Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

Is it because of the barrier between two worlds? Or is it...?

Sasuke's face drained of color instantly, his body trembled violently, and cold sweat soaked through his black hair, dripping down his chin to the ground.

No... I can't hold on any longer...

He gritted his teeth, the immense exertion causing his vision to blur intermittently, until finally his legs gave way and he collapsed to his knees, his right hand still pressed firmly to the ground, his teeth clenched tightly.

Consciousness is being gradually eroded.

Just as he was about to be completely drained, a faintly glowing magic circle finally took shape on the silent ground.

The light dissipated.

Sasuke could no longer hold on and collapsed forward, nearly fainting completely.

He was breathing heavily, and his vision was blurred.

“Where is this…” A bewildered female voice echoed in the deathly silent valley.

Yoruichi Shihouin's figure slowly emerged from the dim light, still wearing that black, tight-fitting combat suit, her long purple hair dancing in the wind.

She looked around at the completely unfamiliar valley with a blank expression, her cat-like eyes filled with confusion.

However, when her gaze fell upon the figure lying on the ground, panting heavily, all her confusion froze.

"Sasuke?!"

Yoruichi's heart skipped a beat.

Almost the instant the sound rang out, her figure transformed into a purple afterimage and appeared beside Sasuke.

She pulled Sasuke into her arms with one hand, while her eyes warily scanned every corner of their surroundings, her voice urgent and serious.

"Where is the enemy?!"

In Yoruichi's opinion, the opponent's strength must have reached an unimaginably terrifying level to have driven Sasuke to such a desperate situation, to the point that he even sought her help.

However, the enemy she had anticipated did not appear.

Apart from the sound of the wind, the only other sound in the valley was Sasuke's heavy breathing.

After waiting for a while, Yoruichi still did not sense any abnormal spiritual pressure fluctuations. Only then did she look down at the pale-faced boy in her arms, her voice full of worry.

"Hey kid, how are you? Where are you hurt?"

"..."

Sasuke raised his head with some difficulty to look at Yoruichi, his voice hoarse from exhaustion.

"There are no enemies."

"Huh?" Yoruichi was stunned.

“...It’s a summoning jutsu.” Sasuke finally recovered.

"what?"

"This technique consumes too much energy."

With Yoruichi's support, he managed to straighten up, and gave a self-deprecating laugh, "I almost... got drained."

"..."

Yoruichi's pretty face, which was filled with worry, froze completely the moment she heard the answer. She stared at him blankly, as if to make sure she hadn't misheard.

She first confirmed that Sasuke had no wounds, and then sensed the almost depleted spiritual energy within him.

Once it was confirmed that the brat wasn't joking, and that he really was in this half-dead state because of "summoning" him...

A complex mix of emotions welled up inside me instantly.

"boom!"

A crisp, muffled sound.

Yoruichi raised her hand and delivered a merciless punch to Sasuke's head.

"You idiot brat!!!"

Her voice suddenly rose, and she grabbed Sasuke by the collar, practically shoving him in the face as she roared, "Do you know how worried I was just now?!"

"I thought you were up to your old tricks again, going to challenge some monster and almost getting killed!"

"And you're telling me that you got yourself into this half-dead state just because of a summoning spell?!"

Sasuke was a little stunned by her yelling, but he felt a mix of guilt and awkward warmth.

However, Yoruichi's sermon was far from over.

She released Sasuke's hand, crossed her arms, stared at him intently with her golden cat-like eyes, and the corner of her mouth turned dangerous.

"How did it feel to have sided with the enemy and made a 'deal' before?"

"Now you've made yourself into this mess again, do you think you're so great? Hmm, Uchiha Sasuke?"

Her voice was full of sarcasm, but a hint of lingering fear was hidden deep in her eyes.

Sasuke covered his head with one hand, feeling a bit of a headache from what she said, but he didn't refute it.

"besides......"

Seeing his silent demeanor only fueled her anger.

She mimicked Sasuke's haughty demeanor, turned her head, and spoke softly in a calm tone.

"The sky here is so low..."

"A bird in a cage, and an eagle in the sky..."

Yoruichi turned her head, her eyes narrowed into slits, and a very "kind" smile appeared on her face. Her tone also became sarcastic.

"What happened? Our eagle, who should have been soaring in the sky, has had all its feathers plucked out after only a short time of flight?"

"Um?!"

"..."

Sasuke's previously pale face instantly darkened.

When Ye Yi saw his appearance, she was both annoyed and amused, but a deep sense of seriousness remained in her eyes.

The playfulness on her face slowly faded, and her voice became low and serious.

"Alright, kid, enough joking around. Now it's time to tell me."

"Why did you follow Aizen in Soul Society? Don't tell me you were actually convinced by his nonsense."

This question made Sasuke's breath catch in his throat slightly. He silently brushed the black hair that had fallen across his forehead back.

“I didn’t follow him.”

Sasuke's voice was calm as he corrected Yoruichi's choice of words, "I'm just using him to achieve what I want to do."

"So what's the difference?"

Yoruichi frowned. "Don't you know how dangerous that man is?!"

"Of course I know that the so-called highest authority of Seireitei was manipulated by that man, and you only realized it when he took the initiative to expose it."

“From this perspective, he is indeed very dangerous, isn’t he?” Sasuke turned his head and stared intently at Yoruichi.

These words caused Yoruichi to stiffen abruptly, leaving her speechless for a moment.

Sasuke didn't stop; instead, he started asking her questions in return.

"how about you?"

"Hmm?" Yoruichi raised an eyebrow.

"More than a hundred years ago, didn't you also choose to betray the entire Soul Society in order to save Kisuke Urahara?"

Sasuke's voice was calm as he recounted Yoruichi's past, "Helping serious criminals escape, and ultimately defecting..."

He slowly turned his head, looked directly at Yoruichi, and said, "Judging from the results alone, how are our actions any different?"

"..."

Yoruichi's heart skipped a beat; she understood the meaning behind Sasuke's words.

A hundred years ago, in order to save Kisuke Urahara, who had been framed by Aizen, and several other companions, she also chose to betray Soul Society and fight against that corrupt rule.

Yoruichi's face showed a rare hint of helplessness, and she subconsciously avoided Sasuke's gaze, but she quickly regained her composure and then asked in return.

"This alone is not enough to make you think that way, is it?"

"The Great Spirit Book Corridor," Sasuke uttered the name casually.

Yoruichi's pupils contracted sharply at that moment as she stared blankly at the boy before her.

"You've been there?"

Sasuke nodded slightly, which was taken as acquiescence.

Yoruichi fell completely silent.

She knew better than anyone what was recorded inside.

The Great Spiritual Library Corridor...

That place holds the most authentic, and also the most unbearable, history of Soul Society.

From the truth about the Spirit King, to the original sins of the five noble families, and then to the millennia-old lie of the Central Forty-Six Chambers...

Yoruichi's heart sank.

No wonder Sasuke said those things, no wonder he held such deep disdain for the Seireitei's order.

Because he has witnessed firsthand that this world was built from the very beginning on a despicable betrayal and a colossal lie.

"What exactly do you want to do?" she asked in a deep voice.

If this brat's goal is to disrupt the fragile balance of the Three Realms, even if she has some affection for him, she will not hesitate to kill him on the spot.

Sasuke didn't answer immediately. He raised his head, looked up at the gray sky, and his eyes were calm.

"To change all that is decaying, and..."

He paused, then uttered the answer that left Yoruichi breathless: "Liberate that poor Soul King."