Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

"Sasuke."

A soft voice sounded in his ear.

"Wake up, Sasuke."

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes, and what came into view was his mother's gentle face.

He found himself lying on his mother's lap, covered with his father's coat.

Only the two of them remained in the living room; their father and brother were nowhere to be found.

The sky outside the window had changed from the dead of night to the deep indigo blue of the pre-dawn hours.

"Mom..." Sasuke's voice was slightly hoarse from just waking up.

"Mmm." Mikoto responded softly, reaching out to gently comb his messy black hair with her fingertips.

"Sasuke."

Mikoto looked at him, and in those eyes that were always smiling, there was now a trace of sadness that Sasuke couldn't understand.

"It's almost time, you should go."

"......Walk?"

Sasuke sat up from his mother's lap, looking at her blankly. "Where are we going? It's not even dawn yet, I..."

Go back to where you belong.

"..."

Sasuke was stunned.

Looking at his mother's calm face and the clear sadness in her eyes, a realization he had deliberately buried resurfaced uncontrollably.

"Do not......"

Sasuke's voice trembled as he shook his head in disbelief, as if trying to convince himself, "This is the real place, isn't it? Mom, tell me, this is the real place..."

Warm tears streamed down my face uncontrollably once again.

"no."

Mikoto shook her head, revealing a sad yet incredibly gentle smile.

She raised her hand and gently wiped away the tears on his cheeks with her fingertips.

"Silly boy."

Sasuke stared blankly at her, at her face that appeared somewhat translucent in the dim light of dawn, his mind completely blank.

"Didn't we just say that?"

Mikoto looked at him, her gentle eyes filled with reluctance. "A real man shouldn't cry so easily."

“Mom…” Sasuke’s lips trembled slightly.

"Leave with peace of mind."

Mikoto gently placed her hand on his cheek, as if to transfer her last bit of warmth to him.

"Your father and I will always be watching over you."

"No matter what path you choose, no matter where you go, we will be proud of you even when you can't see us."

"..."

Sasuke didn't speak, biting his lower lip tightly, letting the pain of losing it again tear his heart apart.

He was reluctant to part with it.

How could he possibly bear to part with it?

Here lies everything he lost, and the warmth he could never regain in his entire life.

But he knew he had to go.

Dreams must eventually end.

Sasuke slowly closed his eyes, etching that last warmth deep into the depths of his soul.

When he opened his eyes again, those eyes, which had returned to their original blackness, were once again replaced by an eerie scarlet.

The intricate six-pointed star pattern on his left eye spun silently.

The world before my eyes began to blur and become transparent little by little, like a sand painting being blown away by the wind.

"Sasuke."

Mikoto watched the figure about to disappear, tears welling in her eyes, and shouted her advice to Sasuke.

"Don't be a picky eater in the future, eat more food, and grow up quickly."

"Remember to shower every day, and don't stay up late; make sure you get enough sleep."

"To make friends, you don't need too many; just a few truly trustworthy friends are enough."

"Mom and Dad don't seem to be very good at these things, so you might not do well, but that's okay."

"When a ninja is training, he will encounter a lot of pain and hardship. He must have faith in himself."

"I still... I still... I really have so much to tell you."

"Mom still wants to live with you."

Mikoto looked at that figure and choked out her last words.

"Mom, I really love you."

The moment the words fell, that warm figure, along with the entire world, vanished without a trace, turning into countless points of light within the spinning six-pointed star.

Chapter 172 Kaleidoscope, Ideals and Reality (5k)

The entire world was completely transformed into countless specks of light, vanishing without a trace.

The deathly darkness enveloped Sasuke once again.

He stood there quietly, the last warmth still lingering on his cheeks, his mother's last words still echoing in his ears, but all that remained before him was emptiness.

"..."

Sasuke raised his hand, looking at his palm, which had regained its slender shape.

An illusion...?

That was indeed an illusion.

But that pain was more real than any reality.

Sasuke thought everything was over and he would soon return to the real world.

But all that remained before me was that boundless darkness.

Just then, a faint light appeared in the distance.

The light was small, but it stood out exceptionally clearly in the absolute darkness.

A small, thin figure was walking towards him step by step from the center of the halo.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed instantly, and his right hand almost instinctively pressed on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

He recalled the Cloud Village ninja's description of the "True Waterfall".

It projects another self into the inner world, an existence completely opposite to the original self.

Just like two sides of a mirror.

He believed he was already lost to the light, his hands stained with blood, so the person "opposite" to him must be a ridiculously naive "good person."

The figure drew closer and closer.

It was a child, wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt that he knew all too well, with the Uchiha clan's fan-shaped crest printed on it.

It is that tiny version of myself that appears in the illusion.

He walked over step by step, finally stopping beside Sasuke, and then casually sat down cross-legged in the darkness at Sasuke's feet.

He raised his hand and gently patted the darkness beneath him.

With his gentle tap, the once cold darkness rippled outwards, like a lake rippled with a stone thrown in, centered on him.

Immediately afterwards, the supple grass grew wildly, instantly transforming this desolate void into a boundless grassland.

At the same time, the suffocating darkness overhead was replaced by a patch of azure, and a warm sun hung high in the sky.

The warm sunlight, accompanied by a gentle breeze, caressed their faces.

"..."

Sasuke was stunned.

He looked at the world that had suddenly come alive before him, then at himself, who was tilting his head back, eyes closed, enjoying the breeze. His hand, which had been resting on the hilt of his sword, slowly loosened.

"sit down."

Sasuke patted the soft grass beside him and said softly, "Standing for too long will be tiring."

Sasuke remained silent for a moment, then finally sat down cross-legged on the grass beside the figure.

"How does it feel to say goodbye to your mother?" young Sasuke asked calmly, his voice still childish.

Upon hearing this, Sasuke's body stiffened.

He suddenly turned his head and stared intently at the youthful profile beside him, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Did he know?

He knew everything that happened in the illusion just now?!

Sasuke originally thought that the "projection" in front of him was regenerated by the power of the "True Waterfall" after he broke free from the illusion.

But now it seems...

"That one in the illusion just now was me."

Seemingly seeing through Sasuke's doubts, young Sasuke finally turned his head and calmly met his gaze.