Underground in the Land of Rivers — the Sealed Ruins.
With the destruction of the massive sealing stone, the countless chains and cursed seals binding Uchiha Hikari were forcibly torn apart by Uchiha Tobirama's ruthless methods.
Clang! Clang!
The rusted iron chains crashed to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.
The girl who had been imprisoned for centuries lost her restraints, yet she did not collapse immediately. Driven by pure survival instinct, her tightly shut eyes snapped open.
Though the area around her eyes was scarred and her body was weakened to the extreme, those crimson Mangekyō Sharingan erupted with a chilling light in the darkness.
"You're awake?"
Uchiha Tobirama stood three meters in front of her, hands clasped behind his back, his expression calm and unreadable.
Pakura had already withdrawn to the cave entrance to stand guard, leaving the space to the two of them.
Uchiha Hikari sucked in air desperately, her vision gradually focusing on the man before her. At last, her gaze fixed on the red-and-white fan crest faintly visible inside Tobirama's collar.
"U… Uchiha…"
Her hoarse voice carried deep-rooted hatred and fear.
"Again… the Uchiha…"
She instinctively shrank back against the cold rock wall, arms wrapped tightly around herself in a defensive posture.
"Have you… not died out yet?"
"What do you want this time?"
"To drain my chakra dry? Or use my eyes to control someone?"
"Get away… I won't be your weapon ever again!"
Centuries of torment had etched scars deep into her soul. In her mind, Uchiha meant demons—creatures who would sacrifice even their own kin for power.
Uchiha Tobirama looked at the bristling girl and shook his head slightly.
"Is your mind really that clouded?"
His voice was flat, tinged with faint pity.
"Uchiha Hikari, look carefully."
"Those old fools who sealed you here turned to dust long ago."
"This is a new world, hundreds of years later."
"My name is Uchiha Tobirama, current head of the Uchiha Clan."
"I didn't come to turn you into some crude weapon. I have no need for such low methods."
"I simply thought it a waste for someone with your talent to rot away down here, so I saved you on a whim."
"Saved me?"
Hikari froze for a moment, then burst into shrill laughter.
"Heh… hahaha!"
"Save me? Since when did the Uchiha have such kindness?"
"Back then, when they sealed my eyes and chained my limbs, they said the same thing—for the clan, for peace!"
The red glow in her eyes intensified as the Mangekyō patterns spun wildly.
"Liars! All of you are liars!"
"No matter how many centuries pass, the greed of the Uchiha never changes!"
"You want to use me? Keep dreaming!"
"Even if I die, I'll drag you down with me!"
Communication had completely broken down.
Severe, long-term trauma.
In her worldview, Uchiha equaled demon—an absolute, unshakable truth.
Boom!
Ignoring her fragile state, Hikari burned her remaining life force and forcibly activated her Mangekyō ability.
"Yachihoko: Spiritual Assassination!"
Buzz!
An invisible, terrifying wave erupted, targeting the soul itself.
This ocular jutsu was extraordinarily insidious, capable of instantly connecting to an opponent's mental network to overwrite their will—or destroy their mind outright.
Countless experts had once fallen to this very technique.
"Stubborn and hopeless."
Uchiha Tobirama didn't move, watching the invisible mental spikes rush toward him without even attempting to evade. A trace of disappointment flickered in his eyes.
"Is that all?"
At the moment the attack was about to strike his brow, Tobirama's Six-Tomoe Rinnegan narrowed.
"Intimidation: Gaze of the Gods."
Boom!!
A vast mental force—like an endless ocean—surged back without warning.
If Hikari's power was a stream, then Tobirama's was a raging tsunami.
"Pfft!"
It felt as though a massive hammer slammed into Hikari's mind. Her technique shattered instantly under sheer force.
Blood sprayed from her mouth as she was flung backward like a snapped kite, crashing hard into the rock wall.
"Cough… cough… how… how is this possible…"
She slid to the ground, staring at Tobirama in sheer terror.
Her Yachihoko… had failed.
Not only that—she had been crushed by a single glance.
This man… what kind of monster was he?
"I already told you," Tobirama said as he walked toward her, each step radiating suffocating pressure. "If I'm saving you, then you'll accept it."
"I don't like repeating myself, and I don't tolerate being challenged with such inferior ocular jutsu."
"Don't… don't come any closer!"
Hikari gritted her teeth and forced herself up. Even as her body screamed in pain, she refused to give up.
She grabbed a sharp piece of rubble. If her eyes failed, she'd fight with her body.
She lunged at Tobirama, stone aimed for his throat.
To him, the movement was unbearably slow.
Snap.
Two fingers caught the stone effortlessly.
With a flick of his wrist, Tobirama seized her wrist and pulled.
"Too slow. Too weak."
Her light body lost balance and slammed into his chest.
"Let go! Bastard! Demon!"
She struggled wildly, even snapping her teeth toward his arm.
"Choosing the hard way, I see."
Tobirama frowned slightly.
For someone trapped in fear and unable to reason, physical intervention was faster.
Thwack!
A precise chop landed at the back of her neck.
"Ugh—"
The red light in her eyes vanished as her body went limp, collapsing into his arms.
Silence finally returned.
Tobirama caught her frail body—thin as skin and bone—and clicked his tongue.
"What a pain."
"You refuse to listen when spoken to properly."
He lifted her into a bridal carry, glancing at her dirt-streaked face, still frowning even in sleep.
Beneath the grime, her features were delicate.
Once cleaned up and properly cared for, she would undoubtedly be striking.
"Pakura," Tobirama called.
Shua!
She appeared in a blur, eyes flicking to the unconscious girl in his arms.
"Master, is it finished?"
"Yes. She's difficult—let her sleep."
They stepped out into the sunlight, which felt almost blinding after the cave's darkness.
Tobirama looked down at Hikari.
"Those who grow up in darkness won't believe in light."
"If words won't convince you, then you'll see it yourself."
"This new world… shaped by me."
"Let's go back to Konoha."
"When she wakes up in a soft bed, eats warm food, and sees streets without war…"
"…that expression will be worth seeing."
Shua!
Golden light flared as Flying Thunder God activated.
The wilderness of the Land of Rivers was left behind.
—
Half an hour later — Konoha, Uchiha Tobirama's residence.
Inside a warmly furnished guest room filled with sunlight, Tobirama gently placed Uchiha Hikari onto the bed.
She had been cleaned and dressed in a pure white nightgown. After treatment with Yang Release, her true appearance finally showed.
Silver-black hair spread across the pillow. Her pale skin carried a faint sheen, her features delicate like fine porcelain.
Tobirama sat beside the bed, studying the sleeping relic of a bygone era.
"System. Administer a Body Function Recovery Potion."
[Ding! Potion administered. Estimated wake-up time: one night.]
Tobirama crossed his legs, picked up a book, and waited.
He was curious.
When this killing blade from a thousand years ago awakened in Konoha's peace and prosperity…
Would she soften?
Or bare her fangs even more fiercely?
Either way—
Now that she had fallen into his hands, escape was no longer an option.
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