The Dangai, a seemingly ordinary, dark and silent passage.
Two figures were traversing this boundless darkness at an astonishing speed.
They were Shinigami, also known as envoys who maintain balance, and at this moment, they were passing through the Senkaimon from Soul Society to the Human World.
Ahead, Rukia Kuchiki’s body was enveloped in a pure white stream of reishi, her movements swift and precise, clearly indicating her familiarity with this passage.
She turned back to glance at the figure following not far behind her, a hint of helplessness appearing on her delicate face.
“Hey, Uchiha Sasuke, keep up!
It’s your first time in the Human World, if you get swept away by the Koryu because you’re distracted, you’ll become the laughingstock of the Gotei 13 for a hundred years!”
The boy called Uchiha Sasuke didn’t respond, merely accelerating his pace in silence.
He looked like a child of no more than ten years old, and the standard shinigami uniform he wore was slightly loose on him, making the surrounding darkness seem even more desolate.
Beneath his black short hair, a pair of dark eyes were as still as an ancient well, and the Zanpakuto at his waist swayed slightly as he sped up.
Sasuke disliked carrying out these so-called missions, but he had a reason he had to come to the Human World.
Three years ago, on that bloody night of the clan’s annihilation, he was defeated by that man’s Mangekyo Sharingan genjutsu called “Tsukuyomi.”
He thought he would be eternally lost in that Hell, but when his consciousness cleared again, he found himself in a place called “Rukongai.”
The people there told him that this place was called Soul Society, a destination for Souls after death.
Although he hadn’t experienced what others called “Soul Burial,” the facts made it easy for Sasuke to understand.
His arrival here meant that he had died.
It was an absurd conclusion, but he accepted it.
Because only then could he explain why he had left that Village full of the smell of blood.
Soul Society was the resting place of the dead, and also a cage that deprived him of his right to revenge, and becoming a “Shinigami,” gaining the power to traverse worlds, was his only way to return to the “Human World” and find Uchiha Itachi for revenge.
Relying on the Uchiha Clan’s innate combat talent and that deep-seated hatred, he only took one year to learn Shikai, then graduated from Shino Academy, and established himself in the Eleventh Division, the most strength-worshipping division in Soul Society.
There, no one cared about your past; they only believed in the strength of the blade in their hand and their Spiritual Pressure.
The captain there, Zaraki Kenpachi, was an absolute monster born purely for battle.
Having been immersed in that environment for three years, Sasuke was honed to be even purer, like a drawn sharp blade, solely for severing the necks of his enemies.
Finally, he painstakingly applied for the opportunity to carry out a mission in the Human World, becoming one of the few Shinigami from the Eleventh Division who had been to the Human World.
“We’re almost there!
Get ready, the exit is Karakura Town!” Rukia’s voice pulled Sasuke back from his brief reminiscence.
Ahead, a bright spot of light rapidly expanded.
Sasuke’s eyes narrowed slightly, and his fingers gripping the hilt of the sword at his waist unconsciously tightened.
“Konoha…
Itachi…
I’m back.”
The gate opened in mid-air, and as the soft light dissipated, Sasuke and Rukia appeared on the rooftop of a tall building.
Sasuke looked around, and what met his eyes were towering steel buildings, flickering neon lights, and cars moving like beetles on the distant streets.
This place was filled with the breath of the living, and a kind of unfamiliar clamor that made him uneasy.
Sasuke’s brows furrowed slightly.
This wasn’t Konoha, nor was it like the other ninja Villages described in textbooks from his memory; there were no ninja Village symbols.
In his memory, Konoha Village, though prosperous, mostly consisted of ancient wooden buildings, but here, there was only cold steel and the irritating din.
“How is it?
It’s your first time in the Human World, quite novel, isn’t it?” Rukia walked to the edge of the rooftop, overlooking the sleepless city, seemingly in a good mood.
“But don’t let your guard down, our mission is to guide the Souls here, and be ready to slay…” Her words were cut short as her expression suddenly turned serious.
A malevolent and chaotic Spiritual Pressure suddenly erupted in a nearby street.
