Elder Nobuhiko Passes Away, Successful Containment!

!!!What do you mean "shining and heating up after death"!?

What do you mean "providing guidance after death"?!

Sasuke! Do you even know what you're saying!

Uchiha Izumi felt as if her brain was about to short-circuit.

Guidance after death?... Elder Nobuhiko narrowed his eyes: "Are you certain?"

"Certain." Sasuke extended his hand, chakra manifesting within his palm. It began to spin at high speed, transforming into a blue sphere of chakra, and a violent gale instantly swept through the entire room!

Rasengan!... Elder Nobuhiko's eyes widened!

The Fourth's signature ninjutsu!

He wasn't even a year old yet!

At this age, one's chakra meridians hadn't even finished developing; it was fundamentally impossible to refine or execute chakra!

!!!Beside him, Izumi couldn't help but let out a startled cry.

"How did you refine chakra?" Compared to the Rasengan, Elder Nobuhiko was more concerned about this point.

Nine-Tails... Sasuke mouthed the words.

The Nine-Tails!!!? Elder Nobuhiko asked in shock: "Hasn't it already been...?"

"Konoha only has half of it left now..."

"Half?"

That meant the other half was inside Sasuke?

Elder Nobuhiko felt a mix of shock and uncertainty, then suddenly threw his head back and laughed: "Haha! Good! Hahaha! Good indeed!"

It was impossible for someone under a year old to refine chakra, impossible to use the Rasengan, and even more impossible to know intelligence regarding the Nine-Tails.

Based solely on these three inexplicable points, he was willing to believe Sasuke!

Outside the room.

"This..."

Hearing Elder Nobuhiko's laughter, the Uchiha clansmen looked stunned, exchanging bewildered glances.

Fugaku breathed a sigh of relief; he had bet correctly...

Inside the room.

"Little Sasuke, can I die now?" Elder Nobuhiko, having ceased his laughter, suddenly looked radiant, as if he were filled with anticipation for death.

"That won't do." Sasuke shook his head: "At least wait until we've left before you die."

"Very well!" Elder Nobuhiko said heartily: "These old bones of mine can hold out for a few more minutes. You go first, and tell them to come in."

"Alright, goodbye, Elder Nobuhiko." Pulling Uchiha Izumi, whose brain had completely crashed, Sasuke left the room.

Seeing them emerge, the group of high-ranking clansmen swarmed them with questions:

"What happened?"

"What's wrong with Elder Nobuhiko?"

"What did you talk about?"

"Why was Elder Nobuhiko so happy?"

Sasuke gestured slightly toward the room: "Elder Nobuhiko said he can hold on for a few more minutes and asked me to invite you all inside."

Hearing this, and knowing the Elder must have important matters to entrust them with before his passing, the group stopped asking questions and hurried into the room.

Fugaku, who was trailing at the back, cast a complex look at Sasuke.

Seeing this, Sasuke waved with an innocent expression: "Father, Mother, Izumi and I will be heading off now."

That's right... no matter what, he is still my son... Fugaku felt a sense of relief, a smile rising to his face as he nodded slightly: "Alright, go on back."

Having said that, he looked at Uchiha Izumi: "Izumi, I leave Sasuke in your care."

Izumi snapped back to reality and nodded hurriedly: "Oh, right, please rest assured, Clan Leader."

Inside the room.

"Elder..."

"Let me speak." Elder Nobuhiko waved his hand and said: "I don't have much time left."

The group wore heavy expressions, falling silent.

Elder Nobuhiko began: "First, the fact that Sasuke and Izumi met with me is to be known only by you. Do not mention it to anyone else, not even other clansmen, do you understand?"

Though they didn't know what had transpired between them, the group nodded: "Yes."

"Furthermore, I know you are dissatisfied with Fugaku's inability to withstand the pressure from the higher-ups on behalf of the Uchiha clan, but you must understand our clan's predicament!"

"Suspected by the higher-ups as the culprits behind controlling the Nine-Tails, our Uchiha clan has reached a dead end!"

"If we want to overcome this crisis, we must stand united!"

