Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

I can wait.

A warm current, unlike anything he had ever felt before, quietly surged up, causing his hand holding the scabbard to unconsciously relax.

After a long while, he let out a self-deprecating chuckle and slowly took out a scroll from his pocket, which was the information about the Akatsuki organization that Orochimaru had given him.

“…There’s nothing I can’t say.” Sasuke’s voice was soft as he unfurled the scroll in front of the two of them.

On the scroll are depicted several figures draped in black robes and red clouds, each exuding an ominous aura.

A glaring red circle was drawn around one of the figures.

He was a man with black hair and black eyes, and two deep nasolabial folds on his handsome face.

"This person is my older brother, Uchiha Itachi." Sasuke's voice was calm, as if he were introducing a complete stranger.

"Indeed... the murderer who killed my parents with his own hands and slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan."

At that moment, Yoruichi's breath hitched, but she didn't interrupt. She just listened quietly, watching the flames rise and fall in the boy's eyes.

“At first I thought he did that just to test his own ‘capacity’.”

Sasuke's voice carried an undisguised sarcasm: "The image he presents is that of a monster who would not hesitate to wipe out his parents and clan for the sake of power."

“I used to think that way too, and killing him was my goal in life.”

Mars danced between the two.

"But I was wrong."

Sasuke slowly raised his head, gazing up at the boundless night sky. "It was all a lie from beginning to end."

"One did it to stop the family's coup, to protect that decaying village, and even more so for..."

His voice became hoarse at that moment, and he could barely utter that word.

"...a carefully crafted lie to protect me."

Yoruichi's golden eyes widened suddenly, her face revealing undisguised shock.

She considered countless possibilities: blood feuds, power struggles, or even being controlled by some evil force.

But I never expected this answer.

"He chose to bear all the blame and hatred, hoping to die at my hands, just so that I could wash away all the stains as an avenger and be accepted back into that village."

Sasuke's lips curled into a mocking smile.

"To exchange the destruction of an entire family for the happiness of one person."

"He used his arrogance to express his self-righteous love."

He's finished speaking.

The campfire was still crackling.

The night wind blew between the two, stirring up a few withered leaves and carrying them into the deeper darkness.

Yoruichi remained silent for a long, long time.

She has witnessed countless tragedies and heard far too many betrayals.

But never has a story been so bizarre and absurd, and yet so...heartbreaking.

This kind of "love" is the kind of love that chooses to push the person you cherish most into hell so that they can "live".

How twisted, how desperate.

"......I see."

After a long while, Yoruichi finally spoke, her voice carrying an indescribable complex emotion.

She reached out and gently placed her hand on Sasuke's hand, which was tightly gripping the scabbard.

The warm touch made Sasuke's body tremble violently.

"Destroy everything you once had, and force you onto a path that he has already planned."

"It is a love so arrogant that it can crush the soul."

"Yes."

Sasuke slowly raised his head, gazing once more at the night sky that no longer belonged to him, and let out a soft laugh.

"But it was this arrogant love... that made me see the true nature of this world."

"I used to think that as long as I could kill the ferret and kill the culprits who caused the tragedy, everything would be over."

Sasuke's gaze slowly shifted from the starry sky back to the campfire in front of him, which was about to burn out.

"But now I understand that it's pointless. Overthrowing a corrupt Hokage will only lead to someone else taking that position and repeating the same thing."

"The root of the problem has never been any one person, but the corrupt order that breeds all of this."

"so......"

Sasuke's voice was calm, yet it seemed to freeze the air around him: "Everything I'm about to do has only one purpose."

"Whether it's that world or my original world."

He looked at Yoruichi and said in a measured tone, "I don't want anyone else to follow the same path as me and Itachi Uchiha because of that corrupt and outdated order."

"..."

Yoruichi fell completely silent.

Only then did I truly understand what Sasuke meant when he said to her in Soul Society, "The sky here is too low."

The campfire finally burned out.

The last spark dissipated in the night wind, and the world was plunged into complete darkness and silence.

"I understand."

Yoruichi withdrew her hand from Sasuke's and slowly said, "Whether it's what you want to do or what you're going to do, I'll help you."

"It's almost dawn, let's rest for a bit."

She transformed back into a cat and casually lay on Sasuke's chest.

Sasuke didn't respond further, leaning against the tree stump behind him and closing his eyes.

...........

The next morning.

Yoruichi opened her eyes silently, but did not move. She simply lay quietly on Sasuke's chest, feeling the chest beneath her rise and fall slightly with each breath.

She slowly raised her head and, in the dim morning light, gazed at the boy's still-sleeping face.

In his sleep, Sasuke's face was not as cold as usual; the contours of his features appeared exceptionally soft, and his usually furrowed brows relaxed.

Yoruichi recalled the past that the boy had described the previous night and finally understood where the deep-seated loneliness in him came from.

A hint of pity flashed in her eyes.

Knowing that you are unhappy is not terrible.

What's terrifying is that you once had a wonderful happiness, but then you watch it be completely crushed in front of you by the person you trusted most, and it's gone forever.

Looking at the boy's peaceful sleeping face, Yoruichi felt as if she could see through the disguise and into the core of his soul that had once been just as gentle.

I hope... you can slowly get through this.

Yoruichi whispered to herself, extending her tiny paw pads. After thinking for a moment, she resisted the urge to touch his cheek.

Just then, Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed without warning, his eyelids trembled violently, and his breathing became rapid.

That rare tranquility was shattered by a nightmare, and he suddenly opened his eyes.

"Good morning, Sasuke." Yoruichi yawned lazily.

She nimbly leaped off Sasuke, stretched her front paws forward, lowered her body, and stretched.

"Did you sleep well? I just realized that your chest is quite comfortable as a pillow."

Sasuke ignored her joke, stood up, and hung the two Zanpakuto back on his waist.

"gone."

He uttered two words, marking the start of a new day's journey.

"Huh? Why the rush?"

Yoruichi quickly followed, lightly landing back on his shoulder. "Aren't you going to get something to eat first? Reforms take energy, you know."

"No need."

"What a boring guy." Yoruichi pursed her lips, but didn't insist any further.

But Sasuke paused slightly, then took out a rice ball wrapped in oil paper from his pocket and held it to her lips.

"..."

Yoruichi looked at the rice ball in front of her, then at the boy's still aloof profile, and a warm smile appeared in her cat-like eyes.

She opened her mouth and took a small bite.

Sasuke didn't say anything more, and started walking towards that unknown distance.

The morning light pierced through the thin mist, casting a long shadow of him.

Sasuke turned around, glanced at the valley behind him, then turned back to look at the endless road ahead, still unsure where it would ultimately lead.

Yoruichi's weight was also pressing on his shoulders, but for some reason, Sasuke instinctively felt that the weight on his shoulders seemed lighter than before.

..............

Soon, the two arrived at a very small town.

"Oh? This place looks rather deserted."

Yoruichi perched on Sasuke's shoulder, curiously looking around. "That woman named Tsunade, would she be in a place like this?"

Sasuke didn't answer and walked to the end of a relatively secluded alley.

At the end of the alley was an inconspicuous public toilet, its walls covered with moss and emitting a musty smell.

"We've arrived," Sasuke said calmly.