Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

“That’s right.” Shutara Senjumaru continued to explain, “It is essentially a part of the Soul King’s body, and then I used my abilities to reweave and reshape it.”

"For this reason, it is inherently closely connected with the laws of this world, possessing the potential for self-repair and evolution."

"Therefore, everything that just happened is extremely absurd."

"Outrageous?"

"Yes."

Shutara Senjumaru's gaze was fixed on Sasuke's brand-new divine robe and the mysterious magatama pattern on it, and his voice became increasingly solemn.

"The power contained within you, though incomprehensible, suggests that its level might even surpass that of this incomplete Spirit King!"

"Therefore, when the two come into contact, the divine garment will instinctively choose to submit to this higher power and, based on the form and imprint of your soul's deepest core, will reshape its current appearance."

Shutara Senjumaru stared blankly at Sasuke, muttering in confusion.

"But even though the Spirit King is already crippled..."

"But who can truly surpass his power?"

"..."

This same question echoed in Sasuke's mind.

Sasuke looked up at the six black tomoe on his collar and felt the resonance emanating from them. A strong sense of incongruity welled up in his heart.

Is this what I really am?

But why?

He tried hard to search his mind for the answer. In the historical scenes that the White Snake Immortal recalled, the aura of his ancestor Indra was completely different from the desolate yet domineering power within him.

So, is this what the Sage of Six Paths looks like?

That doesn't seem quite right either.

Sasuke's heart sank. This unknown power originating from himself made him feel an instinctive sense of unease.

He raised his head, temporarily suppressing these unsolvable thoughts, and looked at the woman in front of him who was also confused, asking a more practical question.

"What's the use of this garment?"

Shutara Senjumaru took a deep breath, forcing himself to regain his composure.

Its original purpose was defense.

“Using the Soul King’s bones and hair as material, and incorporating my will and spiritual pressure, theoretically, it can block most attacks.”

She paused, her tone becoming more subtle, "But now..."

Shutara Senjumaru withdrew his hand, raised his eyelids, and his eyes, which were devoid of emotion, gleamed with an inexplicable light in the shadow of his bangs.

"It's different now."

"It's different now?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Ah."

She stopped and faced Sasuke from a distance. "It has now resonated perfectly with the power within you."

"When you unleash your power, it will greatly reduce your energy consumption, while simultaneously elevating your power to a new level."

"More importantly..."

Shutara Senjumaru's voice was extremely low, "This garment belongs to the Soul King's body."

"It resonates with the fragments of the Spirit King that were dismembered by the five noble ancestors long ago and sealed in various places in the Three Realms in an unbreakable way."

"Wearing it is equivalent to becoming a walking coordinate of the Spirit King."

"If you wish, you can clearly perceive the location of all the Spirit King fragments."

But she didn't say the rest: Sasuke, wearing this outfit, could also be sensed by the Soul King fragments.

Sasuke opened his eyes, the hem of his pure white divine robe fluttering silently in the crisp wind.

He reached out his hand, and the divine robe bearing the nine-tomoe totem automatically merged into his body, then appeared on his face.

He immersed his consciousness into it.

In the next instant, the entire map of the Three Realms appeared clearly in his mind.

Countless points of light, like stars, are scattered throughout the Three Realms, some bright and some dim, all emanating the same aura.

The largest one, as bright as the sun, was located in the deepest part of this divine realm above his head.

The remaining majority of the light spots, like stars, were scattered across the Soul Society beneath their feet.

"..."

Sasuke frowned slightly. So many fragments of the Soul King were scattered in various corners of Seireitei, unattended?

For thousands of years, has no Grim Reaper ever discovered or tried to harness this power?

Or is it that they are simply unable to perceive it?

Or perhaps these ancient forces have developed their own consciousness?

Just as he was feeling confused, figures appeared quietly from the surrounding void like ink paintings, slowly surrounding him and Aizen in the center.

Besides Kirinji Tenjiro and Hyosube Ichibei, whom we had seen before, there were two other figures exuding the same unfathomable aura.

