Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

A black-haired boy had silently appeared before them without them noticing.

They looked terrified.

A ninja? And such a powerful ninja?!

How could the Land of Whirlpools, such a godforsaken place, possibly...

"Does having some power mean you only know how to wield your sword against the weaker ones?"

Sasuke ignored their fear, his eyes sweeping over their timid expressions, a cold smile curving his lips.

"This ugliness has no reason to continue to exist."

The moment the words fell, five sharp spikes made of pure black flames shot out from the shadows beneath their feet, piercing their throats with pinpoint accuracy.

Before they could even scream, the five figures were completely engulfed by the black flames, right before the horrified eyes of all the villagers.

After doing all this, Sasuke turned around and looked at the villagers who were now silent with fear.

Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi landed instantly at that moment, standing on his left and right sides.

The villagers became even more reserved.

"Is this... Ninja Master?" An elderly man with a cane stepped out from the crowd and asked cautiously, "Thank you, Ninja Master, for saving our village."

He winked at the person next to him.

A man carrying a cloth bag immediately understood, quickly ran to Sasuke, knelt down, raised the heavy bag of coins high above his head, and then pushed it to Sasuke's feet.

"This is all the savings our village has," the old man continued, his posture extremely humble. "As payment for saving us, we hope the ninja will not find it offensive."

It's a pity, but on this island, food is far more important than money.

It's a miracle that we were able to keep the food supplies.

Sasuke did not answer immediately.

He looked at the coins, at the old man's face filled with awe and obsequiousness, and then at the numb eyes around him.

After a long while, he let out a soft, enigmatic laugh and gently kicked the bag of coins back.

"I don't need it."

The old man looked at Sasuke with disbelief.

"Ninja-sama..."

"Keep it," Sasuke said calmly. "Go exchange it for something more useful."

The old man was taken aback. In this scene, even Sasuke's handsome and cold face seemed to soften a lot.

He mustered his courage and asked, "Sir Ninja, may we know your name?"

Sasuke's gaze passed over them, reaching deeper into the ruins, and after a moment he slowly spoke.

"Call me whatever you want. If you'd like, you can call me Death."

A... grim reaper who has come to end this corrupt era.

"grim Reaper?"

The old man was stunned; clearly, he also knew the legend of Wochao Village.

He stared blankly at the boy in front of him, his lips trembling slightly, but in the end he didn't say anything.

However, from the crowd, a young figure broke free from his father's tight grip and staggered out.

It was a boy who looked no more than seven or eight years old, wearing a linen shirt covered in patches.

He ran to Sasuke, and mimicking an adult, slammed his forehead heavily on the ground. He then tilted his dusty little face up and shouted with all his might:

"Lord Death! Could you please stay in our village?"

Sasuke paused slightly as he was about to take a step.

He lowered his eyes, looking at the child before him whose eyes burned with expectation, and calmly asked, "Do you want me to stay?"

"Yes!" The little boy nodded emphatically, his face full of urgency. "There are more than just these pirates! They have many, many more accomplices!"

He seemed to recall some terrible memory, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

“Our village is robbed by them every few weeks. Even if we move to another place, they will still find us. My mother was killed by other pirates!”

By the end, his voice was trembling with emotion, and tears welled up in his eyes.

The little boy looked up, his eyes, which should have been innocent, were now filled with pleading and despair.

"Lord Death! Please stay in the village and protect us!"

These words brought the villagers, who were still in fear, to their senses, and all their expectant gazes turned to Sasuke.

However, Sasuke simply listened quietly and then gently shook his head.

Why should I stay?

The little boy stopped crying abruptly, and he looked up in confusion, realizing that he had already given the answer.

"Because...because there will still be pirates!" he repeated anxiously. "They will come and steal everything from us, and they will kill everyone else in the village!"

"Yes."

Sasuke met his gaze and calmly nodded. "There will be pirates too."

He crouched down so that his eyes were level with the boy's.

"I'll wipe out this wave today, but another wave will emerge in a few days."

“Even if I set sail now and kill all the pirates on this island, in a few years, or even just a few months, new people will take up their swords again and become new pirates because of hunger and greed.”

The little boy looked at him blankly; these words were too complicated for him to understand.

"I'm going to stay and protect you, but how long am I supposed to stay?" Sasuke continued, "There will always be pirates, so am I supposed to stay here forever?"

The little boy opened his mouth, and the question "Why not?" almost slipped out.

But looking into those calm eyes, he couldn't bring himself to say those words.

Because he could vaguely sense that the "Grim Reaper" in front of him, who looked only a few years older than him, seemed to be carrying something much heavier.

“I also have my own things to do.” Sasuke’s voice softened slightly. “Those things are very important to me.”

He paused, then explained in a more easily understandable way.

"That's just as important as your desire to protect the village."

Although Sasuke cannot stay, he believes that as long as he can create the future he desires, everything will be alright.

Pirates will disappear because the barren soil that gave rise to them will be filled in, hungry children will no longer need to fight with wild dogs for food, food will be precisely distributed to everyone, and weak villages will no longer need to grovel before others.

Under the gaze of those eyes, no one will ever again be able to rise above the weak.

That would be a perfect world, a world without strife, hunger, or oppression.

Upon hearing Sasuke's refusal, the little boy's eyes instantly reddened. He clenched his little fists anxiously, but didn't know what to say.

Sasuke stood up, took one last look at the child and the silent villagers, and slowly spoke.

"Don't ask for protection from others. If you want to change all this, do it with your own hands."

"If you're angry, pick up a weapon; if you're not satisfied, become stronger."

"Power is the only way to change the order."

After saying that, he stood up and walked past the boy without lingering.

Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi also quietly followed.

Three figures walked further and further away.

Only the villagers and the little boy kneeling on the spot, staring blankly in the direction they left, remained.

..........

The three walked silently along the forest path.

Orochimaru and Sasuke walked side by side, while Kabuto quietly followed half a step behind.

After a long silence, Orochimaru slowly spoke, breaking the stillness.

“Sasuke-kun, just now in the village, I seemed to sense a faint chakra fluctuation left behind.”

"Although it was very well hidden, the texture of that chakra was very similar to yours."

Sasuke didn't stop walking. After a moment of silence, he gave a faint "hmm," which was taken as acquiescence.

He did leave something behind.

A very basic scroll about how to refine and utilize chakra.

How many people can learn it, and how far they can go, is not something he should be concerned about.

Orochimaru's smile deepened as he looked at Sasuke's unwillingness to talk.

"Heh...you're such a hypocrite."

He laughed hoarsely, "We've already given them a spark of hope, yet we still have to act all cold and heartless."

"I just think they're noisy," Sasuke replied coldly.

"is it?"

Orochimaru didn't press the matter further, but instead gave Kabuto Yakushi a subtle wink.

Kabuto nodded slightly, and with a flicker of his figure, he silently broke away from the group and stealthily headed in another direction, clearly to deal with those "follow-up troubles".

Once again, only the sound of their footsteps echoed through the woods.

They walked for a long time, so long that even the birdsong in the forest seemed to have disappeared, when Sasuke spoke again without warning.

Orochimaru.

"Ok?"

What is the purpose of ninjas?

In Soul Society, "What is the meaning of the existence of Shinigami?" is a question with a standard answer—to purify oneself, to cleanse sins, and to maintain the balance of the three worlds.

But in the world of ninjas, the meaning of their existence seems to be to complete one mission after another, and to serve as the sharpest weapon in the power struggle between nations.