It didn't take long for Hikaru to reach the capital of the Land of Fire.
He didn't care much about the city itself. Sooner or later, he planned to bring Tsunade and the others here for a proper visit anyway.
But now wasn't the time for leisure. He'd already wasted enough of today.
So, he headed straight for the Daimyō's estate, ready to send him off.
Upon arriving, Hikaru saw the area crawling with samurai, and ninja guards hidden in the shadows. Still, he paid them no mind.
After silently observing for a moment, his figure flickered—and vanished.
By the time he reappeared, he was already inside the estate.
Looking around, it wasn't as heavily fortified as he expected.
Maybe the Daimyō was just overconfident in his power and assumed no one would ever dare lay a hand on him.
Hikaru sneered at the thought and began searching for the man.
Before long, he found the right room, gently pushed the door open, and stepped inside.
The Daimyō was speaking with a middle-aged man. At the sound of the door, he looked up—and froze in terror the moment he saw Hikaru.
He tried to scream, but it was too late. Hikaru was already beside him, hand closing tightly around his throat.
"You... what are you doing?" the Daimyō gasped, struggling.
"Sending you on your way," Hikaru replied coldly, tightening his grip. The Daimyō's face twisted in pain as his breathing grew more labored.
Just then, the middle-aged man who'd been speaking with the Daimyō calmly spoke up:
"My lord, would you hear me out?"
Hikaru's interest was piqued. He loosened his grip slightly.
The Daimyō, gasping for breath, seized the opportunity to beg:
"You're Uchiha Hikaru, right? Don't you remember me? I met you when you were a child!"
But his pleading fell on deaf ears. Hikaru, annoyed, simply knocked him out.
The middle-aged man watched this with a satisfied expression.
Hikaru raised a brow at him. "Aren't you afraid I'll kill you too?"
The man smiled calmly and replied, "I actually died over a decade ago. Since then, I've been nothing more than a ghost walking the earth for vengeance."
Hikaru blinked, momentarily stunned. Then it hit him—this guy must have a juicy backstory.
And so, Hikaru decided to listen to his tale.
The man drew a deep breath and began.
His name was Satō Ken,¹ a former retainer in the Daimyō's estate.
Over ten years ago, he had been a nobleman with a happy family—until the Daimyō's greed and cruelty destroyed everything.
It sounded like the oldest story in the book: a disgraced noble marries a beautiful woman, sparks the Daimyō's envy, and ends up losing everything.
Though Satō Ken spoke calmly, his voice carried unmistakable pain and hatred.
For the past decade, he had meticulously plotted revenge in secret.
He worked his way into the Daimyō's trust, even sacrificing innocents if necessary.
His goal wasn't just to kill the Daimyō, but to wipe out his entire bloodline.
Now, the plan was nearly complete.
As long as the Daimyō died suddenly, he was confident his children would tear each other apart fighting over the inheritance.
At this point, Hikaru couldn't help but inhale sharply. He realized he might actually be the nice guy in this story.
'No wonder Cao Cao always kept Jia Xu around,' he thought. 'This is what they're for.'
As for the truthfulness of the story, Hikaru had no doubts. Under his genjutsu, no one could lie.
Hikaru glanced at Satō Ken again and asked, "So why stop me?"
Satō Ken chuckled. "If he's killed outright, it'll disrupt my plan. Please, let him appear to die of illness."
Hikaru frowned. "You're really not afraid I'll kill you? Wouldn't that ruin everything?"
Satō Ken replied blandly, "My lord, do you truly think he only had one enemy?"
That made it all clear. Satō Ken likely had a whole organization aimed at taking the Daimyō down.
That only made this mission more interesting to Hikaru. Who would've thought coming here to kill one Daimyō would yield such a surprise?
"After your plan succeeds," Hikaru asked curiously, "do you have any other goals?"
Satō Ken's gaze turned distant. "Maybe. Maybe I'll go see Miwako again."
Hearing the weariness in his voice, Hikaru grinned wickedly.
"I heard you've spilled a lot of innocent blood over the years. Aren't you worried they'll come find you after you die?"
But his words didn't rattle Satō Ken.
A man who could endure over ten years of hatred wasn't going to be shaken that easily.
Hikaru understood—there was no changing this man's heart in a day.
He lost interest in persuading him and decided to finish the job.
Once he made up his mind, the Daimyō's fate was sealed.
Though still unconscious, the Daimyō's brain hemorrhaged—and within moments, he was dead.
Satō Ken, realizing the Daimyō had died silently, knew Hikaru had followed through.
He dropped to his knees and bowed deeply. "Thank you, my lord, for granting me this!"
Hikaru waved his hand disinterestedly and turned to leave. But just before he vanished, he left one parting line:
"My name is Uchiha Hikaru. If you don't know what to do with yourself after all this, come find me in Konoha. I plan to unite the Five Great Nations—and become this continent's god."
Satō Ken's head shot up in shock—but Hikaru had already disappeared.
He whispered to himself, "Miwako... you may need to wait a little longer. I want to see whether this man can actually do it."
No denying it—Body Flicker is a damn convenient ability.
One second, Hikaru was in the Daimyō's estate. The next, he was back in Konoha.
At that moment, Tsunade and the others were eating lunch, visibly dejected.
Even with Hikaru's return, they only managed a weak greeting before returning to their meal.
After all, they'd barely been out of the village for half a day before returning again. Anyone would be disappointed.
Especially after encountering the ugliness of human nature firsthand—it was bound to affect their mood.
Seeing this, Hikaru paused to think, then said:
"Alright, how about this—why don't I take you all to Tanzaku Town for a little fun?"