After the fifty clan members left the hall, Uchiha Soren finally saw Uchiha Hikari's rigid expression relax.
She glanced at Soren.
Then at Minato.
Her dark eyes were deep and unreadable.
Soren gave an awkward smile.
Hikari shot him a glare—then the corner of her lips curved ever so slightly.
"Minato-nee," she said sweetly, "I haven't seen you in a while. You look… even more radiant lately. Like a flower nourished by spring rain."
Minato smiled gently. "You exaggerate, Hikari."
"Hmph. I know exactly what's going on."
Minato cast a side glance at the man pretending to turn invisible in his own hall.
She understood the situation perfectly.
Facing the girl who had been formally acknowledged, the elegant woman showed not the slightest retreat. Instead, she stepped forward deliberately.
The soft, overwhelming presence of her figure pressed lightly against Hikari.
Hikari stumbled back two steps in shock.
Her pale face flushed crimson instantly.
"You shameless cat! You actually dared to—dared to—"
"Dared to what?"
Minato brushed aside a strand of hair. Every movement carried mature elegance.
"You can't scold properly. And you wouldn't dare hit me."
Her hand rested gently on her abdomen.
Her voice carried faint grievance.
"My poor child won't even be born in Konoha. I wonder if he'll get to see his irresponsible father at birth."
(That's going too far…)
Soren screamed internally, sitting stiffly like a carved statue.
Hikari's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan flared open in fury.
Her crimson, intricate pupils reflected Minato's calm smile.
For a moment she truly considered using Tsukuyomi.
But Minato was right.
She couldn't bring herself to do it.
"So even a sneaky cat can get pregnant…"
Hikari turned toward Soren.
Black flames of Amaterasu flickered beside him.
Her voice turned dangerously soft.
"Soren… you wouldn't want something unfortunate to happen during a happy moment one night, would you?"
That was enough.
Soren immediately dropped the act.
He glanced nervously at the rising black flames and shifted slightly in his seat.
"Hikari. After the Nazarick matter is settled… you can have anything you want."
"Save that talk for later."
Hikari's anger melted into shy embarrassment.
She huffed and stormed out of the hall, boots echoing sharply.
Soren watched her go with faint nostalgia.
(She's still the same… never comfortable in crowded spaces.)
Minato also withdrew her teasing expression.
"Hikari knows. Mother knows. Kaori and Satori will find out soon too."
Soren nodded slowly.
"Better they know."
"Do you intend to bring me home openly?"
"I still have Tsunade."
"Tsunade is almost grown."
"Let's handle that later."
"…I understand."
Minato turned and left to resume her duties.
Once alone, Soren opened his status interface.
—— Uchiha Soren
Occupation Levels: Elemental Mage – Fire/Lightning/Wind/Water/Earth (LV50)
Yin–Yang Mage – Yin (LV5)
Racial Levels: Dragonkin (Frost Dragon Bloodline LV10, True Dragon Bloodline LV5)
Skills: Tier 1–10 Magic; Dragon Traits; Low & Mid-Tier Origin Magic
Overall Combat Level: LV70
(Above Outlier-class. Equivalent to peak High-Kage level.)
Ascension Points: … (Increasing)
The surge of True Dragon bloodline power accelerated his growth at a terrifying pace.
Against weaker Super-Kage-level opponents, he could now fight head-on.
"When I reach level 100… perhaps I'll glimpse the true nature of the Sea of Magic."
His consciousness linked to the world's origin.
Before him stretched an endless, boundless ocean of magic.
A ripple on its surface felt like the continent breathing.
It dwarfed even the nearly drained Greer Ore Sea Kaori had consumed.
This was not merely Six Paths power.
Soren's spiritual form stepped into the Sea of Magic.
Knowledge poured into him endlessly.
Fragments of every spell ever cast upon the continent—tiered magic, origin magic—assembled themselves in his mind.
The deeper he went, the stronger a strange sensation grew.
Breathing.
He could hear breathing.
He stopped.
The fog ahead obscured everything beyond sight.
"…Not yet."
He halted his advance and instead absorbed what he safely could.
By now, Soren commanded over eight hundred spells.
Low tiers were trivial.
Tier 8: Dimensional Lock, Remote Vision, Wave of Pain…
Tier 9: Catastrophic Storm, True Resurrection, Vermilion Nova…
Tier 10: Radiant Body, Divine Flame, High-Tier Summon…
Low-Tier Origin Magic: Endless Inferno, Eternal Tempest, Earth Surge…
His blood was no longer truly blood.
It was condensed magic.
If he wished, he could cast Tier 10 spells for a full day without exhaustion.
Then he exhaled softly.
"Still… in raw combat I likely remain beneath even the weakest Floor Guardian like Demiurge."
There was distance yet to climb.
Meanwhile—
Hikari completed a patrol of the camp.
Beside her walked the sharp-eyed Uchiha jōnin who had earlier spoken up first.
They passed the final civilian family evacuating the village.
A husband and wife.
Two sisters.
The parents and younger sister were smiling brightly.
The compensation they received could easily buy a home in E-Rantel and sustain them for years.
Only the older sister looked uneasy.
Chestnut hair.
Three braids falling to her chest.
Her name was Enri.
Her parents spoke excitedly of city life.
But something in her heart felt unsettled.
(Once we reach the city… I'll talk to them properly.)
Her younger sister tugged her hand, chattering about their bright future.
And soon—
Enri's worry was swallowed by laughter.
Far behind them—
The shadow of Nazarick loomed quietly across the plains.
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