Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

The dull thud of a sharp blade piercing flesh rang out.

The jet-black longsword pierced Kisame's chest without any resistance, easily penetrating him.

"Uh......"

Kisame's body stiffened abruptly, and a large amount of blood gushed from his mouth.

He lowered his head, staring incredulously at the black knife embedded in his chest, feeling the black flames that were frantically devouring his life force, and the light in his eyes quickly dimmed.

"H-How could this be...?"

Sasuke coldly withdrew his long sword, letting Kisame's body fall limply onto the cold ground.

The cold rain mixed with blood soaked through Kisame's body.

My vision began to blur, and my consciousness gradually faded away.

In his final moments, Kisame recalled the figure draped in a red cloud and black robe, always silent and taciturn.

He seemed to understand something, yet he also seemed to understand nothing at all.

“Mr. Itachi…”

Kisame managed a weak, bitter smile.

"Is this the future you see?"

He remembered Itachi's silhouette as he walked alone into the rain on that rainy night.

Lonely and resolute, yet carrying a tenderness he could never understand.

"Looks like... I really am... an idiot..."

Kisame's voice grew fainter and fainter until it completely disappeared into the wind and rain.

In the end... I still couldn't... truly understand you...

"But never mind..."

His eyes were completely unfocused, with only a bitter smile frozen at the corner of his mouth.

"At least, in that world... I can see you again... Mr. Itachi..."

Sasuke flicked the blood off his sword, his eyes no longer filled with contempt.

"The power is indeed impressive, but this level of fusion is nothing more than the instinct of a beast."

His gaze turned toward the depths of the Land of Rain, his eyes becoming profound.

"I hope the leader of Akatsuki can also bring me some surprises like this."

........

The land of rain, atop the tower.

Payne opened his eyes, and in them was reflected the endless rain, and also the figure that had fallen at the border.

"Kisame has been defeated."

His voice was very soft, without any emotional fluctuation.

"How could this be..." Xiao Nan's pupils contracted slightly.

"He did his best."

Payne rose from the towering stone sculpture of a human face, his long robe with black background and red clouds fluttering in the wind.

"Now that the test is over, there is no need to wait any longer."

He strode toward the edge of the tower, his gaze piercing through the layers of rain, as if meeting the eyes of that distant figure.

"Keep moving forward and crush everything that stands in our way."

"Payne..."

Looking at that aloof figure, Xiao Nan felt a sense of unease.

"He's very strong; even Kisame was easily defeated. If we attack rashly..."

"powerful?"

Payne stopped in his tracks, his tone and expression equally cold.

"No matter how powerful he is, he is still just a human being."

"And the power of humanity..."

His eyes became empty, like a god high in the clouds.

"They are incomparable to God!"

"Now, let him taste real pain."

In the shadows, the figure of Black and White Jue quietly emerged.

"Oh? Looks like they're getting serious now." Bai Jue's flippant voice carried a hint of schadenfreude.

Black Zetsu lowered his voice, his tone grave: "Leader, are you going to take action personally?"

Payne did not answer, his gaze sweeping across the steel jungle shrouded in rain before finally settling on Konan.

"Xiao Nan, you can stay here."

His voice, unusually warm, said, "The village needs you; this place can't be left unattended."

"Do not."

Without a second thought, Xiao Nan shook her head, her eyes filled with unwavering determination.

"I want to be with you."

She walked to Payne's side and stood beside him, the paper fluttering around her, transforming into pure white wings.

"I am an angel, and the duty of an angel is to protect God."

"Even if I leave the village, I'll be fine."

Payne looked at her, at those eyes that had been watching him since his war-torn childhood.

A long silence followed.

"...Alright."

He finally nodded and did not refuse again.

With a flicker, the two disappeared into the vast rain.

..........

Border of the Land of Rain.

The rain continued to fall.

Sasuke stood quietly under the rock, with Kakuzu standing not far behind him, neither daring to breathe.

He could feel an unprecedented sense of oppression sweeping in from the Land of Rain.

He was all too familiar with that feeling.

It's that man...

The man who calls himself "God" is finally coming.

Less than ten minutes.

Several powerful, suffocating streams of chakra entered Sasuke's sensory range.

"coming."

Sasuke spoke, his voice calm, yet it sent a shiver down Kakuzu's spine.

In the distance, six figures plummeted like meteorites, crashing heavily onto the open ground in front of them.

It stirred up a cloud of mud and water.

Six people dressed in red robes with black cloud patterns lined up in a row.

Each of them had black iron bars stuck in their faces, and their expressions were indifferent.

And in each of their eye sockets, there is a pair of identical eyes.

Rinnegan!

"This...this is..." Kakuzu stared at the bizarre scene, his pupils contracting sharply. "Six Pains?!"

He had only ever seen Pain before, and although he had heard rumors of six Pains, the visual impact of seeing these six monsters with Rinnegan gathered together was still suffocating.

Sasuke's gaze swept over the six Pains.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Pain spoke, his voice cold and indifferent.

"You're very good."

"It can kill Itachi and force Kisame to reveal his trump card."

He looked at Sasuke with a haughty gaze.

"You are qualified to see the true face of God."

"god?"

Sasuke scoffed, "These few corpses that have been manipulated by others dare to call themselves gods?"

Chapter 223 Don't worry, I won't waste your time (5.4k)

"god?"

Sasuke scoffed, his gaze sweeping over the six figures with their varied expressions. "These few corpses being manipulated dare to call themselves gods?"

"...What do you mean by that?" Pain's voice deepened, and his expression became even more hostile.

Sasuke ignored him completely. In front of him, who also possessed the Rinnegan, Pain's so-called "secret" was nothing more than a clumsy lie written all over his face.

That lifeless body, and the chakra fluctuations that constantly emanated from the black rods on its face...