Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

All that remained was the still-screaming alarm, and...

Mayuri Kurotsuchi's sigh.

What he longed for deep down was a real life.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi had been hoping that Nemu Kurotsuchi would disobey his orders and demonstrate her independent will, but alas...

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

The First Division barracks, the office that symbolizes the highest authority of the Gotei 13, remained as quiet as ever.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni sat upright in the main seat with his eyes closed, his aged face expressionless.

"Knock, knock."

Two steady knocks sounded on the door.

"Come in," the captain said authoritatively, without opening his eyes.

The door was slowly pushed open from the outside, and a tall, slender figure walked in silently.

The newcomer was a middle-aged man with a serious face, a neatly combed white back hair and a mustache, and deep nasolabial folds on his face.

What is most striking is the pure white haori he is wearing.

It wasn't a captain's haori, but it looked more dignified than a regular shihaka outfit. This was a "silver stripe" that only the vice-captain of the general division was qualified to wear, symbolizing that his status and strength were comparable to that of an ordinary captain.

First Division Vice-Captain, Chojiro Sasakibe.

"Commander-in-Chief."

Quebu slowly stepped forward, knelt on one knee before the huge desk, and bowed his head respectfully.

"Speak," Captain-Commander Yamamoto said, his eyes still tightly closed. "What bad news is it this time?"

“Just now…” Sparrow’s voice was very low, “The 12th Division, without receiving any orders, took it upon themselves to go to the 78th district of West Rukongai, ‘Inugami,’ and began to clean up the souls in that area.”

"Clean up?" The captain's eyebrows twitched slightly.

“Yes.” Quebu lowered his head even further. “The Technology Development Bureau, under the pretext of ‘maintaining the balance of souls,’ indiscriminately cleansed the souls in this area.”

"According to the statistics afterward, in the cleanup that lasted less than half an hour, a total of 40,000 resident souls were completely wiped out."

"--presumptuous!!!"

A roar, simmering with suppressed rage, boomed across the sky above the First Division.

Captain-Commander Yamamoto suddenly stood up, slamming his cane heavily on the ground. A scorching heat wave spread wildly outwards from him, burning a scorch mark on the huge desk.

"Bring Mayuri Kurotsuchi over here!"

Chojiro Sasaki's body trembled violently; the spiritual pressure made him feel suffocated.

"Yes!"

He dared not be negligent in the slightest, and in a flash, he disappeared from the spot.

The office fell silent again, but the air was thick with the oppressive atmosphere of an impending storm.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni stood there quietly, his eyes filled with anger, staring intently at the doorway.

The wanton mass slaughter of Rukongai residents...

Such an atrocity that undermines the foundation of the Seireitei is unprecedented since the founding of the Gotei 13!

Not long after, a figure slowly appeared at the office door.

She still wore that eerie makeup and that exaggerated captain's haori outfit.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi stepped forward and gave a perfunctory bow to the old man sitting in the main seat, who exuded a terrifying aura.

"Commander-in-Chief, is there some new 'research topic' you need to announce, or is it that another captain needs my technical support?"

"Kuroko no Konoha".

Captain-Commander Yamamoto's voice was icy, "Did you take the 40,000 souls from the Dog District? You'd better give me a reasonable explanation."

"Ah, you mean that matter?"

Mayuri Kurotsuchi seemed to suddenly remember something, and shrugged nonchalantly, "That's right, I gave the order."

"Are you trying to provoke me?!"

"Oh dear, how could that be?"

Mayuri Kurotsuchi shook his head, but his voice became genuinely serious. "Captain-Commander, I was simply doing my part to prevent an impending disaster."

He paused, then took out a data crystal from his pocket and activated it.

A holographic projection instantly appeared in the center of the council hall.

Above, a curve showing a sharp decline is displayed.

"Just recently, the Technology Development Bureau detected that the virtuality of the virtual world is decreasing at an unprecedented rate."

"The total amount of the void has decreased sharply?" Captain-Commander Yamamoto frowned deeply.

