Over the next few days, Uchiha Hikari kept a low profile, humbly seeking advice from Namikaze Minato in the chat group every day. Minato, slipping into the role of a teacher, guided her with dedication, even crafting a tailored training plan to improve her chakra control.
As Konoha's Fourth Hokage, Minato's overall strength didn't match the First Hokage's, and his knowledge wasn't as vast as Sarutobi Hiruzen's. Still, he was among the ninja world's top elite. His insight, experience, and combat expertise far surpassed what Uchiha Hikari—a twelve-year-old "weapon" buried underground—could ever hope to match. Every suggestion he offered gave her new perspectives and invaluable lessons.
Through this back-and-forth exchange, the exhaustion weighing on Hikari began to fade, and her minor scrapes mostly healed.
After repeatedly assuring Bulma that her body was fine, the two finally set off on their long-planned journey to find the Dragon Balls.
That morning, at Bulma's doorstep…
*Boom!*
A puff of smoke erupted as Bulma tossed out a Capsule, which transformed into a car parked by the roadside.
"Hmm…"
Uchiha Hikari's expression was almost identical to little Goku's when he first met Bulma.
Even with her Sharingan active the whole time, Hikari couldn't figure out how an entire car was stuffed into a thumb-sized Capsule. Sure, the ninja world's sealing scrolls could do something similar, but those relied on summoning jutsu principles and were so costly that only elite jounin could afford them. In the Dragon Ball world, though, Capsules were dirt cheap, mass-produced on assembly lines…
Hikari just couldn't wrap her head around it.
"Come on, hop in, Hikari!" Bulma called out.
Shaking her head, Hikari opened the passenger-side door and slid into the seat.
"Hold on tight, Hikari—I'm hitting the gas!"
With Bulma's foot slamming the pedal, the car roared forward.
---
Before Hikari arrived, Bulma had already found one Dragon Ball—the Two-Star Ball—tucked away in her family's storage room. The remaining six were scattered across the world.
Following the Dragon Radar's guidance, they headed north first, rummaging through a valley for half a day until they uncovered the Five-Star Ball.
Next was the Four-Star Ball, located at Mount Paozu.
Thanks to Hikari's spoilers, Bulma sweet-talked little Goku into joining their Dragon Ball hunt with just a few words, and he hopped into the car.
On the way out, though, Bulma couldn't help but mutter, "Hikari, this scruffy kid is the Son Goku you said defeated Piccolo Daimao?"
"Yeah, hard to believe, right?" Hikari replied.
While Bulma eyed Goku skeptically in the rearview mirror, Hikari was quietly observing him too.
At this point, Goku looked like a total country bumpkin, clueless and rowdy, bouncing around in the backseat. Without knowing the *Dragon Ball* storyline, it'd be tough to connect this kid to the future Super Saiyan who'd become the universe's strongest.
"By the way…" Hikari mused aloud, "if you wished on the Dragon Balls to become a Saiyan, would it work?"
She thought it over seriously for a moment before shaking her head, dismissing the idea.
Saiyans had incredible potential, no doubt. But the problem was, not every Saiyan had the same insane growth ceiling as Goku or Vegeta. Before Planet Vegeta was destroyed, most Saiyans had a battle power of around 1,000. Even Goku's older brother, Raditz, only hit 1,300, and that was considered elite among Saiyans. So, unless the wish also granted her the same freakish potential as Goku's family, it wouldn't be worth it.
Plus, there was no guarantee Earth's Shenron could even change someone's bloodline. And whether Saiyan and Uchiha bloodlines could coexist? Total unknown.
For now, Hikari wasn't ready to give up her Mangekyou Sharingan's powers.
That said…
Even if she wasn't planning to become a Saiyan herself, Hikari had other ideas about Saiyan genetics.
"Goku, you hungry? How about your big sisters treat you to some meat tonight?" Hikari asked casually.
"Yeah, yeah, awesome!" Goku perked up instantly at the mention of food, practically vibrating in the backseat.
"But there's a catch," Hikari said, holding up her fingers in a "just a little" gesture. "I need to take a tiny blood sample. Just a quick needle prick, a drop of blood. Doesn't hurt, and it's over in a second."
"?"
Bulma glanced over, puzzled, but Hikari just gave a sly smile and didn't explain.
Back at Bulma's place, Hikari had only shared key plot points from *Dragon Ball* up to Piccolo Daimao's appearance, skipping the Saiyan stuff. Now, she was planning to ask Dr. Brief to analyze Goku's blood and see if there was anything uniquely non-human about it.
After all, if Dr. Gero could use Saiyan DNA to create Androids and Cell, then Dr. Brief—another top scientist in the Dragon Ball world—should be able to find *something*.
And if he couldn't? No big deal. Hikari had a backup plan.
A certain snake-like guy from the ninja world would probably be *very* interested in a sample like this. If anyone could dig into it and come up with something wild, it'd be him.
---
That evening, Hikari went into the forest and hunted down two wild boars, treating Goku and Bulma to a feast.
The Dragon Ball world's natural environment felt more primal than the ninja world's. Wild animals here were massive, but they were just dumb beasts. Even without her Sharingan, Hikari's solid jounin-level skills and ninja tools made short work of a few boars.
Skinning, cleaning, roasting with a *Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu* fireball, and sprinkling on some of Bulma's spices—the smell was so good it'd make the neighbors jealous.
After stuffing their faces, Hikari invited Goku for a quick spar.
How'd it go?
Well, sticking to pure taijutsu—no ninjutsu or genjutsu—Hikari could toy with Goku easily. But actually beating him? That was trickier.
Goku was just too tough. His durability was leagues above a normal human's. Unless she targeted vital points, Hikari's punches and kicks barely fazed him. Meanwhile, if one of Goku's charged-up hits landed square on her—even if she blocked with both arms—it'd sting for a while.
Yup.
This was a kid who could flip a car with a battle power of 10.
In terms of raw strength and physical toughness, most jounin probably couldn't match him.
(Chapter End)