Part Time Employee in Konoha

Chapter 388: Extra: Edge of Life and Death...

"Ninja Art: Edo Tensei."

Yakushi Kabuto's palm struck the ground.

As the corpse inside the coffin turned to dust and adhered to a White Zetsu, the first revived Uchiha ninja, with his eyes tightly closed, appeared before them.

"..."

Uchiha Sasuke's fingers trembled slightly.

The black-haired boy clenched his fist tightly in his palm, suppressing his emotions to avoid revealing the fear he had buried deep within himself.

Yes.

Fear.

Even though he had become a powerful Rinnegan user, and even though his status was highly respected, Uchiha Sasuke couldn't help but feel a trace of fear upon seeing this man, because the first revived ninja was his father, Uchiha Fugaku.

As Uchiha Fugaku opened his eyes, he saw a familiar-looking, yet particularly complex-faced, black-haired boy standing before him.

"Are you... Sasuke?"

Uchiha Fugaku instinctively recognized his youngest son.

"Welcome back to the world of the living... Father."

Uchiha Sasuke extended his hands, his eyes slightly lowered, concealing the sorrow and pain in his heart, making it appear as if seeing his deceased loved one again was of no consequence.

"..."

Uchiha Fugaku remained silent.

Is this...

Really his youngest son, Uchiha Sasuke?

Uchiha Sasuke looked so much like he did as a child that he hardly needed to verify it—he could recognize him at a glance as his youngest son.

But...

There was one difference...

Aside from that face, there was no trace of the boy he once knew.

The boy who once appeared timid whenever he saw him, seemingly fearing his strict father, now stood with a calm expression, as if he had weathered a great storm.

No...

He had been through it...

Uchiha Fugaku recalled the moment of his death. He knew of the Uchiha clan's annihilation and that the deaths of himself and his wife, Uchiha Mikoto, would cast a shadow over his youngest son's life. There could be no more terrifying night in his life than that one...

"What is going on?"

Uchiha Fugaku furrowed his brows, giving him a stern appearance: "Sasuke, why have I been revived?"

"..."

Hearing his father's words, Uchiha Sasuke instinctively wanted to avoid answering.

"Sasuke-kun."

Yakushi Kabuto approached, standing by Uchiha Sasuke's side, and gently suggested, "Shall I explain to Fugaku-sama what has happened?"

"There's no need."

"I'll do it myself."

A flash of crimson appeared in Uchiha Sasuke's eyes. He immediately restrained all his emotions, and spoke with arrogance, "If it's about inputting memories, there's no better method in this world than the transcription seal of the Sharingan..."

"Sharingan!"

Uchiha Fugaku immediately recognized Sasuke's eyes, and he could even sense that the power of those eyes surpassed his own!

You must be kidding!

Sasuke still looked like a child!

Yet, he had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan? Was it the pain of that night that gave him this power, or was it the even more painful life he had endured in the years following the clan's massacre...

This child...

What exactly had he been through all these years!

In an instant, Uchiha Fugaku's eyes reflected those crimson eyes, and he received the memories of Uchiha Sasuke's life since his graduation from the Ninja Academy!

Framing Shimura Danzo...

Seizing control of the Root division of Konoha...

Bringing his brother, Uchiha Itachi, back to Konoha...

Uchiha Sasuke exposed his dark side to his father without hesitation. He didn't care how his father would view him...

Whether as a father...

Or as the head of the Uchiha clan...

Uchiha Fugaku had been somewhat inadequate in both roles.

However, Uchiha Sasuke could not blame his father. Whether it was Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Mikoto, or even Uchiha Itachi...

The entire family had sacrificed everything for him, placing all of their hopes for the future of the Uchiha clan on his shoulders...

Now...

It was his turn.

"This is how things stand..."

In a fleeting moment, Uchiha Sasuke projected his memories into Uchiha Fugaku's mind and calmly said, "It will take time to fully resurrect the Uchiha clan, but I need a group of capable people now, so I can leverage the influence of the Root division to take control of Konoha..."

"..."

Uchiha Fugaku was still lost in thought.

As a father, he didn't respond immediately. Instead, he slowly raised his head, his face still appearing somewhat stern, but his voice tried to sound as gentle as possible.

"I understand."

What Uchiha Fugaku wanted more was to know what kind of pain his youngest son, Uchiha Sasuke, had endured to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. He wanted to know how much suffering this son had gone through in life. However, he did not want to bring this up now, nor did he want his son to relive those painful experiences.

"I'll leave it to you, then."

Uchiha Sasuke turned away indifferently, speaking coldly, "As for Itachi, you'll see him when you return to Konoha..."

"But..."

