Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

At dusk, the setting sun was like blood.

On a cliff overlooking the entire village, behind Konoha Village.

Sasuke sat alone on a rock at the edge of the cliff, one leg bent and his arm casually resting on his knee.

The wind blew his slightly worn black shihaka outfit, and his hair flew wildly in front of his eyes.

He gazed at the village below, its lights gradually coming on, his eyes vacant, his entire being radiating loneliness.

"So you are here."

Yoruichi walked to Sasuke's side and followed his gaze down at the village.

"What? Aren't you going to enjoy the glory of the victor?"

Yoru turned his head to look at Sasuke's profile and teased, "Nowadays, Konoha is full of praise for the Uchiha clan's heroic deeds in turning the tide."

"boring."

Yoruichi shrugged, seemingly having anticipated his reaction, then dropped her joking expression and asked curiously, "Why didn't you kill Uchiha Itachi?"

“I remember you told me that he destroyed your home with his own hands and that he was the target of your revenge.”

Yoruichi stared into Sasuke's eyes, as if trying to see through his thoughts. "But in that basement, you handed him the knife, but you didn't let him point the tip at himself."

Sasuke fell silent, his gaze shifting from the village below to the long sword at his waist.

"......no the same."

He let out a low murmur, his voice filled with desolation.

"What?" Yoruichi didn't hear clearly.

"They may share the same blood, and even the same soul..."

Sasuke raised his head, gazing at the setting sun that was about to disappear on the horizon, his voice filled with sorrow.

"But they are not the same person after all."

Those are facts that have already happened, and they are indelible scars.

But in this worldline that he forcibly reversed, the thirteen-year-old Itachi before him had not yet wielded that butcher's knife.

That terrible future has been averted by his own hands.

"The itachi of this world has not yet committed that unforgivable crime."

Sasuke's voice was soft, as if he were speaking to himself, "If I kill him now, how am I any different from those Konoha high-ranking officials who indiscriminately kill innocent people for the sake of so-called 'potential threats'?"

Yoruichi quietly looked at Sasuke's profile. This kid, who always appeared cold and ruthless, was actually gentler than anyone else deep down.

"Moreover, I don't want to deprive him of hope."

"Who is he?" Yoruichi was taken aback.

"Me in this world."

Sasuke closed his eyes, and the image of himself in the illusion, nestled in his parents' arms, smiling brightly, appeared in his mind.

"For him, Itachi is still the older brother he respects the most and the one he wants to emulate the most."

"What I've lost is irretrievable."

"But at least..."

Sasuke's voice lowered, "I don't want the me in this world to live in hell like I did."

That was his real reason for letting the itachi go.

It's not about forgiveness, but about fulfilling someone's wishes.

To fulfill that younger version of myself, that unbroken childhood.

The evening breeze rustled through the treetops.

Yoruichi looked at Sasuke, who had clearly done something kind, yet insisted on putting on a forlorn expression that kept everyone at arm's length, and a soft spot in her heart was touched.

She suddenly moved closer to Sasuke, her eyes darting around.

"I almost forgot, there's another you in this world."

Sasuke opened his eyes, looking at her warily: "What do you want?"

"That's you when you were little!"

Yoruichi rubbed her hands together excitedly, her voice full of anticipation, "So, before she turned into this arrogant little brat, maybe she was still a cutie?"

Sasuke's face instantly darkened: "...What do you mean, 'what are you going to do'?"

"Let's go!"

Yoruichi suddenly stood up, grabbed Sasuke's wrist, and tried to pull him down the mountain.

"Let's go see him!"

"what?!"

Sasuke was caught off guard by her sudden action. He quickly pulled his hand away from hers, frowned, and refused, "What's so interesting about that kind of thing? It's boring."

"How could I be bored!"

Yoruichi persisted, hands on her hips, and said defiantly, "When I first met you, you were already this unapproachable, deadpan person."

"I'm really curious, what did you look like when you were little? Were you as unlovable as you are now?"

"..."

Sasuke's lips twitched, and he felt a headache coming on.

"The way I looked when I first arrived in Soul Society is the same way he looks now."

He explained helplessly, trying to dispel the woman's strange idea, "I was eight years old then, and I'm about the same age in this world."

"They look exactly the same, nothing special."

"That's different!"

Yoruichi immediately retorted, holding up a finger and waving it in front of Sasuke, "They may look the same, but their eyes are definitely different."

"I want to see those eyes that haven't been filled with hatred yet, eyes that still know how to laugh."

Sasuke looked at her speechlessly, sighed deeply, stood up from the rock, and dusted himself off.

"...Just one glance."

"Okay!" Yoruichi immediately transformed back into her black cat form and skillfully jumped onto Sasuke's shoulder.

"Hurry up, hurry up, I can't wait any longer!"

Sasuke shook his head helplessly, and with a flicker, disappeared over the cliff.

Its immense sensory power spread out, instantly covering the entire Hidden Leaf Village.

In Sasuke's perception, his younger self was not at the clan leader's mansion, but rather on the edge of the village, by a secluded lake.

"Still out so late?" Yoruichi seemed to have noticed something and muttered to herself, "You're quite diligent."

Soon, the two arrived at their destination.

It was a small lake surrounded by dense forest, and on the lakeside, young Sasuke stood alone, repeatedly forming hand seals.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

He took a deep breath, puffed out his cheeks, and exhaled sharply.

"call--!"

A ball of orange-red flame shot out of his mouth, but the flame only lasted for a brief moment before quickly dimming and going out.

"Cough cough..."

Sasuke coughed twice from the choking, wiped his mouth in annoyance, and scrunched up his face.

"Damn it, why is it still not working?"

He muttered a complaint under his breath, his eyes filled with resentment, "It looked so simple when my brother taught me..."

"puff......"

Hiding in the treetops in the distance, Yoruichi looked at this whimsical scene and finally couldn't help but laugh out loud, teasing, "Little Sasuke, were you really this clumsy when you were little?"

"Can't even spit out a fireball?"

Sasuke's face darkened, and he retorted in a low voice, "I was only seven years old then, and my chakra reserves were already insufficient."

"Moreover, someone is watching."

His gaze swept across the dense forest by the lake, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Ok?"

Yoruichi, upon hearing this, followed Sasuke's gaze.

Deep within the dense forest, two obscure presences lingered.

Although it was well hidden, it was extremely conspicuous in front of Sasuke and Yoruichi.

He is a Jonin of the Uchiha clan.

Although the coup had succeeded, Fugaku did not let his guard down and continued to send his clan's elite troops to secretly protect his youngest son.

"They're really well protected," Yoruichi remarked.

"Have you seen enough?" Sasuke withdrew his gaze, asked in a low voice, and prepared to leave.

"Don't rush, let's wait and see. Maybe we'll succeed this time."

Sasuke had no choice but to patiently continue waiting.

But at the same time, a spatial fluctuation appeared ahead.

Almost the instant Sasuke noticed it, the space behind the lake began to twist and rotate like a whirlpool.

Immediately afterwards, a man dressed in a black robe and wearing an orange mask slowly appeared.

He was staring at Sasuke and Yoruichi, who were hidden in the tree canopy.

"Have we been discovered?" Yoruichi's voice turned somber.