Uchiha Hikari didn't see anything wrong with her decision.
Sure, Esdeath's worldview was a bit warped, but her integrity was solid. Since she'd agreed to be Hikari's subordinate, she wouldn't go back on her word until she could flip the tables and beat her.
But…
The Revolutionary Army was on edge about it.
They didn't have Hikari's strength to keep Esdeath in check single-handedly. If Esdeath took advantage of her freedom over the past few days to launch a coup, it could spell disaster for the army that had just conquered the capital.
To prevent that, they'd secretly moved the Little Emperor's detention site and stationed tons of sentries and troops around the palace, keeping tabs on Esdeath's every move, ready to react at a moment's notice. Thankfully, none of that came to pass.
When Hikari's figure reappeared in the capital, Najenda, who'd come to greet her, visibly relaxed.
"Miss Hikari, you're back."
"Yup… but what's with the crowd? Don't tell me this is all for me?" Hikari said, glancing around.
Bulma and Brand being there was expected.
But the entire Night Raid team? All geared up with their Teigu, looking ready for a fight?
Najenda quickly explained, her words tumbling out. "This setup was for Esdeath. With you gone, we had to show some respect to our former enemy."
Meanwhile, Esdeath gave Najenda and the others a dismissive glance, then stood and walked straight to Hikari, ignoring everyone else.
"Took you long enough. Did you find me a worthy opponent?"
"…Sort of," Hikari nodded. "There's a strong beast—think of it as a super dangerous species from another world. Should satisfy your battle cravings."
"Good." Esdeath dropped her arms without pressing for details. "Let's get started. This 'sealing technique' you mentioned—what do I need to do?"
"Nothing. Just stand still."
Hikari paused, then added, "The first time might hurt a bit… but just bear with it."
Esdeath: "?"
This was an experiment, too.
Hikari had only tested cross-world travel with demons from the Demon Slayer world before. From Daki and Gyutaro's experience, the process was mostly safe, though it caused side effects like muscle tears—similar to the Cloud Village's "Heavenly Transfer Technique."
For self-healing demons, that kind of damage was trivial, healing in minutes. But for living humans, it might not be so pleasant.
Still, Esdeath, as the strongest in the Akame ga Kill world, had a physique on par with the Fourth Raikage. A little muscle tearing probably wouldn't faze her.
Taking a deep breath, Hikari formed hand signs and pressed her pale palms against Esdeath's chest.
"Sealing Technique… Four Symbols Seal!"
Chakra surged, and black runes mixed with gray bandages flowed from her palms and sleeves, wrapping around Esdeath's body. In moments, she was cocooned like a humanoid mummy.
Hikari placed Esdeath in a prepared coffin, sealed it into a scroll, and called it done.
Najenda, watching this, narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.
"Miss Hikari, that secret technique… can it work on others?"
"Hm?" Hikari raised an eyebrow. "Theoretically, yeah. What, you wanna tag along to another world, Boss?"
"…It's tempting, but I'll pass," Najenda said with a smile. "The revolution's not over yet. The new regime still needs a lot of work, and I can't step away, even if my skills are just average. But if things settle down, I might consider a long vacation…"
She trailed off, glancing subtly at Akame and the others. "That said, Akame and the team might have some free time soon. If you need extra hands, you could hire them. As their current boss, I can vouch for their skills."
Her tone was light, but Hikari could tell she was serious.
Night Raid was formed to do the revolution's dirty work—eliminating old nobles. With the empire gone, their purpose was fading.
For now, there were still bandits and stubborn factions to clean up, keeping Akame and the others busy. But in a few months—maybe half a year—Night Raid would likely be disbanded, fading from history.
When that happened, people like Brand and Lubbock, with military or noble backgrounds, could become generals or governors. But Akame, Mine, and others without such ties? They'd be jobless, and their past dirty work could make them targets for grudges.
Najenda wanted to protect her old comrades, but as just one of the revolution's higher-ups, her influence was limited. Even as the top leader, she couldn't shield them from every hidden dagger.
So, letting Akame and the others follow Hikari to another world for a fresh start wasn't a bad idea.
"…I'll seriously consider hiring them," Hikari said after a moment's thought.
On the side, Bulma piped up quietly. "Actually, if you guys want a career change, you could join me. My 'Blue Planet' has plenty of room—could fit a hundred people, no problem!"
"…Blue Planet?" Najenda asked.
"Yup! That's the name Minato-sensei, Yamato, and I came up with for our pirate ship," Bulma said. "It's still just a blueprint, though."
"Hm…" Hikari hadn't been keeping up with the group chat lately.
The name "Blue Planet" was surprisingly simple. She'd half-expected Minato's naming habits to produce something like "Blue Whirlwind Thunder Flash Zero-One."
"So, Bulma, what's your next move?" Hikari asked.
