Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

[Hado #4: White Lightning: A concentrated beam of lightning is released from the fingertips, piercing through the target.]

[Syllabus: ......]

Each technique is accompanied by a detailed record of its cultivation method, the principles of its power composition, and the incantation.

Orochimaru's gaze swept over the handwriting, the light in his snake eyes growing brighter and brighter.

He confirmed that it was not some incomprehensible script and judged it to be a complete system, not a forgery to fool people, and nodded in satisfaction.

..........

Days at sea can be so monotonous they can be irritating.

Orochimaru seems to have developed an almost pathological obsession with those two volumes of Kido.

He sat cross-legged in a corner of the cabin all day long, his palms sometimes glowing with the faint light of "white lightning" and sometimes bursting with an invisible repulsive force.

Sasuke, meanwhile, leaned back on the Three-Tails' head, calmly continuing his Blade Zen training.

However, there was no progress whatsoever.

"Are you really curious about what this so-called complete yet incomplete power is?" In his inner world, the long-haired "Indra" had his back to him, his voice filled with sarcasm.

But no matter how Sasuke tried, the figure did not respond at all.

His heart sank quickly, and an unnamed anger quietly rose in his chest.

Just as this anxiety was rising, a deep voice suddenly rang out.

"Hey kid, there looks like a big guy right in front of us."

It is the Three-Tailed Isobu.

Sasuke's consciousness was instantly pulled away from his inner world. He stood up abruptly and looked up at the path ahead.

At the edge of the field of vision, there was only an unusually thick white fog.

The "big guy" that the Three-Tails mentioned must be of unimaginable size, but there was no trace of any giant life form in front of us. Since the Three-Tails said that, it must have its reasons.

"What's wrong, Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru was also startled by the sudden commotion and looked up from his study.

Sasuke didn't answer, but quietly activated his crimson Sharingan, and the thick fog in his eyes instantly thinned out.

Then he saw an island, quietly lurking deep within the mist.

It was unlike any other island Sasuke had seen along the way.

There were no gentle beaches, no tall palm trees, and not even a seagull or a crab in sight.

The entire island is surrounded by rings of jagged, protruding, enormous black stalagmites that resemble the fangs of a giant beast.

The waves crashed against them, but failed to leave any trace of weathering. Instead, their surfaces were covered with dense moss and barnacles, making them appear even more menacing and sharp under the gloomy sky.

Between the stalagmites, one can still vaguely see the remains of some long-destroyed skeletons, some of which belong to humans, and others to some enormous beasts.

They were stuck and pierced through that stone forest in an extremely distorted posture, like a graveyard warning all intruders.

Reptiles rustled and crawled through the skeleton's eye sockets, and even from a great distance, a ferocious aura still emanated from them.

Sasuke frowned slightly and pushed his eye power to its limit. Soon, he sensed an indescribable, powerful life force lurking directly beneath the island.

It has the size, but it's not strong.

In his perception, there was almost no trace of "chakra" within that enormous body.

Only a trace of extremely weak and thin "natural energy" flowed slowly within that enormous body.

Its quality is even inferior to that of the unawakened little snakes in Ryuchi Cave.

Chapter 170 Mother, the Light Long Gone

It is much larger than a tailed beast, but not strong.

This contradictory sense of division actually aroused a hint of curiosity in Sasuke's heart.

"What is this?" He turned his head and asked Orochimaru, who was also deep in thought beside him.

Orochimaru did not answer immediately. His golden snake eyes were fixed on the distant island. After a moment, the solemnity on his face was gradually replaced by a morbid ecstasy.

"Hehe... Sasuke-kun, it seems our luck is even better than we thought."

His voice was hoarse, tinged with a strange excitement, “If I’m not mistaken, this should be the legendary ‘Turtle Island,’ a mobile fortress belonging to the Hidden Cloud Village.”

"Turtle Island?" Sasuke repeated in a low voice.

“That’s right.” Orochimaru licked his lips and began to explain, “According to legend, this is a giant creature that has survived since ancient times. The Hidden Cloud Village once tried to tame it and use it as a weapon of war.”

He paused, then changed the subject, his tone becoming more playful, "But unfortunately, this big guy doesn't seem to be very obedient. Its position keeps shifting, and even Yunyin himself can't fully control it, so he can only let it drift on the sea."

"Over time, even within the Hidden Cloud Village, fewer and fewer people believed in its existence." Orochimaru chuckled self-deprecatingly. "I never expected that we would run into it today."

"You mean there are ninjas from Kumogakure up there?" Sasuke's eyes were icy.

"of course."

