Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

Even Naruto won't be seen as a monster in the future.

This world is like a perfect reflection of the childhood he once lost.

If he had stopped there, if he had chosen to revel in the happiness of regaining what he had lost...

He will definitely waver, but he cannot stay. There will be another version of himself to protect this world.

"And the world I originally lived in is still a wasteland, and it still needs me."

He cannot indulge in the happiness that belongs to others; he still has a mission to complete and chains to break.

"I am not qualified to stop yet."

Yoruichi sighed inwardly, thinking to herself, "What a pitiful idiot."

But she didn't say anything to comfort him; she just gently patted Sasuke's shoulder.

"Then let's go, don't keep that world waiting too long."

Sasuke nodded slightly, took a step, and walked towards Loulan.

Deep within Loulan lies the land of the dragon vein.

As a purple beam of light shot into the sky, Sasuke and his group vanished into thin air.

"Phew... I'm finally back."

The pharmacist adjusted his glasses and let out a long sigh of relief.

Although this time travel was short, the strangeness he experienced during it far exceeded any of his previous missions.

The power of the dragon vein was still surging underground, but it was much calmer than before, obviously because the space-time channel was closed.

"Do we need to reapply the seal and seal it away?"

Orochimaru looked at the faintly glowing array and kindly offered a suggestion.

“There’s no need for that,” Sasuke interrupted him.

"Huh?" Orochimaru was taken aback.

The next instant, Sasuke drew Indra.

He gripped the sword with both hands, pointing the blades at the center of the altar, the source of the dragon vein chakra.

He exerted his strength and thrust "Indra" deep inside.

Immediately afterwards, a terrifying suction force erupted from the blade.

The dragon vein chakra, which had been flowing smoothly, instantly became violent under the pull of this suction force.

The purple chakra torrent, like a flood finding an outlet, surged wildly into Indra's body along the blade, and then continuously poured into Sasuke's body.

"W-what?!"

Orochimaru and Kabuto stared wide-eyed at the scene in disbelief.

That's an enormous amount of energy, enough to warp spacetime!

This knife is actually devouring it?!

Just moments later.

The purple beam of light went out completely, and the tremors underground subsided.

The entire Loulan ruins fell into a deathly silence once again.

Sasuke drew his long sword, and the originally black blade now gleamed with an eerie purple light, making it appear even more dangerous.

"good."

Sasuke nodded in satisfaction. Although the spacetime power contained in this chakra might not be usable directly, it couldn't be a bad thing.

"Let's go."

The group walked out of the tower and soon exited the ruins.

"Hey, kid," Yoruichi couldn't help but ask, "What are you planning to do next?"

"I have a personal matter that I need to take care of."

"Private matters?" Yoruichi raised an eyebrow.

Sasuke looked up and seemed to sense that another pair of eyes were also watching him.

"It's time to find Itachi in this world and settle things once and for all."

...........

Inside the Hokage Building, in an office.

Kakashi sat upright behind his desk, his hands clasped under his chin, his eyes calm.

Opposite him, Nara Shikaku had a furrowed brow.

"Lord Hokage, isn't your approach a bit... a little too radical?"

He was referring to the incident where Sasuke stormed into Sunagakure and kidnapped Gaara, the One-Tailed Jinchuriki, in front of everyone.

The protest documents from Sunagakure Village arrived like snowflakes, each one more severe than the last, even hinting at a threat of war.

Logically, what Konoha should do at this moment is to issue an arrest warrant, distance itself from the situation, and even assist Sunagakure in capturing Sasuke to quell the anger of its allies.

However, Kakashi's instruction was to "ignore".

"Radical?"

Kakashi raised his eyes, his gaze calm. "Now, the Kazekage of Sunagakure is dead, more than half of its elite forces have been lost, and even the Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast, their last trump card, has been easily captured..."

"Right now, they can only bluff. If they really wanted to take action..."

Kakashi paused, his voice turning cold, "Then let them come."

"Konoha, we'll fight to the bitter end."

This strong statement left Shikaku speechless.

Looking at the new Hokage who was much younger than himself, he felt a complex mix of emotions.

Kakashi, who used to always look so lazy, seems to have really changed after putting on this straw hat.

They became more decisive.

Shikaku knew very well what Kakashi relied on.

Although Sasuke was initially classified as an S-rank rogue ninja, this classification was later removed.

In the eyes of all the great powers, the fan-shaped family crest on his body is still a mark of Konoha.

As long as Konoha doesn't actually issue a kill order against him, from the outside world's perspective, this is a tacit approval, or rather, a deterrent.

Sunagakure Village dared not gamble.

They dared not gamble on whether this was Konoha's doing, and even less dared to gamble on whether the Uchiha boy who could easily suppress the tailed beasts would stand on Konoha's side once the war started.

"......I see."

Lu Jiu finally nodded and slowly closed the document. "Since a decision has been made, let's proceed with this plan."

But the unease in his heart did not dissipate as a result.

Is it really the right thing to rely on the deterrent power of a rogue ninja to ensure the safety of the village?

Kakashi didn't speak, but turned his head and looked at the corner of the desk.

There was a picture frame there.

In the photo, there's a gentle blonde teacher, a boy with goggles who's always yelling, a girl with purple patterns painted on her face, and myself with my perpetually deadpan expression.

The smiles of the four people were captured on that sunny afternoon.

Of the former Water Gate team, only he remains alive.

He was the only one left in the Hatake clan.

"Obito, Rin, teacher..."

Kakashi murmured to himself, his eyes becoming somewhat unfocused.

I lived in a daze for more than a decade, trying to escape that heavy past.

Until Sasuke tore through his disguise in the most direct way.

"Now that I've taken this position and shouldered this responsibility..."

Kakashi's fingers gently traced the edge of the photo frame, and the confusion in his eyes gradually faded.

"I can no longer live like I used to."

He wants to protect this village, in his own way.

Just then, space began to rotate, and an unusual chakra surged forth.

"Who is it?!"

Shikaku noticed immediately, instantly appearing in front of Kakashi, forming hand seals, and watching the newcomer warily.

Kakashi stood up, his tone serious, "Who are you? What are you trying to do by barging into the Hokage's office?"

"Of course, it's for something interesting." The masked Uchiha said, waving his hand. "Fifth Hokage, Kakashi Hatake, it's time for the Uchiha clan to take back your Sharingan."

Upon hearing this, Kakashi's heart skipped a beat.

A member of the Uchiha clan?!

No, apart from Sasuke and Itachi, there should be no one left in the Uchiha clan!

This guy...

"Did you come here specifically for this eye?"

Kakashi raised his hand and pushed up the headband that was covering his left eye completely, his eyes cold.

"I'm so sorry, this is a keepsake entrusted to me by my dearest friend."

"No matter what, I will never give it to you."

"His belongings?"