Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

Seeing Sasuke's silent expression, Kisuke Urahara slapped his fan with amusement, a "just as I thought" smile on his face.

"This is truly remarkable. To possess such power, Sasuke-kun, you..."

Before Kisuke Urahara could finish speaking, a furious roar suddenly came from behind him, abruptly interrupting him.

"Hey! Clogs and hat! Sasuke has finished his training now, when are we finally leaving?!"

Kurosaki Ichigo charged forward, carrying the massive Zangetsu sword on his shoulder, his face filled with barely suppressed eagerness.

"Oh my? It seems Mr. Kurosaki can't wait any longer."

Kisuke Urahara slowly turned his head and responded with a smile, his leisurely demeanor a stark contrast to Ichigo's anxiety.

"Unfortunately, the gate to Soul Society is not fully ready yet, and we'll probably have to wait a while longer."

He watched as Ichigo's face fell instantly, then rested his chin on his fan, as if suddenly remembering something, and suggested in a lighthearted tone, "Speaking of which, isn't there some kind of summer fireworks festival going to be held in the human world recently?"

“Mr. Kurosaki can take this time to say goodbye to his family.”

"Goodbye?" Ichigo's expression faltered slightly.

Only then did he belatedly realize what kind of path he was about to embark on.

Just then, a black figure landed nimbly in front of Inoue Orihime and Chad Yasutora.

"All right."

Yoruichi patted Inoue Orihime's head and said to the two of them, "Your powers have been awakened, so there's no point in you staying here any longer. We'll let you know when the time comes."

"Ok!"

Orihime Inoue looked at Yoruichi with a gentle yet firm smile and bowed deeply: "Thank you, Yoruichi-san, for teaching me so much."

After saying that, she pulled Chad to Ichigo's side, who was somewhat lost in thought, and they began to discuss the fireworks festival in a low voice.

In one corner of the training ground, young boys and girls express their hopes for the future.

This moment of warmth seemed out of place with the other figure.

Yoruichi slowly turned her head to look at the black-haired boy standing alone in the shadows, her cat-like eyes flickering slightly.

"Well then, Sasuke."

Yoruichi walked up to Sasuke, her voice softening slightly, "You should go and rest for a bit too."

"Ah."

Sasuke gave a faint reply, slowly turned around, and walked alone towards the hot spring.

He needs some time to digest and become familiar with this new force.

.........

The hustle and bustle of the underground training ground eventually subsided into silence.

Several days have passed since that Bankai trial.

Kurosaki Ichigo and his companions, urged by Urahara Kisuke, had already returned to their respective lives to bid a final farewell to the so-called "Fireworks Festival".

Once again, only Uchiha Sasuke remained in the vast training ground. He took advantage of this rare tranquility to immerse himself completely in familiarizing himself with and mastering that new power.

At that moment, he slowly opened his eyes.

it's time.

He stood up and walked to an open space.

He drew the "Takemikazuchi" from his waist, and the hilt slid lightly through the air in front of him.

Just like Renji did back then, a perfect rectangular trajectory was imprinted in space by invisible spiritual power.

Immediately afterwards, the space within the rectangle began to twist and rotate like the surface of water, eventually transforming into a vortex emitting a faint glow.

"Oh? You're leaving so soon, little Sasuke?"

A lazy voice came from his side. Yoruichi Shihouin had appeared there at some point, still in her black cat form, tilting her head and curiously looking at him.

Sasuke didn't turn around, but calmly watched the swirling vortex before him, slowly sheathing Takemikazuchi.

"There's no point in wasting time here."

"You can't say that. It seems like there's some kind of fireworks festival going on outside."

Yoruichi lightly leaped and landed on his shoulder, the tip of her tail lightly brushing his cheek. "That's a rare sight in this world, don't you want to go and see it? It's full of fleeting yet dazzling beauty."

Her voice carried a hint of teasing, "Or is it that our cool little Sasuke has absolutely no interest in this kind of lively, down-to-earth life?"

"I don't have time to do such boring things," Sasuke replied as concisely as ever.

To him, neither the fireworks of the real world nor the cherry blossoms of Soul Society were anything but fleeting scenery, of no value worth lingering over.

