Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

"You mean you created 'something' from 'nothing'?"

Sasuke nodded slightly, which was taken as acquiescence.

Having received an affirmative answer, Orochimaru calmed down.

All the shock faded, leaving behind an almost religious fervor.

"I see......"

He suddenly raised his head and asked softly, "Then, Sasuke-kun, what ability does your remaining eye have?"

This question caused Sasuke to pause and ponder for a moment.

The left eye is born from the "ideal" of "desire," from which the ability to "create" is derived, which is essentially a distortion of reality.

The right eye's ability is essentially the same: to distort reality.

The only difference is the direction.

Sasuke gently tossed the katana he was holding, created by "Takamisu Sumihi", into the air.

The blade traced a cold arc in mid-air before beginning to fall.

At that moment, the six-pointed star pattern on Sasuke's right eye turned slightly.

"..."

The samurai sword that should have been on the ground vanished into thin air without warning from his sight.

"This is..." Orochimaru's voice was somewhat hoarse.

It was yet another power that he could not comprehend at all.

He was certain that he had not sensed any fluctuations in space-time ninjutsu.

So is this the power of Sasuke's right eye?

Orochimaru.

"Huh?" Orochimaru suddenly jolted awake, snapping out of his shock.

Sasuke interrupted his speculation, raising his chin in a gesture, "Try attacking me with your jutsu."

"...Huh?" Orochimaru was stunned.

But he quickly realized what was happening and gave a very pleased smile.

Is Sasuke going to demonstrate this to me through actual combat?

"Since it's Sasuke-kun's request..."

Orochimaru let out a hoarse chuckle, licked his lips, and agreed without hesitation, "Of course, it would be my pleasure."

As he spoke, he took a few steps back, creating enough distance between himself and the outside world.

"Well then, I won't stand on ceremony, Sasuke-kun."

He quickly formed hand seals in front of him, and a surge of cold chakra erupted.

"Hidden Shadow Serpent Hands!"

Several ferocious giant snakes surged out from his sleeves, opening their blood-red maws and lunging at Sasuke from all directions!

However, faced with this siege that would make any Jonin pale with fear, Sasuke remained standing still, without even adopting a defensive stance.

This posture made Orochimaru frown slightly.

Not right.

Even if someone is extremely confident in their eye technique, they wouldn't be so arrogant.

Could it be that...

A thought flashed through his mind.

Illusion? When?!

The moment that thought flashed through his mind, the ferocious white snakes had already reached Sasuke.

Then, they went through it.

"..."

Orochimaru's smile froze.

He stared blankly as the white snakes passed right through Sasuke's body.

The black-haired boy stood still the whole time, without even the hem of his clothes swaying.

Orochimaru lowered his hands from the hand seals, a helpless expression on his face, and shook his head.

"I'm truly defeated by you, Sasuke-kun."

His voice was full of genuine admiration, “Another extremely clever illusion.”

"To be able to simulate an illusion to this extent, even my senses were completely deceived..."

Orochimaru looked at Sasuke, his snake eyes gleaming. "Perhaps from the very beginning, what I saw of you was just an illusion?"

"It seems that the eye technique of your right eye, like Tsukuyomi, is an ability related to mental interference."

After listening to Orochimaru's self-indulgent analysis, Sasuke's face showed a rare moment of speechlessness.

“I have never used illusion magic.”

"Ok?"

Orochimaru's expression froze completely at that moment, his eyes filled with unwavering confusion. "N-no genjutsu? Then what was that just now...?"

He was certain that the Sasuke before him was not a clone; that unique aura of soul could not be faked.

He was also certain that the attack had not hindered him at all; if it wasn't an illusion, what could it be?

Chapter 174: Misfortune Day

"gone."

Sasuke didn't give him any more time to think and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Orochimaru called out to him instinctively.

Sasuke paused slightly, but did not turn around.

"..."

Orochimaru opened his mouth, but found that he didn't know what to ask.

The gap between myself and the boy in front of me is no longer simply a matter of strength.

It's more like a difference between two dimensions.

In other words, he had basically seen all the strong people in the ninja world and heard countless legends, but he had never seen anyone who could create life out of thin air.

The First Hokage's Wood Release might work, but it was limited to things like flowering trees. Sasuke's eye techniques are clearly more than that.

Sasuke ignored the suspicious man behind him and offered no further explanation of what had just happened.

After all, that was just to explore the abilities of his eye technique.

However, it must be said that Orochimaru's initial conjecture was indeed wrong, and Sasuke was not lying; he never used genjutsu from beginning to end.

Just as the white snakes were about to strike, he activated the pupil technique of his right eye.

This eye was born from "extreme fear of cruel reality" and "deepest pain of losing happiness again." Its core is still to distort reality, but its abilities are completely opposite to those of the left eye.

It is to forcibly "deny" things that Sasuke "does not expect" to exist in reality, making them conceptually "non-existent".

Just now, he used this eye technique on himself, denying the reality that "he exists here".

The body will then enter a state of "conceptual disappearance," and any physical or energy attack will pass right through it, because at that moment, the concept of "Uchiha Sasuke" no longer exists.

Of course, the consumption of eye power and chakra also depends on the target. Denying one's own existence consumes far more energy than erasing an ordinary piece of iron.

But without a doubt, this is a defense tactic that is almost impossible to counter.

Sasuke raised his hand and gently brushed his right eye with his fingertips, silently reciting that equally ancient name in his heart.

"Misfortune Day".

Deny all “ominous realities” and reduce them to nothingness.

Sasuke felt the abundant power within him and a smile appeared on his face.

"In this way, whether it's that world or this world..."

"There shouldn't be anything left to stop me."

"and many more."

A voice called out to the real person who was about to leave, but it was not Orochimaru, but Kabuto Yakushi who had been standing silently to the side.

Sasuke paused slightly, but did not turn around.

Kabuto strode forward and stopped a few meters away from Sasuke, adjusting his glasses.

His gaze fell upon the gently flowing "real waterfall" not far away, and his eyes behind his glasses shone with a complex light that was a mixture of longing and confusion.

“Sasuke-kun.” Kabuto’s voice was very soft, with even a slight, almost imperceptible tremor, “That waterfall… I’d like to try it too.”

Sasuke slowly turned his head, his eyes filled with confusion.

Kabuto didn't answer, but looked at Sasuke pleadingly, silently praying in his heart.

“I have been imitating, imitating Lord Orochimaru’s ambition, imitating Lord Sasori’s ruthlessness. I am trying to find a piece of the 'self' that can prove my existence from these powerful people.”

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, but in the end he was just a clumsy imitator, an empty shell who didn't even know who he was.

Kabuto finally raised his head and looked directly at Sasuke.

But Sasuke is different. He's a genius, possessing a powerful ego that even Orochimaru would find captivating, so...

“I also want to see…” Kabuto’s gaze returned to the water curtain. “Under this waterfall that reflects the darkness within, what can I see, and try to find my true self?”

Sasuke listened quietly without offering any comment.

Finding oneself?