Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

Friends my foot!

That's the damn Uchiha!

How could I, an old man, be controlled by such a brat?

When the time is right, I will...

Sasuke sensed this malice.

He turned his head to the side, his scarlet eyes glancing at the obedient Nine-Tailed Fox, a cold smile curving his lips.

Nine-Tails' heart skipped a beat, and all its rebellious thoughts vanished instantly.

...Let's be honest for now.

In this eerie yet harmonious atmosphere, a series of whooshing sounds came rapidly from afar.

"—All ANBU! Immediately seal off this area!!"

An aged yet urgent voice, accompanied by dozens of dark figures, arrived in an instant.

Several masked figures appeared instantly, completely surrounding the exit of the Whirlpool Shrine.

Immediately afterwards, an elderly woman with a full head of silver hair, dressed in a plain-colored kimono, walked in leaning on a cane.

Damn it, wasn't Naruto taken out of the village by Jiraiya? How could Kurama suddenly appear?!

How could this be...?

That was her first reaction.

But when she finally saw the scene in the courtyard clearly, she froze.

That iconic Warring States period armor, those faces...

"Hashirama-sama...?"

Her voice trembled, and she instinctively took a few steps forward.

Then she saw that silver-haired figure with a cold expression.

"Teacher Tobirama?"

"Xiaochun?"

Tobirama Senju turned his head and looked at the old woman in front of him, whose face was full of wrinkles and whose steps were unsteady. A complicated look flashed in his eyes. "So many years have passed in the blink of an eye. You have also become so old."

"teacher......"

Koharu's eyes reddened almost imperceptibly. She leaned on her cane and quickly stepped forward, her lips trembling slightly, as if she had a lot to say.

But at that moment, her gaze caught sight of another figure standing in the shadows.

It's Orochimaru!

Combining this with his previous "Konoha Crush Plan" that caused the village heavy losses, a terrifying thought instantly surged into his mind.

Damn it!

She let out a sharp shout, instinctively using the Body Flicker Technique to retreat rapidly, staring at Orochimaru with a wary expression, her voice becoming shrill.

"It was you who did this! Orochimaru! What are you planning to do to Konoha now?!"

"Don't worry, Xiaochun."

Orochimaru, a smile on his face, slowly emerged from the shadows. "I have absolutely no interest in destroying Konoha right now."

He pointed at Sasuke, then at the Hokage, and shrugged.

"As you can see, I'm just a technician who was brought in to help."

These mocking words made Koharu Utatane's expression even more unpredictable.

She leaned on her cane, turned her gaze to her two teachers, and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Tobirama-sensei, what exactly is going on?"

Tobirama Senju did not answer immediately, but only glanced coldly at Orochimaru before speaking in a deep voice.

“It’s very simple, Xiaochun.”

"Orochimaru will not pose a threat to Konoha for the time being."

"As for the Nine-Tails, it will soon find a new place to go."

"A new place to go?" Koharu's face instantly turned incredibly pale. "Tobirama-sensei, you wouldn't be thinking of...?"

Entrusting the Nine-Tails to an Uchiha?!

An Uchiha who was already so powerful as to be beyond reason and out of control!

This terrified her even more than Orochimaru destroying the village!

How could this tailed beast, considered by the village to be both its strongest weapon and its greatest calamity, fall into the hands of the Uchiha?!

"Teacher! What are you saying?! This is absolutely impossible!" she almost cried out, her reason completely gone in that moment. "That brat..."

"He wants to unify the ninja world."

Tobirama calmly interrupted her, his voice carrying a coldness that stated a fact: "Establish a stable, absolute order."

Koharu's breathing suddenly stopped at that moment.

Unify the ninja world?

This word, which has existed like a taboo since the time of the First Hokage, existing only in the minds of the most ambitious and ruthless, was now spoken so casually by the Second Hokage.

She stared blankly at Sasuke, then at Tobirama, her mind a jumble of thoughts.

"You agreed?" she asked incredulously.

“Whether I agree or not is not important.” Tobirama turned his face away, avoiding her gaze. “This is my brother’s will, and it is also his own choice.”

"But..." Koharu's heart was filled with turmoil.

A unified ninja world...

Her gaze swept subtly over the figures of Hashirama and Tobirama.

Even these two legendary Hokage chose to believe him?

What if he actually succeeds?

After all, Sasuke was born in Konoha, and the Land of Fire was located in the center of the ninja world with a superior geographical location. If Konoha were the ruling center, then Konoha would no longer need to look at anyone's face, and would no longer need to exchange compromises and sacrifices for that fragile peace.

And she, as an advisor who assisted three Hokage throughout their lives and was about to witness the arrival of a new era, possessed immense power and status...

Thinking of this, a complex glint flashed in Koharu Utatane's cloudy eyes.

She took a deep breath and suppressed all her emotions back into her heart.

She walked up to Tobirama Senju, bowed respectfully, and her voice regained its usual composure.

"I understand, Tobirama-sensei."

"Since this is the common will of the previous Hokage, we, the successors, should naturally obey it."

She paused, then added, "Konoha will also comply."

This statement made Hashirama Senju, who was standing nearby, turn his head and smile.

On the other side, after confirming that there were no more threats in the vicinity, the sealing process officially began.

Minato walked to Sasuke's side, his expression solemn: "Are you ready?"

Sasuke nodded slightly.

"Nine Lamas".

Minato looked up at Kurama and said softly, "I'm counting on you from now on."

Immediately afterwards, the massive, mountain-like body disintegrated violently, transforming into torrents of pure, crimson chakra that surged wildly toward Sasuke's body.

Since ancient times, tailed beasts have always been sealed as objects, and have been forcibly imprisoned.

Kurama is the first, and perhaps the last, creature to actively enter a Jinchūriki's body like this.

Soon, after the last wisp of crimson chakra completely disappeared into Sasuke's body, the courtyard returned to deathly silence.

"Hoo..." Minato's eyes were solemn as he walked up to Sasuke and raised his hand to place a seal on him.

"Sasuke, the Nine-Tails' power is too immense, I'll help you..."

"No need."

Sasuke's voice was calm as he slowly raised his right hand, chakra gathering in his palm.

Without any hesitation, that hand was already pressed against his abdomen.

Chakra surged forth like threads, rapidly weaving into a simple Four Symbols Sealing Technique on his abdomen.

The whole process was smooth and effortless, but Minato, watching from the side, was terrified.

That was too hasty!

This seal is too simple and is not enough to completely suppress the Nine-Tails' chakra!

As expected, even though the seal was complete, wisps of crimson chakra, like tentacles of resentment, continued to seep out from the gaps in the seal.

Seeing this, Minato gave an awkward smile and reminded Sasuke that the seal was not perfect.

"Sasuke, this won't do. The leakage of chakra will continue to erode your body. We must strengthen it immediately..."

But before he could finish speaking, he saw Sasuke's usually clear eyes suddenly become blank.

The light in his eyes dimmed, as if his soul had been ripped away.

what happened? !

Minato's heart leaped into his throat.

But this dazed state lasted for less than a moment.

When Sasuke's eyes regained their sparkle, a subtle smile of pleasure appeared on his lips.

Even the simple Four Symbols Seal had disappeared at some point, and the skin on his abdomen was as smooth as ever, as if nothing had ever happened.

What's even more astonishing is that even without the seal, the crimson chakra didn't leak out, which only suggests one possibility.