"What an oblivious guy."

Yoruichi pursed her lips, then changed the subject, "Are you going back alone? Aren't you going to wait for Mr. Kurosaki and the others?"

"I'm not going on a picnic."

Sasuke turned his head to the side, his dark eyes glancing at the black cat on his shoulder. "My purpose is simply to check on that woman's condition."

"As for the agreement..."

He looked into Yoruichi's cat-like eyes, which were gleaming with a sharp light, and said calmly, "I haven't forgotten."

That was a deal between them: Yoruichi taught him Bankai, and he was responsible for helping to rescue Rukia Kuchiki.

Yoruichi stared at him quietly for a moment, then finally let out a satisfied groan and jumped off his shoulder.

"That's good."

She squatted on the ground, tilted her head back, and a knowing smile appeared in her golden eyes.

What an unlovable little guy...

Yoruichi sighed inwardly.

He speaks the coldest words and acts in a bizarre way that gives people a headache.

But a promise made aloud carries a heavier weight than anyone else's.

Sasuke did not respond further.

He took one last look at the vast underground space, then resolutely turned around and stepped into the slowly rotating door.

After a silent ripple, the vortex suddenly contracted and eventually disappeared.

The entire training ground fell silent once again.

"Oh, what an impatient child."

A similarly lazy voice sounded from behind Yoruichi.

Kisuke Urahara had somehow gotten there, resting his chin on his fan, looking in the direction Sasuke had disappeared, a "this is really troublesome" expression on his face.

Yoruichi didn't turn around, but simply asked, "You can also open the portal at any time, right?"

"Oh dear, Yoruichi-san saw right through me."

Kisuke Urahara chuckled twice, no longer trying to hide it, "That's right, the door was actually prepared a long time ago."

He walked to Yoruichi's side, slowly squatted down, and the smile on his face became meaningful.

"The reason for using that excuse to delay was simply to improve Mr. Kurosaki and the others' strength as much as possible before setting off."

He paused, then added, "After all, the battles to come are no child's play."

"However, the 'preparation' is indeed real."

Urahara's tone became a bit more serious.

"The Soul Society is a world of souls made purely of 'spiritual particles'. Ordinary humans like Ms. Inoue and Mr. Chad have bodies made of 'vessel particles' and cannot enter directly."

He gestured with his fan in the air, "We need some time to use my technology to temporarily convert their bodies into a 'spiritized' state. Only then can they enter Soul Society."

Ye Yi nodded, which was considered an acceptance of this statement.

Kisuke Urahara stood up and looked at the empty wall, as if he could see another world in the distance.

In the shadow of the hat brim, an enigmatic smile curved at the corner of his mouth.

.........

The boundary remains that familiar, dark and desolate passage.

Unlike his previous dazed state when he traveled with Rukia, this time, Sasuke Uchiha moved swiftly and decisively through the pure white spiritual energy stream.

As the light faded, a familiar scent, a mixture of dust, sweat, and a faint smell of blood, wafted over.

Seireitei, the Eleventh Division's barracks.

Everything here is exactly the same as when he left.

The building has a rugged architectural style, and the courtyard is full of slash marks left by battles. There is also a strong spiritual pressure in the air that is not easily dispelled by battle maniacs.

Sasuke's appearance immediately caught the attention of several team members who were sparring in the courtyard.

They were stunned for a moment, then stopped what they were doing, their faces showing a mixture of surprise and astonishment.

"Oh! Isn't that Sasuke, the sixth seat?!"

"You...you're back!"

Several shirtless team members with bulging muscles immediately surrounded them.

Although Sasuke looked much more mature and taller than when he left, his unique aura and his perpetually grumpy face still made them recognize him immediately.

They looked at Sasuke with pure admiration for a strong person.

In the Eleventh Division, absolute strength equates to status.

The sixth seat means that among the hundreds of members in the entire squad, his strength is second only to the captain, vice-captain, and the two monsters.

For a newcomer who has only been in the team for a few years, this is a record that should shut everyone up.

Sasuke simply responded with a soft "yes."

His gaze swept over them, and he calmly asked, "Is the captain here?"

"Captain Kenpachi, he..."