Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

Chapter 136 You're no good, let's get Raikage instead.

Kabuto then followed Sasuke's gaze.

The waves crashed against the rocks with a loud "whoosh," creating a powerful and impressive sound.

Are there people over there too?

His heart leaped into his throat, and almost instinctively he stepped in front of Orochimaru.

Sasuke did not repeat himself.

He simply raised his left hand casually, his fingertips together, and pointed at the group of rocks.

"Sizzle—!"

Black and white arcs of electricity intertwined, drawing a silent straight line in the dim sky, smashing through the rocks, piercing through them, and even creating a brief hole in the surging waves behind them.

Three figures emerged from behind the shattered reef and landed on another relatively intact reef, forcing them to reveal themselves.

They were all wearing the signature one-shoulder vests, and the one in the lead was a white-haired, dark-skinned man with a lazy yet sharp look in his eyes.

"Ninjas from Kumogakure?"

Kabuto's gaze swept over the headbands on the foreheads of those people, and he immediately recognized their identities. His eyes behind his glasses narrowed slightly.

"Come on, don't be so nervous."

Darui, standing in the center, proactively raised his hands and spread them in front of his chest to indicate that he had no hostile intentions, and spoke first, "We have no ill intentions."

Sasuke simply watched them quietly, the lightning in his hand slowly receding.

Seeing that Sasuke had no intention of continuing the attack, Darui felt a little more at ease and tentatively continued speaking, adopting a humble posture and speaking with sincerity.

"We are here on the orders of the Fourth Raikage to extend an invitation to you, Uchiha Sasuke."

These words caused Orochimaru to show a hint of surprise, which quickly turned into a smile of anticipation.

"We have heard that because of Lady Tsunade's matter, you have been listed as an S-rank rogue ninja by Konoha."

"Since you're not happy staying in a place like Konoha..."

Darui paused for a moment, then revealed the real purpose of his trip: "Why not consider going to another village?"

"Lord Raikage has always greatly admired strong individuals like you who possess free will."

"If you are willing to go to Kumogakure, we promise to give you the highest status and respect that Konoha can offer."

"Our Hidden Cloud Village will be your strongest refuge."

"Sasuke-kun is really popular." Orochimaru's voice whispered in Sasuke's ear, full of sarcasm.

Sasuke did not respond.

Faced with this seemingly sincere offer of amnesty, his expression remained completely unchanged.

Those dark eyes were as calm as a stagnant pool, making it impossible for Darui to tell whether he was even listening.

For a long, long time.

Just when Darui thought the other party wouldn't give a reply, and even his two companions behind him were starting to get impatient, the world in front of him suddenly went empty without warning.

The figure of the black-haired boy simply vanished from his sight.

"?!"

Darui's pupils contracted sharply at that moment, and the sudden shiver made his hair stand on end.

Almost the instant the thought flashed through his mind, a cold touch pressed against his back.

"..."

Darui's muscles froze instantly; he could clearly feel the sharpness contained in the tip of the blade.

The other two Cloud Ninja hadn't even realized what was happening yet; they just stared blankly at the figure that had suddenly disappeared and then reappeared behind their captain, their minds completely blank.

Darui took a deep breath, trying to activate the chakra within his body.

However, an invisible, heavy pressure suddenly descended along the blade.

His body trembled, the flow of chakra became stagnant, and the connection between his brain and body seemed to be forcibly severed.

Unable to move.

What kind of technique is this?!

A genuine sense of fear flickered in Darui's eyes.

"can."

A calm voice rang in his ear.

Sasuke slowly sheathed his Zanpakuto, as if everything that had just happened was just a casual greeting.

He smiled slightly, but there was no warmth in his smile.

"I accept the Raikage's invitation and will go to Kumogakure."

This unexpected answer surprised not only Darui, but also Orochimaru and Kabuto standing nearby.

But the tense atmosphere eventually eased.

