Chapter 70: Hidden Mist Jutsu and the Shikotsumyaku 

Hikari Uchiha didn't tell Minato Namikaze that the masked man claiming to be Madara was actually Obito. 

There was no point. 

The blackened Obito was practically a stranger to Minato now—his personality, abilities, goals… all completely different. Even his smarts had ticked up a notch, or he wouldn't have gone unrecognized during the Nine-Tails attack. 

And Kamui? That was one of the most broken abilities among Mangekyo Sharingan techniques. 

—From the original storyline, "Kamui's dimension" seemed to have some spatial teleportation capability, meaning entry and exit points didn't have to align. Obito likely used this to slip through Konoha's barrier undetected. If he was serious about hiding, tracking him down would be as tough as finding Kibutsuji Muzan. 

Unless they gouged out Kakashi's left eye, transplanted it into an Uchiha, and tried unlocking Kamui's full potential. 

Or… had Minato himself cross over and use the Flying Thunder God seal he'd once placed on Obito. 

Hikari had floated that second idea in the group chat once. 

But… 

[EternalWingSis: …My "cross-over" function is usable, but there's a warning about unknown risks. If I jump over recklessly, something unpredictable could happen. Unless it's absolutely necessary, it's better to play it safe.] 

[NoName: Fair enough.] 

Unknown risks… Did that mean a soul without a physical vessel might not stabilize in the living world? Or that returning to the Shinigami's stomach could cause issues—like the Shinigami noticing something? 

Hikari had never died, so she had no clue what chilling in the Shinigami's gut was like. She mused about whether, once she'd roped in Dr. Gero or Orochimaru, she should try cloning Minato a new body. 

While she and Minato were hashing things out in the chat, elsewhere… 

The Police Force members searching the area spotted her and Fugaku Uchiha. 

"Lord Fugaku, Grandmatriarch!" 

A clear, bright voice called out as a girl in a Police Force uniform hurried over. Her sleek black hair and the tear-shaped mole under her right eye made Hikari recognize her instantly. 

"Izumi?" 

"Greetings, Grandmatriarch!" 

As Izumi bowed respectfully, another girl beside her followed suit, bending low. "Hana Inuzuka, of the Inuzuka clan. It's an honor to meet you, Lady Hikari." 

Hana Inuzuka? 

Hikari glanced over. 

The girl was pretty enough, about Izumi's age, with short brown hair and dark red fang-like markings painted on her cheeks. Three identical gray puppies trailed her, wagging their tails and sniffing around. 

(Kiba's older sister from the Rookie Nine, huh…) 

Hikari was less interested in Hana's identity than her attire. 

"You're with the Police Force too?" 

Hana's posture grew even more deferential at Hikari's question. "Yes, I joined as a genin just a week or two ago. Izumi's a good friend, and she's told me about your feats before I enlisted. It's truly an honor to meet you." 

Pretty polite. 

Hikari waved a hand casually. "Find anything?" 

"We discovered some fresh tracks near the forest entrance by the waterfall—looked man-made. My mother's already leading a team to follow them, and we're staying behind to keep searching. If we find anything, we'll signal with a flare…" 

Before Hana could finish, a flash lit up in the distance. 

Boom! 

The sound carried through the air. 

Under Hikari and the others' gazes, a red flare exploded above the distant forest, marking the target's location. 

"That's my mother's signal!" 

"Let's move!" 

Hana's three ninken took off first, with Fugaku, Izumi, and a handful of nearby Anbu and Police Force members following close behind. 

Hikari, meanwhile, used Bukujutsu to lift off the ground. After gauging the direction, she soared over the treetops at thirty or forty meters, quickly outpacing Fugaku and the others below. 

When she was about one or two kilometers from the flare's position, she spotted a thick fog blanketing the forest, shrouding trees and figures within a hundred-meter radius. It was like a pocket of pure white carved out of the greenery. 

"Is that… Kirigakure's Hidden Mist Jutsu?" 

Hikari slowed as she neared the fog's edge, activating her three-tomoe Sharingan to peer downward. 

Honestly, the mist was absurdly dense. Even this close, she couldn't make out a thing inside. Only when a stray breeze blew through could she faintly catch the scent of blood, hinting at a fight raging within. 

Just as Hikari considered using Wind Release or Fire Release to clear some of the fog, a faint killing intent pricked at her senses from below— 

"Shikotsumyaku: Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets!!" 

Swish! Swish! Swish! 

Dozens of bone bullets, sharp and whistling, shot out of the mist, streaking toward her in midair. 

Hikari barely tilted her head, letting the projectiles zip past, their wake stirring the hair at her temple. 

But… 

That was just the opener. 

Two burly Kaguya clan ninjas, sporting ugly topknots, leaped from the trees on either side like a pair of gorillas. As they vaulted into the air, jagged white bone spikes tore through their skin, turning them into human porcupines as they barreled toward Hikari. 

"Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Willow!!" 

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!!" 

Hikari flashed through hand seals and exhaled sharply. A roaring gust exploded in midair, blasting the two Kaguya ninjas aside and briefly parting a section of the mist. From her vantage point, she glimpsed two groups locked in combat below. 

One was Konoha ninjas. 

Some wore the dark green Police Force uniforms, others the gray-white Anbu vests. They'd taken heavy losses—only a few were still standing, fighting desperately. A black wolfhound stood out among them, likely the Inuzuka clan's Kuromaru. 

The other group… 

About a dozen strong, none wearing forehead protectors. But the Kekkei Genkai some of them displayed made their identity crystal clear— 

Kirigakure shinobi! 

(End of Chapter)