Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

"I will become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, but I will never let her will awaken."

"I have my own way of doing things."

He recalled the knowledge about souls he had learned in Soul Society. If he could completely obliterate Kaguya's will before she awakened, or...

How about making her will a part of your Zanpakuto, just like Indra did?

Once this crazy idea took hold, it could no longer be contained.

"..."

As the Sage of Six Paths looked at the flickering light in Sasuke's eyes, a strange chill rose in his heart.

He had a premonition.

The boy in front of him might actually be capable of doing things that even he couldn't have imagined.

"It seems you're determined to do this."

The Sage of Six Paths sighed and gave up trying to persuade him. "Since that's the case, I won't stop you anymore."

"However, I must remind you of something."

His figure began to become illusory. "The power of the Ten-Tails is not just as simple as chakra."

"It connects to... that distant starry sky called 'Otsutsuki'."

"When you touch that power, you may attract some unexpected attention."

"To gaze...?"

Sasuke murmured softly, looking up at the empty sky.

"It doesn't matter."

He turned around, his voice calm yet firm.

"I'll kill every single one that comes my way."

"Until no one can stop me anymore."

.........

In a remote, uninhabited mountain forest.

The towering trees here block out most of the sunlight, making it appear somewhat gloomy.

"yawn--"

Hidan leaned casually against an old tree, idly scratching the ground with his blood-stained three-month scythe.

He rubbed away a tear that had spilled from the corner of his eye, his face full of impatience.

"Hey, Kakuzu, I said, hasn't that plant bastard sent any information yet?"

Hidan swung his scythe violently, the back of the blade slamming heavily against the tree trunk. "I'm practically turning into mold in this godforsaken place!"

Not far away, Kakuzu was sitting on a flat rock, holding an account book in his hand, carefully calculating something in the dim light.

Hearing Hidan's complaints, he didn't even look up, his eyes flashing with indifference.

"Shut up, Hidan."

Kakuzu's voice was low and hoarse, "That Uchiha brat's sensory abilities are ridiculously strong. Zetsu is very afraid of his life and doesn't dare to get too close, so it's not easy to gather information from him."

"Tch, what a useless coward."

Hidan clicked his tongue in annoyance, his impatience deepening. "You're so slow at figuring out someone's whereabouts. It would be much quicker to just rush up and let Lord Jashin judge him!"

Just then, the soil on the ground suddenly loosened.

A giant pitcher plant slowly rose from the ground, revealing two distinct black and white faces.

“Not everyone is like you, possessing a body that can’t be killed no matter what,” White Zetsu retorted lightly, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"The intelligence has been gathered." Black Zetsu's voice sounded gloomy and hoarse. "Uchiha Sasuke and his group just left the Land of Fire yesterday."

"Oh?" Kakuzu finally closed the ledger in his hand, raised his head, and looked sharp. "Which direction did they go?"

"East." White Zetsu swayed. "Judging from the route, it should be heading towards the Land of Iron."

"Moreover, they are very recognizable. The kid with the long silver hair and the man in the white clothes are very conspicuous wherever they go."

"The Land of Iron...?"

Kakuzu stood up, dusted himself off, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes. "That's the southeast direction."

He glanced at Hidan, who was still cursing, and his tone became slightly displeased.

"We've been waiting here for days for nothing, wasting so much time and money. Do you know how much money we've lost? If we had known this would happen, we would have gone to the gold exchange and taken on a few more bounty missions."

"Huh?! You're here again!"

Hidan looked at Kakuzu with disdain. "Money, money, money! What else is in your head besides money?! Don't you think..."

Seeing that Hidan was about to launch into his long-winded discourse on the Jashin cult, he had no choice but to interrupt.

"Alright, that's enough."

Black Zetsu's voice was firm, "There's no time for you to argue here. Go find Uchiha Sasuke."

"We must stop them before they enter the Land of Iron or make contact with other ninja villages."

"The current situation is very delicate."

Bai Zetsu added, "The five great powers seem to be in secret contact, gathering intelligence on us. The Five Kage Summit was clearly aimed at us."

"If we don't unite with Uchiha Sasuke's forces, we will be at a great disadvantage in this upcoming war."

"Tch, I know, I know."

Hidan impatiently hoisted his scythe, "What a nuisance. Let's go, Kakuzu, and meet that so-called Uchiha genius!"

..........

The border between the Land of Iron and the Land of Lightning.

The terrain gradually flattens out, dense forests are replaced by sparse shrubs, and further ahead lies a fertile and expansive plain.

The cold wind howled, whipping up the withered grass on the ground.

Sasuke, who was on his way, suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong, Sasuke-kun?"

Aizen, who was beside him, also stopped, turned his head, and asked gently.

Sasuke turned around and sensed a familiar but very weak aura. He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked behind him.

"Someone's coming."

The news of the annihilation of dozens of elite Jonin and two Jinchuriki from Kumogakure should have spread throughout the ninja world long ago.

After such a crushing defeat, how could anyone dare to come knocking on his door and cause him trouble at this time?

Moreover, the information he received from his senses also struck him as somewhat strange.

The rapidly approaching aura was not coming from a single person or two.

Instead... five?

No, that's not right.

Sasuke frowned slightly.

Those were indeed five living chakra reactions, each possessing the strength of a Jonin.

But strangely, the distance between these five auras was far too close.

They were so close that they almost overlapped, as if they were one.

"This feeling..."

Sasuke quickly analyzed in his mind that although the ninja world had many strange techniques, this method of movement was too bizarre.

Is it traveling in some kind of "human centipede" posture?

Or is it some kind of special puppet technique or combination ninjutsu?

"Do you need me to do it?"

Aizen seemed to sense the approaching presence as well, and asked with a smile, his hand already on the hilt of his sword.

“No need.” Sasuke shook his head and looked away. “They’re not strong, just Jonin level.”

A mere few Jonin dare to block his path?

These days, do you even have to queue up to die?

However, this also aroused his curiosity.

Who on earth has the audacity to act so recklessly at this critical juncture?

"Let's wait here."

Sasuke simply stopped moving forward, crossed his arms, and stood quietly in place.

Shortly after, two whooshing sounds rang out.

"Whizzing!"

Two tall figures appeared in an instant and landed steadily on a withered tree branch not far from Sasuke and the others, their black robes with red clouds fluttering in the wind.

"Oh?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the two men's clothing, and instantly recognized their identities.

"It's Xiao..."

He muttered to himself, his gaze lingering on the two men for a moment.

The gray-haired man carrying a huge three-edged scythe, and the guy whose entire body was covered up except for his green eyes.

They are the immortal duo, Hidan and Kakuzu.

"but......"

Sasuke's gaze turned somewhat strange as he looked at the man named Kakuzu.