As if to confirm Orochimaru's judgment, just as the two were talking, a figure appeared in an instant and landed steadily on the highest stalagmite.

The newcomer wore the iconic one-shoulder vest of Kumogakure, with black paint on his nose, and his eyes were wary, fixed on the Three-Tails on the sea.

"This is forbidden territory of Kumogakure!" His voice boomed, echoing in the sea breeze. "Leave immediately, or it will be considered a provocation against Kumogakure!"

Sasuke's gaze fell on the Cloud Ninja headband on his forehead, and he nodded slightly.

Kabuto Yakushi appeared silently beside Sasuke, his eyes narrowing slightly behind his glasses. He asked in a low voice, "Sasuke-kun, what do we do now? Should we go up and check the situation, or...?"

"Go up."

Sasuke's answer was crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

He became intensely interested in the so-called secret, and he instinctively felt that this behemoth, which might have survived since "ancient times," could perhaps answer some of his questions.

With Sasuke's permission, Orochimaru smiled expectantly.

"That suits me perfectly. Let me go and scout the way for Sasuke-kun."

He and Kabuto exchanged a glance, and in a flash, they leaped off the back of the three-tailed turtle, riding the surging waves and speeding towards the island.

"Stop! If you dare take another step forward, don't blame us for being impolite!" the Cloud Ninja on the stalagmite shouted sternly.

As he finished speaking, several more figures dressed in the same attire emerged from the island's dense forest and landed beside him, their hands already forming hand seals.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Ball!"

"Water Release·Water Crush Wave!"

Several ninjutsu roared out, stirring up towering waves on the sea, engulfing Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi.

Ignoring the battle before him, Sasuke resealed the Three-Tails Isobu back into his body, and in a flash, he appeared hundreds of meters in the air.

From this angle, the entire island's outline is clearly visible.

Within the rugged stalagmites lies a lush, vibrant forest, and in the very center of the forest is another peculiar little hill.

Sasuke's gaze shifted downwards again; the small-scale conflict below had long since ended.

The Cloud Ninja lay sprawled on the rocks, their fates unknown.

Kabuto and Orochimaru stood there unharmed, with Kabuto holding a live prisoner in his hand.

Sasuke's figure descended from the sky, landing silently in front of them.

"..."

The Cloud Ninja being held by Kabuto froze completely the moment he saw Sasuke descend from the sky, his eyes filled with horror.

Flying, flying ninjas?!

As far as he knew, only the Tsuchikage, and even the Raikage, could not do this.

As a Jonin of Kumogakure, he had the privilege of witnessing the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, in his youth.

But perhaps it's because of the Tsuchikage's appearance and physique, or perhaps it's due to the technique.

He felt that the Tsuchikage's flying posture was like being suspended, far less relaxed and effortless than Sasuke's.

And this kid in front of me looks so young.

Sasuke ignored his horrified expression, looked at him calmly, and asked, "What secrets do you hold as you guard this island?"

The Cloud Ninja's body stiffened abruptly, a resolute glint flashing in his eyes as he prepared to bite open the poison sac hidden in his teeth.

However, the moment this thought arose in his mind, his vision was completely swallowed up by an eerie crimson.

All his will and all his secrets were mercilessly stripped away and crushed before those three slowly rotating magatama.

"...A real waterfall."

A moment later, the Cloud Ninja slowly uttered the name in a completely emotionless tone.

"That's where Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud Village) uses to test Jinchūriki..."

"Anyone who can confront the darkness within themselves beneath the waterfall can gain the Tailed Beast's approval and become a perfect Jinchūriki..."

"Rumor has it that the jinchūriki of both the Eight-Tails and the Two-Tails completed their trials there..."

A real waterfall...confronting the darkness within...

Sasuke repeated the words in a low voice, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Take us to see it."

The Cloud Ninja, who was being controlled by the illusion, nodded blankly, turned around and led the way, his movements stiff.

The real waterfall is located in the heart of the central mountain range of this "Turtle Island".

As you pass through a deep canyon shrouded in the leaves of giant ferns, the sound of babbling water grows clearer as it approaches.

However, when the group finally arrived at their destination, the scene before them surprised even Sasuke.

It wasn't as magnificent as they had imagined; frankly, it was rather unremarkable.

It was just a small river, no more than four or five people wide, cascading down from a cliff more than ten meters high. The current wasn't particularly rapid, but it crashed with a "thud" into a pool below that was only slightly wider than the stream, splashing up bursts of white water.

If it weren't for the obviously man-made circular platform in the center of the pool, this place would look no different from any ordinary mountain stream waterfall in the ninja world.

"This is it?" A hint of surprise flashed in Orochimaru's snake-like eyes.