Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

"...Huh?"

Minato's smile froze.

He looked at Sasuke in disbelief, his voice trembling: "You gained Kurama's approval so quickly?!"

It should be noted that it took him several years to reach a preliminary reconciliation with the Yin Nine-Tailed Fox within him.

And this young man in front of me actually did it in just a moment?!

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

Meanwhile, the sealed space within Sasuke's body.

Unlike Naruto's sealed space, it wasn't a dark and damp underground sewer.

Instead, it was a desolate wasteland filled with thunder, and in the sky, an ominous blood moon hung high, surrounded by dark clouds.

In the center of that plain, a huge figure lay there in utter misery.

It was Yin Jiuwei.

Its smooth, crimson fur was now covered with hideous burn marks and scorch marks from lightning. Its nine tails hung limply behind it, one of which had been severed in half by some sharp weapon.

On its massive body, there were dozens of spikes made of pitch-black flames and hundreds of chains formed of black and white lightning, like a cage, pinning it firmly to this land, unable to move.

Minato Namikaze's face remained etched with shock for a long time before he let out a heartfelt exclamation.

"What an amazing talent."

His expression quickly turned serious again.

"Sasuke-kun, about that masked man..." Minato's voice was low, "There's something I must remind you of."

Sasuke raised his eyes, waiting for what was to come.

“When I fought him, I hit his body, but my attack seemed to pass through a phantom and did not cause him any damage.”

"But after that, he launched a physical attack on me."

Minato recalled every detail of that battle, his brow furrowed. "This proves that his body can switch between 'hollow' and 'solid' in some way."

In other words...

"The moment he attacks you is the moment he materializes." Sasuke picked up where he left off, stating the conclusion for him.

“That’s right.” Minato nodded heavily, his eyes filled with increasing worry as he looked at Sasuke. “The power of the Nine-Tails will attract him. Now that the Yin Nine-Tails is inside you, he will come after you sooner or later.”

"Be extremely careful when facing that kind of bizarre ability."

Sasuke gave a soft "hmm" in agreement.

He looked at Minato, then glanced at the several Hokage figures with different expressions not far away, and spoke calmly.

"Alright, Orochimaru."

"It's time to end this."

"Well then, Hokage, may we meet again in the Pure Land." Orochimaru licked his lips and slowly clasped his hands together in front of his chest.

"Resurrection from the Impure World Reincarnation!"

With his final low shout, the shackles binding the three souls were suddenly broken.

Hashirama Senju's body, made of dust, was the first to disintegrate. He turned around and gave Sasuke a gentle smile.

"Kid, what are you planning to do about Itachi?"

This question caused everyone present to pause slightly.

Sasuke looked at him quietly, then slowly grinned, revealing an extremely complex smile.

"I will find him and thank him sincerely."

He raised his hand and gently brushed his fingertips across the corner of his eye, as if wiping away a non-existent tear.

"Thank you for everything he has done for me, thank you for the love he has given me."

Sasuke's voice was soft, yet it sent a shiver down the spines of everyone present.

He lowered his hand, his smile vanished, leaving only a cold expression.

"Then, I will make his proudest eyes accept the failure he can foresee."

"I will kill him."

"..."

The smile on Hashirama Senju's face froze completely, eventually turning into a sorrowful sigh.

"Yeah......"

His figure, amidst that sigh, completely turned into dust.

Next came Tobirama, then Minato...

The three Hokage vanished into nothingness in this shrine, like sand paintings scattered by the wind.

Outside the Namian Hall, only the living remained once again.

Koharu looked at the scattered dust, then at Sasuke, whose wrinkled face held a constantly shifting expression.

Soon, she leaned on her cane, strode forward, and forced what she thought was a kind smile onto her face.

"Sasuke."

Her voice was no longer as harsh as before, but instead carried a hint of intimacy, "What Tobirama-sensei said to me just now does make some sense, you..."

But she didn't finish her sentence.

"Pfft-"

A dull thud of a sharp blade piercing flesh suddenly rang out.

The smile on Xiaochun's face vanished, and she stiffly lowered her head.

Then, she saw it.

He saw a purple hilt of a knife, right in front of his heart.

Strands of blood flowed from her body along the blade, staining the purple hilt an eerie color.

Chapter 166 The Gradual Perfection of Indra

"...Huh?"

Koharu looked at Sasuke blankly, a stiff smile still lingering on her wrinkled face.

She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but a sudden numbness instantly overwhelmed her limbs and bones, draining all her strength.

In her final moments, all she saw were those scarlet eyes, slowly turning in her fading vision.

Sasuke pulled out "Indra" expressionlessly, letting the old body collapse to the ground.

But what no one noticed was that, along with Koharu Utatane's death, the incomplete Uchiha clan crest on the hilt of the "Indra" sword seemed to have been restored somewhat.

"Dormitory transfer consultant!!!"

"Enemy attack! Protect the Hokage!"

After a brief moment of deathly silence, the surrounding darkness erupted into chaos.

Dozens of masked figures appeared from all directions in an instant, exuding murderous intent and completely blocking all of Sasuke's escape routes.

"..."

Sasuke slowly raised his head, his scarlet eyes like two eerie will-o'-the-wisps in the dim shrine, as if trying to suck in one's soul.

Just a fleeting glance.

Time seemed to have been paused at that moment.

All the movements of the hidden members suddenly froze at the same time, their eyes instantly becoming unfocused and empty.

The next moment, they were completely immersed in a world dominated by illusions.

Outside the Namen Hall, deathly silence returned once more.

All that remained was the still-standing silver-haired figure, and his breathing, which had become somewhat rapid due to shock.

"Sasuke..."

Kakashi's voice trembled as he looked at the corpse lying in a pool of blood, then at the cold-eyed boy standing with a knife in his hand. His mind went blank. "What are you doing?!"

He practically screamed the question.

He couldn't understand why things had come to this.

Sasuke didn't answer immediately. He calmly turned around, his crimson Sharingan staring directly at Kakashi, and asked, "What do you think I should do?"

He raised his hand and pointed to the still-warm corpse on the ground, his voice icy.

"You don't actually believe that she and that old man Mitokado Homura weren't involved in the Uchiha incident back then, do you?"

"..."

Kakashi's breath hitched.

He knew that Sasuke was right.

Danzo was the mastermind, and these two advisor elders were undoubtedly the most steadfast "driving force" behind this tragedy.

"Ugh......"

Kakashi sighed deeply, recalling Koharu Utatane's cold-blooded decision in the office not long ago: "As long as the village isn't harmed, whatever Sasuke does is none of our business."

How ironic.

Even so...

Kakashi's voice turned hoarse, filled with helplessness, "You can't do something like this in front of so many Anbu members! This will completely..."

"fine."

Sasuke calmly interrupted him, raised his eyelids, and glanced at the Anbu members standing around like puppets. "My eyes have already solved this problem."

"What?" Kakashi was stunned.