Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

Chapter 51 Proof (Vote Requested)

"Seireitei is not the kind of place you can just rampage through with brute force, as you imagine. Even if you two kids are strong, you can't possibly deal with those captains."

"Our goal is to save lives, understand?"

"The more people there are, the more scattered the target will be, and the easier it will be to create chaos and attract the attention of Team Thirteen. Only in this way will you have a chance to get close to Rukia."

Yoru paused, his tail lightly brushing against Sasuke's cheek, his tone becoming somewhat meaningful.

"As for that orange-haired girl..."

Yoruichi's tone became somewhat meaningful, "She seems to have a very special ability that hasn't been awakened yet, which might become an unexpected help to us at a crucial moment."

Sasuke remained silent.

He still looked down on the strength of those humans, but Yoruichi's explanation was acceptable to him.

Chaos, feints, distractions...

These are all the most basic tactical concepts.

"Humph."

Sasuke turned his head to the side and let out a cold snort, which was taken as an admission of her statement.

"Do as you please, but if they hold us back..."

Sasuke paused slightly. "I won't waste my energy worrying about their lives."

In the following period, they went to see Inoue Orihime and Chad Yasutora.

To Sasuke's surprise, these two humans, whom he considered completely unrelated to the matter, agreed without hesitation when they heard that they were to go to Soul Society to rescue Rukia.

However, when Ishida Uryu saw Sasuke, he became agitated and kept muttering something like, "Queensmen will not help Shinigami."

But that's fine, Sasuke doesn't like him much either.

......

Urahara Store, a huge underground training ground.

"Alright, now that everyone's here."

Yoruichi jumped off Sasuke's shoulder and resumed her lazy posture. "Well then, before you set off, you'll need a little special training."

She looked at Inoue Orihime and Chad Yasutora with a sly smile: "You two, come with me, I'll help you awaken the dormant powers within you."

After saying that, she turned her gaze to Sasuke.

"As for you, you should know what the prerequisites for mastering Bankai are, right?"

“Let the Zanpakuto ‘materialize’ in the outside world, and subdue it in battle to gain its approval.” Sasuke’s answer was straightforward and to the point, a common sense that all Shinigami knew.

"Yes."

Nightfall nodded. "You probably can't visualize it yet, right?"

Sasuke's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly; this question touched upon a bottleneck he had always faced.

He tried countless times, no matter how deeply he practiced "Blade Zen" or how he communicated with the sword, Takemikazuchi's true form always existed only in his spiritual world and could not be summoned into reality.

Yoruichi seemed completely unsurprised by this, and she flicked her tail.

"Then go and have a good talk with your sword first, and tell it that you need more power."

She looked into Sasuke's eyes, a glint of light flashing in her golden cat-like pupils.

"Once you've finished communicating with it, I'll tell you the method that will force it to 'concretize'."

Upon hearing this, Sasuke's heart skipped a beat, and he no longer hesitated.

He walked to a huge rock at the very edge of the training ground, sat cross-legged, placed Takemikazuchi across his lap, and slowly closed his eyes.

Blade Zen.

Consciousness once again sank into that familiar, lightning-filled wasteland.

The sky was covered with dark clouds, and purplish-black lightning bolts surged and darted through the clouds, illuminating the barren land with intermittent light and shadow.

A chilling aura of thunder filled the air.

Sasuke's figure slowly coalesced and took shape on this wasteland.

He looked up at the center of the thundercloud.

In the past, what floated there was the actual body of his Zanpakuto.

But this time, he sensed something was different.

An unprecedented consciousness was emanating from the depths of that thundercloud, carrying an innate arrogance.

Sasuke remained silent, standing still and waiting.

He knew it would appear.

Boom! ...

A thick, jet-black bolt of lightning, like a spear of the gods, slashed down fiercely from the center of the clouds, crashing heavily onto the wasteland in front of Sasuke.

The earth trembled violently, and smoke and lightning shot into the sky.

As the smoke and dust cleared, a tall figure stood silently on the scorched earth.

It was a man dressed in ancient hunting attire, his figure as upright as a pine tree, with faint black arcs of electricity swirling around him.

His face was handsome yet aloof, with long, narrow eyes and pure black pupils.

What is most eye-catching is the ten-handed sword slung diagonally behind him, its blade simple and ancient.

Just standing there, it was like the thunderous wasteland itself, an embodiment of lightning.

"You've arrived."

A deep, cold, and emotionless voice rang out.

Sasuke's gaze was equally cold as he looked at the imposing man before him and spoke calmly.

"I need greater power."

"strength?"

Takemikazuchi slowly raised his eyes, and in his pure black eyes, Sasuke's slender figure was reflected.

"Your current strength is enough to cut down most of your enemies."

Why seek more?

"Because it's not enough."

Sasuke's answer was straightforward: "I need 'Captain' level power. Right now, it's far from enough."

"team leader……"

Kenjiro chewed on the word, a barely perceptible smile curving his lips.

"You mean the man who wears a white haori and can transform his sword into millions of cherry blossoms?"

Sasuke's pupils contracted slightly.

His own sword spirit could actually sense the battle outside?

“Every swing of your sword, every battle you fight, is under my watchful eye.” Takemikazuchi seemed to see right through him.

"Then you should understand."

Sasuke stepped forward, looking directly into those pure black eyes. "I need Bankai. I need power strong enough to fight them."

Takemikazuchi remained silent.

He didn't answer immediately, but slowly raised his hand and grasped the hilt of the ten-handed sword behind him.

"Chong-"

A clear, resonant sound of a sword being drawn echoed throughout the entire Thunder Wasteland.

The moment the sword was drawn, it burst forth with blinding black lightning, turning the entire sky inky black.

"Bankai is the complete harmony between the sword and its master's soul; it is absolute trust and recognition."

Takemikazuchi held the sword, which was wrapped in black lightning, with its tip pointing diagonally at the ground. A sharp fighting spirit ignited in his pure black eyes.

"You desire all of me, but before that, you must prove one thing to me."

"Prove what?"

“Prove your 'capacity'.”

Takemikazuchi's voice turned incredibly chilling, "Proving that your weak body is qualified to bear my world-destroying thunder."

He slowly raised his sword, pointing it at Sasuke.

"Sword at me, use your strongest form to please me."

Chapter 52 Embodiment

Sasuke slowly awoke from his meditation.

Not far away, a huge, round-shaped crater had appeared on the rocky ground.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow slightly as a figure was struggling to climb up the edge of the pit.

It's Ichigo Kurosaki.

"Oh? You finished communicating so quickly?"

Yoruichi's voice came from not far away, instructing Inoue Orihime and Chad in some kind of strange meditation.

Seeing Sasuke wake up, it blinked its cat-like eyes and said, "Wait a moment, okay? I'll come right over to help you after I open the door for these two little guys."

Sasuke wasn't in a hurry. He stood up, walked to the edge of the pit, and a hint of confusion flashed in his eyes.

"Hey, Urahara."

Sasuke's voice remained as cold as ever, "What kind of pointless tricks are you playing now?"

"Oh dear, Sasuke-kun, this isn't a trick."