Inside the high tower at the center of the Forest of Death, the air rippled with distorted heat. Pale blue chakra saturated the room, gradually deepening in hue as it flowed inward, converging into Uchiha Hikaru's body.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
A knock at the door snapped Hikaru out of his chakra concentration. He opened his eyes—now bearing an additional tomoe in each—and the irises had turned a pale, ethereal purple.
"Come in."
As the door creaked open, a surge of chakra burst from the tower, sending a violent gust outward. The ANBU operative at the threshold staggered back several steps, barely resisting the force pressing against him.
Only after the chakra subsided did the ANBU approach, trembling, and fall to one knee before Hikaru. He held out a scroll reverently.
"Assistant-sama, this is the scroll Hokage-sama ordered us to deliver to you."
"Anything else?"
"No, sir."
"Then tell Tsunade I understand."
The ANBU vanished immediately after receiving the order.
As he left, a cold sweat broke across his skin. The moment the door had opened, it felt as though he had been staring down a Tailed Beast—or perhaps something even more terrifying.
Not even the Jinchūriki I faced during the Third Shinobi World War radiated such overwhelming pressure…
He truly deserves the title of the strongest man in the shinobi world…
Back in the tower, Hikaru opened the scroll only after the ANBU was gone.
[Second Grandfather and Orochimaru took Neji, Tenten, and two hundred Hyuga branch members to the northern plains outside the village to conduct firearms tests.
Seems like Hiashi is about to make his move. Since you're not busy, go keep an eye on things. Make sure nothing goes wrong with the Hyuga.]
The rushed, messy handwriting clearly belonged to Tsunade. She clearly didn't want to get tangled up in clan matters and had passed it off to him.
Fwoosh—
A flame sparked in Hikaru's palm, consuming the scroll in seconds. He turned and left the tower, heading for the test site mentioned.
"Firearms, huh? If they've actually made improvements, I need to see it for myself."
"What man could resist the lure of hot weapons?"
…
"You showed up, huh?"
"What, even you can't resist the pull of firearms?"
Tobirama's teasing tone greeted Hikaru as he arrived, barely hiding the pride gleaming in his eyes.
Orochimaru, who had been preparing to initiate the second sniper rifle test, paused and approached upon seeing Hikaru.
"Hikaru, your chakra has grown much stronger."
Orochimaru's golden eyes glinted like a predator examining a rare specimen—something beautiful, dangerous, and perfect.
Hikaru felt his stomach twist at the gaze and stepped back in distaste.
"Do you have to look at me like that? We're both men, y'know. People might get the wrong idea."
"Honestly, it's revolting…"
But Hikaru's scowl didn't seem to bother Orochimaru in the slightest. Instead, the Sannin smiled with a sinister calm.
"Hikaru-kun, I simply admire perfection. I'm not... that way."
"Besides, gender is meaningless to me. I can be either, whenever I choose."
Orochimaru's words made Tobirama and Hikaru simultaneously speechless, while Tenten and Neji, standing nearby, stared wide-eyed.
Had they just... overheard something they shouldn't have?
"Ahem. Let's not lead the kids down the wrong path," Hikaru muttered. "Back to business. How's the firearm performance?"
The awkward air finally cleared as Hikaru redirected everyone's attention. He noticed the pistol testing had already concluded.
The results showed an average score of 7.9 points at 50 meters and 7.4 at 100 meters. Considering this was their first time using such weapons, the accuracy was remarkable.
Eyes lighting up with interest, Hikaru picked up two sniper rifles from the nearby rack and stood ready for the next round of testing.
Tobirama turned to look at the fifty-one Hyuga marksmen—Neji included—lying prone, rifles shouldered properly and eyes trained through iron sights. Every one of them followed the taught formation.
Except Hikaru.
Hikaru stood upright, holding a sniper rifle in each hand, a reckless grin tugging at his lips. He looked more like a bandit than a shinobi.
"…You really going to shoot like that?" Tobirama asked, his perfectionism twitching. "You know that posture is all wrong, right?"
"You don't get it," Hikaru said with a lopsided grin. "This is man's romance. Let's go."
Tobirama grunted, giving up on arguing with him.
"Second round, sniper rifle test. Ten shots. Begin!"
Hikaru immediately activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan. His eyes locked onto the distant targets: 200, 500, and 1000 meters away. He raised both rifles and, without hesitation, began firing.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunfire erupted in rapid succession, as Hikaru pulled both triggers almost simultaneously, over and over. He was just short of lighting a cigarette to complete the absurdity.
By the time others blinked, all twenty rounds were spent. Smoke hissed from both barrels. The rifles themselves were warm to the touch.
Without ceremony, Hikaru tossed the overheated weapons into Tobirama's arms.
"Your sniper rifle needs work. It overheated and melted the firing pins. You'll need a more heat-resistant metal."
Even though the Sharingan didn't have the same microscopic precision as the Byakugan, its enhanced perception was enough to detect structural faults.
Tobirama, meanwhile, looked like he'd aged ten years in two seconds. He had held back his fury during Hikaru's entire shooting session for the sake of testing integrity. But now—
"You brat! This is a sniper rifle—not a goddamn machine gun!"
"You're shooting faster than pistols! What metal is supposed to survive that?! And you pumped chakra like a damn chakra beast!"
"I'll admit it, you burned out both firing pins—but now you're blaming the weapon?!"
"I swear I'll show you what it means to be a man who's made a pact with the sea!"
As Tobirama launched into a tirade, Hikaru casually raised his hand in front of him.
"What a dramatic line…"
Tobirama halted mid-rant, eyes twitching.
"…So? You realize your mistake?"
But Hikaru's expression turned serious.
"Dear Second Uncle… I had an idea I wanted to test."
"You said most shinobi can't aim like a Hyuga with the Byakugan, right? So why not develop a new type of firearm that compensates with quantity and spread?"
"Say—eight or ten barrels firing at once. Or… increase the caliber and load the bullet with steel pellets for area-of-effect."
"Wouldn't that make it more practical in real combat?"
As Tobirama listened, the corner of his mouth twitched upward. His eyes gleamed.
"Bulbasaur…"
"You really are a worthy grandson-in-law!"
With arms around each other's shoulders, Tobirama and Hikaru dove into weapon design theory mid-battlefield, passionately swapping ideas.
Behind them, the sniper test continued.
Orochimaru watched the duo with deadpan eyes.
Why do I feel like I've been summoned just to babysit and take notes…?
…
…
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