Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

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Dark as ink.

Only a few dim streetlights remained on the streets of Karakura Town, their light and shadows swaying in the cool night breeze.

Sasuke stood alone in the shadows of the street corner, his eyes still covered by a black cloth, exuding an aloofness that kept strangers at bay.

He is waiting.

After an unknown amount of time, a sound like bats flapping their wings came from overhead.

A thin figure, with skin so pale it was almost bloodless, landed silently on the telephone pole opposite him.

The newcomer was dressed in the iconic white uniform of Hueco Mundo, with short, jet-black hair and a pair of emotionless, emerald-green eyes.

He stood there quietly, like a bat blending into the night, exuding an aura of deathly stillness.

“The fourth Espada, Ulquiorra,” Sasuke calmly called out the name.

The figure on the telephone pole looked down at the blindfolded boy below, his voice equally emotionless.

"It seems that Lord Sasuke already knows my identity."

He leaped down from the telephone pole and landed lightly a short distance in front of Sasuke.

"I have come on Lord Aizen's orders to invite you back to Las Noches."

"I don't remember leaving there." Sasuke's lips curled into a mocking smile.

"Lord Aizen has important matters to discuss with you." Ulquiorra ignored the sarcasm in his words and calmly relayed the order, "Regarding the subsequent war between the three realms."

"war?"

“Yes.” Ulquiorra nodded slightly.

Sasuke remained silent for a moment, but a thought flashed through his mind.

He glanced at the still brightly lit shop at the end of the street corner, then at the expressionless Ulquiorra in front of him.

Indigo dyeing...

Did you use the Hogyoku to remind yourself before?

Remind yourself who the true owner of that Hogyoku is.

"..."

Sasuke's heart sank slightly; he didn't yet have the strength to completely break ties with Aizen.

"I understand."

But he eventually agreed.

This answer seemed to be exactly what Ulquiorra had expected.

His emerald green eyes remained unmoved. He simply turned to the side, raised his hand, and made a light sweeping motion in the air in front of him.

A pitch-black crack opened silently.

"Please come in, Lord Sasuke, Lord Aizen is waiting for you."

Sasuke said nothing more and stepped into the darkness.

Just as he was about to pass by Ulquiorra, Sasuke asked a seemingly unrelated question.

What are your feelings towards Aizen?

“…Emotion?” Ulquiorra repeated the word in a low voice, as if he didn’t quite understand.

He immediately shook his head.

"I don't understand that kind of thing, and it doesn't exist."

"All I did was obey Lord Aizen's will."

His answer was full of nihilistic logic.

"Is that so..." Sasuke nodded slightly and said nothing more.

Ulquiorra watched the disappearing figure, then turned and disappeared into the darkness.

Night fell silent once more.

Chapter 203 Obtaining the Rinnegan! Sunny Pillar Returns, Aizen, You're Useless!

Sasuke returned to Hueco Mundo, and that familiar sense of deathly stillness washed over him.

The main gate of the royal palace was wide open.

"Lord Aizen."

Ulquiorra walked slowly to the throne, knelt on one knee, and bowed his head respectfully. "As you command, Lord Sasuke has been brought back."

"Thank you for your hard work, Ulquiorra." Aizen's voice was gentle. "You may leave now."

"Yes."

Ulquiorra's figure quietly disappeared into the shadows, leaving only Sasuke standing in the center of the hall.

Sasuke calmly gazed at the man on the throne, awaiting what would follow.

Aizen didn't speak immediately; instead, he looked at Sasuke with great interest.

"The aura emanating from you is much stronger than when you left."

After a long silence, Aizen spoke, "Is it because of the Hogyoku I gave you before? How do you feel about it?"

"During these days, have you experienced the wonderful feeling of your soul being sublimated and your life level being elevated?"

Upon hearing the words "Hogyoku," Sasuke involuntarily began to reminisce.

He recalled how he used the power of the Hogyoku to turn Harribel and the others into Arrancar, and how he took control of Indra.

"..."

Sasuke remained silent for a moment, then raised his hand and took the purple crystal from his pocket, holding it in his palm.

The Hōgyoku floated silently, emitting a faint light.

He looked at the crystal, met Aizen's gaze, and finally shook his head.

"No."

This decisive denial caused Aizen's smile to falter slightly.

"Oh?" Aizen's voice held a hint of curiosity. "No?"

"It did work at times."

Sasuke didn't hide anything and calmly recounted, "But these are just catalysts, or rather, amplifiers."

"As for the kind of key you and Kisuke Urahara mentioned, the key that's powerful enough to change the rules of the world..."

"I didn't feel it."

Sasuke tossed the Hogyoku in his hand between his fingers, then firmly grasped it again.

"In the end, it's just a fairly handy toy."

"Toy......"

Aizen repeated the word in a low voice, the astonishment on his face gradually replaced by a pleasant smile, "Sasuke-kun, you always manage to surprise me."

He rose from his throne and descended the steps, his white feather robe as immaculate as a god's robe.

"But you said..."

Aizen stopped in front of Sasuke, still with that gentle and refined demeanor, but his eyes had become profound.

"Could it be that your will, your desire, is far from being strong enough to make it show its true form?"

"Is that so?" Sasuke didn't back down, calmly asking in return, "Then what is its true form?"

"The true stance..."

Aizen smiled and naturally extended his hand in front of Sasuke.

As if drawn by some invisible force, the Hogyoku transformed into a purple stream of light and returned to Aizen's palm.

He grasped the Hōgyoku, feeling that familiar throbbing sensation, and his smile became even brighter.

"Sasuke-kun, the power within you is complete now, isn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Sasuke's pupils contracted slightly.

"In that case..."

Aizen didn't wait for his answer. He simply raised the Hogyoku in his hand and gave a hopeful smile.

"Then I'll let you see it for yourself."

"What magnificent spectacle will the true Hogyoku unleash when it encounters desire?"

The moment he finished speaking, the Hogyoku in Aizen's hand shone brightly, and a powerful force erupted from the small crystal.

The purple light flowed into Sasuke's body, causing him to involuntarily arch his back in pain.

Within his body, the two chakras of "Indra" and "Asura," which had already reached a delicate balance, suddenly went berserk under the forceful catalysis of this external force.

The pain nearly tore his consciousness apart completely.

But Sasuke just gritted his teeth and didn't fall.

"Hang in there, Sasuke-kun."

Aizen's voice rang in his ears, "Don't let this pain consume you, control it, command it, make it..."

"Let them all become one!"

"—Ughhhhh!!!"

Sasuke let out a roar.

The two conflicting forces within his body finally reached a critical point under the forceful binding of the Hōgyoku.

Then, they began to merge rapidly in an incredible way.