After listening to her shadow clones' reports and absorbing their memories, Uchiha Hikari had a rough idea of the situation—
The core of Infinity Castle was a wooden room area centered around Nakime, forming a spherical zone with a radius of about five kilometers.
Beyond that sphere?
A deep, dark void of immeasurable scale.
To be specific, no matter how far you flew into the darkness, you'd never reach an end. But turn back, and you'd be back in the room area in a blink. The concepts of "far" and "near" got jumbled here, giving off an eerie, illogical vibe.
"So… is the 'infinity' of Infinity Castle like an infinite series?"
"Like Gojo Satoru's 'Limitless,' but a divergent series instead of a convergent one?"
Uchiha Hikari pondered for a bit, still unsure.
She set the thought aside, planning to brainstorm with Bulma later. With the mind that invented the "mini bracelet," Bulma would likely grasp these spatial concepts more easily.
For now…
"Let's test the teleport function again."
"Nakime, send me to the farthest place you can—somewhere normal."
Over the next few days, Uchiha Hikari dragged Esdeath along, experimenting with Infinity Castle's entry and exit functions from different angles and positions.
For this, she randomly popped up around various spots in the Land of Fields, encountering a noble's carriage outing, a few groups of masked ninja on the move, and even taking down two bands of bandits raiding villages.
Since those bandits were just ordinary folks with basic fighting skills, using ninjutsu or eye techniques felt like overkill. So, Hikari opted for her Gundam form, unleashing a brutal rat-tat-tat barrage, turning dozens of bandits into pulp on the spot, then leaving without a trace, her deeds unsung.
To Uchiha Hikari, this was just a casual pastime.
But for the plundered villagers and random passersby who witnessed it…
It was a whole different story.
Within days, rumors of the "Ten-Winged Sage" began quietly spreading through villages and towns around the Land of Fields.
Well… the Strike Freedom Gundam did have five pairs of wings—ten in total—and could fly and vanish into thin air. To those unfamiliar with "mecha," it was easy to mistake for some mystical, divine phenomenon.
Soon, villages plagued by bandits started enshrining wooden statues of the "Ten-Winged Sage" in their shrines, praying for it to appear and drive off their troubles.
But…
Uchiha Hikari remained unaware of all this.
She'd already taken Orochimaru back to the Leaf Village after a long absence, finding Shisui at the Uchiha compound.
"Great-Grandma, you're back!"
It was the same house on the side of the clan grounds.
When Uchiha Hikari arrived, Shisui was holding a book, loudly discussing it with a few young Uchiha clansmen.
At the sound of footsteps, they all turned, stunned for a moment at the sight of her, then broke into respectful or excited greetings, standing to bow.
"…No need for formalities."
Uchiha Hikari calmly accepted their welcomes, glancing at the book Shisui had just set down.
Hmm… Wang Yangming's Records of Transmission and Practice.
Nearby was a stack of bound papers, covered in dense handwritten notes and multicolored annotations—likely Shisui's thoughts from reading.
The setup looked pretty serious.
Hard to say how much he'd actually absorbed, though.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru, his face hidden behind a snake mask, also noticed the books, a puzzled look flickering beneath the mask.
—Books he'd never seen.
He'd been to the Uchiha compound before, back when he was one of the Leaf's Sannin, even meeting Clan Leader Fugaku briefly. In his memory, the Uchihas were simple-minded, power-obsessed types. Even the few thinkers among them had laughable ideas. Since when did they start reading?
Shisui glanced at Orochimaru, instinctively wary, then turned to Uchiha Hikari. "Great-Grandma, do you have any instructions this time? The clan leader's away—I'll send someone to fetch him."
"No need. I'm here for you."
Uchiha Hikari got to the point. "I brought this doctor. With his help and some other doctor friends, I've developed a special drug to treat the Uchiha clan's bloodline disease, stabilizing the mental state when awakening the Sharingan. We need to recruit some clansmen for clinical trials."
"?!"
If any other Uchiha, even Clan Leader Fugaku, had said this, Shisui might've been skeptical.
But…
Since it was Great-Grandma Uchiha Hikari herself speaking, he agreed without hesitation. "Got it. I'll follow your orders. By the way… how should I address this doctor?"
"Just call him Little Orochimaru."
"?"
During the discussion, Uchiha Hikari, shielded by dark contact lenses, discreetly activated her Mangekyo Sharingan, pulling Shisui into the Tsukuyomi space. She asked about the Uchiha clan's recent state, then revealed Orochimaru's true identity and the details of the drug trials.
"…You're saying that's Orochimaru?! But he defected from the Leaf long ago—a wanted S-rank rogue ninja…"
"Just a rogue ninja. What's the big deal?"
Uchiha Hikari brushed it off. "Keep his identity secret, even from Fugaku.
"Orochimaru's sworn loyalty to me, and the drug was developed by a reliable friend, just tweaked by him. It should be fine in theory. Oversee the trials, and if anything goes wrong, restrain Orochimaru and report to me."
Orochimaru was, after all, a Leaf defector.
If his presence leaked to the other clans or Sarutobi Hiruzen, it'd stir up trouble.
That's why Hikari chose Shisui for this.
