Might Guy was probably one of the few Konoha Jonin who "didn't know" Uchiha Hikari.
Not that he hadn't seen her—he just had face blindness and couldn't remember names for the life of him.
At that moment, Guy seemed to sense Hikari and Esdeath watching him. Balancing on one hand in a handstand, he glanced their way, flashed a thumbs-up, and grinned, his teeth gleaming. "Yo! Thanks for the support! Wanna join me in burning the sweat of youth?"
"Nah, you go ahead and burn it solo…" Hikari waved him off awkwardly.
Esdeath, on the other hand, looked intrigued.
Not because she wanted to join Guy in handstand laps around Konoha, but because she was itching to challenge him to a fight.
"Next time, Little Es. It's almost dinnertime," Hikari said, tugging Esdeath back.
By her estimate, Guy could definitely hold his own against Esdeath, but only if he opened the Sixth or Seventh Gate of the Eight Gates. That kind of fight would cause a massive ruckus, possibly leveling a few forests.
As for Guy with all Eight Gates open? In theory, he could one-shot Esdeath with Night Guy. The only question was whether Esdeath's Mahapadma, which could freeze space, could counter Night Guy's space-warping power.
But Night Guy was a last-resort move that burned the user's life. Unless Esdeath was planning to make Konoha feel some pain, Guy had no reason to unleash it. The best outcome would be a mutual KO.
"By the way…" Hikari suddenly wondered, "Could a Senzu Bean heal the aftereffects of the Eight Gates?"
If it could… wouldn't that mean Night Guy could be used like a regular attack?
It was an intriguing theory, but one she couldn't test.
She couldn't exactly ask Guy to pop open all Eight Gates just to satisfy her curiosity.
For now, Hikari watched Guy jog off into the distance, then dragged Esdeath and Eri back home. She changed into comfy clothes and started cooking.
Eri eagerly jumped in to help.
Well… as the sheltered princess of the Kaguya clan, Eri was a natural at "cutting people" with a blade, but cutting vegetables? Not so much. Despite her best efforts, she was clumsy and soon nicked her finger.
Hikari quickly called for Esdeath to grab some iodine and disinfectant wipes.
If they waited any longer, the wound would probably heal on its own.
After cleaning Eri's cut with a deadpan expression, Esdeath picked up the knife and expertly sliced the remaining half of a potato.
"Huh?" Hikari glanced over, surprised. "Little Es, you cook too?"
"Sort of," Esdeath replied, her face blank as she kept chopping. "Living alone, you pick up some household skills. I'm not a master, but I get by."
"Hmm…" Hikari mused. "Didn't you say you're into gardening too? Wanna hit up a flower shop tomorrow?"
If she remembered right, the Yamanaka clan ran a flower shop and had recently joined Shisui's "flower exhibition." Her place could use some sprucing up with plants, though she'd need someone to water them since she was often gone for months.
Esdeath's expression turned odd.
She did have a gardening hobby, but not for aesthetics. Her flowers were used to inflict pain during interrogations.
For a fleeting moment, Esdeath pictured tying Hikari up and subjecting her to "flower torture." Shaking off the thought, she sighed softly. "No need. It's just a way to kill time."
"Is that so…" Hikari let it slide.
After dinner, she settled Esdeath and Eri into guest rooms next to hers. Her big house had plenty of spare rooms, so space wasn't an issue.
The next morning, Hikari packed lightly and prepared to take the two to the Land of Demons.
Back in the day, she'd have summoned the Flying Nimbus and flown them there. But now…
"Let's see, the Land of Demons is northeast of Konoha, about 900 kilometers away," she said, eyeing a map.
Hikari activated "Shangri-La" on her wrist. As she channeled mental energy into the Teigu, blurry images of the landscape flashed through her mind, stretching northeast. A glowing teleportation circle appeared in the room.
With a flash of light, the three vanished, reappearing in a humid mountain range.
"This should be the Land of Demons. Let's find a nearby town to get our bearings," Hikari said, taking a step forward.
As one of the oldest nations in the Naruto world, the Land of Demons had a unique political system.
Unlike most countries ruled by daimyo, it was governed by a line of priestesses, blending politics and religion.
Its towns reflected this, brimming with shops selling witchcraft-themed trinkets and items steeped in spiritual lore.
Hikari bought two Hannya masks, handing one to Eri, who put it on with glee. Then she picked up a bouquet of cornflowers and offered it to Esdeath.
"What's this?" Esdeath asked.
"Just a little welcome gift for a far-off guest," Hikari said with a grin. "Plus, the blue matches your hair. It'll look nice in your hands."
"…" Esdeath's eyelid twitched. After a pause, she hesitantly took the flowers.
Eri, nearby, mimed taking a photo and held up her notebook: "Really pretty, Esdeath-neechan!"
"…Thanks," Esdeath muttered.
From then on, Esdeath stayed quiet, trailing half a step behind.
