Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

A deafening clang of metal clashing.

Sasuke reacted quickly; almost the instant his opponent moved, the two swords at his waist were drawn, their blades forming a cross shape, precisely blocking the short sword.

Two completely different forces collided with a deafening roar, and the resulting shockwaves sent all the bodies of the death row inmates flying.

Sasuke felt a chilling force coming from the blade, his hands went numb from the shock, and the ground beneath his feet cracked inch by inch.

Such incredible power!

Sasuke's eyes became extremely serious, his hands gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, desperately resisting the constant pressure.

"Sasuke!"

Yoruichi's voice suddenly turned sharp; she hadn't expected this unconscious Hollow to suddenly go berserk.

With a swift movement, she transformed into a purple afterimage, ready to step forward and provide support.

However, just as she was about to approach the center of the confrontation, a chilling white light suddenly erupted from the point where the two swords clashed.

Yoruichi's pupils contracted sharply, and she instinctively raised her arm to shield her eyes.

Immediately afterwards, all the sounds around me were swallowed up by that pure white light and vanished into nothingness.

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

When Yoruichi Shihouin opened her eyes again, the blinding sunlight made her squint instinctively.

She looked around blankly, then froze.

Beneath my feet lies the Palace of Repentance, now razed to the ground.

In the distance, the outlines of the barracks of the 13th Gotei 13 could be seen.

Not far away, there were familiar faces such as Soi Fon, Ukitake, and Shunsui.

This is... Soul Society?!

She suddenly looked down and saw several captains lying in pools of blood not far away, their fates unknown.

Memories flooded back like a tide.

Yoruichi's breath hitched, and she immediately realized what was happening.

It was that white light that brought her back to this world!

Yoruichi turned around abruptly, scanning the crowd rapidly, searching for the figure of the black-haired boy.

No, Sasuke isn't here.

This is in conjunction with Sasuke's previous statement that "the timeline before and after time travel will not change."

Yoruichi deduced that the current point in time was when Sasuke, along with Aizen, disappeared behind the anti-membrane beam.

"hateful!"

Yoruichi cursed under her breath, and without the slightest hesitation, turned to leave.

She had to go back immediately and tell Urahara everything that was happening in that world.

If these two worlds were truly the same long ago, as Sasuke said, and only diverged due to certain circumstances...

That means that world must have a way to solve the cycle of souls, and this is related to the stability of the three realms in the future.

However, before she could take a step, a petite figure quickly blocked her way.

"Lord Yoruichi."

Soi Fon's voice was soft, "Where are you going?"

“…Soi Fon?” Yoruichi stopped moving, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

"You just got back."

Soi Fon's gaze swept over Yoruichi almost imperceptibly, her voice suppressing an extremely complex emotion, "Are you in such a hurry to abandon me and go back to that man?"

This question, filled with resentment, made Yoruichi's anxious heart pause slightly.

She looked at the undisguised longing in Soi Fon's eyes and let out a helpless sigh.

"...I'm not abandoning you, Soi Fon."

Yoruichi slowly stepped forward, reached out, and gently ruffled Soi Fon's short hair.

Soi Fon's body stiffened abruptly, a blush appearing on her face, but she did not dodge.

"I'm just doing what I have to do."

Yoruichi smiled gently, just like many, many years ago, on that hillside covered with sunflowers.

"There are some troublesome things that I need to go back and deal with."

She looked at Soi Fon, her golden eyes curving slightly, and her voice softening, "And I'll be back soon."

"This time, I promise."

Yoru paused, leaned forward slightly, and rested his head against Soi Fon's forehead, whispering in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"You're not allowed to cry again until I get back."

After saying that, she didn't linger. Her figure left an afterimage on the spot before disappearing into the ruins.

Soi Fon was left standing there, frozen in place.

She stood there, stunned, covering her slightly burning ears for a long time before slowly lowering her hands.

Watching that figure disappear into the distance, a slight smile involuntarily curved the corners of his lips as he murmured softly.

"Lord Yoruichi..."

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

A white light engulfed everything in front of Sasuke.

When the view cleared again, what came into view was an endless expanse of yellow sand, with a crescent moon hanging high in the sky, outlining the dunes like the spine of a giant beast.

The air was cold and thin, devoid of any sign of life.

"......here it is?"

Sasuke's brows furrowed tightly the moment he recognized the familiar figures beside him.

Aizen Sousuke, Ichimaru Gin, Tosen Kaname...

He is back.

He returned to this world that did not belong to him.

"Looks like we've arrived safely, Captain Aizen." Gin Ichimaru's flippant voice broke the silence.

Sasuke ignored them, stood still, and closed his eyes.

His thoughts were still lingering in that dimly lit Namen Hall not long ago, the terrifying spiritual pressure at the level of Vasto Lorde, and that soulless, empty shell...

What is the reason behind all of this?

"It seems that Sasuke-kun is troubled by something."

A gentle voice pulled him back from his turbulent thoughts.

Aizen Sousuke had somehow appeared beside him, his face still bearing that composed smile. "Are you puzzled that I personally killed the lieutenant who admired you?"

"That's not true." Sasuke chuckled as he thought of Hinamori Momo's appearance.

He had no interest in whether a nobody lived or died.

"is it?"

Aizen was not surprised by Sasuke's words at all, as if he had expected this answer, and his smile deepened.

He slowly turned around and stood side by side with Sasuke, gazing together at the desolate Hueco Mundo, his voice becoming somewhat ethereal.

"Have you ever thought about it, Sasuke-kun?"

"Perhaps I killed her out of mercy?"

"..."

Sasuke's eyes turned cold.

Although he wasn't interested in whether the woman lived or died, he couldn't see how that had anything to do with mercy.

"She cannot survive without me."

Aizen's voice was soft, "That's how I educated her."

"Her world was built around me from the very beginning. Everything she has comes from me. When the core of my world no longer exists, what do you think awaits her?"

"It is a nothingness that is more painful than death."

"In that case, let me personally end this meaningless life of hers at her happiest moment..."

Don't you think this is kindness?

Sasuke listened quietly.

Aizen's logic is full of twisted beauty.

To completely turn a person into one's own possession, and then destroy them with one's own hands the moment they lose their usefulness.

That's truly the height of perverse humor.

But he did not refute it.

In that instant, he thought of Itachi.

I recalled the so-called "hero's path" he had paved for himself.

He took all the sin and hatred upon himself, hoping to die by his own hand so that he could be reintegrated into the corrupt village as a hero...

That arrogant love was essentially no different from the so-called kindness of the man before him.

They are all the same, high and mighty, arbitrarily controlling the fate of others.

Just as one looks up to see a god, all one sees is arrogance.

"..."

Sasuke's breathing quickened slightly as he slowly raised his head, gazing up at the shattered crescent moon.