Uchiha Soren left the Sarutobi compound with the information he needed at last.
The sealed resting place of Uchiha Hikari — also known in old records as Uchiha Nameless — lay somewhere along the jagged mountain line bordering the Land of Fire and the Land of Whirlpools.
According to Sarutobi Sasuke, Hikari had once been the Uchiha's pride — a prodigy with a Mangekyō Sharingan so overwhelming that even the clans of the Senju, Uzumaki, and Sarutobi had joined forces to suppress her.
She had carved through battlefields alone, cutting down enemies with a brutality that made even her allies uneasy.
So the Uchiha — arrogant in those days — sent her alone to "discipline" the Uzumaki clan.
That arrogance doomed her.
The Senju anticipated it.
The Uzumaki prepared.
The Sarutobi assisted.
They ambushed her deep in foreign land.
And only after paying a price steep enough to stain the era did they finally seal her beneath a mountain — a tomb without a name.
Even so, Sasuke admitted:
"We never found her body afterward. Only the sealing site was confirmed."
Soren considered that carefully.
Hikari…
A Mangekyō user powerful enough to terrify three great clans.
If even a little remained…
A corpse, a remnant, a preserved eye…
It was worth the journey.
Assigning the Search to the Sarutobi
"Hokage-sama, shall I personally locate Lady Hikari's sealed grounds?"
Sarutobi Sasuke bowed deeply, voice respectful, posture taut. He did not believe someone sealed for nearly a century could still live — but the Hokage's will outweighed reason.
Soren produced a Flying Thunder God kunai and placed it in Sasuke's hands.
"Take two messenger hawks. Once you find the exact position, send word immediately. I'll move the moment you summon me."
"Understood, Hokage-sama."
Sasuke departed at once — gathering three elite jōnin and setting out before dusk.
Soren watched them leave, then turned his back on the fading sunset and returned to Konoha.
The Sarutobi Search Squad — A Lesson in Terror
Night gathered.
Four Sarutobi jōnin dashed through the forest, feet pounding softly over branches and earth. A young jōnin dared to voice excitement:
"Clan Leader… if Lady Hikari's Mangekyō is still intact… maybe the Hokage wants us to—"
CRACK.
The blow came so fast he didn't see it.
Sarutobi Sasuke backhanded him hard enough to make his ears ring.
Then Sasuke's hand closed around his throat.
His cold voice sliced deeper than steel:
"When speaking of an Uchiha of that caliber, you address them with '-sama'. Mind your tongue — or I'll rip it out myself."
The young jōnin gagged, face paling.
Sasuke's killing intent flooded the air — a suffocating pressure that pinned the others to stillness.
"And more importantly…" Sasuke hissed, tightening his grip,
"…how dare you covet a Mangekyō?"
The jōnin choked, gasping.
"You think no one has ever coveted Uchiha eyes? Those who tried were erased from history — along with their clans."
He lifted the struggling shinobi higher.
"If the Uchiha learn that you even thought about it, the Sarutobi will vanish by sunrise. If you want to die, I'll assist."
"Clan Leader, please!" another jōnin intervened quickly.
"It was a slip of the tongue — we need every jōnin we have left!"
After a long, terrifying moment, Sasuke dropped the trembling man.
He looked toward the horizon, voice low, hoarse with truth.
"The Sarutobi have become birds in a cage… no different from the Hyūga branch family. Remember that. Destruction begins with careless words."
He swept his gaze across the three.
"Don't become another Sarutobi Enma — one careless phrase, and your clan disappears."
The squad went silent with dread.
"Move," Sasuke ordered.
"Tonight is long. Whether our clan sees another dawn depends on you three."
Night — Hokage Tower
The Hokage Tower was quiet at last. Uzumaki Mito finished her final document with a sigh, stretching her aching neck before finally clocking out.
Halfway down the corridor she met Uzumaki Minako — similarly exhausted.
"Minako, how was the inspection?"
"With Elder Setsuna present, everything went smoothly," Minako answered gently.
"The two elementary campus sites are confirmed. Evacuations will start tomorrow. The Uchiha are covering the compensation. Construction crews are already arranged."
She paused before adding:
"The only issue is the design of the Advanced Academy buildings. All three principals insist the architecture should reflect the Hokage's intention… so they want him to approve the designs."
Mito laughed softly.
"Former ANBU working peacefully with Uchiha elders… Hashirama would call this a blessing."
Her eyes softened — full of old warmth and old wounds.
"This unity… this peace… it was his dream."
Minako slipped her arm through Mito's.
"And I will walk alongside you to protect it, Lady Mito."
"No," Mito corrected tenderly.
"I'm growing old. Until Tsunade matures into her power… the Senju will rely on you."
Minako flushed lightly.
"But Lady Mito — aren't we both eternally eighteen?"
"You little troublemaker."
Mito chuckled, giving her a gentle pat.
Memories shimmered in her eyes — the Land of Whirlpools, Hashirama, the old Senju compound — before her expression tightened.
"And Moriki…" she muttered.
Minako sighed sharply.
"Please don't mention him."
Their marriage had become a weight — and worse, his temper had begun spilling onto her and young Tsunade.
"I won't mention him," Mito promised softly.
The two women continued down the corridor.
Then — footsteps they both recognized drew near.
Uchiha Soren entered the hall.
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/lucarioTL