Compared to Fugaku, tied up as captain of the Leaf's police force, Shisui—now "near-blind" and staying home—had more freedom and discretion.
Of course…
If Shisui was naive like in the original story, blindly trusting Sarutobi Hiruzen and Koharu Utatane, spilling everything, Hikari would chalk it up to misjudging him and cut ties with the Uchiha clan, leaving them to their fate.
Meanwhile, Shisui hesitated. "Even if you say that, Great-Grandma, he's one of the legendary Sannin. I might not be a match…"
"…Are you serious?"
Hikari's mouth twitched, her face speechless.
Shisui really thought that.
Though he'd awakened the Mangekyo, he did so in peacetime, with little experience against kage-level foes. Orochimaru's fame, forged in ninja wars, was intimidating—hard to imagine he'd be downed by a single genjutsu.
Still, trusting Hikari, Shisui noted her instructions and vowed to carry them out.
Starting the next day, a room in the Uchiha compound was cleared out, filled with medical equipment Hikari brought from the Sound Village. Shisui and Orochimaru began the clinical drug trials.
The first batch had twelve participants, each signing a confidentiality agreement.
Among them were Itachi and Izumi.
Hikari never fully trusted Itachi, always feeling he had a rebellious streak.
But Shisui vouched for him, saying Itachi had been doing well in the "reading study group," diligently completing weekly 3,000-word reflections, ensuring no repeat of the clan massacre from the original story.
Hikari let it go.
She shifted her focus to the chat group, checking in on Bulma and Yuji Itadori—
[Anonymous @ Bulma: How's Aunt Kie and the others? Need me to help send them home?]
[Bulma: No need, Hikari. Focus on your stuff. I've asked Miss Kikyo to help.]
[Anonymous: Oh?]
Kie Kamado and the others, revived in the Dragon Ball world, couldn't be sent back to the Demon Slayer world with points—100 per person, over 10,000 for the group, too much even for early members like Hikari and Bulma.
Sealing techniques were the way to go.
Hikari had planned to handle it, but since Kikyo was willing, that saved effort. Kikyo's sealing skills were as good as hers, and her meticulous nature left little room for error.
As for Yuji Itadori…
[Tiger of Nishi @ Anonymous: Miss Hikari, um… Teacher Gojo's back. You said to let you know when he returned.]
[Anonymous: Oh?]
[Anonymous: Then the 'Kyoto Sister School Exchange Event' should be soon, right?]
[Tiger of Nishi: Yeah, Teacher Gojo mentioned it. It's about a week away. Want to come check it out, Miss Hikari?]
[Bulma: Wait… what's this 'exchange event' you're talking about?]
[Anonymous: Simply put, it's a regular event between two jujutsu schools, comparing which one trains better students… in theory.]
But this year was special.
Yuji Itadori, as Sukuna's vessel, had the jujutsu higher-ups on edge, plotting to kill him during the event. Meanwhile, curses like Mahito would stir the pot, aiming to steal Sukuna's fingers stored at Jujutsu High.
So…
If they wanted to catch Mahito, this was the best shot. Miss it, and they'd wait until the "Shibuya Incident" to see him again.
On the other side, Yuji explained what he'd heard from Gojo about the event.
Bulma, predictably, got curious.
So did Yamato.
[Ghost Princess: Wow, sounds super interesting… Can I tag along with Miss Hikari to see?]
[Anonymous: Wait… Yamato, are you still at Bulma's?]
[Ghost Princess: Yup!]
Alright.
Looked like Yamato was truly enjoying herself here, no thoughts of Onigashima.
If she stayed in the Dragon Ball world another year or two, mastering "ki" and "Haki," maybe even visiting Namek, she might return stronger than Kaido.
But Hikari had a sudden thought—
"Speaking of which, what's the timeline in the One Piece world? The War at the Top can't be far off, right?"
So far, Hikari hadn't visited the One Piece world, and Yamato had no clue about her timeline, only that she'd met Ace a year ago. Roughly, the War at the Top might be within six months.
Hikari planned to nudge Yamato about it.
She didn't care much for Ace, no interest in saving him—unless he was secretly Ace the Ultraman.
But Yamato and Ace were friends. If she wanted to help, Hikari wouldn't mind lending a hand.
Plus…
The War at the Top was a gathering of powerhouses—six or seven Emperors and Admirals, plus Warlords and vice-captains. A rare spectacle, grander than the Dragon Ball world's Tournament of Power. Bulma and Esdeath would probably love to jump in.
[Anonymous @ Tiger of Nishi: Let me know when it's convenient. I'd like to meet your Teacher Gojo in person.]
[Tiger of Nishi: Sure, I'll ask Teacher Gojo now.]
Hikari wasn't worried about Gojo refusing. Compared to other jujutsu higher-ups, the "strongest" had a decent mind and personality. His loss to Sukuna was just plot-driven, not a lack of skill.
Besides, to visit the jujutsu world, she only needed Yuji's okay. Meeting Gojo was just a bonus.
For now, Hikari pulled her focus from the chat group, stretched her arms with a long yawn, then turned to Esdeath with a slight smile. "Little Ai, want to check out another new world?"