"…That's the gist of it."
Uchiha Hikari took a few minutes to gather her thoughts before speaking slowly.
"To sum it up, this is indeed the Konoha Village from *Naruto*, but it's a few years—about a decade—earlier than what you've seen. As for me, I'm someone whose name was never mentioned in the original story. I only ended up here because of an unexpected awakening."
"As for things like the Uchiha clan's destruction… Like Bulma mentioned before, the chat group's appearance has caused our worlds to shift, diverging from the original storylines. So, most of the events you saw on TV probably won't happen anymore."
"Oh…"
Eri listened, half-understanding.
Hikari didn't expect her to grasp it all with just a few sentences. "It's not a big deal, so don't worry about it. How about I take you out to look around? We can also grab you some new clothes."
"Okay."
Eri nodded eagerly.
With that, Hikari tidied up briefly, threw on a thick coat for herself and one for Eri, and led her out the door.
The Uchiha clan's compound was pretty large.
It even had its own clothing store.
Hikari took Eri to try on a few outfits—though, inevitably, she ended up "accidentally" seeing Eri's figure a few times during the process. In the end, she had to step into the fitting room herself to help pick out the right size for Eri's undergarments.
When they were done, the shopkeeper didn't dare charge her. He sent Hikari off with a deeply respectful demeanor, maintaining a bowing posture even as she walked far away.
After that, Hikari stopped by an Uchiha-run pancake stall and picked up a free bag of senbei. She munched on one piece and handed the rest to Eri.
Eri tugged gently at Hikari's sleeve, holding up her little notebook: *"Great-grandma, what does it mean?"*
"Uh…"
Hikari was momentarily stumped.
How do you explain "great-grandma" to someone who doesn't grasp the concept of family hierarchy?
"To put it simply, I'm the head of this family, kind of like your brother… No, wait, it'd be Tachibana Masamune right now, in terms of his position in your family."
"Oh…"
Eri remained adorably clueless.
Due to her innocent nature, she didn't even notice that Hikari had casually dropped a spoiler about the *Dragon Clan* storyline.
But…
When mentioning "Tachibana Masamune," a sudden thought struck Hikari:
At this point in time, the head of the Sheqi Eight Families is indeed Tachibana Masamune. It'll be another two years before Genichiro takes over.
Masamune played his role so convincingly that, until his true identity was exposed, no one suspected he was actually Herzog from Black Swan Bay. He masterfully juggled multiple personas, manipulating the entire Sheqi Eight Families and even Cassell College like pawns in his game.
So…
Should she find some time to visit the *Dragon Clan* world and take out that old schemer?
…
*Dragon Clan World.*
Tokyo, Japan. Genji Heavy Industries.
Dressed in a dark kimono, Tachibana Masamune stepped into a wooden room, accompanied by Genichiro.
For a girl's living space, the room was strikingly bare. Aside from the essentials like a desk and chair, there were no decorations—not even the flower arrangements common in Japanese homes. It felt almost like a prison cell.
Inside an open closet, a neat row of red-and-white miko outfits hung in perfect order.
A PS3 in the inner room was connected to a large LCD TV, but its owner was nowhere to be found.
"How long has she been missing?"
Tachibana Masamune spoke, his voice aged and gravelly.
"Four hours. This is her longest disappearance yet."
Genichiro lowered his head, his tone equally grave. "Crow and the others have already checked the internal surveillance at Genji Heavy Industries, as well as cameras at key traffic points around the building. There's no trace of Eri. From the state of the room, it seems she left in the middle of a bath—there are still signs of bathing in the bathroom, and none of the clothes in her closet are missing."
"…So, Eri was abducted?"
Tachibana Masamune's brow furrowed.
"That's the logical conclusion."
Genichiro's expression wavered. "But there's something odd. I found a note in the bathroom, written in Eri's handwriting. It says, 'Going out to play, will be back in a few days.' If she was truly abducted, she wouldn't leave a note like that, unless…"
Unless she knew the abductor or was somehow charmed by them.
Eri's every move had always been closely monitored. Aside from regular medical checkups, she rarely left this room. The farthest she'd ever gone during her previous "escapes" was the crossroad next to Genji Heavy Industries.
If someone had managed to gain Eri's trust and sneak her out of Genji Heavy Industries without anyone noticing…
That was a terrifying thought.
"Investigate! Keep digging!"
Tachibana Masamune turned, his voice carrying unshakable authority. "Mobilize the family's resources. Search every inch of the surrounding buildings, hotels, stations—everywhere! Also, pull Eri's recent gaming and viewing records. Round up everyone she's interacted with, from medical staff to online contacts, and interrogate them one by one!"
Genichiro's eyes flickered. "Old man, you mean…"
"This kind of operation isn't the work of one or two people. Someone inside the family is helping them!"
Tachibana Masamune let out a cold huff, his aged, cloudy eyes glinting with the ferocity of a lion. "Whoever dares to target the daughter of the Sheqi Eight Families… will pay in blood!"
…
"Achoo—"
At a barbecue restaurant in Konoha, Hikari rubbed her nose and took a sip from the water cup beside her.
Across the table, Eri sat obediently, her eyes locked on the sizzling meat on the grill, barely containing her excitement. She raised her notebook: *"Can we eat now?"*
"Just a bit longer."
Hikari pushed a bowl of mixed sauce to the center of the table and gestured for Eri to dig in. "This is Minato-sensei's secret 'Super Shiny Black Salty Whirlpool Sesame Sauce.' I got the recipe from the group. I made it for Naruto—Minato-sensei's son—once before, and it tasted pretty good. Give it a try?"
"Okay."
Eri snapped her chopsticks apart, mimicking Hikari's movements. She picked up a piece of meat, dipped it in the sauce, and popped it into her mouth. Her face lit up with satisfaction. "Delicious!"
"Glad you like it."