Thanks to the foundation Hanabi had laid, Sasuke's Chidori training hadn't taken a full month—he'd managed it in just over two weeks.
"Finally…"
Looking at the enormous boulder before him—now sporting a massive crater blasted by his own lightning—Sasuke was panting hard.
Chidori was undeniably a formidable jutsu. Its penetrating power was outstanding, and the boulder had been torn clean open.
"Not bad—with the Sharingan's help, I'm impressed you could learn my Chidori in such a short time." Kakashi studied the boulder and couldn't help letting out a sigh of admiration.
"It's not enough. This level of power alone isn't enough."
But Sasuke wasn't satisfied.
After seeing the power of "Madara Uchiha," his horizons had been broadened—at minimum.
If his opponent were anyone other than Naruto or Hanabi, Sasuke felt confident he'd have it in the bag.
But against Hanabi? He wasn't sure he could pull off a win.
"It looks like Sasuke-kun has had quite a productive day."
The voice came from above.
Sasuke looked up—and there was Hanabi, sitting on top of the boulder.
She swung her legs idly, tipping her head this way and that with evident amusement. The bells in her hair chimed softly.
[White stockings! I'm done for!]
[I'm a tabi enthusiast—wearing white stockings with a kimono is heresy! She must face justice!]
[Tabi enthusiast reporting for duty, uninvited]
"Tch—here I am giving you people fanservice and you're still not happy? Ara, so it's a case of 'the mouth says no but the body says yes.'"
Hanabi had used a Close-Up Shot Card specifically so everyone could enjoy the "delicacy."
And a whole crowd had started memeing about wanting tabi instead of white stockings.
Still, seeing her follower count and Popularity Points climbing steadily, Hanabi decided not to make a fuss.
"Hanabi, what brings you here?"
Kakashi walked over. The first thing he noticed was her footwear.
The original heels had been replaced with blades. Just looking at them made Kakashi feel a phantom chill in his nether regions.
"I have some business with Sasuke, of course." Hanabi said.
"With me?" Sasuke turned to Kakashi.
"Mah—if Hanabi needs you, go ahead. You've already learned the jutsu; the rest is just consolidation on your own."
"Mm."
Leaving poor old Kakashi behind on his own, Hanabi departed with Sasuke.
"This is… Uchiha territory?"
Sasuke was somewhat surprised, because the place Hanabi had brought him to was Naka Shrine.
Just as the Uzumaki clan had their Mask Storage Temple, the Uchiha clan had Naka Shrine.
The place had long since fallen into ruin.
But there was one more person waiting here.
Hikari.
[Holy crap, new outfit!]
[That looks good! That looks GOOD!]
[Looks awesome—this one looks awesome!]
[Stop gawking at how good she looks—read the dialogue! This is Uchiha territory, there's definitely some secret about to be revealed]
[Is it finally time for the family reunion?]
[Naruto's side already had the reunion—now it's Sasuke's turn lmao]
[Uchiha Hikari: "Grandson, I am your great-great-great-great-grandmother!"]
This was the first time "Uchiha Nanashi" had appeared before the audience after switching into Mumei's Combat Suit.
Not the most eye-catching look—but the outfit was a grower, and made for easy movement.
Sasuke, meanwhile, was puzzled as to why this person was here.
"Over here."
Uchiha Hikari beckoned Sasuke forward.
"Wait—who exactly are you?!"
Sasuke knew only that Uchiha Hikari was a girl Hanabi had brought back, but he had no idea of her true identity.
Who was this person? Where had she come from? How did she know his abilities so thoroughly?
And on top of all that—she and he bore a striking resemblance.
"Uchiha Hikari. That's my name." Hikari stated her name.
"Uchiha…!"
Sasuke's pupils contracted violently.
—He still had clanspeople alive?!
But he'd never seen her before. How had she survived?
"Unfortunately, Sasuke-kun, Hikari is not from your generation. She actually comes from several hundred years ago—the Warring States Period." Hanabi's voice carried over.
"The—the Warring States?!" Sasuke was stunned.
"Back in the Land of Waves, didn't Kushina Yuki-san know about certain old affairs of the Uchiha clan?" Hanabi said. "Her attack on Naruto was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but Hikari was her original target. Hikari is a weapon of the Uchiha—sealed away by the Senju clan several hundred years ago."
"Heh heh—you have to call me Great-grandmother, you know~"
A girl roughly Sasuke's age—if anything, looking slightly younger—stood there with her hands on her hips, chest puffed out with pride.
[THIS! This is what I came here to see!]
[Hahahaha!]
[Great-grandmother has entered the chat~]
[I thought they'd sit on this foreshadowing forever—didn't expect it to pay off in just twenty-odd chapters]
[Only Sasuke knows though]
[Why do I get the feeling Hanabi's about to stir up more trouble?]
[The young grandmother lmao]
"Anyway—come on."
Hikari went down first, followed by Sasuke and Hanabi.
"The Uchiha Stone Tablet?" Sasuke was puzzled as to why they'd come here.
"Read it with your Sharingan." Hikari said.
"Mm…"
Sasuke activated his Sharingan.
Then he discovered that he was gradually able to comprehend the text on the tablet—but the meaning wasn't entirely clear; much of it remained hazy and dreamlike, like images glimpsed through fog.
"What is this tablet?!"
"The contents have been altered by someone." Hikari wasn't entirely sure whether the tablet had truly been tampered with, but Hanabi had told her to say so, which meant Hanabi had probably investigated.
"That 'Madara Uchiha'?!" Sasuke immediately thought of the shadowy figure who had appeared here before.
"I don't know who this 'Madara Uchiha' you're talking about is, but whoever they are—they'd have to call me Grandma!"
Hikari simply could not tolerate anyone speaking well of the Uchiha clan.
Anyone who even thought about praising an Uchiha would find Hikari extremely displeased.
Hikari didn't care whether it was "Madara" or "Schmadara"—all of them, without exception, had to call her Grandma.
Hanabi continued: "According to my research, during the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha years ago, the Sharingan was visible in the Nine-Tails' eyes."
This was something quite a few people actually knew about.
"No one from our Uchiha clan would ever do something like that… I see—it was Madara Uchiha, wasn't it!" Sasuke immediately thought of the shadowy figure from before.
"Well—hard to say. But it definitely wasn't that one."
After all, the one in the cloak had been Hanabi herself, not the real Madara.
"Why are you telling me all this?" Sasuke asked.
"Because your power is too weak." Hikari didn't mince words. "Whether against Hanabi, or even against that Naruto—you're just too weak."
Hanabi chimed in from behind: "And within Konoha, there are a great many things you simply cannot do."