"From now on, regarding any major decisions concerning the future of the clan, you must listen to Fugaku. There shall be no dissent. Do you understand?"

The high-ranking members and elders of the clan glanced at Fugaku, then lowered their heads in submission. "Yes."

"Hmph!" Realizing they were not truly taking his words to heart, Elder Nobuhiko slammed his hand against the bed frame and snorted coldly, "Do not think that just because I am about to pass away, you can simply brush me off. I will not truly die!"

"Even in death, my will shall continue to endure. I will still be watching everything you do!"

"From this day forward, if you pay lip service to Fugaku's decisions while acting against them in secret, then do not blame me, Uchiha Nobuhiko, for failing to show mercy to my own kin!"

This...

His will shall endure...?

The group recalled a certain taboo, remembering Izumi and Sasuke from just moments ago...

Could it be that Elder Nobuhiko intends to...

Mikoto looked on, unable to bear it. "Elder..."

"Rest assured..." Elder Nobuhiko waved his hand, his gaze turning sharp as he swept it across everyone present. "Did you understand what I just said!"

"Understood!" they replied in unison.

"Good!" Seeing this, Elder Nobuhiko nodded in satisfaction. His mental energy began to slowly dissipate, and he waved his hand with great difficulty, his breath growing thin. "You may all leave."

"Fugaku... you stay."

"Yes!" With hearts heavy with grief, the others took one last deep look at Elder Nobuhiko before exiting the room with heavy spirits.

Once they had left.

Elder Nobuhiko tremblingly produced a bottle. "My... eyes... give them... to... Sasuke..."

Noticing the eyeballs floating in the special medicinal solution inside the bottle, marked with unique patterns, Fugaku's pupils constricted!

On the other side.

"Sasuke, are you not going to explain a single thing to me?"

Back at the clan head's mansion, Uchiha Izumi stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at Sasuke with a fierce, pouty expression.

"Shh," Sasuke made a silencing gesture and said, "If we miss Elder Nobuhiko's soul, all our efforts will have been in vain."

Soul?..

Good heavens!

Could it be that Sasuke also possesses the ability to harvest souls?

Uchiha Izumi's face was filled with shock, and she instinctively covered her mouth.

Simply connecting this to his previous words, it actually wasn't hard to deduce.

Although she had many questions, seeing Sasuke's serious expression, she had no choice but to temporarily suppress the doubts in her heart.

Before long.

Ding!

Congratulations to the host, successfully contained the soul of Uchiha Nobuhiko!

Hearing the notification sound in his mind, the corners of Sasuke's mouth curled up. "Alright, let's go!"

Go? Go where?... Before Izumi could react, she was pulled into the room by Sasuke.

"Izumi, don't resist..."

Don't resist?... Before she could grasp the meaning of those words, Uchiha Izumi felt a certain force attempting to pull her consciousness out of her body. This made her panic instinctively, but remembering Sasuke's words, she chose not to resist.

Immediately, the scene shifted.

Her consciousness arrived in a strange, unfamiliar wilderness, with a familiar figure standing before her.

"Elder Nobuhiko!"

She hurriedly greeted him, her heart filled with shock.

"Hmm."

Elder Nobuhiko, who was currently observing the surrounding environment, gave a soft grunt of acknowledgment before sighing, "How miraculous! What kind of ability is this?"

He remembered that when his life had reached its end and his soul was about to enter the Pure Land, it had been swept up by an invisible force, bringing him to this place, followed immediately by the appearance of Sasuke and Izumi.

Sasuke explained, "This is the Soul Space, also known as the Soul Prison. It can imprison the souls of those who have just died."

"Soul Prison?"

The place was bright and sunny, filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers; it looked nothing like a prison.

Sasuke smiled. "The environment here can change according to my will. Elder Nobuhiko is not an outsider, and there will be many times in the future where I will rely on you, Elder. Naturally, you cannot be kept in a jail cell."

To think he possessed such a miraculous ability...

"Incredible!" Elder Nobuhiko exclaimed.

Then, recalling the Rasengan, he looked at Sasuke. "With such a miraculous space, I trust that besides imprisoning souls, it has other capabilities as well, right?"