It was only after watching the two samurai gradually disappear into the distance that the pair stopped hiding and emerged from the shadows. They ran into Fujita Kazu, who was also standing at the doorway, gazing at the two samurai as they left.
"You're here after all. Sorry for the embarrassing scene."
Fujita Kazu wasn't surprised to see Furina and Uchiha Hikari. When his daughter had returned earlier, he had already guessed that Furina and the other would likely be nearby; he just didn't know if they had noticed what happened inside.
"Although we were quite far away, I think I heard them saying they were going to cause trouble for you. Do you need me to help deal with them?"
"No need, no need. Thank you for your kind offer, Miss Furina, but it's just some quarrel between us, so there's no need for you to step in.
Besides, I have some strength myself. If they want to mess with me, they'll have to think twice. Moreover, my friend is the general of the Land of Iron. Even if they can ignore me, they have to consider him."
Fujita Kazu didn't question whether Furina had the ability to resolve the trouble for him. After expressing his thanks, he straightforwardly refused.
Though he didn't say it outright, Fujita Kazu knew that neither Furina nor her companion was an ordinary person. After all, ordinary people wouldn't use such a huge favor from Takeo just to exchange for a weapon.
And although it had been a long time since they last met, he still knew Takeo's strength clearly. In the letter, Takeo had also explicitly stated that Furina had helped him greatly, saving his life and, more importantly, the life of someone even more important.
To achieve something like that, the other party's strength was probably not weaker than Takeo's. Dealing with those few small fry would naturally be very simple for her.
But what mattered wasn't those mere pawns; it was the people behind them. He didn't want his friend's benefactor to get involved in the troubles of the Land of Iron.
After all, he considered himself an important figure in the Land of Iron, so he probably wouldn't face any issues. But outsiders like Furina were different; the daimyo of the Land of Iron would have no scruples about acting against them.
Even if they were strong, what then? Facing a large number of highly skilled samurai, most people would end up dying in regret.
"Don't overthink it. I was just worried there might be something wrong with my weapon. But since you're so confident and friends with the general here, then never mind."
Seeing the other party refuse, Furina had no intention of forcing her help. Though she felt like the other was acting just like an old general on the stage, full of flags.
But since the other had a good relationship with Mifune, the general here, it should be fine. After all, Mifune's strength was among the top in the Land of Iron.
"Still, thank you for your concern, Miss Furina. I've calculated the time; this sword should be forged and ready in about half a month. You can come pick it up then."
"Mm, good. Then I'll look forward to it~"
"Rest assured, I won't disappoint you."
...
Half a month wasn't particularly long or short, but Furina didn't feel bored at all. After all, when she knew the outcome would be good, the waiting process felt pleasant too.
During this time, aside from occasionally strolling around the city with Uchiha Hikari and Chiyo, she spent most of her time cultivating.
It was worth mentioning that after such a long time since their first meeting, Uchiha Hikari's body had gradually recovered. She no longer vomited blood from just a slight exertion like before, as if carrying a frail-and-sick debuff.
And after the other's body recovered, Furina naturally couldn't miss sparring and exchanging blows with her. After all, simply training in isolation wasn't enough; actual combat was an indispensable part of cultivation.
In the Land of Iron, aside from Uchiha Hikari, the only one who could spar with Furina was Mifune. But as the general here, he had no reason to spar with her, so only Uchiha Hikari remained.
Previously, out of concern for stirring up bad memories, she hadn't asked. But in their recent battles, Furina heard Uchiha Hikari voluntarily talk about her Mangekyo ability.
The other's Mangekyo dojutsu was Yachi no Hoko. After gaining a rough understanding of its general capabilities, Furina could no longer hold back her astonishment.
Are you sure this is a Mangekyo? Isn't this way too broken? After marking the target with an imprint, you can ignore distance and control the opponent's chakra for your own use. And after meeting certain conditions, you can even control the opponent's mind.
Isn't this just the pro version of Kotoamatsukami? Not only does it add the ability to control chakra, but it has basically no cooldown. The only troublesome part is controlling the mind, which requires defeating the opponent's spirit in the mental space.
Just these aspects alone were already overwhelmingly powerful, but Uchiha Hikari had even more. Ordinary Mangekyo might have the concern of going blind from overuse due to exhausted ocular power, but Yachi no Hoko had none.
The chakra controlled by Yachi no Hoko could not only strengthen herself but also enhance her ocular power and recover the ocular power consumed by using the Mangekyo.
Therefore, there was absolutely no worry about ocular power depletion; it was practically like an Eternal Mangekyo. One could say that Furina's earlier worry about the other going blind had been narrow-minded and needless.
Furina was certain that this pair of Mangekyo was definitely a product of later power inflation. Compared to Uchiha Hikari, Sasuke and Itachi brothers' Mangekyo seemed like a joke.
Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and such dojutsu might not be very useful in the later stages anyway, and they could barely be used a few times before nearly going blind. Just this point alone was an enormous gap.
Oh, right, due to the special nature of Yachi no Hoko's control, the Uchiha clan had also transplanted Amaterasu with the added Kagutsuchi and Tsukuyomi into her eyes.
It could be said to completely crush Sasuke and Itachi brothers' Mangekyo. Who knows what they would think if they found out.
"Just suppressing the opponent with mental power is enough to directly imprint the mark? This is truly an ability that's basically cheating. Hikari, you're way too amazing."
After one sparring session ended and they chatted about this, Furina genuinely sighed from the heart. The other's Yachi no Hoko was truly ridiculously strong, making her feel like her own cheat wasn't even that impressive.
"I'm just relying on my bloodline. You're the amazing one, Furina; you got this strong even without a kekkei genkai."
"Haha, good, good, good. But everything I have today is thanks to my sweat and ability, so you have to keep working hard too. Who knows, in the future I might even need you to protect me."
Looking at Uchiha Hikari's serious expression, Furina couldn't help but laugh speechlessly. What her current strength relied on... others might not know, but she herself knew perfectly well.
That's right: sweat and effort. The sweat was on the enemies' heads, and the effort was her own effort to hold back laughter.
"Mm, I will definitely work hard at training to become stronger, and then protect you." Uchiha Hikari didn't know about the wild thoughts running through Furina's mind; she simply nodded seriously upon hearing this.
Actually, even if Furina hadn't said that, Uchiha Hikari had already resolved to protect this person who had brought light into her dark life. This time, it only made her determination to become stronger even firmer.