Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

"Please forgive my bold speculation..."

He observed Sasuke's expression and tentatively asked, "Is it because there was an irreconcilable conflict between you and the higher-ups of Konoha back then?"

Sasuke did not deny it, but looked at him quietly, waiting for what he would say next.

Seeing that Sasuke was not angry, Tsuchida felt a little more at ease, and his tone became more confident.

"If that's the case, why not consider Kumogakure?"

He spread his hands and passionately described the sincerity of Yunyin.

“In other villages, ninjas may just be used as tools to complete missions, pawns that can be sacrificed at any time.”

“But it’s different in Cloud Village!” Tu Tai’s voice became firm and powerful. “We admire strength and respect the strong.”

"If you are willing to join us, we will treat you with the highest respect and regard you as a hero of the village, not a tool!"

“Hero?” Sasuke repeated the word in a low voice, his eyes filled with even more mockery.

“Words are no proof.” Two wooden figures stepped forward at this moment, their voices firm.

“I can prove that to you.”

She pointed to herself, then to the man next to her wearing sunglasses.

"Although the village was ignorant and many things happened that I don't want to remember when I was young..."

A hint of reminiscence flashed in Yukito's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination.

"However, thanks to the efforts of Bee and Lord Raikage, things have changed a lot now."

"The Cloud Village of today is no longer the Cloud Village of the past."

She raised her head and looked at Sasuke with a meaningful gaze.

"Even if you are a Jinchūriki, you will receive genuine respect and love here."

"Lord Killer Bee is the best example."

Following her words, everyone's gaze fell on Killer Bee standing to the side.

The dark-skinned man wearing sunglasses didn't speak, but nodded under everyone's gaze, which was considered as acknowledging Yugito's statement.

"Respect? Adoration?"

Sasuke hovered in mid-air, a cold smile playing on his lips. "It does sound tempting, but you seem to have misunderstood one thing."

"In order to prevent weapons from injuring people, they are given names and given the so-called heroic names."

“What you see as respect is nothing more than feeding caged birds a more exquisite diet.”

"Is someone who is imprisoned without realizing it, and instead tries to drag the eagle soaring in the sky into that cage as well?"

"This kind of thing doesn't sound nice at all."

"..."

The two Yugitos froze, wanting to refute, but unsure where to begin.

Tsuchida took a deep breath, shielding the somewhat flustered Yukito behind him. His tone remained respectful, but his eyes held a hint of coldness.

"So, you're determined to refuse Lord Raikage's offer?"

"Lord Uchiha, are you really not going to reconsider?"

Sasuke lowered his eyes slightly, his gaze sweeping from the earthen platform backward little by little.

Every Cloud Ninja who came into his sight instinctively gripped their weapon tighter, their breathing becoming rapid.

"If I keep saying no, you'll attack me, won't you?"

"Well, it seems this is the only way." Tu Tai suddenly raised his right hand, fingers spread wide. "Form the array!"

"Mission objective: Capture Uchiha Sasuke!"

"Lord Uchiha, you have one last chance to reconsider."

The earthen platform looked at the boy in the sky one last time, issuing a final warning.

"Even if you are incredibly strong, facing two Jinchūriki and our Cloud Village's most elite containment force..."

"Your chances of escaping are now virtually zero!"

This is a perfectly executed tactical trap.

hope maintained the sensory barrier from the rear, Tsuchida was in charge of command, dozens of Jonin were responsible for using Lightning Release to paralyze and restrict, and the two strongest Jinchuriki were responsible for delivering heavy blows.

Even if the Third Raikage were to be resurrected, he would have no chance of survival against such a force.

At this moment, Aizen, who had been ignored by everyone, stepped forward and smiled slightly: "You seem to be very confident."

He looked around at the ninjas who were on high alert, and spoke softly.

"Is this the source of your so-called confidence? Relying on quantity?"

"But no matter how many ants there are, how can they move an elephant?"

"Ant?!"

Tu Tai couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, a surge of anger instantly rising in his heart.

The mysterious man in front of me was so arrogant and conceited!

Our group consists of the elite of Kumogakure, dozens of Jonin! They are powerful individuals who have experienced the baptism of the Fourth Shinobi World War!

These people can easily determine the course of a war, and this force can even easily destroy any country on the continent except for the five great powers.

He did not deny the possibility that Aizen was powerful.

But comparing oneself to an elephant, and to ants like one's Jonin and Jinchuriki, isn't that...?

The thought hadn't even finished processing in his mind.

The smile on the white-clad man's face faded slightly, and then a powerful aura suddenly pressed down on him.

"Crunch, crunch—"

You can even hear the distorting sound of the air being unable to bear the weight.

"Well?!"

Tu Tai's pupils suddenly contracted.

In that instant, he felt as if an invisible mountain had crashed down on him.

The chakra that was originally flowing smoothly within his body was frozen under this terrifying pressure, becoming obscure, stagnant, and even completely unusable!

What...what is this?!

He struggled to turn his eyes and look to his side.

hope's condition wasn't much better; his face was ashen, and he was panting heavily, his hands supporting his knees.

Chapter 212 I'm so sorry, I was planning to cut you in half (5k)

Tu Tai gritted his teeth, trying to use his willpower to resist the oppressive force.

He struggled to turn his eyes and look to his side.

hope's condition wasn't much better; his face was ashen, his hands gripping his knees tightly as he gasped for breath.

Meanwhile, the elite Jonin around them, who were considered pillars of the entire ninja world, were in an extremely sorry state.

They were either kneeling on one knee, or their entire bodies were pressed to the ground by this extremely powerful force, unable to move, at the mercy of others, their eyes filled with terror and despair.

The previously orderly formation crumbled in an instant.

There was no fluctuation of any technique, nor any burst of chakra.

Just...

What was the aura emanating from that man?

"How is that possible...?"

Tsuchida's gaze shifted with difficulty to the two Jinchūriki.

Only the two Jinchūriki performed slightly better than them.

Although Yugito and Killer Bee both had grim expressions and bulging veins on their foreheads, the presence of the Tailed Beasts sealed within them allowed their immense chakra to mitigate the oppressive force to some extent.

Even so, their faces were extremely grave, and their slightly trembling legs betrayed the immense pressure they were under.

"Hey, Nozomi." Yugito gritted her teeth, her voice no longer light. "Is this an illusion?"

"It's not an illusion..."

hope gritted her teeth and forced out a sentence, "I don't know what kind of ability this is..."

As a sensory ninja, he is most sensitive to fluctuations in chakra.

If this is an illusion, he would definitely be able to detect the traces of chakra invading his body.

But now there's nothing.

"This must be what the intelligence reports refer to... the ability to immobilize weaker individuals."

hope's heart was in turmoil as she looked at the calm and collected man in white with disbelief.

Unexpectedly...

The mysterious man before them, who had never appeared in any intelligence reports, actually possessed the same abilities as Uchiha Sasuke!

The written intelligence reports were simply too weak.

Even though the information from the Land of Fire described this ability in great detail, even using words like "suffocating" and "unable to resist," it was still a problem.

When Xi first saw it, she even thought that these descriptions were a bit exaggerated and were just excuses made up by the weak to cover up their incompetence.

A powerful spirit?

That effect only occurs when the difference in strength between the two sides is so great that it's like an insurmountable chasm.

In the ninja world, even the most ordinary Jonin, when facing a top-tier Kage-level ninja, would at most be intimidated by the killing intent, and would never be completely unable to move.

But now, when he truly faced this power, he realized that the fear that words could describe was only the tip of the iceberg.