Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

He had no connection with this "youngest captain in history." The only connection they had was that they were both once known as "geniuses" in the Shinigami Academy.

Just then, Hitsugaya stopped in his tracks.

Their eyes widened slightly as they looked at the black-haired boy who had just brushed past them, somewhat surprised.

This spiritual pressure...this face...

"Hey."

Hitsugaya instinctively called out to him.

Sasuke paused slightly, then calmly turned his head to the side.

"You are, Uchiha Sasuke?" Hitsugaya's voice carried a hint of uncertainty.

He still has a deep impression of this name.

Like him, he was a genius who was rarely seen in the Soul Society in the last hundred years, graduating from the Shinigami Academy in just one year.

However, in his memory, Uchiha Sasuke was still a kid who was shorter than himself and exuded a violent aura.

But this one in front of me...

Hitsugaya's gaze involuntarily swept over Sasuke's tall and slender figure.

They were much taller than me, and their facial features had lost their childishness.

Most importantly, it's the texture of that spiritual pressure.

"Is there something you need, Captain Hitsugaya?" Sasuke asked calmly.

It's really him!

A sense of indescribable shock flashed through Hitsugaya's mind.

"Oh? Isn't this the little genius from the Eleventh Division?" Matsumoto Rangiku, who was standing next to him, also recognized Sasuke and showed an interested expression.

He stepped closer and circled Sasuke, his eyes filled with undisguised curiosity.

"That's strange. I remember you only recently went to the mortal world on a mission. Why do you seem..."

She stretched out her hand and gestured above her and Sasuke's heads, her voice full of surprise, "You've grown so much taller all of a sudden?!"

Death's growth is extremely slow; sometimes decades pass without much change in appearance.

But this young man in front of me, after only one mission, seems to have traversed nearly a century in the blink of an eye.

"Rangiku!" Hitsugaya whispered, stopping her somewhat rude behavior.

"Sorry sorry."

Matsumoto Rangiku immediately raised her hands and retreated with a grin, but her eyes remained glued to Sasuke.

Hitsugaya cleared his throat, trying to make his expression look more serious.

"you......"

He took a step forward, almost tilting his head back, looking at Sasuke who was nearly a head taller than him, his voice filled with barely suppressed curiosity, "How did you grow so fast?"

This abrupt question startled even Sasuke slightly.

Meanwhile, Matsumoto Rangiku covered her mouth with her sleeve and let out a soft, suppressed laugh.

She knew all too well what her captain was thinking.

He has an almost obsessive attachment to the words "height" and "growing up".

Sasuke glanced at the serious-looking captain, then at the woman beside him who was laughing hysterically, his gaze as indifferent as ever.

"nothing."

To be concise and to the point, I don't intend to waste time on such trivial matters.

"nothing?"

Hitsugaya's brows furrowed even more, clearly not accepting this perfunctory answer.

"I know very well how fast Death grows; your current state indicates you've at least gone through..."

He paused, as if doing mental calculations, "It should take at least several decades to grow!"

"Tell me, what method did you use?" His voice even carried a hint of urgency.

"Pfft..."

Rangiku Matsumoto, standing to the side, couldn't help but burst into laughter at her captain's anxious expression, her chest heaving.

"I said, Captain~"

She stepped forward and nudged her captain lightly with her elbow. "Don't make things difficult for him. Maybe this is just his special constitution. It's normal for him to grow faster."

She turned her head and winked at Sasuke, her peach blossom eyes filled with laughter.

"Right, Sasuke-kun?"

Her voice carried a hint of teasing, and her eyes sized up Sasuke with great interest.

"But speaking of which, Sasuke, the sixth seat, does look more manly than before. How about you consider joining our 10th Division? I'll definitely take good care of you, okay?"

Sasuke glanced at her, completely ignoring her teasing.

When Hitsugaya Toshiro heard the word "manliness," his cheek twitched almost imperceptibly, and the veins on his forehead appeared faintly.

He whirled around and growled in a low voice at his unreliable vice-captain: "Matsumoto! We're talking business now!"

"Yes, yes, yes," Rangiku replied lazily.

Hitsugaya Toshiro took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his displeasure at being provoked by his lieutenant, and turned his gaze back to Sasuke.

"Hey, Uchiha."

His tone turned serious. "Tell me how, and I can trade you our team's budget for this quarter."

"..."

A rare look of speechlessness flashed across Sasuke's face.

It turned out to be the case.

The captain of the 10th Division, who is rumored to be mistaken for an elementary school student because of his height, is so obsessed with growing up.

There is no way.

"How did you do that?!" Hitsugaya asked instinctively, his voice rising several decibels, completely forgetting his role as captain.

"team leader."

Matsumoto Rangiku sighed and muttered, "Mind your image, mind your image..."

Hitsugaya's cheeks flushed almost imperceptibly, he coughed twice, and immediately resumed his serious expression.

"Ahem, I'm just asking routinely. After all, this abnormal growth rate needs to be recorded."

"Personal privacy".

Sasuke uttered four words that completely shut down his question.

“You bastard…” Hitsugaya’s temple throbbed.

"Okay, okay, Captain, don't be so serious."

Matsumoto Rangiku smiled and smoothed things over, giving Sasuke a charming smile, "Our captain is just a bit sensitive about 'growth,' don't take it to heart."

Her voice trailed off with a long, drawn-out tone, full of teasing.

"After all, he really wants to grow up quickly into a strong and reliable man that Vice-Captain Hinamori can rely on."

"Matsumoto Rangiku!!!"

Hitsugaya's face flushed crimson instantly, and he practically roared out his vice-captain's name, "Do you want your pay cut?!"

"Yes, yes, I was wrong." Rangiku immediately apologized with a grin, but the smile in her eyes was impossible to hide.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

Watching the two playfully bickering, Sasuke nodded slightly to them as a greeting, then turned to leave.

"and many more."

Hitsugaya's voice rang out again, the embarrassment and anger on his face gone, replaced by a serious expression.

"You were heading in the direction of the Palace of Repentance, weren't you?"

Sasuke stopped in his tracks, slowly turned his head, and calmly looked back at him.

"Yes." He did not deny it.

Hitsugaya's brows furrowed even more. He looked at Sasuke and warned in a deep voice, "I advise you not to go."

"That area is now the highest level of security zone in Seireitei. The Sixth Division has taken full control of it. Any unauthorized personnel approaching will be considered a provocation against the laws of Seireitei."

He paused, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

“I don’t care what your relationship is with that Kuchiki Rukia, but now is not the time for you to act impulsively.”

Sasuke listened quietly, his face remaining expressionless.

Thank you.

He whispered his thanks, then disappeared completely at the end of the street after a few flashes.

"Hey! Are you even listening?!" Hitsugaya was so angry that he jumped up and down, instinctively wanting to chase after him, but Matsumoto Rangiku grabbed him.

"Captain, stop chasing. Let the Sixth Division handle this themselves."

Her voice carried a hint of helplessness, "You know the Eleventh Division guys all too well, when have they ever listened to advice?"

"Besides, there's a ton of paperwork waiting for you to finish. If you don't go back soon, you'll be pulling an all-nighter again."

Hitsugaya's steps came to an abrupt halt.

The thought of the mountain of documents piled up in the barracks made his face darken instantly.

"cut......"

Hitsugaya let out a disgruntled snort, put his hands back in his sleeves, turned around, and walked towards the Tenth Division.

"What an infuriating guy," he muttered under his breath.