Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

"Why?!"

He roared with all his might, glaring at Sasuke, "Why did you attack me?!"

Seemingly impatient with the noise, Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed almost imperceptibly, but he did not respond.

"Well, Mr. Kurosaki, calm down, or your wound will reopen." Kisuke Urahara waved his fan and calmly stepped between the two.

"How can we calm down?!"

Ichigo slammed his fist on the bed. "Make him explain why he did this!"

"Well..."

Kisuke Urahara rested his chin on his fan and said to Ichigo with a smile, "Let me ask you a question, Mr. Kurosaki."

"If you saw someone about to fall off a cliff, and the only thing holding them up was a vine that was about to break, what would you do?"

Ichigo was stunned: "Of course we'll pull him up!"

“But if you pull him, the vine will break immediately, and you’ll both fall down together.” Urahara’s smile remained unchanged.

“Then…” Ichigo was speechless.

"In this situation, there is a most effective method."

Kisuke Urahara pointed his fan at Sasuke in the corner, "That is, before he goes up the mountain, break his leg with a rock."

Ichigo's pupils contracted sharply: "What did you say?!"

"With his leg broken, he naturally can no longer climb the cliff, and therefore will no longer be in danger of falling."

Urahara's tone remained relaxed. "Although the process was painful and looked cruel, the result was that he survived. So, tell me, was the person who did it an enemy or a savior?"

Ichigo stared blankly at Urahara, then at Sasuke, who hadn't uttered a word the entire time, his mind a complete mess.

"I......"

"It seems you already have the answer."

Kisuke Urahara reopened his fan, covering half his face. "The most effective method isn't necessarily the gentlest, Mr. Kurosaki."

Chapter 48 The Temptation of Bankai

The underground training ground of Urahara Store.

Sasuke had no interest in listening to Urahara's lecture to Ichigo Kurosaki, so he decided to train alone.

At this moment, he is soaking in a hot spring attached to the training ground.

According to Urahara, this hot spring was specially prepared by him to relieve the fatigue of training.

The surroundings were completely silent, with only the occasional sound of dripping water.

Sasuke slowly closed his eyes, leaned against the warm pool wall, and recalled the scene from today.

That man, Kuchiki Byakuya.

He didn't even make a move, didn't unleash his Zanpakuto, and didn't show the slightest killing intent.

Just by standing there quietly, Sasuke felt an invisible pressure.

This pressure...

Just like that night three years ago, when I felt powerless in the face of those Mangekyou Sharingan.

For the first time, he realized so clearly the gap between himself and the truly top-tier experts.

In the past, he only vaguely knew that he needed to become stronger, but he had no idea to what extent.

Now, he finally has a clear goal.

It requires at least captain-level strength.

To exact revenge and kill Itachi Uchiha with his own hands, one must possess the power to directly confront, or even surpass, a captain-level powerhouse like Byakuya Kuchiki.

Perhaps because he has no rivals, Kenpachi has not shown his full strength since Sasuke joined the Eleventh Division.

This is also why Sasuke didn't aim to become Kenpachi Zaraki's target.

With the enhancement of the Hatake sword technique, his strength has indeed increased, but such skills are probably not enough in front of the captain.

That alone is far from enough.

We must have a stronger force... capable of fundamentally changing the course of the war.

For example...

Swastika!

Sasuke was immersed in his desire for "Bankai" when his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden voice.

"It seems you've found a new target."

Sasuke suddenly opened his eyes and saw a completely black cat sitting on the rock next to him, its golden eyes shining brightly in the mist.

It's Yoruichi Shihouin.

Sasuke closed his eyes again, leaned back against the pool wall, and did not respond.

He was no longer surprised by the cat that was always secretly watching him.

Yoruichi didn't seem to care about his coldness and licked her paws on her own.

"Mr. Kurosaki has decided to go to Soul Society to save Rukia."

"What does this have to do with me?"

Sasuke's eyebrows twitched, but he still didn't open his eyes.

A sense of confusion flashed through my mind.

Didn't I destroy that orange-headed lock and the Soul Sleep by my own hands?

How can someone whose spiritual power has collapsed go to the Soul Society to save people?

"You're thinking that he's lost his power, right?"

Yoruichi seemed to be able to read his mind. After a pause, she gave her answer, "Urahara, there is a way to restore his power, and even make him stronger than before."

Sasuke finally turned his head to stare at the black cat in front of him.

Why are you telling me this?

The implication is clear: this still has nothing to do with me.

He even found it somewhat laughable; so what if that idiot regained his power?

The Seireitei is full of powerful fighters, and the captain-level fighters are like monsters. How could he possibly go to Soul Society to save people all by himself?

In Sasuke's view, even if Ichigo possessed a strange power within him, it was impossible for him to succeed.

This is purely an act of suicide.

"I'm telling you this because I want you to come with me," Yoruichi finally revealed the true purpose of her trip.

Upon hearing this, Sasuke stared at Yoruichi as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world, looking at her with the eyes of someone looking at an idiot.

"You seem to overestimate my strength, and besides..."

He paused, his tone undisguisedly sarcastic, "Why would I take such a risk to save that woman?"

"I am a registered Shinigami of the Eleventh Division."

He casually picked up a towel draped over the rock and dried himself. "If we want to save people, wouldn't it be more efficient to let Urahara go by himself?"

"Urahara can't go."

Yoruichi's voice turned serious, "If he shows up in Soul Society, he will only make things worse. At that point, not only will you not be able to save anyone, but you yourselves might not be able to come back either."

Although Sasuke felt disdain, he had to admit that Yoruichi was telling the truth.

In the current Soul Society, the name Kisuke Urahara is a huge problem in itself.

"So, you want me to go and die with that idiot?" Sasuke sneered.

Yoruichi leaped off the rock and landed lightly on the ground in front of Sasuke, tilting her head back and staring directly at him with her golden cat-like eyes.

"No, this is our trust in you."

She offered her real bargaining chip: "In exchange, we can teach you how to master Bankai."

The moment the word "Bankai" was uttered, Sasuke froze, staring down at the black cat before him, his breathing quickening involuntarily.

"Was it Urahara's decision?" he pressed, his voice tinged with suppressed excitement.

But after the initial excitement, doubts arose in my mind.

Although according to the custom of Soul Society, death row inmates are given a month's reprieve before execution, such a short time is simply not enough.

For a typical Shinigami, mastering Bankai usually takes decades, and becoming familiar with it can take up to a hundred years. What can one do in a month?

"Even he wouldn't be confident that he could teach me Bankai in such a short time, would he?"

“Indeed, with normal instruction, no one can be so sure.” Yoruichi confirmed Sasuke’s guess.

Sasuke's brows furrowed even more, a hint of anger at being tricked flashing in his eyes.

"So what did you mean just now?"

"What I mean is, there are indeed ways to quickly master Bankai."

Yoruichi flicked her tail leisurely, and then gave Sasuke an answer that he hadn't expected.

"But the person who taught you was not Urahara."

The black cat paused for a moment, then explained, "He will focus on guiding Ichigo Kurosaki in the coming days, helping him to regain and master his powers."

"So, I'll teach you."

"you?"

Sasuke scoffed, his contempt undisguised.

He admitted that the cat was special, intelligent, and insightful, and might be some kind of modified spirit of Kisuke Urahara.

But how about teaching yourself Bankai?