Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

Sasuke let out a suppressed groan.

Under the impact of that brute force, he slid backward uncontrollably, his feet carving two ever-long furrows in the ground.

The aftershocks from the enemy's liberation were already so terrifying?!

He strained to peer through the gaps in his arms at the eye of the storm, trying to see something else.

But you can't see anything.

All that could be seen was a dazzling gold that was enough to scorch the soul.

And, in the center of that golden expanse, Kenpachi Zaraki slowly raised his massive axe blade, his face expressionless.

coming.

Sasuke's heart clenched.

He wanted to move, to raise the lightning blade in his hand to defend, to use "Flash" again to create distance...

However, his body seemed to be pinned to the spot by the invisible spiritual pressure, making even the use of his hands and feet extremely difficult.

despair.

A pure sense of despair that he had long forgotten.

Just like many years ago, on that blood-red night, when I faced those Mangekyou Sharingan eyes that spun like windmills.

He watched the massive axe blade slowly rise, feeling the will that could cleave him and his soul in two, and slowly closed his eyes.

it's over......

however.

The expected blade did not arrive.

The golden spiritual pressure storm that had been suffocating him receded without warning, like a receding tide.

"Ok?"

Sasuke suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with unresolved confusion.

The whole world seemed to have been muted.

The wind stopped, the spiritual pressure disappeared, and even the exclamations of the two officials in the distance ceased abruptly.

In the center of the training ground, Kenpachi Zaraki still maintained the posture of holding his huge axe blade high, his golden spiritual pressure flickering around him like a candle in the wind.

At this moment, Sasuke also noticed that something was clearly wrong.

Logically speaking, Kenpachi's expression should have been ferocious and fanatical after breaking the seal, but his face remained unusually calm from the moment he appeared.

That's good...

It seemed as if he had lost consciousness before the seal was broken.

Then, under Sasuke's incredulous gaze...

"boom......"

A muffled thud.

The enormous axe blade fell to the ground, turning into golden specks of light, and reverted to its original, nicked, and grotesque form as an Asauchi Zanpakuto.

Then, there was that tall figure.

It fell straight down, straight as ever.

"..."

Sasuke stared blankly at the sudden scene before him, his mind completely blank.

He won?

Sasuke's body swayed violently as he suddenly relaxed after being tense.

The Bankai stance was no longer maintained, and the black hunting robe and the lightning blade in his hand turned into specks of light and dissipated, returning to the tattered Shinigami robe.

He knelt on one knee, panting heavily, the exhaustion of surviving the ordeal washing over him like a tidal wave.

He did not win.

I am just...

I just survived.

"team leader!!!"

Unable to contain itself any longer, Yijiao let out a roar and charged toward the center of the ruins.

Yumichika sighed helplessly and followed suit.

However, there was one figure who was faster than them.

"Little Sword!"

A petite pink figure landed lightly beside Kenpachi Zaraki's fallen body with a whooshing sound.

Kusajishi Yachiru crouched down, stretched out her little finger, and poked Kenpachi's dusty face. There was no sadness on her face, but rather a pure joy.

"Great, Xiao Jian is asleep." She giggled.

Then, she raised her head, her gaze sweeping across the ravaged battlefield and landing on the black-haired boy kneeling on one knee, panting heavily.

She stood up and walked step by step toward Sasuke, looking at the man who had just defeated her favorite "little sword".

After a long while, she grinned and revealed a bright smile.

"Thank you, Xiao Zuo."

Yachiru tilted her head, her voice clear and melodious, "Little Sword is having a lot of fun."

Sasuke's slightly unfocused pupils suddenly focused the moment he heard the thanks.

"His knife seems to be waking up soon too."

After saying that, she didn't linger and skipped back to Kenpachi's side, preparing to drag away the body that was dozens of times larger than herself.

"Alright, alright, Ken, let's go back to sleep and eat konpeito!"

Just then, a figure appeared without warning at the edge of the training field, accompanied by a rapid series of quick steps.

The newcomer was dressed in standard Shinigami attire, with a hint of anxiety on his face. When he saw Kenpachi lying on the ground, he froze.

"This, this is..."

He landed quickly, his voice filled with shock and confusion, "Vice-Captain Yachiru, what happened here? Captain Zaraki, he..."

"Oh, it's you, little errand boy."

Yachiru responded without turning her head, still tugging at Kenpachi's clothes.

The visitor was clearly used to this form of address. He took a deep breath and finally stated the purpose of his visit.

"Vice-Captain, urgent orders from the First Division!"

His voice turned solemn, "Captain-Commander Yamamoto, summon all captains to the First Division barracks immediately for an emergency captains' meeting!"

"Captains' Meeting?"

Yachiru stopped what she was doing and scratched her short pink hair in frustration. "But, Ken is asleep right now, so we can't go."

"This..." The messenger, Death, was also at a loss, not knowing what to do for a moment.

Yachiru blinked, as if she had come up with a brilliant idea.

She released her grip on Kenpachi's hand and forcibly ripped off his already tattered captain's haori.

Then, she turned around and casually tossed the haori aside.

"Here."

The haori traced an arc in the air and landed precisely on the head of the black-haired boy who had just stood up, completely covering him.

Sasuke: "......"

He expressionlessly ripped the blood-stained haori off his head, looked at Yachiru with a puzzled expression.

What are you doing?

"Little Sword lost."

Yachiru's answer was perfectly natural, as if stating a truth: "If you lose, you're no longer the captain."

She pointed her tiny finger at Sasuke, a naive smile on her face, and loudly announced to the somewhat bewildered Shinigami messenger.

"Sasuke, who defeated Koken, is now the new captain of the Eleventh Division!"

"So, you should just go to the meeting!"

"W-what?!"

The Shinigami who delivered the order was completely stunned. He pointed at Sasuke, then looked at Yachiru, his voice trembling.

"Vice-Captain Yachiru! This...this is completely against the rules! Candidates for the Eleventh Division must defeat the captain in front of 200 members, but what you're doing..."

There were only five of them on the entire training field.

"This is too troublesome. Let's just wait for Xiao Jian to wake up and let them fight again."

Yachiru waved her hand impatiently, interrupting him, and then began to drag Kenpachi by the foot, hopping and skipping away towards the barracks.

"It's decided!"

The crisp, melodious sound gradually faded into the distance.

On the training field, only the dumbfounded messenger, Death, remained, along with...

The black-haired boy holding a tattered haori in his hand.

"But...but..." The messenger wanted to say something more.

Sasuke ignored him.

He simply lowered his head, looking at the tattered white haori in his hands.

for a long time.

Sasuke slowly raised his hand.