Minato Namikaze looked at Uchiha Hikari before him, feeling an inexplicable sense of danger.
This feeling was not unfounded; Minato Namikaze had fought his way through battlefields and was highly sensitive to danger, a sensitivity that had helped him avert several crises.
Minato Namikaze asked, "Since the name was given by Shindai, what is her real name? And who are her parents?"
How would Shindai know? He was just guessing, so he looked at Uchiha Hikari and whispered, "Say something, don't give the silent treatment. This is Konoha's highest leader, the Hokage. Give him some face."
Minato Namikaze looked at Uchiha Hikari again in surprise, because when Uchiha Hikari's gaze turned to Shindai, that dangerous feeling seemed to vanish.
Uchiha Hikari spoke, "I have abandoned my surname. I was once called Hikari, but now I am Ashita Natsu. There's no need to mention my parents; you certainly wouldn't know them."
When Shindai heard Uchiha Hikari say her name, he immediately brightened up: "So you were called Hikari before? The name I gave you is quite similar, it seems my naming skills are quite high."
Minato Namikaze then asked, "Since you said you are not a member of the Uchiha Clan, but now you've come to Konoha with Shindai, does that mean you want to join Konoha?"
Uchiha Hikari answered indifferently, "I came to confirm something."
Minato Namikaze's brows furrowed slightly; that dangerous feeling had returned.
After a moment of contemplation, Minato Namikaze said to Shindai, "Shindai, let Ashita Natsu and I talk alone."
"Ah, alright." Shindai reminded Uchiha Hikari, "I'll wait for you outside the door. Don't be too cold. Just answer whatever Minato asks you, understand?"
Uchiha Hikari nodded, "I understand."
After Shindai left the office, Minato Namikaze clasped his hands and gazed at Uchiha Hikari, asking, "Shindai said you have the Sharingan, but you said you abandoned your surname. It seems the surname you abandoned should be Uchiha, right? The matter you want to confirm in Konoha should also be about the Uchiha Clan, right?"
Uchiha Hikari admitted, "That's right. My purpose in coming to Konoha with Shindai is to confirm if the current Uchiha are still the Uchiha of that past era."
Minato Namikaze asked in confusion, "That past era? Which period are you referring to? The Third Shinobi World War period?"
"No, the warring states period."
"The warring states period?"
Minato Namikaze was a bit bewildered. Looking at Uchiha Hikari's age, she should be about the same age as Shindai. The warring states period she could have experienced would at most be the Third Shinobi World War; it's unlikely she lived through the Second or even the First Shinobi World War.
Could it be... that Uchiha Hikari just looks young, but is actually very old?
Minato Namikaze asked with some curiosity, "Are you referring to the First or Second Shinobi World War when you say the warring states period? If I may ask, how old are you this year?"
Uchiha Hikari replied, "Even earlier. At that time, Ninja still operated in clans, and there were no Ninja Villages yet. Based on the era, I should be over eighty years old now."
"What?!"
Minato Namikaze's eyes widened in shock. Over eighty years old? How could someone over eighty still look like a young girl?
Minato Namikaze didn't quite believe it, thinking Uchiha Hikari was talking nonsense.
Uchiha Hikari looked at Minato Namikaze with an unruffled gaze and said, "I know you don't believe me and think I'm talking nonsense. After my seal was broken, I also found it hard to believe, but it is the truth. If Shindai hadn't praised you to the heavens and told me to answer your questions, I wouldn't waste so many words on you."
Minato Namikaze's expression immediately became very strange.
She's really quite arrogant~
However, she's only saying so much because of Shindai... Does that mean Uchiha Hikari considers Shindai, who helped her break the seal, her benefactor?
Minato Namikaze speculated, "So, the Uchiha placed the seal on you, and you want to take revenge on the Uchiha?"
Uchiha Hikari shook her head and said, "That's what I thought at first, but now I'm not sure if I want revenge. If the current Uchiha are still the Uchiha of that past era, then I will kill them all without hesitation.
Back in the warring states period, I was used as a weapon and was sealed jointly by the Senju Clan and the Sarutobi Clan. However, Shindai told me that the Senju Clan has declined now, so you won't be able to stop me."
Uchiha Hikari activated her Mangekyo Sharingan, her crimson eyes fixated on Minato Namikaze.
Through the fight between Shindai and Asuma Sarutobi, Uchiha Hikari felt that the strength of the Ninja in this Ninja World... was just so-so, and after these days of recovery, Uchiha Hikari had fully recovered.
Minato Namikaze looked at Uchiha Hikari's eyes in disbelief.
"Mangekyo Sharingan?!"
Minato Namikaze quickly regained his composure, thinking in his mind.
Now he had to believe that this young girl before him might actually be over eighty years old.
However, this eighty-plus years should be a nominal age; her true age should still be that of her current appearance.
It was only because she had been sealed for so long that her body stopped developing.
Also, Uchiha Hikari just said that she also felt incredible after waking up, so she must have been in a deep sleep during the sealed period.
Therefore, her psychological age should also be only her age before the sealing.
The Senju Clan and the Sarutobi Clan sealed her, but she wants revenge on the Uchiha Clan, and she even said she was a 'weapon.'
So, it's easy to deduce part of the truth.
Back then, the Uchiha Clan used Uchiha Hikari as a weapon and might have done some bad things to her, which is why she abandoned the Uchiha surname and resented the Uchiha Clan.
Moreover, Uchiha Hikari said that she initially wanted revenge, but now she's not quite sure if she wants revenge and wants to confirm if the current Uchiha are still the Uchiha of that past era.
From this perspective, it seems it's thanks to Shindai that Uchiha Hikari changed her mind about immediately seeking revenge against the Uchiha Clan.
However, he absolutely cannot take Uchiha Hikari to confirm it now, because the issues with the Uchiha Clan are not yet resolved, and if Uchiha Hikari misunderstands, it would be troublesome.
Minato Namikaze asked, "So, should I call you Hikari or Ashita Natsu?"
"Ashita Natsu is fine."
Minato Namikaze was secretly pleased. It would be easier if Uchiha Hikari continued to be called by the name Ashita Natsu, which Shindai gave her.
Minato Namikaze then suggested, "This matter cannot be confirmed immediately. I think you also need time to observe, otherwise what you see might only be partial. So, how about this: you stay in Konoha for now and observe slowly?"
Uchiha Hikari thought for a moment and nodded, "Alright."
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