“It’s a Hollow!”
Rukia’s expression instantly became grave, “The Spiritual Pressure isn’t strong, but it appeared very suddenly, Uchiha, follow me!”
Rukia turned back, only to see Sasuke still standing in place, not even shifting his gaze, still coldly scrutinizing this unfamiliar city.
“Hey!
What are you still spacing out for?
A Hollow has appeared!” Rukia urged.
Sasuke finally withdrew his gaze from the distance, gave a faint glance in the direction where the Hollow appeared, and then turned his sight back.
“Hmph, that kind of small fry, is it even worthy of my intervention?
Don’t compare me to ordinary Shinigami like you.”
Sasuke snorted coldly and turned directly: “Do you want me to play your boring Shinigami games?
Don’t get in the way, woman.”
“You…” Rukia was choked by his words, anger rising on her face, “This is our mission!
As a Shinigami of the Gotei 13…”
“My goal is not here.”
Sasuke directly interrupted her, “Dealing with trash is your job, don’t waste my time.”
The moment his words fell, his figure flickered slightly.
“Shunpo.”
No farewell, no extra explanation.
Sasuke’s figure had already vanished from the rooftop, leaving behind a stunned and angry Rukia.
“That guy…
those bastards from the Eleventh Division are all the same!”
Rukia stomped her foot in anger, but the Hollow’s roar was growing closer, and she had no more time to delay, so she gritted her teeth and rushed towards the target direction alone.
And at this moment, Sasuke was moving at an extremely fast speed through the city’s buildings, with only one thought in his mind.
“Find Konoha, then…
kill you, Uchiha Itachi!”
Sasuke’s figure paused briefly on the rooftop of an abandoned building, his dark eyes scanning the unfamiliar streets below.
Just then, the air behind him suddenly twisted, and a huge dark shadow appeared out of thin air.
It was a Hollow with a pale mask, viscous saliva dripping from its mouth, its hollow eye sockets locked onto Sasuke.
“I found you…
how rich your Soul smells, how delicious, full of the taste of hatred!” The Hollow let out a piercing roar, its voice full of greed.
For an ordinary seated officer-level Shinigami, facing this sudden attack, there might be a hint of tension.
But Sasuke merely slowly turned his head, not even drawing his Zanpakuto.
“Hatred?”
He repeated softly, a cold sneer playing on his lips, “You, a mere thing like you, are you worthy of discussing my hatred?”
Before his words finished, the Hollow had already roared and pounced, its huge claws tearing through the air, aiming straight for Sasuke’s head.
However, it only struck empty air.
Sasuke’s figure had vanished from his original spot at some unknown moment, and in the next instant, appeared ghost-like behind the Hollow.
Only then did he slowly and unhurriedly place his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
“Clang–”
With a clear sound of unsheathing, the Hollow’s movements froze, and a slender black line appeared from head to toe on its massive body.
Immediately, in silence, its entire body split into two, collapsing into reishi that scattered across the sky.
Sasuke didn’t even turn to look at it, merely sheathing his Zanpakuto with clean, decisive movements.
“Trash.” He uttered two words, then turned to continue forward.
However, just as he took a step, a chilling voice, without any warning, echoed deep within his mind.
“Kill well, that’s it, release it, release all the hatred…”
The voice was eerily familiar, yet carried a sense of frantic distortion.
For the past three years, this voice had been like a maggot in his bones, occasionally whispering when his emotions were stirred.
Sasuke’s steps suddenly halted, his eyes instantly becoming incredibly cold.
“Shut up.” He forcefully suppressed the agitation with his will.
Just as he was forcefully suppressing the anomaly within his heart, an irresistible pulling force suddenly surged!
The modern nightscape before his eyes began to twist, as if crumpled by an invisible giant hand.
“What is this…?”
Sasuke’s pupils contracted sharply, trying to resist this force with his Spiritual Pressure.
But everything was in vain; darkness swallowed him like a tide, and the last thing he heard seemed to be the desperate cry of a child.
Then, everything fell silent.