Darui secretly breathed a sigh of relief; his back was already soaked with cold sweat.

However, Sasuke added another sentence.

"but not now."

He offered no further explanation, but at that moment, the spiritual pressure emanating from his body was released without reservation.

Under this immense pressure, the three Cloud Ninjas felt their legs go weak and even breathing became incredibly difficult.

In just a moment, one of them could no longer hold on and collapsed heavily to his knees. A deathly silence fell over the beach.

"I will go after I have finished dealing with what I need to do."

"If the Raikage can't wait..."

He slowly turned to the side, his eyes sweeping over the faces of the three Cloud Ninja, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

“He can come to me in person.”

After saying that, he stopped looking at the three Cloud Ninja who were completely shocked and turned to walk slowly towards Orochimaru and the others.

"I'm leaving." He waved, his voice returning to its usual calm.

Orochimaru and Kabuto didn't say much, but nodded in tacit agreement and followed the black figure.

The three walked slowly, leaving only shallow footprints on the sand.

But in the minds of the three of them, Darui.

The aura emanating from that black-haired boy grew increasingly heavy.

For a long, long time.

Only when that black figure completely disappeared from sight did the heavy burden weighing on his soul finally come off.

"Whoosh—hah—"

The shattered spirit, at this moment, reflected all that delayed fear onto the body.

One of the Cloud Ninja could no longer hold on. His legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the beach, his chest heaving violently as he gasped for breath, his voice filled with fear.

"The news of Tsunade's abduction is true. This is definitely not a smokescreen put out by Konoha. Even without Orochimaru's help, he could definitely have done it. He absolutely could have done it..."

"That...that brat..." The Cloud Ninja on the left trembled, large beads of cold sweat pouring from his forehead, "That aura...what was that all about?!"

He instinctively reached out and touched his neck, his hand trembling.

Smooth, without any wounds, still perfectly intact.

"That's great..." He leaned back, whispering with a sigh of relief, "I thought... my head was gone..."

He genuinely believed his neck had been severed by the sharp blade, but the other person was moving so fast that he hadn't even sensed death yet.

Only Darui remained silent, lying on his back on the beach, staring blankly at the gray sky, his eyes vacant, lost in thought.

After a long while, the mind of the Cloud Ninja on the left began to work again, and he remembered another objective of this mission.

"Speaking of which, it seems that Uchiha Sasuke never expressed his opinion about Konoha from beginning to end..."

These words caused Darui's empty eyes to tremble suddenly.

He immediately reacted, turning his head away: "What are you thinking? That was a warning. If we go looking for him again, we'll definitely die!"

"We have confirmed his strength, and that is enough to report to Lord Raikage!"

"No, of course not!" The Cloud Ninja immediately shook his head. He never wanted to see that black-haired boy again in his life. "I'm just wondering, why did he agree to our request?"

"Perhaps, he still has some reservations about Konoha after all?" The Cloud Ninja on the far right spoke softly, his voice filled with a sense of relief at surviving a disaster.

"Concerns?" Darui turned his head and scoffed. "Do you think he looked like he had any concerns about Konoha just now?"

The boy gave him the feeling of a wild beast that had long since broken free of all shackles, aloof and dangerous, and unbound by any rules.

Leaf Village?

In his eyes, it was probably nothing more than a cage that could be crushed at any moment.

"So who exactly is he...?"

"Who knows? Does the strong need to explain their thoughts to the weak?"

"Be thankful, Lord Darui," the Cloud Ninja said softly, "that you didn't choose to take action just now."

“Yes…” Darui closed his eyes and chuckled self-deprecatingly, “It’s good that we didn’t die.”

The beach fell into a deathly silence, with only three violently beating hearts remaining.

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

On the other side, after getting far from the coastline, Orochimaru's hoarse voice finally rang out beside Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun, what did you mean by agreeing to go to Kumogakure?"

His snake-like eyes gleamed with a probing light. "Do you intend to use their power?"