Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

The question was so abrupt that Orochimaru paused slightly, looking at Sasuke's serious profile with some surprise.

What is the purpose of ninjas?

He had lived for decades and had never seriously considered this question.

"Hehe... Sasuke-kun, you've asked me another interesting question."

Orochimaru pondered for a moment, a trace of reminiscence flashing in his snake eyes, but in the end he slowly shook his head.

"Meaning? That kind of thing might never have existed in the first place."

His voice became somewhat ethereal, as if he were talking to himself.

"So-called ninjas are nothing more than tools created by nobles in times of war, who have mastered special skills in order to accomplish the goal of 'killing' more efficiently."

“They obey orders, complete tasks, and then receive payment, and are not fundamentally different from those domesticated hunting dogs.”

"Later, the First Hokage established the 'village' and endowed ninjas with seemingly lofty meanings such as 'protecting comrades' and 'passing on the will'."

"But this is nothing more than putting a collar called 'bond' around the neck of a hunting dog."

"They are still born for the mission and die for the will of those above them."

He slowly raised his head, gazing up at the sky fragmented by branches and leaves, his golden snake eyes flashing with an eerie light.

"The word 'ninja' has been filled with the sorrow of being dominated since its inception; it does not possess any independent meaning in itself."

"So, Sasuke-kun, you're asking me 'the meaning of ninjas' existence'?"

My answer is—

"It's meaningless."

"Their existence or non-existence will not change the essence of this world."

"They are like windmills; no matter how fast they spin, they cannot determine the direction of the wind itself."

"They are dispensable."

Orochimaru lowered his eyes and looked at Sasuke, a glimmer of hope flashing in his snake-like eyes.

"Perhaps in the near future, I will be able to see this word, along with everything it represents, completely disappear from this world."

Chapter 138 The Grim Reaper who existed before the Six Paths

The coast of Konoha.

Two figures appeared silently.

One of the figures was bulky and strange, with a huge scorpion tail protruding from its back, like a venomous creature lurking in the shadows.

He stood quietly on a rock, an intelligence scroll he had just received unfolded in his hand.

Not far from him, a blond-haired boy was gazing with great interest at the distant sea shrouded in thick fog, a haughty smile playing on his lips.

"They even managed to spot that guy, Zetsu?"

Sasori's voice carried a hint of surprise, "Such strong perception? Are you heading towards the Land of Whirlpools?"

"Oh? That black-and-white-faced guy has been discovered?"

Deidara gazed at the blurry outline of the distant island, his eyes gleaming with eager anticipation. "Perfect, the terrain there is quite suitable for my artistic creations, hmm."

"Don't be careless, Deidara."

Sasori slowly put the scroll away, his deep voice becoming more serious. "Your previous judgment was a bit off. Kakuzu specifically mentioned before setting off that this brat named Uchiha Sasuke is very strong."

"Judging from the intelligence, he has the strength to rival the Sannin at such a young age. He is not to be underestimated."

"Stop joking, Master Scorpion."

He suddenly stood up, dusted off his hands, and said, "Kakuzu was just too careless, which is why that brat took advantage of him, huh."

Deidara curled his lip indifferently, took out a small piece of white clay from his pocket, and kneaded it casually in his palm. "In the end, he's just a brat who hasn't grown up yet. What's there to be afraid of?"

"You don't need to worry, Master Scorpion."

“You’d better put away your boring arrogance.” Scorpion’s voice turned cold. “Arrogance is the greatest flaw in art. It will disappear without a trace, just like your explosion.”

"what?!"

These words struck Deidara squarely where it hurt, and he instantly flew into a rage, pointing at Sasori and shouting in rebuttal.

"My art is great precisely because of that fleeting moment! That 'whoosh,' that instantaneous sublimation, is the ultimate beauty! Yes!"

He looked at the scorpion's exoskeleton with disdain in his eyes.

"Your self-proclaimed eternal art is truly utterly boring! A pile of scrap metal dares to call itself art?!"

"..."

The Hiruko puppet remained silent for a moment.

After a long while, the hoarse voice rang out again.

"as you like."

Scorpion seemed to have lost interest in arguing as well, and the puppet's scorpion tail swished impatiently behind it. "Don't forget the leader's mission."

“Of course, if he doesn’t accept the invitation, I’ll take him down myself,” Deidara replied confidently, patting his chest.

