"It's me."
Lu Mingze nodded. "You seem a bit surprised?"
"…A little. I figured you'd be hanging out with your deadbeat brother right about now."
Uchiha Hikari replied, glancing to either side.
If Angers had just unleashed a "relative stasis" time-stop field, what Lu Mingze had created was an absolute, full-on "time freeze."
In this domain, all sound and motion were locked in place. Angers, mid-swing with his dual blades in his "Two Suns Blazing" technique, the faint shadow of "Mahoraga" materializing behind Hikari, and even Esdeath and the others watching from the sidelines—all were frozen in place. The air was eerily silent.
On the other side, Lu Mingze grinned and continued, "Well, I was just passing through Tokyo on some personal business when I noticed the commotion here, so I swung by to check it out…
How'd you end up fighting this old geezer? He's the most hardcore dragon-slayer of this era and has one of the rarest yanrei, 'Time Zero.' If he sniffed out your 'White King' identity, it could stir up some unpredictable trouble."
His words carried a teasing edge.
Lu Mingze knew Hikari wasn't really the "White King"—that was just a cover she used with the Sheqi Bajia.
He also knew her strength was no joke. Whether she matched up to the "White King" was hard to say, but she was definitely on par with the Four Monarchs.
So… just how strong was Uchiha Hikari, really? Did the Naruto world's eye techniques include anything time-related?
Curiosity about these questions was the main reason Lu Mingze had shown up to spectate. The secondary reason? The outcome of this fight could affect how the Secret Party and Sheqi Bajia viewed Hikari, which might impact the partnership they'd just struck. As her ally, he figured he'd better get a read on the situation.
But…
His attention quickly shifted to the blurry shadow behind Hikari, his brow furrowing slightly. "By the way, what's that thing behind you? Doesn't look much like the 'Susanoo' from the manga."
"This guy?" Hikari glanced at the shadow of Mahoraga. "Let's call it my summoned beast. Just… a bit special in how it exists."
It wasn't surprising that Lu Mingze could see Mahoraga—they were both spiritual entities, and with his "spirit vision," spotting it was no big deal.
What Hikari was more curious about was whether the wheel behind Mahoraga was turning.
That wheel wasn't just some decorative gear—it was a manifestation of Mahoraga's ability to "adapt to all things." Each turn meant it had analyzed something, and after a few spins, it could adapt to and nullify an opponent's moves.
Right now… no movement.
Looked like Lu Mingze's time-stop was far beyond the Jujutsu Kaisen world's limits, even surpassing the level of a fully realized Sukuna, making it impossible for Mahoraga to analyze.
"Summoned beast, huh?" Lu Mingze sounded skeptical but didn't press further. "I'm not sure what game you're playing with the Sheqi Bajia, but as your ally, here's a little gift… some insights into the authority of time. Hope it helps."
With that, he flicked his hand, sending a tiny, firefly-like speck of light floating toward Hikari, stopping just inches from her.
Hikari narrowed her eyes, studied it for a moment, then reached out and closed her hand around it.
The light seeped into her pale palm.
In that instant, a spark flashed through her mind. Countless fragmented images raced by, accompanied by the tolling of ancient bells and the soft murmur of a flowing stream echoing in her ears.
For a fleeting moment, she glimpsed a white river flowing through a vast, shadowy void. Its surface shimmered with countless fleeting silhouettes, all rushing toward the river's source, as if echoing the ancient saying: "Time flows on, never pausing, day or night."
"This is…"
A clocktower and a river—could this be the river of time itself?!
The vision shattered in an instant.
Hikari snapped back to reality, as if jolted awake from a dream, her body reeling with a dizzying sensation.
"See ya."
Lu Mingze waved. "The old man's about to snap out of it, so you're on your own from here. If you like the gift, maybe bring me something tied to the Sage of the Six Paths next time. I'm kinda curious about that guy."
"…Deal."
Hikari nodded slightly.
Lu Mingze's gift was no small thing—downright precious, even.
In theory, it was a fragmented piece of the "time" authority. If she could fully absorb and integrate it, time travel might be out of reach (even Lu Mingze couldn't pull that off), but stretching time like Angers or messing with worldlines like the Dragon Kings in the later story? That was doable.
If she followed the principle of equivalent exchange, she'd need to dig up something related to the Sage of the Six Paths or the Divine Tree to avoid shortchanging him.
Her thoughts flickered for just a moment.
The next instant, Lu Mingze's filter vanished, and Angers surged forward, his dual blades slicing a sharp arc through the air toward Hikari's sword.
From his stance, it looked like he aimed to knock her blade aside, then use the flat or hilt to take her down. Outside of dragon-slaying, the old principal was a softie for talent and was even entertaining the idea of poaching Hikari from the Sheqi Bajia for Cassell College.
But…
Just as the blades met, Hikari's body twitched.
With a subtle flick of her wrist, she broke free from the time-stop, her blade snapping up to block Angers' incoming strike.
"?!"
Angers' eyes widened.
He was over a hundred years old, with countless battles under his belt, his nerves tempered like steel, rarely rattled by anything. But now…
What the hell? Had her yanrei "Moment" evolved into "Time Zero" mid-fight?
If it wasn't the same yanrei, how could she have broken through his "Time Zero" like that?
In a few fleeting thoughts, the fifty-fold stretched time ran out. As the world snapped back to normal, Angers locked eyes with Hikari, his gaze tinged with shock and suspicion. "What yanrei was that? A higher-tier 'Moment'? Or…"
"Just a fluke."
Hikari gave a slight bow, her tone graceful yet polite. "Your swordsmanship is as impressive as they say, Principal Angers. I'm no match. If you've got any pointers, I'd love to hear them."
"…"
Angers had no pointers to give. He'd been thoroughly outclassed in swordsmanship, only salvaging his dignity with "Time Zero" at the last second. But winning? Hardly.
Among the onlookers, only two people had a clear sense of what just happened.
The first was Uesugi Koshi.
He'd faced Angers before and knew how freaky "Time Zero" was. He hadn't seen it in action—no one could, really—but from their performance, he guessed Angers had used it. Yet Hikari came out unscathed…
That alone spoke volumes.
The other person who noticed something off was Esdeath.
"Did someone just freeze time?" she asked the moment Hikari rejoined her and the others outside the arena.
"Hm? Why do you ask?"
"Gut feeling." Esdeath's reply was sharp and to the point, then she pointed to her eyes. "Plus, I was watching the whole time. If time hadn't been frozen, there's no way I'd miss how you two fought."
Fair point.
Her "Mokapotema" was tied to time and space, and after using it enough, she'd gotten sensitive to disturbances like that.
Hikari nodded candidly. "Yup. That old guy, Angers, has a time-freezing ability like you. But his is a step above—it actually messes with the flow of time. I nearly got caught off guard."
"Nearly?"
"Yeah, just by chance, I awakened a bit of time-related talent at the last second, so I broke free from his time-stop." Hikari grinned. "Guess freezing time isn't your exclusive trick anymore, huh?"
Esdeath gave her a skeptical look.
Hikari wasn't about to show off here—she'd only had this "time fragment" for, like, ten minutes. Escaping "Time Zero" at the last moment was already a stroke of luck. Replicating it on demand? That was asking a bit much.
So, she just flashed a mysterious smile and tugged Esdeath to the side.
"It's about dinnertime. Let's go—after we eat, I'll fill you in."
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