Konoha: Who's the good guy?

It was by a small river, more than a hundred miles away from the Uchiha clan's territory.

Shan Zhongjing sat cross-legged in front of the campfire, skillfully flipping two golden-brown roasted rabbits and four plump roasted fish in front of him.

Uchiha Hikaru squatted to the side, hugging his knees.

Although she remained expressionless, the occasional slurping of saliva and her unblinking eyes betrayed her inner longing.

Previously, when they arrived at the Uchiha clan's dungeon.

In order not to interfere with future development.

Shan Zhongjing left behind three immortal wooden clones, two of which read the memories of the two dead men and continued to play their roles.

The remaining body was used to impersonate Uchiha Hikaru in the dungeon.

With his current amount of Sage Chakra, which is a mixture of natural energy.

As long as there isn't a prolonged, high-intensity battle, this Immortal Wood clone won't disappear for several months.

According to the memories left by Uchiha Hikaru in the transcription seal on Yahiko's body.

In about twenty days, the Uchiha clan will face a joint attack from the Senju and Sarutobi clans, and she will be sealed away by the two clans at that time.

We've traversed the river of time, just so we can meet again someday in the future...

Fortunately, Uchiha Hikaru's thoughts completely stopped when he was sealed, so he did not feel the passage of time, nor did he experience feelings of loneliness or emptiness.

otherwise......

Shan Zhongjing shook his head, shaking off the random thoughts in his mind.

He took out a special seasoning for grilling meat and fish from a pile of supplies in the Infinite Armory and sprinkled it evenly on the already grilled fish.

Under the heat of the flames, the specially made seasonings emit an enticing aroma.

Uchiha Hikaru turned his head and stared intently at the mountain scenery, silently asking why he couldn't eat yet.

"The rabbit will have to wait a while. Be careful of the heat and fish bones."

Yamanaka Kei handed a skewer of grilled fish to Uchiha Hikaru.

Uchiha Hikaru, who still looks like a young girl, carefully took the grilled fish, swallowed hard, and blew on the scalding hot fish until it cooled down before tentatively taking a small bite.

Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, the fish is incredibly delicious, and the spices are unlike anything I've ever tasted before...

Uchiha Hikaru hugged the grilled fish, which was longer than her forearm, and buried her head in it, eating it quickly.

Fish bones, which are annoying to most people, did not bother her at all. With a small sip, she spat the clean fish bones onto the nearby bluestone, and swallowed all the fish meat.

In less than five minutes, she had finished the grilled fish in her hand, and like a small animal waiting to be fed, she continued to look at the mountain scenery.

"Stop when you feel full. You'll eat three meals a day, so you won't go hungry."

Yamanaka Kei glanced at the grilled fish in his hand, which he had only eaten less than a quarter of, and handed over the remaining two grilled fish in a tone that sounded like he was coaxing a child.

"......Um."

Uchiha Hikaru responded softly.

Shan Zhongjing raised an eyebrow and a smile appeared on his lips.

Not bad!

Finally, it made a sound!

Then the distance to barrier-free communication shouldn't be too far away!

After finishing all the grilled fish and two plump grilled rabbits.

As expected.

Uchiha Hikaru, who had been raised as a weapon for many years and had never eaten much normal food, ate until he was stuffed.

The little girl looked somewhat distressed as she hugged her slightly swollen belly.

Leaning against a large blue stone by the river, I looked up and stared blankly at the white clouds drifting by in the sky.

A gentle breeze caressed my hair, bringing with it a faint scent of grass and trees.

The babbling brook and the melodious birdsong created a symphony that gradually relaxed her tense body.

"Huff~ Huff~"

With gentle breathing, Uchiha Hikaru drifted into a sweet dream after a long absence.

Good night, sweet dreams.

The datura flower that had silently bloomed in the mountain's hand quickly withered, turning into fragments that scattered in the air.

Using the Sage Art Wood Release to activate hallucinogenic plants, he silently used the Sage Art Illusion of the olfactory system to defeat the Mangekyou Sharingan.

This avoids the mental pressure caused by forcibly releasing illusions.

This also helped Uchiha Hikaru relax his tense nerves.

He walked up to Uchiha Hikari, and Yamanaka Kei leaned down and picked her up in a princess carry.

Using their Sage Mode flight abilities, the two quickly headed towards the nearest city.

They secretly robbed the rich to help the poor from the daimyo's treasury.

For a month, Yamanaka Kei and Uchiha Hikaru traveled through the ninja world of the Warring States period.

Shopping, gaming, entertainment...

Experience the folk customs of this era and enjoy a leisurely life away from ninja battles.

Uchiha Hikaru visibly became more cheerful.

A week ago, the great battle between the Uchiha clan and the Senju and Sarutobi clans had already come to an end.

After all three parties paid a heavy price.

The Senju and Sarutobi clans finally joined forces to seal the Uchiha's strongest weapon, "Nameless".

Yamanaka Kei and Uchiha Hikaru also ended their journey.

They began to slowly return in the direction they had come from.

The rain is pattering outside the window... The rain is still pouring down~ Are you scared inside?~ All these years, I still haven't found a home...

Uchiha Hikari hummed the song that Yamanaka Kei had taught her.

They kept picking the brightly colored flowers by the roadside.

Only after she had picked a full bunch did she tie the bouquet with vines and hold it up in front of Shan Zhongjing.

"It's beautiful, thank you."

Yamanaka Kei took the bouquet, gently sniffed the flowers, and her eyes crinkled slightly.

In both his lives, he had always been the one to give flowers to others; this was the first time someone had ever given him flowers.

How long will I sleep?

"Their seal is pretty good; for you, it's probably no different from taking a normal nap."

"If I open my eyes, can I see you?"

"It might take some time. A dark-skinned guy will help you break the seal, and then he'll have you control Kirigakure so you can fight me while I control the village. The main reason is..."

"trouble."

"Yes, it is indeed a bit troublesome, but it will take some time for the ninja world to work together as one."

"Fish, rabbits, deer, pigs, sheep, cows..."

"Okay, okay, I'll prepare everything for you then, so you can eat your fill."

"You...swear."

What about trust between people?

"It's all gone now, back when you tricked me into wearing weird clothes."

"Tsk~ Fine, fine, I swear, after Konoha and Kirigakure finish their war, I'll prepare lots of delicious food for Uchiha Hikaru. If I can't do that..."

"I'll hit you, I'll hit you hard."

Before Yamanaka Kage could utter the final oath, Uchiha Hikari delivered her threat.

That earnest little expression made people unable to help but smile.

"it is good."

Yamanaka Kei gently patted Uchiha Hikaru's head.

Uchiha Hikaru stepped forward, leaned against his chest, closed her eyes, and murmured softly.

"...Thank you, thank you."

She never imagined that someone like her would one day be able to bask in the sunlight, breathe freely, run freely, and freely pursue those dazzling and captivating colors...

"for you."

As the Sage Chakra within Yamanaka surged, a tiny wooden clone, no bigger than a thumb and topped with a small flower, split from the tip of his index finger.

This wooden clone, after being forcibly replaced by the Flying Thunder God Technique with Uchiha Hikaru, which replaced the previously sealed Sage Art wooden clone, will exhaust its energy and turn into an ordinary wooden sculpture.

"I will wait for you, for a hundred years, a thousand years, forever and ever, until you appear..."

Uchiha Hikaru held the miniature wooden clone in his palm, and under the faint floral scent, his eyelids gradually became heavy.

"I will come to find you as soon as possible."