Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

Pity.

Sasuke thought to himself.

Gaara was not killed because of the value of his status as a "Jinchūriki".

A living Jinchūriki is a valuable asset for any village, whether it's used to exchange for war reparations or as a strategic deterrent.

Jiraiya was ultimately a ninja bound by the village.

Just as Sasuke was pondering, he seemed to sense something, slowly raised his head, and met Kakashi on the other side of the distance of tens of meters in the air.

No words were spoken.

Sasuke glanced at him briefly before looking away.

Kakashi, however, read the subtle distance in those eyes.

Kakashi gave a bitter smile and turned his gaze back to the purple cage.

Inside the barrier.

The trees grow in a twisted and intertwined manner.

Four figures faced off on the highest tree trunk.

Hiruzen Sarutobi faced the three alone.

One of them is Orochimaru, who has changed his face again.

The other two were the previous Hokage of Konoha.

Sasuke's arrival also drew the attention of the two people inside the barrier.

"Oh dear, that Uchiha brat is here too."

Orochimaru grinned, a sinister smile spreading across his pale face. "Sarutobi-sensei, I never expected to have such an interesting audience member at this farewell performance between master and disciple."

He stuck out his rather exaggeratedly long tongue and greedily licked his lips.

"I'm really interested in him."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face, already aged from the bitter battle, became even more solemn after hearing these words.

Having dodged the First Hokage's powerful Wood Release thrust, his voice was filled with suppressed rage: "Orochimaru, you're still eyeing Sasuke?!"

“He’s interesting, isn’t he?” Orochimaru turned his head, his golden snake eyes flashing with undisguised fanaticism.

"Moreover, he has always been my target." He subconsciously reached out and touched the non-existent wound on his chest, his eyes turning somewhat sinister.

"Those strange spells..."

Despite having only a regular three-tomoe Sharingan, he can use flames just like Itachi Uchiha.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath, turned his head, and looked through the barrier at the indifferent black-haired boy on the roof.

He looked back at the disciple who had long since gone astray, and at the two desecrated bodies of the Hokage.

His encounter with Orochimaru forced him to confront a cruel reality.

I am getting old.

Dealing with Orochimaru alone was already a bit of a struggle, let alone having to face those two legends who were once unparalleled in the ninja world.

Even though their strength is far less than it was back then, they are still undoubtedly Kage-level.

If this continues, I will surely die.

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes became incredibly resolute.

Rather than being exhausted to the last of my strength and dying in humiliation, I'd rather... use that technique.

Sasuke is still young, burdened with heavy darkness, and needs a bright enough light to guide him.

He needs a role model to lead him toward the light.

He never expected that even at the very end of his life, he would still have to borrow the power of the Fourth Hokage.

With that in mind, Hiruzen Sarutobi no longer hesitated and quickly formed hand seals.

"Oh!"

Two shadow clones appeared beside him, rushing towards the First and Second Generations to buy time for his main body.

"Oh? Teacher, this isn't like you at all."

Orochimaru looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi's complex hand seals and let out a mocking laugh, "At this point, do you still want to use some forbidden techniques to struggle in your death throes?"

However, on the rooftop, Sasuke's usually calm and unwavering eyes suddenly narrowed at this moment!

He saw it: within the barrier, behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, a gigantic phantom made of pure soul power, invisible to anyone else, was slowly emerging.

It was a translucent, incredibly tall soul.

It had two horns on its head, a hideous and terrifying face, long, pale hair, and a short knife tightly clenched in its mouth.

A chilling pressure from the soul spread out.

what is this? !!

The Grim Reaper of this world? Sasuke's mind trembled violently.

Within the barrier, Hiruzen Sarutobi's soul was slowly drifting away from his aged body, appearing before the phantom of the demon mask like a sacrifice.

"Orochimaru, I will not tolerate you destroying the village."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, his voice clearly weak from the loss of his soul, "Let me show you this technique you've never seen before."

"Let me show you..."

A final glimmer of light ignited in his eyes: "The Hokage's burning will for the village!"

As he finished speaking, the enormous phantom of his soul slowly raised its arm.

Countless tadpole-shaped incantations swirled wildly across that arm, and an even more terrifying soul power condensed in its palm.

Then, swing downwards!

The hand wrapped in cursed seals pierced through the soul of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the summoner, without any resistance, and then grabbed at the two Hokage resurrected through Edo Tensei.

"Ugh—!"

The puppet bodies of the First and Second Hokage suddenly stiffened, their faces showing extreme pain.

Two equally translucent souls, emitting a faint glow, were forcibly pulled from that unclean body by the cursed hand.

The phantom arm of the soul slowly withdrew, carrying the two souls.

On Hiruzen Sarutobi's aged body, a complex incantation mark slowly emerged.

It looked as if his soul was sealed inside his body.

Inside the barrier, Orochimaru couldn't help but glance sideways. The pain from having his soul extracted couldn't stop his morbid praise: "What a remarkable technique."

He looked at the hideous phantom of the Grim Reaper behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, his snake eyes gleaming with greed. "After my improvements to the Impure World Reincarnation, the two former Hokage possess at least 30% of their peak strength."

"But you actually managed to defeat me in a second, teacher."

Orochimaru's voice carried a hint of amusement, "This doesn't seem like a technique you would use."

Hiruzen Sarutobi ignored his disciple's sarcastic remarks.

He no longer had the energy to pay attention to anything else.

His gaze, now somewhat unreal due to the extraction of his soul, struggled to penetrate the barrier and, for the last time, landed on the black-haired boy on the rooftop.

"Sasuke."

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his head to look at him, forcing a smile on his face. "Watch closely, this is the true... Will of Fire."

His voice was weak, yet carried a sense of composure.

"I am doomed to die."

"But did you know? There was once a great hero who also used this technique to save the village."

“I am no match for him, but now, I will also use this technique to protect the village.”

On the rooftop, Uchiha Sasuke listened indifferently.

Will of Fire?

A barely perceptible, cold smile curved the corners of his mouth.

It's ridiculous.

A Hokage who could tolerate the tragedy that happened to the Uchiha clan.

Until the very last moment of his life, he was still using such high-sounding words to whitewash his entire life.

For what?

I want to move him so that he will become a lackey who only cares about Konoha in the future.

Thinking of this, Sasuke's eyes showed no emotion whatsoever, only an unfathomable indifference.

Inside the barrier, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed oblivious to the cold gaze, slowly turning his head back to stare intently at Orochimaru's unharmed hands, breathing heavily.

Lifespan and health...

It has declined to this extent.

My limited capacity is only enough to extract the soul from his hands.

"Orochimaru, I really am getting old..."

His voice became hoarse, filled with complex weariness, "I'm sorry, as your teacher, I couldn't correct your mistake."

"But now, I will never forgive you either."

A final glimmer of light ignited in his eyes.

"I'm going to... give you a little punishment."

"I will make sure you can no longer do evil, no longer destroy the seedlings of Konoha!"

"Let me confiscate all the spells you've learned!"

With his last ounce of strength, Hiruzen Sarutobi let out his final roar.