Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

Qing did not answer immediately, but stood there silently, his single eye filled with a complexity that no one could understand.

Mei Terumi-sama... something seems off.

He could sense that, starting just now, Mei Terumi's words, actions, and chakra all seemed to be acting strangely.

Although the joy and excitement seemed so real, he always felt something was off.

Is it just my imagination?

He wasn't sure, and he certainly didn't dare to rashly activate his Byakugan to spy on Sasuke and Orochimaru in front of them.

Just as he was struggling with this dilemma, Sasuke's voice rang out again.

"green."

Qing looked at the black-haired boy: "Is there anything else you need?"

"Back then, who dispelled the genjutsu on the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura?" Sasuke asked directly.

Qing's body stiffened for a moment.

This Uchiha... he even knows about that incident? Did Mei Terumi tell him?

His mind raced, but he still answered truthfully: "...It's me."

“Oh?” Sasuke raised an eyebrow. “As far as I know, that’s a powerful genjutsu capable of controlling ‘shadows’.”

"In Kirigakure today, is there anyone else besides you who could do something like this?"

"That's all." Qing's voice carried a hint of undisguised bitterness.

"I see." Sasuke nodded slightly.

The moment he uttered those words, a terrifying tremor inexplicably arose in Qing's heart.

escape!

Run away!

Qing's brain was frantically issuing commands to her body, but her limbs felt as heavy as lead and she couldn't move an inch.

He could only watch helplessly as the black-haired boy walked step by step toward him.

Looking into those dark eyes, they gradually transformed into an eerie crimson.

Ao's body trembled violently, then she quietly retreated behind Terumi Mei, as if nothing had happened.

"Truly a perfect eye technique," Orochimaru exclaimed. "Even the pride that belongs to the Hyuga clan can be easily erased."

"You have great courage and intelligence," Sasuke said calmly, looking at Mei Terumi.

"Thank you for your compliment." Mei Terumi bowed slightly, her posture humble.

“But lies always come to light eventually.” His voice was icy. “How do you plan to prove to the elders of Kirigakure that you truly have a tailed beast inside you?”

"Lord Sasuke, you don't need to worry about this."

Mei Terumi then stood up slightly, a confident smile on her face. "Although I'm just an agent, no one in this village can force me to do something I don't want to do."

"As long as I am unwilling, no one will dare to 'verify' the authenticity of my status as a Jinchūriki."

"not to mention......"

A self-deprecating smile curved her lips. "The Hidden Mist of today is no longer the 'Village of Blood Mist' it once was."

"For the sake of stability, Master Yuan and the others would only hope that this fact is true even more than I do."

"A political trick..." Sasuke scoffed inwardly, but he had to admit that it was indeed the most effective method.

This woman does indeed possess some of the qualities of a "shadow".

He didn't continue the topic, and the records on the ancient stone tablets in the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools resurfaced in his mind.

"I have one more question."

"please say."

"The war that destroyed the Land of Whirlpools." Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly. "The Hidden Mist Village was involved, wasn't it?"

Chapter 169 Strange, Colossal Creature (5k)

Mei Terumi looked at Sasuke with some confusion, not understanding why he would suddenly ask about this dark history that had long been buried.

But in the end, she nodded.

"I remember there was such a thing."

“At that time, I was just a low-ranking ninja, ordered to provide support on the edge of the battlefield…” Her voice was somewhat ethereal. “All I remember is that it was a massacre with no suspense whatsoever.”

Why did Kirigakure get involved?

"The reason is simple."

Mei Terumi's face revealed the coldness that a ninja naturally possesses, "Because the Uzumaki clan is too strong."

"Their sealing techniques are powerful enough to make any ninja village wary."

She looked at Sasuke and explained, "An 'anomaly' that neither belongs to the Five Great Nations, yet possesses the power to threaten them, is itself a form of instability."

"Therefore, when someone suggested erasing it, most villages, including Konoha, chose to acquiesce or even participate."

These words made Sasuke's eyes grow even colder.

This is the same reason again...

"So......"

