Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

The giant tortoise's voice was filled with nostalgia, but soon that nostalgia was replaced by a cold, deathly silence.

"Until that 'accident' happened."

"Everything has changed."

Its voice turned low, filled with suppressed fear, "It was a seed from outer space, which silently pierced the sky and landed in the heart of this land."

At first, nobody paid any attention.

"But soon, we realized something was wrong."

“A tree so huge that it defies description sprouted from the seed, its roots like greedy venomous snakes, plunging into the deepest part of this land.”

"That tree is devouring."

The giant tortoise's voice trembled, "It is devouring all the life energy in this world."

"It drained the rivers, withered the forests, and thinned the 'natural power' within all living things on earth."

"We did not give up; the mountain god tried to imprison it with rocks, and the heavenly god tried to destroy it with thunder..."

But none of it worked.

A sense of despair appeared in the giant tortoise's eyes. "Before that tree, our strength seems so insignificant."

"Then, they appeared."

"them?"

Chapter 175 Orochimaru Wants a Zanpakuto

"Who do you mean?" Sasuke's voice held a hint of confusion.

"Two usurpers from outer space."

The giant tortoise's aged voice was now filled with deep-seated hatred, causing the dark ocean beneath its feet to churn.

"They had pale skin, two horns on their heads, and called themselves 'Otsutsuki,' the true 'gods,' exuding an aura of superiority and nausea."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"They call that tree the 'divine tree' and call themselves its 'guardians,' reaping the life energy that should belong to this world," the giant tortoise's voice continued.

"To stop them, I unleashed a tsunami powerful enough to engulf the continent, and the mountain god detonated a volcano that had been dormant for thousands of years..."

"We, the gods, waged a final war against those two usurpers, but the final outcome..."

The giant tortoise's voice became incredibly mournful at this moment, its eyes filled with an unyielding stillness, "I believe you've already guessed it."

"The roots of the divine tree pierced our souls, draining away all the 'soul power' and 'natural power' we had accumulated over tens of thousands of years."

"The very power we are so proud of has become the nourishment that sustains it."

"Most of the other gods met the same fate, either being devoured or falling into eternal silence due to the depletion of their power over the long years."

"Only a few strong enough ones chose to hide from the beginning and survived by chance, but they never dared to show their faces again."

"As for me, I only managed to escape this calamity by relying on this relatively tenacious body and faking my death after my strength was completely drained."

Sasuke listened quietly, but his heart was already in turmoil.

"And that fruit, which gathers the life force of the entire earth," the giant tortoise's voice was full of disdain, "contains the power you now call 'chakra'."

"..."

Sasuke stood there, stunned, his mind blank, but he quickly grasped the contradiction.

If that divine tree is so terrifying, capable of devouring the life force of the entire world, then why...?

Why does the world still seem so vibrant today?

Seemingly seeing through Sasuke's doubts, the giant turtle slowly shook its head, its voice also carrying a hint of confusion.

"Those two usurpers did not completely succeed."

"During my feigned death and slumber, I vaguely sensed that an extremely terrifying battle of power erupted at the center of this land, a power far surpassing our own."

"After that, the aura of the divine tree disappeared, and the parched earth regained its vitality."

It looked at Sasuke, a hint of confusion flashing in its ancient eyes, "But when I awoke again, the humans on this land had gained a power called 'chakra' within them."

"Although I don't know exactly what happened or who did it, this world has not been completely destroyed after all."

After hearing all this, Sasuke already had the answer in his heart.

To be able to defeat those two "Otsutsuki" and, combined with the legends surrounding "chakra," that person...

"Have you ever heard of the Sage of Six Paths?" Sasuke asked.

"The Sage of Six Paths?"

The giant tortoise shook its massive head, its voice filled with bewilderment, "Never heard of it. In my time, such a name never existed."

"However..." it seemed to have thought of something, "In our time, humans are used to calling those strong people who can make initial use of the 'power of nature' 'immortals'."

"Perhaps the Sage of Six Paths you speak of is also such a being."

Sasuke knew that the giant turtle's guess was not entirely accurate, but he had no intention of explaining the complicated reasons behind it.

