Chapter 178: The Great Hot Spring Operation

"Has no one ever gone inside?"

Uchiha Gin asked curiously. With such a legendary artifact, had the descendants of Hagoromo Otsutsuki never coveted it?

"According to records, not long after the Sage of Six Paths died, a descendant of the Six Paths named Indra went inside, but he did not pass the Sage's test and returned empty-handed."

???

My charming ancestor~

"Afterward, as time passed, the bloodline of the Six Paths descendants grew thinner and thinner, and fewer people came to challenge it."

"At the same time, the ancestors of our Hagoromo clan did not want to keep guarding that bitter, cold land, so they chose to migrate."

Kinkaku explained to Uchiha Gin. Their ancestors felt that since no one could get in, and even if they did, they couldn't pass the test,

then there was no point in their clan guarding it bitterly; they might as well go out and live a carefree life in the vibrant world.

"So, you want to tell me the location of the seal for that artifact?"

After hearing Kinkaku's story, Uchiha Gin rubbed his messy natural curls and asked with a conflicted tone,

If even the Sage of Six Paths' own son wasn't qualified to take it, how do you expect me to take it?

"That's right! Rather than letting this secret disappear with our departure, it's better to tell you, Mr. Gin."

Kinkaku nodded and said with a sincere expression,

"I think Mr. Gin could give it a try. The test of the Sage of Six Paths' artifact is mainly aimed at the heart. Someone as pure as you is truly rare nowadays; you might just succeed."

"Me? Pure?"

Uchiha Gin was dumbfounded. A pure salted fish is also pure; no problems there.

"The location of the sealed land is inside here. I wish Mr. Gin great success in his martial endeavors!"

Kinkaku took out an ancient scroll and handed it to Uchiha Gin. It smelled musty to the touch, showing it had been stored for a long time.

"Mr. Gin, we shall part ways here. I hope that the next time we meet, I can give you enough of a shock."

Kinkaku pulled Ginkaku to bow a 90-degree national-treasure-level bow to Uchiha Gin. After standing up, he promised with a firm look that he wouldn't return unless he made a name for himself!

"."

In the end, the survivors of the Hagoromo clan were escorted by ninjas from the Land of Lightning into the Land of Iron. Watching the backs of Kinkaku and Ginkaku as they left, Uchiha Gin sighed, only hoping that these two boys wouldn't die in a foreign land like in the original trajectory.

"Let's go, our mission is already complete."

Uchiha Gin turned around and said to Uchiha Hikari and Uchiha Shiori, who had been waiting by his side.

"Gin, did you forget something?"

Uchiha Hikari tilted her head and knitted her delicate brows in recollection.

"What could I forget? I'm famous for my good memory. Don't overthink it; let's go wander around first, and we'll report back to the clan grounds once we've had our fill."

Uchiha Gin was very conceited about his memory; how could he easily forget anything?

"Big Brother, we still have a promise we haven't fulfilled, right?"

Among the main group of the migrating Hagoromo clan, a conflicted-looking Ginkaku finally couldn't help but speak to his big brother. His pride didn't allow him to do such sneaky things.

"How could we not?"

Kinkaku turned his head, looked at his own younger brother with a strange expression, and said,

"Didn't Mr. Gin say it right from the start?"

"Ah? Say what?"

Ginkaku was confused. He was there too; could his memory be wrong?

"Uh, didn't Mr. Gin say, 'You two brats, don't you dare embarrass me when you go to the Land of Lightning. At least become a leader, otherwise don't say you know me'?"

Kinkaku repeated what Uchiha Gin had once said in confusion. Could he have misheard?

"Isn't this exactly what Mr. Gin wanted us to do?"

Ginkaku:.

In a city in the Land of Fire

"Gin! Where are we going to play next?"

With all sorts of snacks tucked into her arms, a jubilant Uchiha Hikari said to the listless Uchiha Gin beside her,

"How about we go to the Land of Hot Water! They say the hot springs there are great and have beauty and skincare benefits~"

"Uh, little Shiori, do you want to go?"

Uchiha Gin didn't agree immediately; instead, he turned his head to ask Uchiha Shiori, who was following behind like a little tail.

"Ah? I'm fine with anything. I'll follow Mr. Gin's arrangements."

Uchiha Shiori, who was carefully eating a taiyaki, was startled by Uchiha Gin's sudden question.

She burned her mouth on the piping hot red bean filling inside the taiyaki, let out a soft "ah," looked at Uchiha Gin with a blushing face, and then replied obediently.

"Alright then~ Let's go take a trip to the Land of Hot Water; it's not far anyway."

He was still very indulgent toward Uchiha Hikari. After all, the childhood friend had been sealed for so many years; now that she was finally out, she should enjoy life properly.

The three decided and set off immediately. Since the Land of Hot Water happened to be nearby, it didn't take much effort for them to arrive within its borders.

"It really lives up to being a country forgotten by war; the pace of life here is quite nice!"

Upon arriving in the Land of Hot Water, Uchiha Gin and the others couldn't help but brighten up. It wasn't like the Land of Fire, where war raged everywhere; instead, it was a scene of peace and prosperity.

Because of the Land of Hot Water's resources and special geographical location, it wasn't targeted by the Land of Fire.