"Yes."

Mayuri Kurotsuchi's voice became sharp, "The total number of souls is constant; this is the ironclad rule that maintains the balance of the three realms."

"After Hollows are purified by the Grim Reaper, their souls will return to the cycle, but there is a being that can completely obliterate them, making them disappear from this cycle forever."

“The balance of the soul circulation is now severely out of balance. If it is not calibrated immediately, you should know the consequences better than I do.”

Captain-Commander Yamamoto's eyes flickered.

“They are Quincy.” Mayuri Kurotsuchi uttered the name.

"Moreover, according to calculations, if no measures are taken immediately, the entire Three Realms will collapse completely within a month due to severe imbalance."

"..."

The captain's anger gradually subsided.

"As far as I know..." Mayuri Kurotsuchi's voice became meaningful, "the only Quincy still existing in the world should be that Ryuka who invaded Seireitei."

He looked at the captain's increasingly gloomy face and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"Therefore, Captain-Commander, what we should be doing now is not holding me accountable here, but immediately arresting that Quincy named Ishida Uryu!"

He stared intently at the captain, his eyes gleaming with fanaticism.

If only I could bring him back, I could examine his body properly...

However, Captain-Commander Yamamoto simply looked at him coldly and shook his head.

“This matter has nothing to do with the traveler’s misfortune. As the director of the Technology Development Bureau, you should know better than anyone else that it is absolutely impossible for that kid, Ishida Uryu, to cause such a large-scale imbalance of souls in a short period of time.”

"Your excuse won't fool me."

"As for the matter in Xudiao District, considering your merit in preventing the disaster, we will not pursue it this time, but this will not be a repeat of the incident."

"That's enough for today. The full investigation of this matter will be taken over by the Covert Force. You may leave."

"......Yes."

A hint of disappointment flashed in Mayuri Kurotsuchi's eyes, but he did not argue further. He bowed respectfully and then turned and left the office.

Captain-Commander Yamamoto let out a long sigh.

Has the "order" that I uphold really decayed to the point that it needs to be maintained by evil?

“The Sparrow Division,” he said softly.

"exist."

Chojiro Sasakibe's figure appeared silently once again in front of the desk.

"How is the reconstruction of the Central 46th Division progressing?" Captain-Commander Yamamoto asked.

"Reporting to the Captain, the candidate for the new Sage has been preliminarily determined after consultation among the nobles."

Sparrow paused, then added, "However, there was a small mishap."

"The person originally chosen for the Tsunayo family died unexpectedly at home a few days ago, and the cause of death is unknown."

"So now, the position has been taken over directly by the second son of the main family of the Tsunayoshi family, Tsunayoshi Tokinada."

"...Shitan?"

Captain-Commander Yamamoto frowned almost imperceptibly, clearly disliking the name.

But he didn't say anything more, just nodded slightly.

"What about the Shihōin family?"

"Regarding the Shihōin family, Yoruichi still has no intention of returning, and the position of family head will continue to be temporarily held by her younger brother, Shihōin Yūshirō."

"Let her be."

The captain waved his hand, his voice tinged with weariness.

He realized that he really seemed to be getting old.

The world is ultimately sliding down in a direction he doesn't want to see, little by little.

The decaying wood was withering away, yet the new shoots carried thorns he could not comprehend.

He gestured for the magpie to leave, and once again he was alone in the office.

"Rules aren't always right, are they...?" he murmured, recalling what Ukitake had said to him.

perhaps......

It's time to make some changes.

..........

Meanwhile, in the virtual world.

"Hey, aren't we there yet?"

Nel, who had been following behind Sasuke, finally couldn't contain herself any longer and trotted after him on her short legs. She tugged at Sasuke's sleeve and asked, "My stomach is growling! How much further is Las Noches?"

Her voice was clear and crisp, with a touch of childish complaint, but there was not a trace of impatience in her innocent big eyes.

"Soon." Sasuke's answer was as brief as ever.