Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

Sasuke ignored his polite words, walked directly to the opposite side, sat down cross-legged, and stared straight at Urahara Kisuke.

"There is another power within that substitute Grim Reaper."

He got straight to the point.

"A power completely different from the power of death, yet carrying an astonishing sense of oppression."

Sasuke deliberately concealed the fact that he was suffering a backlash.

Kisuke Urahara paused slightly in his fanning motion, a barely perceptible hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

Such keen perception.

In such a short time, they've already figured out Ichigo's background to this extent?

"Another force?"

Kisuke Urahara looked curious. "Sasuke-kun, could you tell me in detail? What does it feel like?"

Sasuke briefly described his perception, but made no mention of the blurry afterimage of the man in sunglasses.

Chapter 23 I am just a down-on-his-luck businessman

After listening to Sasuke's account, Kisuke Urahara rested his chin on his fan and fell into deep thought.

After a moment, he explained, half-jokingly, "Well, this situation is indeed very rare, but it's not impossible."

"Some people have special powers hidden in their blood, and perhaps Ichigo Kurosaki is one of them."

"After all, for Miss Kuchiki to take a liking to him and entrust him with the power of the Grim Reaper, he must have some extraordinary abilities."

Uchiha Sasuke let out a very soft snort, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the ambiguous explanation, but he did not pursue the matter further.

He knew that he couldn't easily get the whole truth from this old fox.

But recent events have indeed made him realize something else.

Whether it's the demon fox within Naruto Uzumaki or the black power within Ichigo Kurosaki...

They are both very strong.

His current strength is far from sufficient.

That's not enough to deal with these situations, much less enough to take revenge on that man.

He needs to become stronger.

"Manager Urahara."

Sasuke looked up. "How about we make a deal?"

"A deal?" Kisuke Urahara became interested.

“That’s right. I can demonstrate the power system of that world to you without reservation, so you can study it.”

Sasuke paused for a moment, then stated his conditions.

"In exchange, I hope you can help me find a way to stabilize that past world, and provide me with training guidance to make me stronger."

Kisuke Urahara looked at the sharp-eyed boy in front of him, and the corners of his mouth widened into a bigger grin.

"Oh dear, that's a very frank request."

He smiled and shook his head. "However, I'm just a down-on-his-luck merchant who runs a general store. I have nothing to teach a genius like you, Sasuke."

Sasuke's eyes turned cold.

"Kisuke Urahara."

He called out the other person's name directly, "You are the former captain of the 12th Division and the founder of the Technology Development Bureau. There is no need to continue this pointless probing."

Kisuke Urahara's smile froze for a moment, then turned into a helpless, bitter smile.

Sasuke continued, "I need your guidance, everything about the Shinigami, the more advanced Kido, and the sword techniques, even..."

"Swastika!"

The air fell into a brief silence.

After a long while, Kisuke Urahara finally let out a long sigh and revealed a serious expression.

"Fine, fine, I just can't do anything with you."

He reopened his fan, covering half his face.

"Since Sasuke-kun has said so, it would be too heartless of me to refuse."

He snapped his fan shut and pointed it at the floor.

"Perfect timing, there's a fairly spacious training ground in the basement of my little shop."

Sasuke followed Kisuke Urahara through a hidden door into the shop's basement.

The underground space was an unexpectedly vast expanse, a stark contrast to the cramped general store above ground.

Beneath my feet was a solid rocky ground, and above me was a simulated azure sky.

The sheer size of this space is almost comparable to an entire training forest outside Konoha Village.

"Oh dear, the place is a bit simple, please don't mind."

Kisuke Urahara waved his fan and said with a smile, "I usually just use it to study some interesting little things, so I made it a little bigger."

Sasuke wasn't surprised; it seemed only natural for a former captain to have such extravagant gestures.

"Then, as agreed."

Sasuke stood in the center of the open space, looking directly at Urahara. "As the first step in this deal, I'll show you the power of that world."

He quickly formed hand seals in front of his chest.

"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

Several ferocious dragon heads made of flames roared from his mouth, carrying scorching air waves that crashed against the distant rock wall, the violent explosions echoing throughout the underground space.

"So that's how it is. This is the power you call 'chakra'?"

Kisuke Urahara paced back and forth around Sasuke, his instruments constantly recording data. "A completely new kind of energy, capable of exerting various effects by altering its 'nature' and 'form'..."

"It's like another manifestation of the demonic path, but the underlying principles are completely different."

He stopped and asked the most crucial question: "So, Sasuke-kun, where does this energy called 'chakra' come from? Is it like spirit particles, permeating the air?"

Sasuke replied calmly, "No, it originates from within itself."

"Originating from itself?"

"Yes."

Sasuke began to explain, "Every living being possesses physical energy, which can be enhanced through training and practice, and also possesses spiritual energy, which is strengthened through the tempering of will."

"These two energies are extracted from every cell in the body and then fused together to form chakra."

Sasuke glanced at Kisuke Urahara, who was listening intently. "Theoretically, any life form with a soul and a body can extract this energy."

"Extract the fusion from every single cell?" Kisuke Urahara's breathing became somewhat rapid.

He eagerly closed his eyes and, following Sasuke's instructions, tried to sense the energy within his body.

As a top-tier Grim Reaper, he quickly sensed the two completely different energies.

Then, he began trying to extract them.

However, the next second, Kisuke Urahara's brows furrowed tightly.

He suddenly opened his eyes, his face showing unprecedented confusion.

"No."

He looked at his hands and muttered to himself, "Why can I clearly feel the existence of these two energies, but I can't effectively extract them?"

Sasuke looked at Kisuke Urahara's confused expression and a hint of bewilderment flashed through his mind as well.

He had revealed the method of refining chakra without reservation. In the ninja world, this was a compulsory course for almost every child in the ninja academy, and it was not difficult at all.

Why did it not work for Kisuke Urahara?

"perhaps......"

Kisuke Urahara suddenly seemed to have figured something out. He smiled helplessly and started fanning himself again.

"Perhaps there's something special in that world that's influencing things, like some unknown component in the air, or maybe the rules of that world are different."

He consoled himself, "It seems that the only way to figure this out completely is to find the method from the past and go there myself. Oh dear, I'm getting more and more excited about it."

Sasuke snorted coldly and didn't reply, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Kisuke Urahara walked around Sasuke once, his smile becoming more serious.

"Now that Sasuke-kun has completed the first step of the deal, it's my turn next."

"However, in order to provide you with the most suitable training, I need to first fully understand your strength as a Grim Reaper."

Chapter 24 A Genius That Is Easily Defeated

As Urahara Kisuke spoke, he used his Zanpakuto, which he used as a cane, to lightly draw a line on the hard rocky ground, creating a perfect circle between the two of them, no more than four meters in diameter.

He strolled into the circle, rested his cane and sword in front of him, and looked at Sasuke with a smile.

"Let's start with the most basic cutting techniques."

He shook the fan in his hand and announced the rules: "In the following tests, I will not draw my sword, nor will I step out of this circle."

"As long as Sasuke-kun can use the sword in your hand to force me to step out of this circle, or make me willingly draw the sword from this cane—"

He pointed to the ground with his fan, "Even if you win, so what?"

Sasuke's eyes instantly turned cold.

Not drawing the sword? Not leaving the circle?

Looking at Urahara, who seemed so relaxed in the industry, a surge of anger at being looked down upon rose from the bottom of his heart.

"Are you underestimating me?" Sasuke's voice was tinged with coldness.