"Naruto is in danger. Someone is targeting the Nine-Tails inside him."
"Based on the intel we've gathered, the enemy's strength is considerable."
"For the next few days, take Naruto outside the village to rest. Saya and I will keep watch from the shadows."
After Uchiha Hikaru finished speaking, Jiraiya's previously relaxed face turned serious.
"An enemy you're treating with that much caution? Is there really someone that strong still roaming the ninja world?"
"Among the main members of Akatsuki we know of, none match that description."
"Could it be there's a hidden member among them with a concealed identity?"
Jiraiya's first suspicion naturally fell on the Akatsuki. In his view, only Nagato, with the Rinnegan, could possibly rival Uchiha Hikaru in power.
"They're not from the Akatsuki. They're from another world—ninja who also possess the Rinnegan."
"Right now, we only have intel from Sasuke of the future... and Naruto's son, Boruto."
"The enemy's name is Ōtsutsuki Urashiki. He wears white, has blue eyes, and carries a red fishing rod along with a crimson gourd strapped to his back."
"He can use the rod to extract chakra from others and store it in the gourd. The gourd also amplifies ninjutsu and can reflect it back."
Jiraiya's eyes widened as he stared at Uchiha Hikaru. He couldn't help blurting out—
"Are you seriously not messing with me right now!?"
The shout immediately distracted Naruto, who tripped mid-punch and faceplanted on the ground. He leapt back up and pointed accusingly.
"Perverted Hermit! What the hell was that for!?"
"If you hadn't startled me, I might've landed that punch on Sister Saya!"
"This is all your fault. You're buying me two bowls of ramen tonight!"
Jiraiya scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Then he glanced at Naruto and suddenly got an idea.
"No, no—Hikaru just said he's taking us to Akimichi BBQ tonight."
Naruto turned his head away dramatically, arms crossed and lips pouting.
"Hmph ╭(╯^╰)╮"
"Then maybe I'll go to Ichiraku instead. Their deluxe special ramen beats barbecue any day!"
Even though barbecue was delicious, Naruto was sulking and just wanted to be difficult.
Jiraiya, ever the observant one, quickly caught on.
This brat's throwing a tantrum again.
"Really? But Hikaru said you could bring Sasuke and Sakura too."
"What a shame if we miss the chance for Team 7 to have dinner together…"
He feigned deep regret.
"Guess I'll just take Tsunade out instead…"
Naruto immediately panicked.
"Wait! I mean... Ichiraku is great and all..."
"But I'm really craving BBQ tonight!"
"Let's go have barbecue with Brother Hikaru and the others!"
"I'll tell Sakura and Sasuke right now!"
With that, Naruto bolted out of the training grounds, completely forgetting about his sparring match.
Jiraiya watched him dash off and shook his head with a sigh.
Sigh... why are my students always like this? Just like me. All hopeless fools.
Hikaru punched Jiraiya hard on the shoulder.
"Since when did I say I was paying for your dinner, much less inviting Sasuke and Sakura?"
(σ｀д′)σ!
But Jiraiya ignored the pain and returned to his shocked expression (ﾟДﾟ;). He smoothly shifted the topic.
"Another world!? Future Sasuke!? Naruto already has a son!?"
"You're really not screwing with me!?"
Hikaru sighed inwardly. Jiraiya's attention had clearly shifted to the gossip instead of the actual threat.
"That's not the point. The problem is the enemy's abilities. Do you get that?"
"And that's just what we know. Who knows what backup plans this guy's hiding?"
Seeing Hikaru's serious face, Jiraiya coughed and finally composed himself.
"Ahem… right, I get it. This Ōtsutsuki guy is a dangerous enemy."
"But I believe we can still beat him."
He leaned forward eagerly.
"Now, more importantly—tell me about this other world, the future Sasuke, and Naruto's kid?"
"There's really a way to travel through time?"
Under Jiraiya's intense curiosity, Hikaru had no choice but to explain what Sasuke and Boruto had told him.
Of course, he didn't mention that he himself could travel across timelines using the power of the Dragon Vein.
With Jiraiya's perverted brain full of crazy fantasies, who knows what he'll try if he finds out. Less trouble, less pain—better to keep quiet.
Once Jiraiya learned that time travel required the special tool "Plow," and that only Boruto and Sasuke could use it to return, he finally dropped the idea.
Sure, it was a little disappointing... but it sparked a fresh burst of inspiration for his novels.
Time travel... maybe a story with time-stop powers, time reversal, or time acceleration... anything's possible!
Hikaru noticed Jiraiya's face turning red with excitement and immediately knew he was daydreaming about story ideas again. He stood up, dusted himself off, and walked over to Saya.
"Go ahead and keep fantasizing. Just don't forget—take Naruto to BBQ tonight. Got it?"
Coincidentally, Hikaru planned to bring Tsunade along. That would give Sakura the perfect opportunity to become Tsunade's student.
If Sakura could keep Tsunade occupied that evening, it'd free Hikaru to talk with Hashirama, Tobirama, and Mito about how to deal with Ōtsutsuki Urashiki.
After all, having elders like them was like holding ancient treasures. And now that he had three such treasures, why not use them?
You couldn't exactly rely on Jiraiya for strategy or intel gathering.
When facing a serious threat, Uchiha Hikaru made one thing clear: he always prepared to win.
If there wasn't a 100% chance of victory, then the battle wasn't ready to be fought.
Now that he had people he cared about—Saya, Naruto, even his clan—he couldn't afford the cost of failure.
No matter who the enemy was, Hikaru had only one way to deal with them:
Be invincible. Crush them completely. Leave no trace behind.
…
As night fell, Hikaru and Saya brought Tsunade out early from the Hokage's office. Along with Shizune, they made their way to Akimichi BBQ House.
The four of them sat at the largest booth, quietly waiting for Naruto, Jiraiya, and the rest to arrive.
Rumble—
The wooden door slid open as rollers rolled back, and the three Genin plus Jiraiya walked in.
The food was already prepared, and everyone began grilling meat immediately.
…
…
…
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