**Chapter 72: The Hyūga Clan Also Wants Their Own “Great-Grandma”!**

*Smack!*

Uchiha Hikari landed lightly, still enveloped in her Susanoo state, pausing to scan the spot where Obito had just been standing.

A dozen meters behind her—

The two severed halves of a Hōzuki clansman's body crashed heavily to the ground.

Despite his clan's Hydrification Technique, Uchiha Hikari's slash had clearly exceeded his limits. As his body hit the earth, a spray of blood and internal organs splattered across the ground.

Ahead, in the direction of Hikari's gaze, the "Red Flame Slash" that Obito had dodged continued its rampage. The arc of sword energy sliced through everything in its path, cleaving trees in half until it petered out dozens of meters away, leaving a deep gouge in the trunk of the final row of trees before fading into nothing.

One by one, massive trees toppled before Uchiha Hikari, kicking up clouds of dust.

Not far off, a Kirigakure ninja clutching a kunai, who'd been creeping in for a sneak attack, witnessed the scene. Without a sound, he turned and slunk back into the shadows.

After waiting a moment to confirm Obito wasn't coming back—

Hikari turned around, her eyes sweeping over the figures still clashing in the thick fog. Her hands formed seals.

"Fūton: Vacuum Wave!"

With a few sharp, sickle-like gusts of wind slicing through the air and bursting mid-flight, the surrounding fog thinned just enough to reveal the silhouettes of those nearby.

"Thunder Breathing: First Form—Thunderclap and Flash… Sixfold!"

A deafening crack of thunder tore through the air.

Uchiha Hikari erupted into blinding speed, her form a streak of lightning as she traced a massive "Z" across the battlefield. Wherever she passed, her electrified sword gleamed, cutting down Kirigakure ninja one after another.

When only a handful remained, Hikari sheathed her blade and struck their necks with precise hand-chops, sending them into a deep, baby-like sleep before they could even react.

With that done—

Hikari let out a long breath, a sharp ache flaring in her left leg. But thanks to her recovery abilities, the pain vanished almost instantly.

"…That move Zenitsu Agatsuma developed is pretty handy."

—And more importantly, it's *cool*.

If she could refine it with some Raiton nature transformation, it might get even stronger.

Hikari made a mental note to experiment later.

Just then—

A chorus of barking broke the silence.

Uchiha Fugaku, Izumi, Inuzuka Hana, and the others finally arrived, a bit late to the party.

"Great-Grandma-sama, inside—"

"Too slow. The fight's already over," Hikari said with a lazy stretch, her tone casual. "There's some cleanup left, though. Handle it yourselves. Oh, and… check the Kirigakure ninjas' clothes. Some might have exploding tags hidden on them."

"…Understood."

Fugaku and the others quickly spread out across the battlefield, assessing casualties on both sides.

As the fog cleared, the grim scene came into view.

Roughly a dozen bodies littered the forest clearing—half Konoha ninja, half Kirigakure. And just as Hikari had warned, several of the dead or unconscious Kirigakure ninja had exploding tags tucked into their clothes or poison capsules hidden under their tongues for instant suicide if their mission failed. Fugaku's team carefully neutralized them.

Next—

Fugaku took charge, directing the security team to transport the wounded and captives out of the area.

Inuzuka Tsume, supported by her daughter, was about to sit and rest when she spotted Uchiha Hikari. After a moment's hesitation, the Inuzuka clan head changed course and approached, bowing respectfully to offer her thanks.

"No need for formalities. I was just passing by," Hikari said offhandedly, her gaze drifting to the ninken nearby.

Inuzuka Hana's gray puppies had surrounded her, tails wagging like propellers. One of them nudged her pant leg with its nose, sniffing eagerly while making little gurgling sounds in its throat.

"Haimaru, get back here! Don't disrespect Hikari-senpai!" Hana scolded under her breath.

Tsume quickly chimed in, "Hikari-senpai, these ninken are very gentle. They're just showing their affection—no offense intended."

Hikari, of course, didn't mind.

But in that moment, an idea sparked.

"By the way, Miss Inuzuka—both of you—can your clan's ninken be gifted to someone outside the clan?"

"Huh?"

The Inuzuka mother and daughter blinked, then nodded eagerly. "Absolutely! If you'd like, Hikari-senpai, we'll pick out a few of our finest ninken and send them to you today!"

"No need to rush," Hikari said with a small smile. "If you have any newborn pups with gentle temperaments, just pick a couple. In return, I can—"

"No, no! You're Captain Fugaku's elder—how could we accept anything from you?" Tsume interrupted, waving her hands firmly. "Besides, our clan has plenty of ninken. A couple of pups is nothing!"

A month ago, word of the Root organization's collapse had spread through Konoha.

Civilians didn't know much—just vague rumors about some minor elder getting beaten up and sent to the hospital. But the major ninja clans had pieced together the full story, including the tale of a Warring States-era Uchiha girl breaking out of her coffin.

To be honest…

Everyone was jealous.

—Why did the Uchiha get to stumble upon such a powerful "Great-Grandma" while their own clans had nothing?

Did their ancestors not deserve to be sealed away?

Rumors swirled that the Hyūga clan had started sending Byakugan users to inspect their ancestral graves, checking coffins for any clansmen worth digging up and "repurposing."

The Nara and Yamanaka clans were frantically combing through historical records, hoping to unearth their own "Great-Grandma" from ancient texts…

The Inuzuka clan, however, had a different mindset.

Compared to Konoha's other ninja clans, the Inuzuka were near the bottom in overall strength. They lacked kekkei genkai or secret techniques, with only their ninken breeding expertise to boast about. Even if they dug up an ancestor, it wouldn't amount to much. Better to cozy up to the Uchiha clan, whose status had visibly risen lately. And if they could earn Uchiha Hikari's personal friendship…

That'd be a massive win. A few ninken were a small price to pay.

"…Alright then," Hikari said, oblivious to the clans' scheming—or simply unbothered by it.

"Thank you, Inuzuka Clan Head."

"No trouble at all! It's our honor to serve you…"

*(End of Chapter)*