Kirinji Tenjiro still had that same carefree, delinquent look, but when he saw Sasuke's divine robe with the nine tomoe mark on it, he whistled.

Hyosube Ichibei hoisted the enormous calligraphy brush onto his shoulder, looked at the divine robe bearing the nine tomoe on Sasuke's body, and a knowing smile appeared on his honest face.

"It seems that my bet has finally yielded an interesting result."

He took a few steps forward, his seemingly cloudy eyes seeing through Sasuke from head to toe, his tone filled with undisguised admiration, "Truly full of power with infinite possibilities."

Aizen stood to the side, his eyes flickering slightly.

"Let's go."

Hyosube Ichibei didn't explain further, but extended an invitation to the two of them, saying, "Now that you've ascended to this realm, there are some things you should see for yourselves."

As he spoke, he turned and walked toward the magnificent palace located in the center of the five detached halls, which resembled a giant spinning top.

Sasuke and Aizen exchanged a glance and followed in tacit agreement.

Along the way, Hyobu Ichibei's voice rang out unhurriedly, as if he were introducing the scenery of the place to the two guests.

"You all know that our Zero Squad's duty is to protect the Spirit King, right?"

Sasuke and Aizen nodded slightly.

"This statement is correct, but not entirely correct."

Hyosube Ichibei's steps did not falter, his voice echoing in this ethereal world, "What we protect is less about the existence of the 'Spirit King'..."

He paused, his voice becoming low and solemn.

"Or rather, it is the balance itself that sustains this imperfect world and allows it to continue to exist."

He pointed to the pure white earth beneath his feet, composed of spiritual particles, and then to the Three Realms below, shrouded in a sea of ​​clouds.

"This world is like an old house that has long been decaying and dilapidated."

"The Soul Society, the Human World, and Hueco Mundo are the three main pillars supporting this house. They are independent of each other, yet they depend on each other."

"And the Spirit King was the wedge that was forcibly driven into the intersection of these three main beams to prevent them from collapsing completely due to their own decay."

This analogy deepened Aizen's smile, while Sasuke's gaze grew even colder.

“Once this wedge is removed,” Hyosube Ichibei’s tone became extremely solemn, “the boundaries between the three realms will instantly disappear, all souls and all matter will be mixed together, and eventually collapse into a chaotic void.”

"The world will cease to exist."

At this point, Hyosube Ichibei finally stopped.

He turned around, his eyes locking onto Aizen's face with unprecedented sharpness.

“Then, Aizen Sousuke,” the monk’s voice was calm and even, yet carried a heavy weight, “you have always longed to kill and replace the Soul King, and ascend to the throne of heaven.”

"But I have a question for you..."

"After you kill the Spirit King and remove this wedge..."

Hyosube Ichibei leaned forward slightly and asked, enunciating each word clearly:

"And what do you intend to use to maintain this collapsing world?"

"Have you found that new 'wedge' that can replace it?"

"..."

The air seemed to freeze slightly.

Aizen's usually gentle smile faltered slightly under the gaze of those murky eyes.

Hyobu Ichibei didn't give him time to think and continued to press him for answers.

"You don't actually believe that the supreme throne of heaven has been vacant for ten thousand years...?"

"Is it simply because no one has the courage to sit on it?"

Aizen fell silent, staring blankly at Hyoninbe Ichibei. He opened his mouth, but found himself unable to give a definite answer.

A replacement wedge?

A moment later, the composed smile returned to his face.

“…A true god who walks in the heavens will naturally create his own answer,” he replied softly, his voice devoid of emotion.

"hehe......"

Hyobu Ichibei chuckled softly and didn't press the matter further.

He turned his head and looked at the black-haired boy who had remained silent the whole time.

Sasuke already knew the answer.

Aizen's plan was riddled with fatal flaws from the very beginning.

His revolution was built on destruction; he longed to break down the old cage, but he hadn't figured out how to build a world that could accommodate everyone after the cage was broken.

If Aizen had such a prelude, then his final actions would have been no different from those of his so-called noble ancestors.