Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

One of the bloated men shook his head, wiping his mouth with a silk handkerchief. "The tea that the Fire Temple is sending as tribute is getting worse every year."

“Who says otherwise?” another man wearing a jade pendant chimed in. “Even the mission scrolls handed over had a rougher paper texture, which really affected my mood.”

Their conversation made Sasuke's eyes turn cold.

He saw several sharp-eyed warriors standing behind the nobles, with traces of blood still clinging to the hilts of their swords.

"Speaking of which, it seems that the Seventh Hokage is trying to request additional funding from the Daimyo's office for this Chunin Exams."

"Hmph, those ninjas are getting more and more greedy."

The man initially let out a disdainful snort, "They're just some tools that can use some strange tricks. The money we spend on them every year is enough for us to build another palace."

tool......

This word, like an invisible needle, pierced Sasuke's ear.

Nothing has changed.

They remain tools that these high-ranking nobles can discard at any time.

Just like the Chunin Exams back then, the first two exams were enough to determine whether a ninja could advance.

Finally, the duels in that arena, which resembled a gladiatorial arena, were merely a pastime for these noble lords.

Sasuke had no interest in listening to these maggots' whispers any longer, and in a flash, he disappeared from the teahouse.

He left the Land of Fire and began traveling through the small, narrow kingdoms nestled in the cracks between the lands.

Without the protection of the five major powers, the "peace" here reveals an even uglier face.

He first came to the Land of Waves, where the bridge that once symbolized hope did bring prosperity, but as a result, more and more people like Kado, who were only interested in profit, appeared.

In an unknown border town, he saw emaciated children, suffering from food shortages, lying in a mud puddle, fighting with wild dogs for a piece of moldy rice ball.

In another dilapidated village, he saw a group of unarmed villagers kneeling on the ground, pleading with several weak wandering warriors for a moment's shelter from bandits.

The village chief, trembling, respectfully handed over the few silver coins that the entire village had pooled together.

The leading samurai merely glanced disdainfully at the meager reward before kicking the old village chief's hand away and leaving with his companions, cursing "poor bastards" under his breath.

He left behind a despairing, lifeless gaze.

Sasuke stood at a distance, watching quietly. What he had witnessed these past few days reminded him of Aizen's words.

[For thousands of years, there has been no real change, no real 'evolution'.]

Everyone is firmly bound by this shackle called 'balance'... and stagnation is euphemistically called 'peace'.

Isn't the world just like that?

The "peace" among the five major powers is built on the exploitation of smaller countries.

The "peace" between nobles and commoners is an "order" built upon the blood and sacrifice of ninjas.

Everything is the same as before: ugly, decaying, and stagnant.

It's even more disgusting than his own time, which at least had some authenticity.

And now this so-called "future"...

Sasuke slowly closed his eyes, connecting all the images he had seen into a complete line in his mind.

The Hyuga clan's "Caged Bird" still exists.

The nobles still viewed ninjas as "tools".

The people of this small country continue to struggle in despair and poverty.

And then there's Naruto Uzumaki, who became the Seventh Hokage...

What he was protecting was a peace filled with compromise and hypocrisy.

Nothing has changed.

"..."

Sasuke stood on a cliff at the border of the country, slowly exhaling a breath of stale air, looking down at the shattered land below.

The wind howled up from the abyss, blowing his black shihaka outfit.

He recalled Aizen's fanatical words in Soul Society, and also the "himself" of the future whose edges had been smoothed out.

Ultimately, all the thoughts converged into one extremely simple idea.

"So many countries, so many so-called 'wills'..."

He murmured softly, his dark eyes reflecting the endless territory below, his gaze eerily calm, "There is just too much."

He slowly raised his head, gazing up at the setting sun, its crimson afterglow reflecting on his profile.

What if... there's only one?

Chapter 122 Resistance means this world is still alive

At the top of the cliff, a fierce wind howled, lashing against the boy's thin clothes.

Uchiha Sasuke stood quietly, looking down at the land below that had lost all color in his eyes.

The so-called "future," the so-called "peace"...

He has witnessed it with his own eyes.

This kind of future...

Sasuke slowly closed his eyes, forcibly suppressing the nausea in his heart.

An unprecedented sense of urgency gripped his heart; he could no longer stay here.

He has to go back.

Return to your own era, an era when everything "still had a chance to change."

But how do I get back?

That power that allows him to traverse the world is like a wild horse that has broken free of its reins, wild and uncontrollable, and he has yet to find the reins to tame it.

Sasuke's mind raced, but he could only come up with one possible answer.

That version of myself that possesses the Rinnegan.

Perhaps only he possesses the ability to analyze this chaotic spacetime power.

Having figured this out, Sasuke no longer hesitated. His figure left a blurry afterimage of lightning as he sped off towards Konoha.

.........

Inside the Hokage's office, the afternoon sun was warm and languid.

Naruto Uzumaki was dealing with a mountain of official business with a bit of a headache, while Shikamaru Nara offered advice casually from the side.

Meanwhile, middle-aged Sasuke stood quietly by the window, seemingly waiting for something.

Everything seemed so ordinary, so peaceful.

However, this tranquility was shattered without warning in the next instant.

The air in the center of the office distorted without warning, and then a young figure dressed in black appeared silently in front of the Hokage's desk.

"Who goes there?!"

Several hidden ninjas appeared at the same time, their killing intent palpable, almost instinctively ready to strike.

However, they were unable to take another step forward.

The middle-aged Sasuke, who had been standing silently by the window, simply raised his right hand casually and pressed it down gently.

All the murderous intent of the secret agents was forcibly suppressed in that instant, and they dared not make any further rash moves.

"Everyone, get out." The middle-aged Sasuke's voice was very soft.

"Yes!"

The members of the secret service exchanged glances. Although still confused, they did not hesitate and with a few flashes, they all withdrew from the office.

The office returned to silence.

"Sasuke!"

Naruto's voice was a mixture of shock, astonishment, and an undisguised joy.

He stood up almost instinctively, walked around the desk, and strode quickly to the young Sasuke.

"Where have you been all these days?! I thought you..."

Looking at the face that looked more than ten years younger but was still familiar, Naruto was overwhelmed with emotion and his words became somewhat incoherent.

Young Sasuke ignored his excitement, his gaze first sweeping over Naruto's much more mature face, then glancing at the silent "himself" beside him, before finally settling on the village outside the window.

“I looked around and took a look at this ‘future’ that you have created.”

Upon hearing this, Naruto's initial joy was gradually replaced by a more complex emotion.

The excitement on his face slowly subsided, and he let out a long sigh, revealing a nostalgic and sentimental smile.

"Yeah......"

"Did you see that, Sasuke?"

Naruto's voice softened, and a smile appeared in his eyes. "Do you see the world we have now?"

“I know you haven’t experienced what happened afterward, and you don’t know how much we’ve sacrificed to get to where we are today.”

He paused, his azure eyes reflecting the peaceful village outside the window, his voice soft, as if confiding in a dear friend from the past.

"But it was all worth it."

"The war is over, everyone can live happily, and children no longer need to go to the battlefield from a young age..."

He looked at Sasuke and a genuine smile appeared on his face.

"The peace we enjoy is hard-won; it was bought with the blood and lives of countless people, and it belongs to all of us..."

However, Sasuke clearly did not agree with Naruto's words and simply scoffed.

"Peace?"