"Do you know about Mount Myoboku, Ryuchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest?"

“I’ve never heard of it either.” The giant tortoise shook its head again. “It must have been a newly formed land that appeared after that war.”

Sasuke nodded slightly and didn't ask any further questions.

He had obtained enough information, and a clear historical timeline had already taken shape in his mind.

But a grander and clearer historical context has already taken shape in his mind.

First, it is an era in which all things coexist, dominated by the "power of the soul" and the "power of nature".

Then, the Otsutsuki descended like a natural disaster, planting a divine tree that devoured the world and nearly destroyed the old era.

Finally, the Sage of Six Paths, whose origins are unknown, perhaps for some reason, stopped all of this and spread that chakra that did not belong to this world, thus ushering in the era of "ninjas".

Sasuke frowned.

But new questions also arise.

Why did the Sage of Six Paths, after defeating the Otsutsuki and saving the world, choose not to return the world to its original system of "soul power" and "natural energy," but instead chose to spread the external power of "chakra"?

Is it because the method of cultivating "soul power" has been lost?

Or is it because the cultivation of "natural energy" is too difficult?

Or perhaps "chakra" itself holds some deeper secret?

After all, as a product of that divine tree that could devour the entire ninja world, it should be extraordinary.

Thinking of this, Sasuke raised his hand and took out the item he had obtained from Konoha's Namen Hall from his pocket.

That pale, menacing mask of death.

Do you recognize this?

The giant tortoise slowly raised its head, carefully sensing the aura emanating from the mask, its eyes narrowing slightly.

It was neither "natural energy" nor simply "soul power," but a filthy substance mixed with greed, hatred, and endless emptiness.

"...This smell."

The giant tortoise's voice became somewhat hoarse, as if it were recalling something, "In the era before I fell asleep, such filthy beings would occasionally be born on this land."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed instantly.

"They are fallen souls."

The ancient voice of the giant tortoise slowly narrated, "After death, the souls of living beings should return to this world. Although they are on different paths from the living, they depend on each other and silently watch over this land."

"But there are always some souls that lose their true nature and ultimately fall into depravity because of their overly strong obsessions in life or the resentment that cannot be resolved after death."

"A hole will split open in their chests, reason will be replaced by hunger, and they will begin to devour their pure kin who have not yet fallen, in order to fill their own emptiness."

Sasuke listened quietly, understanding dawning on him.

This is exactly the same principle as the virtual birth of another world.

"At that time, the humans who could see these fallen souls, out of fear of these monsters that devoured their own kind, gave them a name."

"What?" Sasuke asked instinctively.

“Evil spirits,” the giant tortoise replied. “And in that era, a group of beings that were the opposite of them were also born.”

"They are among the very few humans who can wield their 'soul power' with ease."

"They take it upon themselves to slay evil spirits and purify filth, walking on the earth to maintain the balance between life and death."

"Therefore, people at that time gave them another honorific title."

"grim Reaper."

Sasuke's pupils suddenly contracted.

It turned out to be the case.

Death has existed in this world from the very beginning.

They were not travelers from that world, but natives of this land.

"And then what happened?" Sasuke's voice held a hint of urgency. "Where did those people go? Why haven't we heard anything about them since?"

"......have no idea."

The giant tortoise slowly shook its head, a hint of confusion and melancholy flashing in its eyes. "Ever since that 'divine tree' descended and devoured most of the 'soul power' in this world, I have never seen the figures of those death gods again."

"Perhaps it's due to the transmission of chakra?"

It glanced at the mask in Sasuke's hand, "Or perhaps... they sealed themselves, along with those 'evil spirits,' in some unknown place."

After hearing this, Sasuke's heart sank, and he continued to ask, "Where do people's souls go after they die in the past?"

The giant tortoise answered matter-of-factly, "Where? Of course, it remains on this very land."

"It's just that the living and the dead are separated by barriers and don't interfere with each other." It paused, a hint of confusion in its eyes.

"Speaking of which, it's been a very, very long time since I've sensed the presence of those souls..."