Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

Sasuke glanced at Kabuto Yakushi, who had already sealed everything, then looked at Orochimaru, his voice calm.

"We've finished our business, let's leave now."

"......Yes."

Mei Terumi's eyes dimmed, a hint of disappointment flashing in them, but she still immediately and respectfully agreed, without trying to persuade him to stay any longer.

However, just as Sasuke was about to turn and leave, he suddenly stopped.

He turned his head to the side, his eyes falling back on Mei Terumi, as if he had remembered something.

"Before Kirigakure, there seemed to be another Jinchūriki of the Six-Tails, right?"

This question caused Mei Terumi's expression to change slightly.

"You mean Yu Gao? He defected."

"Defection?"

“Hmm.” Mei Terumi nodded slightly and explained, “When he was a child, his master attempted to remove the tailed beast from his body once, but failed.”

"Although Utakata survived and killed his master, he developed an extreme distrust of the village and the identity of 'Jinchūriki' because of this, and ultimately chose to leave."

"Where is he now?" Sasuke asked directly.

"I don't know the exact location either."

Mei Terumi shook her head, a helpless expression on her face. "He wanders around all year round, and his whereabouts are uncertain."

"However, according to the last intelligence report sent back by the Dark Division..."

She paused for a moment, as if recalling something, "He seemed to have been wandering in the seas near the Land of Water, without a fixed abode, as if searching for something."

"..."

Sasuke remained silent for a moment, then silently memorized the information.

Although the clues are vague, they are better than nothing.

Without saying another word, he led Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi straight through the deep passage and disappeared into the darkness.

Only Mei Terumi remained, standing quietly in place.

..........

The wind along the coastline carried a salty, fishy smell, blowing right up to their noses.

Orochimaru gazed at the distant, hazy sea and walked to Sasuke's side.

"So, where should we go next, Sasuke-kun?"

He looked at Sasuke with great interest, like a fellow traveler, asking about the next destination, "Should we go back to the Land of Fire first to find that interesting little fox?"

"Should we try our luck on this sea and find that equally interesting Six-Tails Jinchuriki?"

"Of course, if you are more interested in that so-called 'evil god,' we can go to the Land of Hot Springs first."

Three choices, three paths.

Going to see Naruto means being able to immediately begin deciphering the Uzumaki clan's stone tablet and explore the secrets of that ancient history.

Searching for Utakata is a continuation of his "Tailed Beast Collection Plan".

As for evil gods...

Sasuke frowned slightly.

It is unwise to make contact with an ancient entity filled with unknowns and uncertainties without sufficient intelligence.

"Wandering in this sea for a few days."

His voice was flat, devoid of emotion. "If you can't find that guy named Yu Gao, go back to the Land of Fire."

Orochimaru had no objection to this, and simply smiled and said, "It seems that Sasuke-kun's interest in the 'Tailed Beasts' far outweighs that of those ancient gods."

"It was just on the way."

Sasuke offered no further explanation, but simply raised his right hand slowly, his fingers spread, and a completely different power emanated from his body.

"The art of spirit communication."

As he called out, the ground beneath his feet churned violently.

Before the three of them, the churning sea surface was violently distorted, and then a huge head covered in silver-gray armor burst out of the water.

The massive body of the Three-Tailed Isobu filled the already spacious nearshore waters to the brim.

"...What is it?" Isobu Mitsuki's slightly lazy voice rang out.

"Could you please take us for a leisurely stroll around the waters around here?"

"..."

Mitsuo Isobu remained silent for a moment, seemingly somewhat dissatisfied with this treatment.

In the ninja world, I am a natural disaster capable of easily overthrowing a small country.

How did I end up being reduced to being a mount for a little brat?

But looking into Sasuke's calm eyes, he didn't dare say anything more, only letting out a muffled groan.

"Come on up."

It slowly raised its enormous, island-like shell to the surface of the water.

Orochimaru and Kabuto exchanged a glance, then silently leaped onto the broad turtle's back.

Sasuke remained standing on the shore, seemingly waiting for something.

"What's wrong, Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru turned around and asked curiously.

Sasuke didn't answer immediately; the voice echoed in his inner world.

"Hey, fox, do you want to come out for some fresh air?"

The Yin Nine-Tailed Fox, pinned to the ground, suddenly raised its head upon hearing this, its scarlet beast eyes filled with disbelief.

This brat... he actually let me out on my own?!

"Hmph! Who cares! I wouldn't stoop to associating with that stupid three-tailed tortoise!" It was still being sarcastic, but the nine tails that were unconsciously starting to sway slightly completely betrayed its true thoughts.

Seeing that it was still being stubborn, Sasuke stopped paying attention to it.

"Is that so? Then you can stay here."

After saying that, Sasuke's consciousness left him.

"...Huh?"

Yin Jiuwei was stunned. It had thought that Sasuke would say a few more words of advice, so that it could find a way to back down.

And then... he just left like that?!

"You bastard! Get back here right now!"

The Nine-Tails' roar echoed within the sealed space, filled with deep regret. "I was just being polite! You damned Uchiha! Don't you even understand basic human decency?!"

However, no matter how much it roared, Sasuke did not respond at all.

With a swift movement, he landed on the back of the Three-Tailed Isobu and sat down cross-legged.

With a low groan, Mio Isobu sailed steadily toward the fog-shrouded sea.

A gentle sea breeze caressed the silent silhouettes of the crowd.

Orochimaru walked to Sasuke's side and stood shoulder to shoulder with him, gazing at the magnificent view where the sea and sky met in the distance. After a long while, he slowly spoke.

"Sasuke-kun."

His voice was hesitant, which was extremely rare for him. "Could you show me some of your spells that you cast with words of power?"

This question caused Kabuto, the Pharmacist, to quietly stop what he was doing.

In the Forest of Death, Sasuke's technique, which required no hand seals yet possessed unpredictable and powerful abilities, had already left an indelible impression on Orochimaru.

Especially after his hands, which were capable of forming hand seals, were crippled, his desire for a new power system reached an unprecedented peak.

This time, he made a decision after careful consideration. He believed that he could be of use to Sasuke, but even so, Orochimaru was still prepared to be rejected.

He knew that no one would easily share such a secret about the foundation of their own power system with others.

But Sasuke's answer surprised him.

"Okay, I'll give you two."

This answer surprised Orochimaru slightly.

He looked at Sasuke, as if trying to discern something from that calm face.

But in the end, he simply nodded slightly, suppressing all his emotions.

"Then let's have two."

He doesn't care about the amount of "skills".

His life goal is no longer "to learn all the ninjutsu in the world".

Based on his current understanding of "ninjutsu".

You only need to know one principle to create your own technique.

Sasuke ignored him, raised his hand, formed a simple hand seal, and a blank scroll appeared in his hand.

Without hesitation, he began to write rapidly on the scroll.

A moment later, he casually tossed the scroll covered in writing toward Kabuto Yakushi.

"After you've finished reading, write it down." Sasuke's voice was calm.

Sasuke was also curious whether ninjas could successfully master the Kido technique in this world that still possessed spirit particles. Therefore, he agreed to Orochimaru's request and gave him two of the simplest Kido techniques.

Kabuto quickly reached out and took it, unfolded it, and handed it to Orochimaru.

The scroll contains two of the most basic, yet most classic, techniques.

[Hado 1 - Rush: An invisible shockwave is released from the palm, repelling the target.]

[Syllabus: ......]