"I hope you can hide your identity."

Uchiha Sasuke stopped in his tracks, his voice icy as he said, "That man is deeply influenced by the so-called Will of Fire, and I don't want him to know more..."

"Sasuke..."

Uchiha Fugaku instinctively wanted to call out to this son, whose temperament had almost completely changed, and advised him, "Itachi did what he did so that you could..."

"Stop saying such meaningless things."

Uchiha Sasuke waved his hand, walking away on his own as if he had no interest in talking further with his father, "Your sacrifices were meaningless, only making our family look like a joke that should never have existed in the ninja world..."

"..."

Uchiha Fugaku felt as if he had lost his authority as a father.

This youngest son...

Had truly grown up...

To the point where even he could no longer understand him.

"Fugaku-sama."

Yakushi Kabuto approached with a smile and asked, "Shall we first carry out Sasuke-kun's instructions? Please come with me to select some suitable members..."

At the foothills of Grass Village.

Uchiha Sasuke stood under a tree at the base of the mountain.

Karin emerged from a nearby cemetery. She saw the solitary Uchiha Sasuke and slowly walked toward him.

"Do you need me to revive your mother?"

Uchiha Sasuke, with his arms crossed, asked without any expression, not even minding revealing a bigger secret, "When the time is right, I will bring her back to the world of the living..."

"There's no need for that."

Karin shook her head, looking back at her mother's tombstone as the wind ruffled her red hair. Her eyes were still somewhat red, "Even if she were to be revived, she wouldn't forget the pain she endured in this world. Let her rest in peace in the afterlife..."

"..."

Uchiha Sasuke remained silent.

No wonder...

Even in the real world, where Akihara Kagura possessed great power, Karin was the person he cherished the most. Reviving Karin's mother would have been easy for that man, yet he didn't do it.

Yes...

This world is like a living hell…

Even if one is revived to enjoy a warm life, the pains of the past might not heal; instead, one may live out their days in suffering…

"Sasuke-kun."

Karin looked at Uchiha Sasuke, her eyes focused on the black-haired boy through her glasses. Her chakra seemed to sense the loneliness emanating from him. "You said you were going to revive your clan, but why do you still seem so lonely…"

"…"

Uchiha Sasuke could not answer.

It was no surprise that Karin could see through his heart.

After all, he knew about Karin's ability—a super-sensory skill known as the Kagura Mind's Eye. This ability perfectly matched Karin in the real world.

In the real world, Karin had always prided herself on being Akihara Kagura's confidant and considered herself his eyes. This belief held true both for the name of her ability and for herself.

"Maybe I've just gotten used to it."

Uchiha Sasuke waved his hand and began to walk away. It was rare for him to reveal this side of himself to anyone. "Loneliness is the natural state of a strong person..."

Even for someone as powerful as Akihara Kagura.

"Sasuke!"

Karin suddenly called out to Uchiha Sasuke, her cheeks slightly flushed as she spoke, "You won't be lonely forever. There are many people willing to stay by your side..."

"…"

Uchiha Sasuke was silent for a moment, recalling Uzumaki Naruto's mischievous face, and a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I've always known that."

Yes.

He wasn't entirely alone.

However, there was still one thing on Uchiha Sasuke's mind that he wouldn't reveal to anyone. He wanted to restore order to the ninja world, revive the Uchiha clan, and, more importantly, he wanted to declare war on those who had once manipulated his fate!

Whether it was his father…

Or his brother, Uchiha Itachi…

Uchiha Sasuke couldn't help but harbor some resentment.

Even though many had advised him never to hate his beloved brother, Uchiha Itachi, he still couldn't easily let go…

Even if it's love…

Does that give someone the right to control their family's fate?

This way of doing things…

It's not even as good as Akihara Kagura, whom he has always respected and feared!

At least when Akihara Kagura manipulates others' fates, he doesn't let those close to him fall into darkness. He even secretly pulls those who are trapped in darkness out of the mire...

When Uchiha Sasuke and Karin returned, Yakushi Kabuto and Uchiha Fugaku had already selected a group of relatively obedient members. Although these members were quite submissive within the Uchiha clan, they still maintained a rebellious attitude…

"Hey, Captain!"

"We were killed by our own people, and now even our souls are being enslaved? Your son, Uchiha Itachi, killed us to secure his position as the leader of the Root..."

"Captain..."

"Is this what you wanted?"

"We've always followed you loyally..."

Yes.

This was unfair.

For these Uchihas, their trusted clan leader, Uchiha Fugaku, had not protected them. Instead, he allowed his son, Uchiha Itachi, to massacre the entire clan…

As a clan leader…

Uchiha Fugaku was highly unqualified.