Sasuke took a deep breath and asked the ultimate purpose of their trip, "Those things we looted from the Land of Whirlpools, like the stone tablets or scrolls that record their history..."

"Is Kirigakure still standing?"

Mei Terumi looked at Sasuke, a knowing glint in her eyes.

So, his real purpose was here; he simply didn't know what he wanted.

"Quite a few stone tablets and scrolls have indeed been preserved."

Mei Terumi answered truthfully, then gave a helpless look, "But those things aren't of much value to us."

"Hmm?" Sasuke frowned.

"We don't understand it."

Mei Terumi shrugged, a wry smile on her face. "Those stone tablets and scrolls seem to have been subject to some kind of restriction."

"According to the speculations of the sealing masters in the village, only those with the vortex bloodline can truly understand the contents recorded on it."

"Unfortunately..."

Mei Terumi shook her head. "After that war, we haven't been able to find another survivor with pure blood."

"Those precious historical records and forbidden techniques have thus become useless things that we cannot decipher."

The air fell into a brief, deathly silence because of Mei Terumi's words.

Seeing this, Orochimaru stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over Sasuke's unpredictable face. "Sasuke-kun, you always seem to have an extraordinary obsession with these long-forgotten histories."

In his eyes, Sasuke seemed to have developed a strong interest in the ancient history of the ninja world ever since he came into contact with the so-called "Grim Reaper," and his desire to explore even surpassed that of him, a man who had spent his life pursuing the truth.

Orochimaru couldn't fully understand it, but he instinctively found it very interesting.

Sasuke nodded slightly, without denying it.

But rather than caring about these "historical" things, he was more concerned about why these so-called "Death Gods" and these powerful "Hollows" had almost disappeared from this world.

Aizen once said that the old order was corrupt and arrogant, but how terrifying must the power be to completely bury an era?

This is the root cause he truly wants to explore.

He glanced at Mei Terumi beside him, suppressed these deep thoughts, and quickly made a decision.

Since only those with the Uzumaki bloodline can decipher it, we'll just have to waste some more effort and go find that idiot Naruto.

However, in his memory, most members of the Uzumaki clan had red hair, while Naruto's was golden. It was hard to say whether his bloodline could be used.

Fortunately, the Uzumaki clan member named Karin seemed to have been following Naruto all along, so with this double insurance, there was no way to make a mistake.

"So, what should we do now?" Mei Terumi asked, noticing Sasuke lost in thought. "Should we go and retrieve those stone tablets and scrolls first?"

Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts, raised his eyes, and calmly nodded.

"Ah."

The group did not linger and, led by Mei Terumi, returned to Kirigakure, which was shrouded in sea fog.

Mei Terumi led them directly into the village's core archives, an underground building with a simple yet varied sealing barrier inside.

Kabuto looked at the scrolls and stone tablets, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. He took out a huge sealing scroll and unfolded it.

"Leave these to me, Sasuke-kun."

With Sasuke's tacit approval, Kabuto began to methodically seal the heavy stone tablets and ancient scrolls into the scrolls one by one.

The entire process was efficient and precise, without any unnecessary delays.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from the end of the corridor.

A member of the Hidden Mist Village arrived in an instant, kneeling on one knee in front of Mei Terumi, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"Lady Terumi Mei! Elder Genji has given orders!"

The ANBU member looked up, his face beaming with joy. "Given that you have successfully become the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, bringing new hope to the village, Master Genji and the other elders have unanimously decided to confirm you as the Fifth Mizukage ahead of schedule!"

This news made Orochimaru's smile even more ambiguous.

Mei Terumi simply nodded calmly, as if she had already anticipated all of this, "I understand."

The operative, oblivious to the strangeness of the situation, continued excitedly to report: "The elders have decided to hold a formal succession ceremony for you in three days, and will invite daimyo from various countries to attend."

He paused, then bowed deeply to Sasuke and the others beside him.

"Master Yuan also said that he hoped that you would do us the honor of staying in the village to attend the succession ceremony of Master Mizukage."

Mei Terumi turned her questioning gaze to Sasuke, her voice gentle: "Lord Sasuke, what do you think?"

“I’m not interested in this kind of boring political show.”