Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

But the moment they stepped out of the canyon, several figures appeared in an instant, completely surrounding the small waterfall area.

Their positions were cunning, subtly forming a blockade formation. The kunai and short swords they gripped tightly gleamed coldly in the mist.

The Cloud Ninja's gazes passed over their manipulated comrade and immediately locked onto Orochimaru.

That pale face, those golden snake eyes...

The legendary Sannin! How could he be here?!

The leader was a Cloud Village Jonin who looked quite old, with a scar on his face that stretched from his brow to his jaw, adding to his fierce appearance.

He knew that with Orochimaru here, his companions on the outer perimeter were probably in grave danger.

The situation is better than people.

Even if one is filled with rage, in the face of the legendary Sannin, any anger or impulsiveness is useless and may even become an excuse for the other party to attack.

The Jonin took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging emotions within him, and adopted a very humble posture.

"Lord Orochimaru, what brings you here?"

Orochimaru didn't reply, but instead looked at the waterfall with great interest, as if he hadn't heard the other person's question at all.

He then turned his head to the side, his snake-like eyes casting an inquiring glance at Sasuke beside him, handing him the choice.

Sasuke's gaze swept over the few ordinary Jonin, and then he shook his head slightly.

It means you don't need to pay attention to it.

There's no need to waste time here on a bunch of weaklings who can't even withstand a single blow from me.

After receiving permission, Orochimaru shrugged and smiled innocently.

"Don't be so nervous. I just heard about a special sight here, so I came here to see it."

"..."

The scarred ninja's eye twitched violently.

To watch?

You eliminated all the outer guards just to come and watch?

He certainly didn't believe such nonsense, but what could he do?

With Orochimaru's reputation as one of the "Three Legendary Sannin," plus that brat beside him whom even he couldn't see through...

Resistance is nothing but futile suicide.

"......I see."

The scarred ninja exhaled a long breath, as if all his strength had been released, and turned aside to clear the way to the waterfall, his voice full of weakness.

"Since Lord Orochimaru is only here to watch, please make yourself at home."

"We will absolutely not disturb you."

The location of Turtle Island is a closely guarded secret, and its movement is completely unpredictable. Even most of the Jonin in the village do not know its exact location.

The fact that Orochimaru was able to find them so precisely means that the other party already had all the information about them, and any concealment or deception would be meaningless.

But he dared not expose it.

The only thing we can do now is to try our best to meet their demands and then pray that they leave as soon as possible.

Sasuke lifted his foot, about to walk away.

The scarred-faced Cloud Village Jonin tactfully waved his hand, leading his men into the depths of the dense forest. His voice came respectfully, "We'll take our leave now."

Sasuke knew perfectly well that those auras hadn't gone far; they were simply hiding behind the dense forest, trying to spy on him.

He ignored these pointless tricks, sat cross-legged on the circular platform, and closed his eyes.

A surge of natural energy enveloped his consciousness, and Sasuke did not resist, allowing it to envelop him.

The sound of rushing water suddenly disappeared.

After an unknown amount of time, the darkness gradually faded, and the light reappeared.

What came into view was the familiar Konoha street scene.

The afternoon sun shone through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled light on the bluestone path, and the air was filled with the sweet aroma of roasted meatballs and red bean paste.

"..."

Sasuke stood blankly in the middle of the street.

Isn't the point to confront the darkness within yourself?

Is this his darkness? Shouldn't it be that blood-red night?

Just as he was feeling confused, a burst of cheerful laughter came from the direction of the training ground not far away.

The laughter was crisp and clear, full of childlike innocence, which made Sasuke's heart tighten suddenly.

I stared intently at it.

He saw a little boy, about five or six years old, wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt, trying his best to catch up with the tall figure in front of him.

"Nissan! Nissan, wait for me!"

The little boy shouted breathlessly, but his face was filled with pure joy.

The figure in the ANBU uniform in front of them slowly stopped.

Yes......

Uchiha Itachi, and his younger self.

Sasuke's breath caught in his throat. He stood there silently, staring at the scene that should never have happened again.

He saw Itachi turn around, with a gentle smile on his face, just as he remembered, but his words were as cold as ever.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke," Itachi's voice was soft. "I have a mission today, so as for training..."

"Next time," Sasuke said in his mind, finishing the sentence he had heard countless times before.

He's always like that, it's always "next time".

Sasuke looked at his tiny self, and the bright smile on his face faded at a visible speed. He clenched the hem of his clothes tightly with his little hands and lowered his head.

However, to Sasuke's surprise...

"......All right."

The apology on Itachi's face turned into a soft sigh after seeing his younger brother's disappointed expression.

He slowly walked forward, squatted down, and reached out his hand, gently touching Sasuke's forehead with those two familiar fingers.

"This is a one-time exception; there will be no next time."

"real?!"

Sasuke suddenly raised his head, his eyes shining with a light that could illuminate the entire world.

Sasuke was stunned.

He looked at his tiny self, cheering and jumping into Itachi's arms, and at the doting smile on Itachi's face, and his mind went blank.

That's not right.

This is completely different from what I remember.

He subconsciously took a few steps forward and walked to the brothers' side, but neither Itachi nor his younger self seemed to see him.

He was like a ghost that didn't belong to this world, only able to observe from the sidelines.

On the training field, that small figure, under Itachi's guidance, practiced shuriken throwing again and again.

Each time the bullseye was hit, it was met with an uncontrollable cheer and Itachi's smiling "Not bad."

Father Uchiha Fugaku also arrived at the training ground at some point.

But unlike in my memory, he didn't put on a stern face after seeing his son fail and say, "He's nothing like my son."

Instead, he patiently stepped forward and corrected Sasuke's still immature posture.

"Look closely, Sasuke. The power originates from the ground, twists through the waist and abdomen, and finally converges at the wrist..."

"Ok!"

Training ended when the setting sun painted the horizon a warm orange-red.

Young Sasuke held his father's hand in one hand and his brother's hand in the other as they walked home.

Sasuke followed behind them, watching the three long shadows cast by the setting sun, his steps heavy.

The door was pushed open.

Welcome back.

Wearing an apron, Uchiha Mikoto emerged from the kitchen with a gentle smile on her face and took the coats that her husband and children had taken off.

"How was your training today? Mom made your favorite tomato."

"mom!"

Sasuke let go of her mother's hand and rushed into her arms, rubbing his face against her apron and acting spoiled.

"I was amazing today! My dad and brother both praised me!"

"Really? Sasuke is truly remarkable."

At the dinner table, four people sat together.

The father was discussing the latest developments in the police force with Itachi, while the mother kept putting food into Sasuke's bowl.

That little version of myself was chattering away at the dinner table, telling everyone about the fun things that happened during training that day.

Sasuke knelt quietly beside his past self, watching the scene unfold before him.

The air was filled with the long-lost aroma of "home," a blend of rice and soy sauce.

A long-lost, almost forgotten warm current called "happiness" enveloped him completely.

That's great...

if......