Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

"Huh? What did you say?"

Ichigo grinned, a defiant smile on his face. "The wind's too strong, I can't hear you."

"Yeah."

Sasuke slowly turned around and said softly, "It seems you don't want this hand anymore."

Rukia, with strength she didn't know she possessed, suddenly broke free from Renji's grasp and kicked away Ichigo's hand that was stubbornly holding on.

"Why, Rukia?!" Ichigo looked at her blankly.

"He's just a mere human, yet he dares to face the Grim Reaper's blade. He's incredibly arrogant."

Rukia had her back to him, her body trembling violently, but her words grew increasingly harsh, "Listen up, Ichigo, you and I are from completely different worlds."

"Let's go, boss. What that guy did just now has completely sobered me up."

Rukia looked at Byakuya, her voice filled with determination: "Please take me back to Soul Society, and I will make amends for all the mistakes I have made."

After she finished speaking, she didn't look at the boy on the ground again and walked away.

"Wait, Rukia!"

Ichigo roared and struggled to get up from the pool of blood and chase after him.

A dark shadow flashed by.

"Pfft!" "Pfft!"

Two muffled sounds rang out.

Ichigo's struggling movements came to an abrupt halt.

He looked down blankly and saw two streaks of blood silently blooming behind him.

what is that?

Rukia stopped in her tracks, a flicker of indescribable pain crossing her eyes, but she did not turn around.

Sasuke withdrew his two blood-stained fingers and walked to Byakuya Kuchiki's side.

“Let’s go, Captain Kuchiki. I have completely destroyed his ‘Chain’ and ‘Sleep’.”

"He will die from the dissipation of his spiritual power within half an hour. Even if he survives by chance, he will lose all his power."

Chapter 47 Benefactor

Locked in knots, the soul sleeps.

These are two spiritual nodes that symbolize the source of the power of death.

To be completely destroyed is tantamount to sentencing a Grim Reaper to death.

Byakuya Kuchiki slowly shifted his gaze from Ichigo to Sasuke, a hint of inquiry flashing across his eyes.

"Yeah."

He didn't ask any further questions, just gave a faint reply, and then turned to Renji.

"Renji."

"Yes!" Renji immediately replied.

He stepped forward, slashed the hilt of his sword in the air, and a door emitting a faint light slowly opened in the night.

That is the portal to the Soul Society.

"Hey, Uchiha brat."

Renji's voice was a little hoarse, "Aren't we going back together?"

Sasuke stood quietly in place, letting the cold rain slide down his dark hair.

"Do not."

Seeing that Renji still wanted to ask more questions, he finally turned his head to the side and said, "I can't go back until the 13th Division sends someone to Karakura Town."

Renji was taken aback by these words, chuckled, and seemed to want to say something, but in the end he just clicked his tongue in displeasure.

Without saying another word, he turned and followed Byakuya and Rukia into the portal.

The portal slowly closed, completely separating the two worlds.

The rain in the sky seemed to have lost its last restraint, suddenly becoming denser.

Just then, the slow, steady sound of wooden clogs, splashing through the water, came from afar.

A lazy voice rang out.

"Oh dear, Sasuke-kun is really ruthless."

Kisuke Urahara strolled leisurely out from the street corner, holding an oil-paper umbrella.

Approaching the barely breathing Ichigo, she slowly crouched down, placing two fingers on his neck as if to confirm whether he was alive or dead.

Sasuke glanced at him, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

"Wordy."

The sound was somewhat muffled by the rain, but the impatience was still very clear.

Kisuke Urahara didn't pay any attention, raised his head, chuckled softly, and stood up.

"It seems there's still hope."

Sasuke did not respond, but silently watched as Urahara lifted Ichigo's limp body.

"Let's go."

-----------------

Inside the Urahara store.

The warm light dispelled the chill outside, and a faint aroma of tea filled the air.

"Speaking of which, why did Sasuke do that just now?"

Kisuke Urahara pushed a steaming cup of tea in front of Sasuke, breaking the silence, his smile unchanged.

Sasuke didn't answer immediately, but just stared at the rising steam from the teacup.

After a long while, he finally raised his head, his dark eyes staring directly at Urahara, and asked, "You asked me to come with you, wasn't it so that I could save this orange-haired guy?"

Kisuke Urahara paused slightly while waving his fan, then laughed again, tapping his palm lightly with the fan.

"Oh my, Sasuke-kun is really clever, but isn't this method a bit too..."

"Too extreme?"

Sasuke picked up where he left off, his tone becoming somewhat impatient, "You're not going to make a move, are you expecting me to face Kuchiki Byakuya head-on?"

He leaned forward slightly, his eyes sharpening.

Although he was very strong, it was still wishful thinking to think he could forcibly save someone from a Shinigami with captain-level strength.

Kisuke Urahara's smile froze for a moment. "That's true..."

Sasuke interrupted him with a cold snort.

"What I did was the only option under the circumstances. It would allow him to live, prevent Byakuya Kuchiki from having a reason to act immediately, and incidentally, it would also put your favor to good use."

He picked up his teacup and took a small sip.

"A win-win-win situation, isn't it?"

Kisuke Urahara looked at the boy in front of him, who was analyzing things so logically, and was momentarily speechless.

Just as he was sighing to himself, a shrill scream suddenly came from the guest room inside.

"Ouch—! It hurts! What's wrong with my body?!"

Immediately afterwards, Tessai's steady voice came from behind the door: "Manager, Ichigo Kurosaki has woken up."

Upon hearing this, Kisuke Urahara walked into the guest room, his lazy smile immediately appearing on his face.

Sasuke, like a shadow, blended into the corner, his arms wrapped around himself.

Ichigo's memories were somewhat confused; the last image he saw seemed to be Sasuke's cold face and the excruciating pain piercing his body...

He looked at the man in front of him and asked in a hoarse voice, "Wooden clogs and a hat? Is this your home?"

Urahara snapped his fan shut: "You got it right. How does it feel, Mr. Kurosaki? Mr. Tessai has been busy with you all night."

Ichigo ignored his teasing. He clutched his wound, which was tightly wrapped in bandages, his eyes dimmed, and his voice was full of disappointment.

Did you save me?

"Oh dear, this statement surprises me."

Kisuke Urahara bent down, rested his chin on his fan, and looked him over with interest. "It sounds like you don't want me to save you."

"That's not what I meant..." Ichigo turned his head away in annoyance.

"However, strictly speaking, the person who saved you this time wasn't me," Kisuke Urahara suddenly changed the subject.

Ichigo turned around abruptly, his face full of confusion.

If it wasn't him, then who could it be?

Kisuke Urahara's smile became even more meaningful. He slowly straightened up and then took a step to the side without any haste.

The figure that he had been hiding behind was now completely exposed to Ichigo's view.

In that instant, all the expressions on Ichigo Kurosaki's face froze.

That is……

Uchiha Sasuke.

He was leaning against the shadows by the door, his arms crossed, his eyes calmly looking back at him.

"you......."

Ichigo's voice was hoarse, and a surge of anger instantly overwhelmed his reason.

He tried to sit up abruptly, but the movement aggravated the wound in his abdomen. The intense pain caused him to groan and fall back down helplessly.