Seeing his confident demeanor, Scorpion could only let out a cold snort in the end.

Immediately afterwards, Deidara let out a low shout, and the clay in his palm began to wriggle and deform rapidly. In the blink of an eye, a giant white bird with a wingspan of more than ten meters was quietly suspended in mid-air.

"Let's go, Master Scorpion!"

Deidara leaped up first and landed steadily on the back of the giant bird.

"This time I'll show you what real art is, hmm!"

Scorpion said no more and, controlling Hiruko, leaped onto the bird's back as well.

The enormous clay bird flapped its wings and sped toward the unknown sea shrouded in thick gray fog.

Meanwhile, Sasuke and Orochimaru had also arrived at the ruins of "Uzushio Village".

This place was more dilapidated than any of the villages and towns they had passed through.

The building collapsed, and the broken totem statues were half-buried in the mud. Only on some stone pillars covered with moss could the remnants of the totems representing the Whirlpool Clan be seen.

"There's nothing of value here anymore."

Sasuke dug through the ruins of two burned-down houses and found only some small limb remains inside.

Most of these skeletons consisted of broken parts such as severed hands and knuckles; not a complete corpse was found.

He stood up, dusted off his hands, and knew very well what this meant.

The "corpse of a ninja" is itself a valuable information carrier. Whether it is the secret of the bloodline limit or the ninjutsu they mastered, it can be obtained through research.

When the ninjas who attacked the Uzumaki clan left, they took the corpses with them.

As for the documents and scrolls that might be stored in the village, there's not much more to say.

This place has already been completely looted.

However, Orochimaru, who was standing nearby, did not agree with Sasuke's statement.

Not entirely.

He squatted in front of a stone tablet half-buried in the soil and gently brushed away the moss and dirt with his hand.

"History itself is the most valuable thing."

Sasuke walked over and turned his gaze to the stone tablet.

The text above is blurry, but still barely legible.

The content is roughly about the establishment of "Uzushio Village" and the achievements of the first clan leader "Uzushio Ashina" in leading the clan to settle down in this place.

"This message doesn't seem to be of much use." Sasuke glanced at it and lost interest.

"Don't rush, Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru stood up, his snake eyes flashing with an unusual light. "Perhaps there's another stone tablet that records what we need."

"Keep looking; these forgotten corners of history always hold some interesting surprises."

The subsequent search confirmed Sasuke's initial assessment.

The ruins of Wochao Village are indeed a place where almost all value has been squeezed out.

On the day of their demise, the murderers looted everything of value.

In the decades that followed, there were always some daring explorers or wandering ninjas who would break in and take away the "relics" that they considered valuable.

All that remains are these stone tablets scattered throughout the ruins, each engraved with fragments of history. And after a long period of wear and tear, many of the characters have become blurred and illegible.

The shrine was the place they most wanted to find on their trip, but there didn't seem to be any such building in the entire village.

Or rather, the "shrine" once existed, but now the entire building has been moved away.

Those huge open spaces that stand out starkly against the backdrop of ruins are the best proof of this.

Sasuke and his companions could clearly see the massive foundation marks where buildings had once stood.

"These things all describe the history of the Uzumaki clan. How come events from the Warring States period are all engraved on them?" Sasuke frowned as he examined a relatively intact stone tablet.

For the remaining members of the Whirlpool Clan, these artifacts that record their family history may be of great value.

But for Sasuke, these things were far removed from the truth about "Death God" that he hoped to find.

Anything of value has already been taken by the various ninja villages.

What remains here are mostly vague "myths" and "history".

The inscription records this.

The Uzumaki clan are descendants of the Sage of Six Paths. After experiencing some events during the Warring States period, they were eventually led by their clan leader, Ashina Uzumaki, to establish a ninja village on this island. They also signed a friendly pact with the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and became a member of Konoha.

Sasuke's gaze fell on the stone tablet. He wasn't surprised by this part of history; what followed was the important part.

Interestingly, the accounts of 'Death' seem to be independent of this period of history.

Orochimaru's snake-like eyes gleamed with a probing light as he pointed to the other side of the stone tablet. "Look here."

"...During the chaotic Warring States period, our ancestors found a deity in dire straits. Using a blood pact as a catalyst, they summoned the god to descend to earth. The god offered sacrifices and reaped the souls of enemies. However, those who summoned the god also became sacrifices, their souls returning to the god's belly, forever condemned to the Abyss..."