And now, he even had these Uchihas resurrected through the Edo Tensei technique, only to continue following Uchiha Itachi's orders? This was too much!

When Uchiha Sasuke arrived, he saw a group of Uchihas loudly confronting Uchiha Fugaku. They indeed had the right to challenge him.

"…"

Uchiha Fugaku's expression turned grim.

He couldn't refute these accusations, and he found it difficult to face his clan members. Besides, he had never been a particularly strong-willed clan leader…

On one hand, it was related to his personality. He had always believed that he bore a heavy responsibility, rather than holding supreme power within the Uchiha clan.

On the other hand…

It was naturally his strength.

Uchiha Fugaku had never displayed power akin to that of Uchiha Madara. Even if he had power comparable to Madara's, he wouldn't be able to suppress the entire clan's will.

After all…

These clan members had once abandoned Uchiha Madara.

"The one you should obey is not Itachi..."

Uchiha Sasuke's voice echoed through the area, his gaze dark and scanning each of the resurrected Uchiha. His chakra suddenly flared up: "The one you should obey has always been me!"

After Uchiha Sasuke spoke, his eyes fell on Uchiha Fugaku, his expression sinister as he said, "Father, did you forget to tell them to hide their identities in front of Itachi..."

"Sasuke..."

Uchiha Fugaku continued to frown. He didn't know what Sasuke was thinking, but he could clearly feel a deep chasm between his two sons, Sasuke and Itachi. This chasm might push Sasuke to the extreme and Itachi into the abyss…

"There's no need to say more."

Uchiha Sasuke waved his hand to stop his father from speaking further. Looking at the resurrected Uchihas present, his killing intent flared up: "Don't hesitate to follow my orders. All you need to do is obey me!"

"!!!"

Everyone looked in fear at the chakra emanating from Uchiha Sasuke. That terrifying, almost tangible chakra and the overwhelming aura made everyone instinctively retreat, unable to meet his eyes!

This youngest son of the clan leader…

How did his power become so terrifying?

He didn't seem like someone who would be easy to talk to…

"I know exactly what kind of people you are..."

Uchiha Sasuke looked at the resurrected clan members, the boy's youthful face now bearing a faintly arrogant and cold expression: "I won't be like my father, nor will I be like Uchiha Madara. All you need to do is obey and help me rebuild the Uchiha clan…"

"If anyone wants to die..."

"I can destroy their soul right now!"

This was a group of people who couldn't be persuaded by words.

Uchiha Sasuke knew his clan members well. He couldn't convince everyone with words alone; he could only use Akihara Kagura's method—utilizing his overwhelming power to make them obey.

"There's one more issue..."

Uchiha Fugaku looked at the now-quiet clan members before turning to his son, "Sasuke, the power of the Uchiha lies in the Sharingan. If we want everyone to fight, the Sharingan will inevitably be exposed in the future, which will draw the village's attention…"

"I've already prepared a solution."

Uchiha Sasuke interrupted his father, picking up the answer used by the man he most respected: "Shimura Danzo secretly kept a batch of Sharingan for human experiments. The new ninjas entering the Root were his test subjects..."

Anyway…

This burden wouldn't be too much for Shimura Danzo to bear.

"We're returning to Konoha."

Uchiha Sasuke glanced at Yakushi Kabuto, and softly instructed, "The future… will depend on you, Kabuto-senpai..."

Before leaving.

Yakushi Kabuto secretly pulled Uchiha Sasuke aside.

Adjusting his glasses, Kabuto lowered his voice, "Sasuke-kun, based on the information you provided me earlier, I've been researching the issue of crossing worlds. I seem to have found some strange breakthroughs…"

"Once, during a crisis in another ninja world, you were on the verge of life and death and met the legendary Sage of Six Paths..."

"The person you respect the most..."

"Seemed to have known long ago that this method could allow you to meet the Sage of Six Paths..."

"So…"

"Perhaps this method could be applied to what you're trying to achieve."

"The only problem is that it's too dangerous, and you could die at any moment…"

"It seems my own suspicions weren't wrong…"

Uchiha Sasuke interrupted Yakushi Kabuto, his gaze briefly sweeping over the densely packed coffins, and he calmly said, "I've long suspected this. After you and Orochimaru-san resurrect everyone with the Edo Tensei…"

"Even if it costs your life… you're still going to do it?"

Yakushi Kabuto looked deeply at Uchiha Sasuke.

"Isn't it only natural?"

Uchiha Sasuke also glanced at Yakushi Kabuto, a hint of contempt in his eyes: "This is my responsibility… I've already decided how to proceed. I'll treat it as atonement for the damned and as my revenge against this world!"