Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

Naruto Uzumaki gulped down the steaming hot tonkotsu ramen and looked up at Orochimaru sitting next to him.

"So you mean..." Naruto wiped the soup from the corner of his mouth haphazardly, "Sasuke killed all those daimyo who had been oppressing the ninjas?"

Orochimaru slowly wiped the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief and nodded gently.

"Wow......"

Naruto's mouth formed an "O" shape as he subconsciously looked at the silver-haired boy next to him who was quietly eating noodles.

"That was amazing!" Naruto waved his arms excitedly. "Sasuke! You really are the best!"

Sasuke gently put down his chopsticks and glanced at Naruto indifferently.

"Don't get too excited yet, this is just the beginning."

"Start?" Naruto was taken aback.

"hehe......"

Orochimaru looked at Naruto, his eyes flashing.

"Naruto, do you think everything will end just because the Daimyo is dead?"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked, a little confused by Orochimaru's train of thought. "Isn't that right? If all those bad guys are dead, then everyone can live a good life, right?"

"Too naive."

Orochimaru shook his head, leaning forward slightly. "What if a new daimyo appears tomorrow?"

Naruto's smile gradually froze, and he pursed his lips, looking bewildered and helpless.

He had never thought about these issues.

In his worldview, as long as the bad guys are defeated, justice will prevail and everyone will be happy.

But in reality...

It doesn't seem to be that simple.

After a while, Naruto slowly shook his head, his voice becoming very soft.

"I do not know."

"Yes, you didn't know."

Orochimaru chuckled as he looked at Sasuke.

"Fortunately, Sasuke is different from you. He saw the most fundamental problem from the very beginning."

"But what are you planning to do next, Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru asked, his joking expression fading. "Although the Daimyo is dead, the Allied Shinobi Forces are still here. Although they've temporarily fallen apart, without a strong reorganization..."

Chaos is inevitable.

"I need to leave for two or three days first."

Sasuke's voice was calm, yet it slightly startled everyone present.

"Leave?" Orochimaru's snake-like eyes narrowed slightly.

"Hmm." Sasuke nodded, without explaining where they were going, and began to assign the next tasks.

"These days, let Konoha handle the unification of the ninja world." He looked at Orochimaru. "As for those disobedient troublemakers, or those who want to take advantage of the situation..."

"You can ask Nagato for help."

A cold glint flashed in Sasuke's eyes. "That guy's body is fine now, and with Konan and the remnants of Akatsuki, that's enough to deter those who are itching to make a move."

"I understand." Orochimaru nodded and readily agreed. "I'll go find Kakashi later to discuss the specific details."

"Konoha's geographical location at the center of the ninja world is indeed the most suitable starting point for the new order."

Sasuke didn't speak, he just silently looked at the street outside.

What Orochimaru said was exactly what he was considering.

Konoha not only possesses the strongest overall strength, but more importantly, it is located in the center of the five great nations, with convenient transportation and abundant resources.

Using this place as a base, we can radiate outwards and spread the new order throughout the entire ninja world as quickly as possible.

"Sasuke!"

Naruto suddenly stood up, his eyes filled with reluctance. "Are you leaving again?"

He had assumed that Sasuke would stay after he had done all that and become the so-called "strongest ninja in the world".

Stay in Konoha, stay by his side.

Sasuke looked into Naruto's expectant eyes and sighed inwardly.

“It won’t be long,” he explained softly. “Probably just a day or two.”

"Although things here have been mostly resolved, there is still one major hidden danger that has not been addressed."

Sasuke's gaze deepened. "Uchiha Madara, that guy isn't dead yet."

"If we don't get rid of him completely, all peace will only be temporary."

"I see!"

Naruto took a deep breath, and a bright smile returned to his face. "Then hurry back!"

"Once you beat that guy named Ban to a pulp, we'll come back here, and I'll treat you to a super-sized bowl of char siu ramen! The kind with double the meat!"

"......idiot."

Sasuke's lips curled slightly as he stood up, his Rinnegan appearing in his eye sockets, and a dark spatial rift silently opened.

"gone."

He left those words behind and never looked back. His figure vanished instantly, and the crack slowly closed.

Orochimaru stood up and straightened his clothes.

"Well then, I should get to work too."

Orochimaru.

Jiraiya, who had been sitting silently in the corner drinking sake, put down his cup, slowly stood up, and blocked Orochimaru's path.

He looked at his former best friend with a complicated expression.

"There's something I've always wanted to ask you," Jiraiya said in a low voice, "Why did you kill Sarutobi-sensei back then?"

This problem, like a thorn, has been stuck in his heart for a very long time.

Even though they are now forced to stand on the same side for the sake of the bigger picture, he still cannot let it go.

Orochimaru stopped and looked at Jiraiya's serious face, remaining silent for a moment.

"Jiraiya, you're still so naive."

Orochimaru shook his head, a hint of disdain flashing in his snake-like eyes, tinged with a strange sadness.

"Don't you think that the teacher's ideas are becoming increasingly outdated?"

"He's too old, too old to see the changes in the world, too old to cling to outdated dogmas and try to maintain that crumbling, false peace."

"His existence has already limited Konoha's future."

Orochimaru's voice turned cold.

"Rather than let him continue sitting in that position, watching the village he'd dedicated his life to protecting rot away, and ultimately die in regret..."

"It would be better to let him die a heroic death in battle as a 'hero' who protects Konoha."

"Isn't this the best ending for him?"

"..."

Jiraiya was stunned.

Looking at Orochimaru's calm face, he felt an indescribable anger welling up inside him, mixed with a sense of powerlessness.

He knew that Orochimaru was telling the truth to some extent.

The teacher's indecisiveness in his later years indeed left too many hidden dangers for the village.

But......

"That's our teacher!" Jiraiya took a sudden step forward, staring intently at Orochimaru. "No matter what the reason, it's not an excuse for you to kill your teacher!"

Do you think you'll pay the price for this?

"cost?"

Orochimaru pushed Jiraiya aside, strode towards the door, and said in a calm voice, "Jiraiya, you should give up on this idea."

He pushed open the door, and sunlight shone on him, casting a long shadow.

"After Sasuke unified the ninja world, in the process of establishing a new order..."

Orochimaru turned his head and gave Jiraiya a meaningful smile.

"But I still need my research skills to solve many, many problems that you can't even imagine."

"I am very useful now."

After saying that, he strode towards the Hokage Building.

Jiraiya remained alone in the same spot, silent for a long time.

He watched Orochimaru's departing figure, his fists clenching and unclenching repeatedly.

"......yes."

Jiraiya slumped back into his chair, picked up the sake on the table, and drank it all in one gulp.

"If it's for the future that child envisioned..."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it then."

..............

In a secluded space.

Kabuto looked around, a faint smile on his face, but his brows were furrowed inwardly.

He subtly withdrew his hand into his sleeve, his fingertips twitching slightly as he attempted to form a hand seal.