Hikari stopped at stalls here and there, buying snacks to share with the two. Eri picked out some wind chimes, tying them to her wrist, where they jingled pleasantly with each step.
"Seems lively here. Is there some kind of festival going on?" Hikari asked a goldfish-scooping stall owner.
"Hm?" The owner blinked. "You folks aren't from the Land of Demons, are you?"
"Nope, we're tourists from the Land of Fire."
"No wonder…" The owner launched into an explanation. "Right now, it's the annual 'Divine Harvest Festival.' All the towns hold celebrations to thank the gods for our current lives and pray for good fortune next year. Oh, you probably don't know who the 'god' is, right?
It's the First Priestess of the Land of Demons. Legend says, centuries ago, a ferocious monster roamed these lands, slaughtering and devouring humans. The First Priestess stood up, used her powerful spiritual energy to slay it, and protected the survivors, founding the Land of Demons. If you head to the capital soon, you might catch a glimpse of the current priestess at the festival."
"Oh? That's interesting," Hikari said, her curiosity piqued.
As the owner spoke, she relayed the story to the group chat, tossing in a question.
[EternalBro: The Land of Demons?]
[EternalBro: I've heard some rumors about that place. It's been around since the Sage of the Six Paths' era, maybe even older than the Five Great Nations. And it's always been ruled by priestesses with spiritual powers—kinda like Miss Kikyo.]
[YotsuyaMiko: Hmm… from Hikari's description, it sounds a bit like the 'Yamatai Kingdom' from history books.]
[NishinakaTiger: Yamatai? Like Queen Himiko's? I've heard of that too.]
[IronHead: Uh, what are you all talking about? I'm totally lost…]
Amid the flurry of messages, Hikari zeroed in on Kikyo's reply.
[Nameless @Kikyo: Wanna come check it out, Miss Kikyo? You're both priestesses, even if from different worlds. You might have something in common.]
[Kikyo: …If it's not too much trouble, sure.]
[Nameless: Cool, I'll pull you over once we reach the capital. Right now, we're asking for directions.]
Maybe because outsiders were rare, the stall owner chatted with Hikari's group for ages before reluctantly pointing them toward the capital.
He even gifted them a tank of goldfish.
Hikari meant for Eri to carry it, but the fish sensed her dragon aura and thrashed wildly, nearly leaping out. When Esdeath took the tank, they froze, as if chilled to the bone.
With no other choice, Hikari had a shadow clone hold the tank. They spent the day leisurely exploring the town, planning to rest overnight before heading to the capital.
While searching for an inn, an unexpected figure caught her eye.
"…Thank you so much! If it weren't for you two, Young Master Takeyama might've…"
"Here's the agreed-upon two million ryo reward. Please take a look!"
Outside a grand mansion, a blonde woman in a dark green robe stood with her arms crossed, looking relaxed.
Though nearing forty, she looked barely twenty, with fair skin, radiant blonde hair tied into braids, and a giant "Gambler" kanji on her back. Even without her… impressive chest, her appearance was eye-catching.
Beside her, a black-haired girl holding a piglet bowed politely, taking a black briefcase from the mansion's old butler. She peeked inside, then zipped it up.
"Lady Tsunade, I've checked. The amount's correct," the girl said.
"Good," Tsunade nodded, turning to the butler. "If you know any other rich folks with sick family members, send them my way—as long as they can pay."
As she spoke, she turned to leave, her dignified air vanishing, replaced by an excited grin. "Hurry, Shizune! The casino's still open. I lost big there the other day, but this time, I'm winning it all back—principal and interest. Those cheating punks are gonna learn!"
"…" Shizune opened her mouth, then stopped.
Having been with Tsunade so long, she knew her master's gambling luck was abysmal. Win? Not a chance. Out of a hundred bets, winning three was a good day. The "Great Sucker of the Ninja World" title was well-earned.
Shizune could already picture Tsunade blowing through the two million ryo in days, then skipping town under creditors' complaints to play the sucker elsewhere.
At that moment, Tsunade paused, frowning as she looked in a certain direction.
"That's…"
Across the street, a hundred meters away, Hikari stopped too, her eyes narrowing in surprise.
"…What a coincidence."
After a brief stare-down, Tsunade glanced around, then walked over hesitantly, her expression complex. "Miss… Hikari, long time no see."
She clearly struggled with how to address Hikari, avoiding "Lady" or "Elder."
Hikari didn't mind. "Little Tsunade, fancy meeting you here. You traveling in the Land of Demons too?"
"Something like that," Tsunade nodded.
Shizune bowed slightly, adding respectfully, "It's like this, Lady Hikari. A rich merchant's son fell gravely ill, and they offered a hefty reward for treatment. Lady Tsunade was nearby, so we came to help."
"I see," Hikari said, glancing at the briefcase in Shizune's hands, piecing it together.
Under Tsunade and Shizune's slightly puzzled gazes, she smiled. "As you can see, I'm traveling with these two friends. Running into each other here must be fate. How about we grab a drink?"
"…Sure."
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