"You're leaving already, Hikari?"
Bulma stood in the doorway, reluctant to see her go, and handed over a neatly wrapped box.
"Take this set of Capsules with you. I specially prepared them—they've got more stuff than the ones sold in stores. Be careful on the road, and let me know when you arrive safely."
"Thank you. I will."
Uchiha Hikari accepted the box.
Come to think of it, the last time she was in the Dragon Ball world, she had asked Bulma if she could buy a set of Capsules on credit. Who would've thought it'd take this long to finally get her hands on them?
"Well then, see you later."
After saying her goodbyes, Uchiha Hikari tossed out a Capsule, summoning a small aircraft. After a bit of fumbling, she took off, heading toward the location Master Roshi had given her.
——
Two days later.
Sacred Land of Korin.
Uchiha Hikari came to a stop at the base of the towering structure, tilting her head back to gaze up at the sky.
"Little girl, are you sure you want to climb this tower? Many martial artists have tried before you, and most failed. If you run out of strength and fall, you could die."
The Native warrior Bora, standing nearby, tried to dissuade her.
But Uchiha Hikari just smiled—then leaped up, scaling the tower's surface vertically as if it were nothing.
Originally, she had considered flying partway up in her aircraft before climbing the rest.
But to show sincerity and leave a good impression on Korin, she decided to follow the rules.
Climbing a tree? Just basic chakra control training.
It's just that this particular "tree" was… a bit taller than usual.
And so—
Uchiha Hikari climbed for nearly six or seven hours.
Thanks to her regenerative abilities, she didn't have to worry about muscle strain or tearing. She only paused briefly to drink some water and munch on a couple of chocolate bars for energy before pushing onward.
By the time her chakra was nearly depleted for the third time—
She finally spotted the tower's disc-shaped peak emerging from the clouds.
"Made it!"
Summoning the last of her strength, Uchiha Hikari hauled herself onto the platform at the top.
A few steps up the stairs led her into a spacious area filled with jars and pots. In the center stood a large white cat leaning on a staff, seemingly having anticipated her arrival.
"You must be the great Korin, right?"
Her tone was respectful.
"That's me."
Korin licked his paw, squinting.
"Didn't expect a little girl like you to climb Korin Tower so quickly… Are you here for the Ultra Divine Water, child?"
"No. I came to learn how to train my 'ki,' Master Korin."
Uchiha Hikari spoke honestly.
This unassuming-looking cat was over 800 years old and possessed abilities akin to mind-reading. Trying to deceive him would be pointless—honesty was the better approach.
That said, she was curious—
Could Korin tell she was from another world?
Meanwhile—
Korin blinked, studying her intently before speaking again.
"You really haven't trained in 'ki' before… yet your body holds another kind of energy—similar, but not the same. You… aren't from this world, are you?"
"?"
He could actually tell?!
"Of course. I'm a divine cat—I can see a person's past."
Korin stroked his whiskers.
"In your case, I only see fragments from the past few weeks—your Dragon Ball hunt. Before that, it's completely blank. Even someone with amnesia or from another planet wouldn't leave no traces… unless you weren't part of this world to begin with."
"…You're right. I come from a world of shinobi, but I mean no harm here. If this planet ever faces danger, I'll help defend it."
After a brief silence, Uchiha Hikari explained her origins—omitting certain details but keeping everything she said truthful.
When she finished, the air grew quiet.
Finally—
Korin broke the silence.
"Honestly, 'ki' isn't anything special. It's just the energy within every living being—not fundamentally different from the power inside you. With a calm mind and focus, you can sense it and learn to guide it..."
"I'm not much of a teacher. If you want power from me, start by trying to take the Ultra Divine Water."
His words were, in essence, an agreement.
Uchiha Hikari smiled. "Understood!"
——
Over a month passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, Uchiha Hikari stayed at Korin Tower, beginning each day with the Ultra Divine Water challenge, meditating under Korin's guidance to hone her ki control, and spending evenings discussing ninjutsu with Minato in the chat group—learning modern techniques like the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Every day was packed.
At one point, she shared Korin's ki training methods with Minato, curious if he had any insights.
According to Minato, the mental state required for ki training resembled what he'd practiced at Mount Myōboku for Sage Mode. However, due to certain restrictions, he could only offer limited advice.
[Eternal Hero: Sorry, my contract prevents me from revealing too much about Sage Mode. If you ever meet my teacher Jiraiya and earn his trust, he might take you to Mount Myōboku for training.]
[Nameless: No problem. I appreciate what you've shared already.]
Minato's input gave her extra motivation.
If ki training and Sage Mode had similarities, then her current efforts would serve as a foundation for future senjutsu training. Once she returned to the Naruto world, mastering Sage Mode might come far more easily.
As for which Sage Mode she preferred—
Between Minato's Mount Myōboku and the other two major regions, she was far more interested in Shikkotsu Forest, which had ties to the Senju clan.
One question burned in her mind—
If her current regeneration stacked with Shikkotsu Forest's healing… could she spam Izanagi without consequences?
(Minor addition: The chat group's "check-in points" now allow exchanging for extended stays in other members' worlds (1:1 ratio—1 check-in day = 1–50 stay days).