Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

If none of that happened that day...

If this were really true...

Soon, an indescribable bitterness surged up from his stomach and gripped his heart.

Something was surging wildly upwards in my throat.

"vomit......"

He leaned forward uncontrollably, retching violently. His vision began to blur, and the warm conversation around him seemed distant and unreal.

Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, dripping onto the floor.

Just then, a warm hand gently pressed on his back.

Gently patting him again and again, soothing his violently trembling body.

"What's wrong, Sasuke? Are you feeling unwell?"

Sasuke's body stiffened abruptly. He slowly raised his head, his eyes, already blurred with tears, meeting a pair of eyes filled with worry.

It is the mother.

She was looking at him with concern, and the face that should have become blurred in his memory was now so clear in every detail.

"Mother......"

Sasuke's lips trembled slightly, and he unconsciously uttered a childlike murmur of affection.

Chapter 171 Happy Birthday, Sasuke (5k)

That hand was so warm, its fingertips gently brushing across Sasuke's cold cheek, wiping away the tears that were streaming down his face uncontrollably.

Sasuke stared blankly at her, at that gentle face so close to his, his mind completely blank.

He didn't know what happened.

Why is it that just a second ago I was a "ghost" who could only watch from the sidelines, but now I am suddenly being seen?

Why did she try to comfort herself?

But these questions became unimportant under the warm palm of her mother's hand.

He suddenly threw himself into Uchiha Mikoto's arms, wrapping his arms tightly around her neck and burying his face deep in her clothes that smelled familiar.

Sasuke knew that it was all fake, an illusion created by the so-called "True Waterfall," but the warmth emanating from his palm and the maternal love etched deep in his soul were so real that he couldn't resist them.

He seemed to understand somewhat the so-called Eye of the Moon recorded on the stone tablet at Nanga Shrine.

This kind of illusion, which only exists in our ideals, can indeed easily make people addicted to it.

Enjoy this moment.

Even if it's just for this moment...

As Sasuke thought this, he tightened his arms, as if trying to completely immerse himself in this warmth.

"What's wrong with this child today?"

Mikoto seemed a little flustered by his sudden affection, but she still patted his back gently with both hands, her voice full of love, "Alright, alright, don't cry. A real man shouldn't cry so easily."

Sasuke cried for a long time, so long that he himself didn't know how much time had passed.

Only when the bitterness and grievances that had been suppressed for years were completely drained away with his tears did he slowly let go of her hand.

She raised her head, and in her red and swollen eyes from crying, it seemed she had a lot to say.

But at that moment, he was completely stunned.

He saw his hands become small, they were as delicate as a child's hands.

He suddenly looked down and saw his own body, which had also become smaller, and that familiar blue shirt.

I've shrunk?

Sasuke's pupils contracted sharply. He looked around and saw that the small version of himself that had been kneeling on the ground with him was gone.

"What's wrong? Are you too tired from training?"

Seeing him start to space out again, Mikoto patted his head tenderly. "Perfect timing. Your father has some free time today, let's go to a hot spring to relax together."

"Itachi, let's go."

Mikoto didn't give Sasuke a chance to refuse. She simply said something in the direction of Itachi and the others, then took Sasuke's hand and walked towards the door.

Soon, the two tall figures walked over, and the family headed towards the hot spring bath deep in the village.

"Hold hands, so you don't get lost."

The rising steam enveloped the entire hot spring in a hazy white mist.

The family had booked a small hot spring bath, where the water was gurgling softly.

Sasuke leaned against the warm pool wall, letting his mother wipe his back with a soft towel.

"Look at you, your body is covered in bruises from training." Mikoto's voice carried a hint of heartache.

“No way…” Sasuke retorted instinctively.

Not far away, the father was leaning against the pond, resting with his eyes closed.

Occasionally, Itachi would unusually splash water on Sasuke, and the two would playfully fight.

Everything was so beautiful it seemed otherworldly.

Sasuke closed his eyes and submerged his entire body in the water, trying to use the warmth to dispel the chill deep within his soul.

On my way home, the moon was bright and the stars were few.

Just like when they were children, Itachi carried him on his back after he had played until he was tired, and walked step by step on the familiar stone path.

Sasuke pressed his cheek against the broad back, feeling the steady breathing and heartbeat, and subconsciously tightened his arms.

"Aren't you asleep yet?" Itachi's voice came from ahead.

“…Hmm.” Sasuke responded listlessly.

"That's perfect." Itachi put Sasuke down.

What does "just right" mean?

Sasuke looked up, somewhat confused. In front of him was the familiar front door of his house.

Fugaku stepped forward and pushed open the slightly ajar wooden door.

"—Bang! Bang!"

Several soft sounds.

Countless ribbons and petals, accompanied by two crisp firework sounds, burst forth from inside the door.

The pitch-black room was instantly filled with warm candlelight.

Happy birthday, Sasuke!

Uchiha Itachi stood in the center of the living room, holding a birthday cake covered with candles, a gentle smile on his face.

"..."

Sasuke was stunned.

He looked at the Itachi holding the cake at the door, then subconsciously turned around and glanced at the Itachi next to him.

The weasel beside him smiled slightly, and in the warm candlelight, it turned into a wisp of white smoke.

Shadow clones...

Sasuke's heart sank.

What's wrong with me?

Can't even distinguish the most basic shadow clone?

Just as he was in shock, a large hand gently pushed his back.

He is the father.

He looked at Sasuke, who was still standing there in a daze, and a rare smile appeared on his usually serious face.

"What are you waiting for? Go inside."

Fugaku's gaze remained serious, but his voice was much gentler than usual. "Today is your birthday. You've been talking about it for months, saying you really wanted to celebrate it properly."

"What, you've forgotten now?"

Sasuke turned around blankly, glanced at his father, and then looked at the figure inside the room holding the cake.

Birthday?

Such unfamiliar words.

Since that incident, no one has remembered his birthday.

Kakashi won't remember.

That idiot Naruto probably doesn't even know his own birthday.

In Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, time has long since lost its meaning.

Over time, even he himself forgot about the day that should have belonged to him.

"Go blow out the candles," Mikoto urged gently.

Sasuke walked step by step toward the flickering candlelight.

Every step felt like walking on clouds, light and airy, filled with a sense of unreality.

He walked up to Itachi, looking at the flickering candlelight, at the "Happy Birthday" written in cream on the cake, and at his brother's smiling eyes.

"Make a wish, Sasuke."

Make a wish?

What else can I wish for?

Sasuke looked at everything before him, at the happiness he once thought he would never be able to reach again.