Bulma scratched her head. "I'll stick around here for a bit, studying alchemy, Teigu, and Orichalcum to see if I can use them for the ship. Oh, and I'll work on that 'thousand-times mini-ring' you asked for."
"Thanks," Hikari said. "What about you, Eriri?"
Eriri held up her notebook: Wanna go with Hikari to hang out with Naruto and Karin.
"…Sure," Hikari said. The Naruto world was stable enough for Eriri to tag along for a few days.
As for Yamato…
"I promised Leone I'd check out the capital's slums, so I'll stay a bit longer," Yamato said. "If I go back to Onigashima now, my dad'll probably punish me."
Even Yamato's carefree demeanor faltered when mentioning Kaido, her voice tinged with a shiver.
Kaido didn't hold back when he disciplined her—full-on "beat you to the brink of death" style. If Yamato weren't tougher than most, bolstered by her Devil Fruit's extra "health bar," she'd have been done for long ago.
Hikari didn't know how to respond, so she just patted Yamato's shoulder. "Don't worry. Our worlds are open to each other. Stay as long as you want. If you need help in the One Piece world, just let me know."
If it was just Hikari, taking down Kaido would be tough. The guy was the "strongest creature," surviving falls from 10,000 meters with a health bar thicker than most.
But with Esdeath, Yamato, maybe Kikyo, Brand, or even all of Night Raid? That'd be a different story.
"Also, keep an eye on Bulma's safety. Ping me in the chat if anything comes up."
The Akame ga Kill world wasn't exactly safe for non-combatants like Bulma. Brand and Night Raid could protect her, but they couldn't be around 24/7. Yamato, being trustworthy, was a good fit to watch her back.
"Got it!" Yamato thumped her G-cup chest confidently. "Don't worry, Hikari. This is a man's promise!"
"…"
Hikari's lips twitched, but she let it slide and handed Bulma a microphone. "Here, Bulma, take this. It's a Teigu called 'Earth's Roar.' It emits powerful ultrasonic waves through singing. Should suit you well for self-defense."
After a few more mutual reminders, Hikari left the Akame ga Kill world.
With a flash of white light, she returned to Konoha in the Naruto world, followed by Eriri.
At the Uchiha compound's main residence, Hikari took out the coffin and released Esdeath.
"How's it feel?"
"…Not bad," Esdeath said, stepping out of the coffin and stretching her shoulders. "There's a bit of muscle tearing, but it's no big deal. So, this is the 'other world' you mentioned? Doesn't look too different from the empire."
Her tone suggested she was still skeptical about the whole "other world" thing.
"Well…" Hikari grinned. "Wanna take a look around, Esdeath?"
…
Since it was Esdeath's first day, Hikari gave her a quick tour of Konoha to get her used to this "new world." Eriri tagged along, occasionally scribbling on her notebook and showing it to Esdeath.
Having visited Konoha once before, Eriri was something of a "senior" here.
"Konoha Village, the Shinobi World, the Five Great Nations…" Esdeath said, pausing at a street corner. "These are all places I've never heard of. Definitely different from the empire."
Her gaze flicked to Izumi, a Uchiha in a police uniform passing by, then back to Hikari. "I've been meaning to ask—why do they keep calling you 'Great-Grandma'?"
"Uh…" Hikari hesitated. "Would you believe me if I said I'm over a hundred years old?"
"…"
Esdeath didn't reply, but her eyes clearly said, Are you messing with me?
"It's true," Hikari sighed. "For reasons I can't easily explain, I was sealed away once—yep, like what I did to you. I slept underground for a century until I woke up in this era. So everyone in this village is at least four or five generations removed from me."
This wasn't a secret to Eriri or the others in the group chat—they'd all known each other long enough to share their backstories. But for Esdeath, who wasn't part of the chat, hearing Hikari's "origin story" made her eyes flicker with surprise.
"Sealed for a century… So even you were weak once," she said.
"Everyone's weak at some point. That's just how it works," Hikari said casually. "If a world doesn't let the weak survive, the problem's with the world, not the weak."
"…"
Esdeath scoffed, her "survival of the fittest" mindset too ingrained to be shaken by a few words.
Hikari was just testing the waters, seeing if she could nudge Esdeath's worldview even slightly. They'd likely be together for a while, and if Esdeath clung to her twisted values, communication might get tiring.
Next, Hikari took Esdeath and Eriri to the shopping district to buy ingredients for dinner.
As they walked, Esdeath kept scanning the crowd, sizing up their strength with her eyes. Most villagers and ninja got a quick glance, but one guy made her stare.
"That man… he looks strong," she said.
"Hm?" Hikari followed her gaze and saw a peculiar figure in a green bodysuit "running" by—upside down, shouting about "youth."
"…Yeah," Hikari agreed. "That guy could probably kill even me…"