It was separated from the Land of Lightning by several small countries, and from the Land of Water by a vast ocean. As for the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind, they were ten thousand miles away.

There was no threat from major powers, but there was also no overly fertile land or rare mineral deposits. The only thing they had in abundance was the endless hot springs from underground, which was how the country got its name.

Since there was nothing for major powers to covet, the Land of Hot Water could be called a paradise. Hot spring inns were blooming everywhere, and everyone wore a smile on their face, which made Uchiha Gin, who hadn't felt such peace since transmigrating, brighten up.

Maybe I'll just come to the Land of Hot Water to retire later.

"Gin, Gin! Hurry up~"

Once they arrived in the Land of Hot Water and smelled the faint scent of sulfur in the air, Uchiha Hikari, with her expectations maxed out, immediately let herself go and dragged Uchiha Gin toward the largest hot spring inn nearby.

"Welcome~"

Pushing open the door, they were greeted by a beautiful, alluring woman dressed in a traditional, gorgeous kimono with a touch of crimson on her lips. She was kneeling at the entrance and immediately bowed to welcome them when she saw Uchiha Gin and the others push the door open.

"We want to soak in the hot springs~"

Uchiha Hikari urged the woman impatiently. She had been thinking about this hot spring for many, many years; Gin's promise from years ago was finally going to be fulfilled~

"Please come in, the three of you!"

The woman stood up and welcomed the three into the inn. After buying three sets of yukata, Uchiha Gin consciously turned and entered the side marked "Men," while the two young ladies entered the "Women" side.

Just before entering, the curly-haired one carefully glanced at the "Mixed" sign in the middle, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned.

Heh heh heh, I finally found one!

"Ah! Here I come~"

Uchiha Hikari, completely naked, leaped up.

"Splash!!!"

A large splash of water erupted.

"Hoo~ So comfortable!"

With a towel on her head, Uchiha Hikari soaked her whole body in the steaming hot spring, feeling waves of heat surging into her body, and let out a sound of comfort.

"Little Shiori, how do you find the temperature?"

Uchiha Hikari, floating in the water, turned her head to ask.

Wrapped in a bath towel, Uchiha Shiori was carefully testing the water temperature with her feet, biting her lip. It was clear she was soaking in a hot spring for the first time and was a bit uncomfortable.

After trying for a long time, Uchiha Shiori gritted her teeth and slowly entered the hot spring. The girl's fair skin was flushed red by the heat, and a charming blush hung on her cold little face, giving a strong sense of contrast.

"Hoo~ Hikari-senpai is truly amazing~"

After fully entering the hot spring, Uchiha Shiori, feeling a bit dizzy from the heat, looked at Uchiha Hikari, who was floating on the water surface with ease, her tone filled with envy.

"In every aspect."

Although Uchiha Shiori had inferred that Uchiha Hikari's strength was not trivial from the first time they met.

But when the girl witnessed with her own eyes the other party manipulating a cherry-red giant to collide with the golden colossus of that red-haired woman, she still felt she had underestimated the seemingly ordinary girl before her.

That kind of power, is it really something a human can possess?

Uchiha Shiori, who considered herself to have a broad perspective, was left doubting her life by that display from Uchiha Hikari.

You have to know that duels between ninjas are nothing more than the bombardment of ninjutsu, the collision of taijutsu, and the tug-of-war of genjutsu.

But that giant, full of oppressive force, instantly overturned her understanding of ninja combat.

"Hikari-senpai, how did you become so powerful?"

Uchiha Shiori, feeling dizzy from the soak, accidentally blurted out the question in her heart. As soon as it left her lips, she felt it was a bit abrupt, so she hurriedly explained,

"I'm sorry, this question of mine was a bit presumptuous."

"It's fine. Little Shiori is Gin's disciple, so by that logic, you're my disciple too. It doesn't matter if I tell you a little."

Uchiha Hikari, who was enjoying the soak, didn't feel offended when she heard the girl's question.

Thinking of Uchiha Shiori's current status, she consciously adopted the role of the master's wife, floated over, and said with a smile,

"Do you know how many levels there are to our Uchiha clan's Sharingan?"

"Of course I know. Three stages, each corresponding to the number of tomoe. Three-tomoe is the strongest state."

Uchiha Shiori, being able to awaken two-tomoe at this age, naturally had a deep understanding of the Uchiha's Sharingan.

"That's only on the surface. Although three-tomoe can already allow an Uchiha to deal with most difficulties, three-tomoe is not the strongest state of the Sharingan."

Floating on the hot spring, Uchiha Hikari was like a budding flower, looking at the sky with misty eyes, and recounted the secrets of the Sharingan,

"Above the three-tomoe, there is a higher level of evolution."

"There is actually something even stronger?"

This touched upon a blind spot in Uchiha Zhili's knowledge; the clan's records did not mention any form stronger than the three-tomoe.

"Mangekyo Sharingan, the cursed eyes."

Uchiha Guang's tone suddenly turned cold. The moment she drifted past Uchiha Zhili, a flash of scarlet streaked through the young girl's eyes, and a strange, bewitching pattern flickered within her pupils.

"If I could, I would hope to never awaken these eyes, because they have caused me to lose so much!"

Pain! It hurts so much!

(End of chapter)