Chapter 79: ["Little Monster" Joins the Chat Group] (Please vote~)
"…I've got the gist of it."
Tsunade took a few swigs of sake, her tone flat. "So, this girl named Uchiha Hikari not only destroyed Root, leaving Danzō half-dead, but also met the Fourth Hokage inside the Shinigami's stomach, learned Flying Thunder God and Rasengan from him, brokered peace between the Uchiha clan and Konoha's leadership, and recently crushed the Kiri ninja who attacked the village?"
"That's right."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. "According to the Anbu monitoring Naruto, that blue-haired girl, Bulma, appeared suddenly at Naruto's place. You and I both saw her—she doesn't have the slightest trace of chakra. She's completely ordinary…
Aside from a space-time ninjutsu like Flying Thunder God, there's no way she could've been brought into the village."
"…"
Tsunade frowned.
She wasn't in the village during the Nine-Tails incident.
But she'd heard about Minato Namikaze's death and Hiruzen's reinstatement through letters. If someone really could meet and converse with someone who'd used Shiki Fujin and learn Flying Thunder God from them…
Tsunade pondered for a few seconds before giving up.
"Like I care!"
"She killed those Kiri ninja for you, so why should I teach her the Yin Seal? As for the Senju clan's records… here's the key, go dig through them yourselves! I didn't seal her away, so how would I know what year she was born or what abilities she has?"
"I'm only staying in the village for two weeks this time. Hurry up and figure out Danzō's sentencing, or I'll beat him every time I see him!"
"…"
Faced with her near-defiant attitude, Hiruzen was helpless but still instinctively tried to defend his old comrade.
"To be fair, Danzō's research wasn't entirely for selfish reasons. At the very least, he left Konoha with a child who can use Wood Release. If we can nurture them properly…"
Glug, glug, glug—
Tsunade ignored him, chugging sake straight from the bottle.
Finally, she slammed the bottle onto the stone table, her monstrous strength cracking the surface with radiating fractures.
"Shizune! Grab me another bottle!"
"…"
Hiruzen's mouth twitched, his expression awkward.
Jiraiya, sitting nearby, turned his head to the side, pretending to admire the scenery.
Taking a deep breath, Hiruzen spoke again, his tone grave.
"Jiraiya, Tsunade. There's another critical matter I wanted to discuss with you both."
"I'd like one of you to succeed me as Konoha's Fifth Hokage."
The words hung in the air.
Silence fell.
After a long pause…
As Hiruzen looked at them expectantly, Jiraiya scratched his head, laughing heartily. "Old man, you know me. I'm too carefree for that. I'm not cut out to be Hokage. You'd better find someone else!"
On the other side…
"Hokage? Hmph, boring job. Only an idiot would want it."
Tsunade scoffed, continuing to chug her sake.
Hiruzen gave a wry smile.
If he'd said that in front of his old friend, he had no doubt Danzō would've jumped at the chance. But these two disciples… they were truly exceptional, giants in the ninja world, but they had zero interest in the Hokage position. It was exasperating.
As for the younger generation…
Nara Shikaku had the intellect but lacked the strength and had no desire for the role. Kakashi and Asuma had potential but were too young. Shinsuke was a decent fit overall, but no one could replace him as Anbu commander yet. It'd take a few more years to decide.
Suddenly…
A wild thought crossed Hiruzen's mind.
"What if that girl became Hokage…?"
The Uchiha clan would surely back her wholeheartedly, right?
But…
Forget it.
Hiruzen shook his head, dismissing the unrealistic fantasy, and stood. "Jiraiya, stay with Tsunade a bit longer. I'm off to discuss Danzō's situation with Koharu and the others."
"Got it."
No matter how much Hiruzen and the advisors racked their brains…
This New Year was shaping up nicely for Uchiha Hikari.
Three days after meeting Tsunade, Hiruzen sent someone to escort her to Konoha's archives, where she "skimmed" through the scrolls related to Yinyangton.
After that, she trained while hanging out with Bulma and Naruto around the village, undisturbed by any random nuisances.
On New Year's Eve…
Hikari bundled up in a thick coat, rode the Nimbus Cloud with Bulma and Naruto to the highest point of the Hokage Rock, and let Bulma set off fireworks brought from the Dragon Ball world.
Boom—!
Beams of light shot into the sky like mini-rockets, exploding into massive bursts of color. The dazzling display lingered for nearly a minute before fading into the night, visible to half of Konoha Village—a small taste of Dragon Ball tech shocking the ninja world.
"By the way, the timelines in our three worlds don't seem to line up, do they?"
Bulma pointed out a detail. "Hikari, you're just hitting New Year here, Tanjiro's world is almost summer, and mine's still autumn… Does that mean we could celebrate New Year three times a year, build snowmen three times, or hit the beach three times in summer?"
"Hm?"
Hikari pictured the scenario Bulma described, the corner of her mouth twitching. "Theoretically, sure. But that's what you're focused on?"
"Hehe."
Bulma grinned, pulling hot drinks and a cake from a Hoi-Poi Capsule. "It's not anyone's birthday, but it's New Year, so let's make a wish!"
"?"
Though a bit exasperated, Hikari activated Susanoo to shield them from the chilly wind. She, Bulma, and Naruto sat on a spread-out blanket, blew out candles, and started slicing the cake.
After enjoying Konoha's New Year, Bulma finally returned home, fully satisfied.
The next day brought heavy snow.
With the temperature plunging and snow piling high, Hikari woke early as usual thanks to her biological clock but didn't send out a shadow clone to train as she normally would. Instead, she wrapped herself in blankets, curling into a small ball, and dozed lightly in bed with her eyes closed.
In her hazy state…
A faint ding sounded, and a few lines of text floated through her mind—
["Little Monster" has joined the chat group]
["The Lone Shrine Maiden" (Clay State) has joined the chat group]
["Haunted by Demons" has joined the chat group]