Chapter 59: Ten Thousand Tons of Gold and the Shadow Returns

"Heh!" Gin smirked. "Didn't you want to see the Golden City with your own eyes? It's a sight worth the wait."

He glanced around. Even the ground beneath their feet shimmered with gold.

Kushina, Mikoto, and the others stood frozen, mouths agape. Awe washed over them. The Shandians and Gan Fall noticed their arrival but held their distance, recognizing their closeness to Hikari.

"So much gold," Mikoto whispered. "With this... the Uchiha Clan will never know need again."

Hikari chuckled. "Don't get ahead of yourselves. Let's focus on collecting it first. Gin, expand the storage — or open another space."

"Got it." Gin made an "OK" gesture. "I'll give you access to one of the dimensional vaults. You can send it straight in."

He allocated a million cubic meters of frozen-time storage. Hikari felt the new permissions granted through her seal and immediately resumed the collection using her majestic Susanoo, sweeping gold into the dimensional gate.

Everyone watched in awe.

"What sort of power is this?" Gan Fall murmured. "She's not human… she's a goddess!"

"Indeed," the Shandian Chief nodded, eyes wide.

"Susanoo can be used this way?" Mikoto muttered, feeling an unsettling awe rise in her chest.

As the collection continued, Gin led the others underground to a hidden chamber containing a Poneglyph — an ancient stone tablet etched with lost history.

"I can't read a thing," Gin admitted. "By the way, Ohara should be destroyed by now. Nico Robin must still be wandering. She'd be eleven now, right? She might find her way here eventually…"

He thought of Robin as an asset — smart, capable, fluent in the ancient tongue. Essential, when the time came to uncover the secrets of the world.

"What lies at the end of the Grand Line?" Gin wondered. "A tree of Devil Fruits, like some fans believed in my last life? Or the ruins of the Ancient Kingdom?"

The anime never showed it. Now that I'm reincarnated, I'll find out for myself.

After an hour, Hikari had harvested tens of thousands of tons of gold. There was still more — in the Supreme Court ruins and inside Nola's vast body — but she chose to leave it for now. She didn't want to disturb the sacred snake.

The Shandian Chief approached, handing her a golden fragment from the Bell as a token of gratitude.

With both tribes present, a peace treaty was signed — Shandians and Skypieans would now share the Upper Yard. Applause echoed as the Fire Festival began in earnest.

While the others celebrated, Hikari excused herself to warn Mito: Kushina would be staying in the Pirate World for a few days.

"Don't worry about Earth," Gin assured her. "We'll help you transport land if needed. We have spatial means."

"Really?" Gan Fall and the Chief asked in unison, hope flickering in their eyes.

"Of course," Gin smiled. "But I can't do it all the time. I've got things to handle. Once you have enough land, develop the Upper Yard."

"Thank you!" they bowed low.

"Ehh, I haven't done anything yet," Gin said sheepishly. "You should be thanking Hikari. Without her, there would be no peace — or the sacred bell."

Even the mountain of gold didn't seem like enough payment for her efforts.

"No need for more," Gin grinned. "We're friends. But if you want to show thanks, sell us Sky Island goods — dials, fish, resources. We'll pay."

Even with their newfound wealth, they wouldn't flood the ninja world with gold. That would be an economic disaster. Controlled trade was safer.

"Agreed!" said Gan Fall. "Can we pay with land?"

"…Huh?" Gin blinked. "Buy goods with land?"

"Yes! We hope to exchange fertile ground for products we need!" added the Chief.

Gin scratched his head. "Not too much land, though. We don't want to end up like a shady dealer…"

Gan Fall chuckled. "You underestimate our thirst for soil! It's not just for us — many Celestial Islands have no land. We can trade what you provide and earn gratitude."

"Fine," Gin nodded. "I'll come once a month. Maybe Hikari or someone else will come along."

"Deal!" they chorused.

"By the way, Uncle Gan Fall, do you know the route to Birka?" Gin asked suddenly, remembering the Goro Goro no Mi — the Lightning Fruit.

"Oh? Birka?" Gan Fall nodded. "Of course. Need a map?"

"Draw it, please. No guide needed — this'll be an adventure."

Gan Fall soon returned with a hand-drawn route to Birka, southeast, about 100 kilometers away.

"Thanks," Gin said, handing it to Hikari. "You'll lead the trip."

"I'll wait for your signal," Hikari nodded. "Kuro the eagle will take us there in a few hours."

The banquet lasted late into the night. After heartfelt goodbyes, the team teleported home to the Ninja World.

Minato returned to his home. Kushina stayed behind with Mikoto at Gin's spacious house, where she had been training in secret.

That night, Kushina couldn't sleep, her mind racing with excitement from the pirate world. She chatted endlessly with Mikoto — her perfect confidante.

That Night…

As the village quieted, Hikari sat in meditation, activating her Observation Haki to sweep the Uchiha compound.

Suddenly — she froze.

A familiar, sinister presence had slipped through every barrier like smoke.

"…Black Zetsu?" she whispered.

It was here — in the heart of the Uchiha.

Just like in the Land of Whirlpools, it crept unseen, gathering information. Was it after the Uchiha's secrets?

Bad news.

She wanted to strike — but Gin's words echoed in her mind. Zetsu is no ordinary enemy. Reacting now might expose too much… especially if Madara already held the Rinnegan.

She clenched her fists, using Haki to silently track the intruder.

Not yet. I need more power. Mito may know a fūinjutsu that can trap it…

But even if she had such a technique, using it now would be a mistake. Zetsu served Madara. If she captured him, Madara might retaliate.

I'm not ready for war with a legend.

She gazed upward, frustrated.

I'm not strong enough… not yet.

Her hand instinctively brushed her right eye — the one still recovering.

"The meridians and the eyeball are healing. Vitality and soul power are accelerating it," she whispered.

In a few months, her vision would return. And with it — maybe, just maybe — the chance to awaken the Eternal Mangekyō. She believed it could be done without stealing another's eyes.

Gin had said it himself: Training purifies your body, strengthens the root bone. It's more than chakra. It's transformation.

If I refine my core enough… maybe I can ascend the way Indra did. The way the Sage once did.