Hikari Uchiha in Animeverse

*Kekkei Genkai: Dream Tapir*—an ability that drags its target into a nightmare.

For those with weak mental strength, the user can craft any nightmare they want, trapping the victim inside. But for someone with a strong mind, it can only pull them into their own deepest fears—their "inner demons."

Uchiha Hikari didn't have any "inner demons."

If she had to pick something, maybe it was the century of loneliness her former self endured, sealed away as a human weapon in the dark depths underground.

So…

With such a massive gap in mental strength, when Minamoto no Yorimitsu tried using *Dream Tapir* on her, it backfired spectacularly. He was thrown into a first-person experience of being buried deep underground, surrounded by endless darkness, devoid of color or sound. Then, her *Shadow Clone* pulled him into *Tsukuyomi*, forcing him to face *his* inner demon—

The memory of being killed by his brother in a rural town at seventeen.

And just like that, Yorimitsu broke himself…

After dispelling her *Shadow Clone*, Hikari absorbed the memories from the illusion space and couldn't help but feel a bit speechless.

*Slap, slap—*

She tried smacking Yorimitsu's face a few times to snap him out of it, but even with half his face red and swollen, he stayed frozen, unresponsive.

"…Whatever," Hikari muttered. "Let him stew in his 'inner demons' for a bit."

To be fair, Yorimitsu's willpower was far stronger than his brother's. Unlike Chisei, who never doubted Tachibana Masamune, Yorimitsu had tried multiple times to break free from the "King General" while with the Fierce Ghosts. He'd even planned a few assassination attempts against him. That kind of mental fortitude meant he shouldn't be stuck in his nightmare forever—just needed some time.

That said…

Hikari suddenly thought Yorimitsu had the makings of a true Uchiha madman. With this love-hate, kill-or-be-killed vibe with his brother, if he were an Uchiha, he'd probably awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan in no time, becoming a nutcase on par with Obito or Itachi.

Meanwhile, Chisei, supported by Crow, approached her and thanked her, his expression complicated as he glanced at Yorimitsu.

"Miss Hikari, about Yorimitsu…"

"He's fine. Not dead," Hikari said. "Take him back. If he's still a zombie in a few days, let me know, and I'll check on him."

She glanced at Sakura Yabuki nearby. "Your assistant okay?"

Chisei's eyes showed worry, but he shook his head. "She's fine… Yorimitsu's sword veered slightly, missing her heart. With a hybrid's constitution, she should recover."

"Good to know."

Hikari nodded, looking toward the road ahead. "Your little sister's at Elysium Hall, running things as the Fierce Ghosts' 'Ryoma.' Wanna go see her? Though I'm guessing they've probably cleared out by now."

"…Little sister?" Chisei blinked, a question mark slowly forming on his face.

---

After the battle, the ordinary highway was a wreck—overturned cars, motorcycles, and corpses littered the scene. Flames roared in several spots, and the road itself had cracked and collapsed in places. The Eight Families' enforcers stopped passing cars far back, leaving curious onlookers craning their necks to see.

Faint police sirens wailed in the distance, and a few local gangs tied to the Eight Families were rushing over.

Good thing the Fierce Ghosts picked a remote spot for this fight. If this had gone down near downtown, it wouldn't just be cops and gangsters showing up—NHK News would probably be here with cameras rolling.

With the road in this state, driving further was out of the question.

So, with Chisei's okay, Hikari grabbed his shoulder, enveloped him in *ki*, and used *Sky Dance Technique* to fly low over a dozen kilometers.

After a bit of searching, they found a modest mountain villa nestled in lush green hills.

Elysium Hall.

As Hikari expected, the place was deserted, and flames were already licking up the walls.

The fire would've spread, burning down the entire hall and the surrounding forest.

But…

"*Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!*"

Chakra surged within Hikari, and a massive water dragon roared from the sky, crashing down as a torrent to douse the flames.

Chisei watched, stunned, swallowing hard.

Well… she *was* the White King's incarnation, so mimicking a few Water King kekkei genkai was par for the course.

Still…

*Water Dragon Bullet*? Was that dragon language too? It sounded kind of weird…

While Chisei mulled it over, Hikari pushed open the carved bronze doors of Elysium Hall.

It was clear the place had been a thriving casino in its heyday. The interior was massive and ornate, with rows of pachinko machines on one side and gaming tables on the other, big enough for nearly a thousand people.

According to the original plot, there was also a vast underground space here where the Fierce Ghosts "granted wishes" for the right price—whether it was a night with a celebrity, a meeting with the prime minister, or killing someone and taking their stuff.

But it'd probably been cleaned out by now, leaving no useful clues.

Chisei poked around, unwilling to give up.

Hikari, after a quick look, decided searching further was pointless. She plopped down at a pachinko machine, tossing in a handful of steel balls.

As she played, her eyes flicked upward, catching a security camera on the wall. The fire hadn't reached it yet, and a red light blinked faintly behind the glass cover.

"…"

Hikari propped her chin on one hand, staring at the camera for a moment. Then, with a flick of her finger, she shot a steel ball.

*Bang!*

The glass cover shattered, and the smell of burnt wiring followed as the camera went dark.

---

At the same time, hundreds of kilometers away in another city, a man in a Noh mask sat in a dark, cramped room, staring at a monitor that had just gone black. He fell silent.

---

A few hours later, in the dead of night, *EVA* at Cassell College's headquarters intercepted a data stream from Japan.

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