Just as Zhang Zhiwei turned to leave, he suddenly stopped as if recalling something important. He turned back to his master, a trace of curiosity and hope on his face.
"Master, may I ask… does a technique that allows someone to resurrect from death truly exist in this world?"
Zhang Jingqing's brows furrowed slightly at the question, surprised his disciple would ask something so outlandish.
After a moment of silence, he said slowly,
"Zhiwei, you've been cultivating for quite some time now. How could you still believe such a thing? Resurrection defies the natural order—it's not something any technique should be capable of."
Zhang Zhiwei flushed with mild embarrassment.
But he pressed on:
"Master, I wouldn't ask without reason. What I witnessed today was truly beyond belief."
And so, he recounted the day's events from beginning to end—every bizarre twist, every display of Hikaru's impossible power.
As he spoke, Zhang Jingqing's calm expression began to shift.
By the time he described Hikaru's apparent ability to reverse time and bring someone back from death, the elder Taoist's face had turned grave.
"Could it be… an immortal descended from the Upper Realm?" he wondered inwardly.
But that theory didn't hold.
"No… the legends always speak of ascending to the heavens, never of immortals descending to the mortal realm."
The truth felt tangled, and far from simple.
"I see…" Zhang Jingqing said at last. "If you encounter that man again, invite him to Master Lu's birthday banquet. I would like to meet him personally and see for myself just what he is."
Though Hikaru and his group had done good deeds, the power they displayed deeply unsettled Zhang Jingqing.
This land had already endured too many calamities. It couldn't afford any more.
He had to be sure. He had to be in control.
Zhang Zhiwei nodded solemnly. "Understood."
Meanwhile…
Elsewhere, Hikaru and his companions had already stepped into the heart of the Sakura Country Special Zone.
Their arrival, draped in elegant Japanese-style clothing, immediately drew attention.
Their unfamiliar faces didn't matter—everything about them radiated nobility and power.
The local guards approached with courtesy.
"Honored guests, what brings you to our land?"
Hikaru didn't answer.
He hadn't come to speak.
He'd come to send the people of Sakura Country… to meet their emperor.
Before the stunned guards could react, a strange power swept out from him—
—and the nightmare began.
Without warning, flames erupted around the citizens.
Invisible tongues of fire devoured them whole.
They burned.
Bodies lit up like paper, consumed by ghostly infernos that granted no pain—only silence.
It was mercy, by Hikaru's standards.
But to the people of Sakura Country, it was a catastrophe.
In moments, screams tore through the streets.
Those who witnessed it were gripped with terror.
Then his gaze shifted—and panic exploded.
"Run! RUN! Do you want to die here?!"
"Get out of my way!"
One man shoved another aside in desperation.
Chaos broke loose.
Crowds trampled over each other to flee—but no matter how fast they ran, death followed behind them.
Ironically, those who didn't move… lived a few minutes longer.
And in just minutes, the once-bustling commercial district was deserted.
But the destruction hadn't gone unnoticed.
A squad of Sakura Country's gifted warriors—soon arrived.
They stood among the ashes, furious.
"Bakayarō! You will pay for this!"
Their shouts had barely left their mouths—
—when Kaguya-hime appeared.
She cast a cold glance toward them, raised her hand, and unleashed a single bone—shaped like a spear.
It struck the first Gifted Warrior dead center.
Boom.
His body crumbled instantly—dust scattered to the wind.
The others froze in horror.
But Kaguya didn't stop.
No matter how they dodged, the next bone would find its mark.
One by one, they fell—screaming, furious, afraid.
They couldn't escape.
Yet even this wasn't enough for Hikaru.
Too slow, he thought.
Killing them one by one will take too long.
He raised his hand—
And a massive barrier expanded in an instant, sealing the entire special zone from the outside world.
Even Kaguya and the others were included inside for protection.
Then Hikaru rose into the air, floating silently above the city like a divine executioner.
A suffocating pressure radiated from him.
And then—
"Shinra Tensei."
The words left his lips.
And with them came obliteration.
An invisible tidal wave of force erupted from him, crashing outward with apocalyptic fury.
The earth itself shuddered.
Buildings snapped.
Streets folded like paper.
Everything—everything—was flattened.
When the shockwave finally subsided, silence returned.
And with it, horror.
The Sakura Country Special Zone—once a thriving symbol of prosperity—was now a massive crater.
Nothing remained.
Hikaru descended slowly.
Orochimaru stepped forward, having witnessed the entire thing.
He gave a small smile and said,
"Hikaru-kun… it seems you don't hold this country in high regard.
Would you like Lord Tobirama and me to go… pay them a visit?"
The meaning was clear.
They had all seen Hikaru's wrath—and Orochimaru's curiosity had been piqued by the Gifted Warriors as well.
He wanted to dissect… and understand.