderwebbing through the stone.
Despite Bulma's meticulous computer simulations, the real explosion still sent chunks of rock—big and small—raining down, smashing against the coffin. The already weakened seal started to crumble.
Right then—
Hikari's eyes snapped open, crimson three-tomoe Sharingan blazing. "Susanoo!!"
As the seal broke, her sealed chakra and dojutsu power surged, flowing out as dark red flames. They morphed into skeletal armor, shielding her body within a few feet.
It wasn't a full Susanoo.
But it was enough to block the falling debris.
After what felt like half a minute, the tremors finally stopped. Above Hikari, a massive crater—dozens of meters deep—had formed. Soft moonlight poured through the opening, illuminating her pale, youthful face.
Hikari leapt from the shattered coffin, bounding upward with a few quick steps, and landed lightly in the forest outside.
Her short boots touched the ground.
She took a deep breath, fresh air flooding her lungs for the first time in ages.
"I'm out!"
**[Nameless: Thanks, Yondaime, and Bulma-nee. I'm signing off for now. I'll hit you up once things settle.]**
**[Eienni: Stay safe. Reach out if you need help.]**
**[Bulma: +1. And if you spot any cute guys, snap some pics for me, yeah?]**
**[Nameless: Haha, sure thing.]**
**[IronHead: Um…]**
"?"
Hikari was about to close the chat when the last message caught her eye. "IronHead's finally talking?"
**[Nameless @IronHead: Hey, no worries, but could I get your name?]**
**[IronHead: …Hi! I'm Kamado Tanjirou! I wasn't sure how to talk before, but I just figured out I can turn my thoughts into text by focusing. This is so cool!]**
**(End of Chapter)**