Sasuke froze, his Sharingan scrutinizing the sword that had appeared out of nowhere.
He hesitantly reached out and picked it up. The sword did not feel heavy in his hand. Instead, it had a strange lightness to it.
It was unlike an ordinary Ninja Sword. Its sheath was a deep midnight blue, adorned with pink patterns resembling cherry blossoms that gave it an air of mystery and elegance.
Most importantly, the entire sword radiated an indescribably powerful aura.
The moment he gripped the hilt, information flowed naturally into his mind like a gentle stream.
The sword was called a Zanpakuto. It possessed formidable abilities, but he would have to discover and develop everything about it himself.
He looked at the cold moonlight outside the window, then down at the mysterious Zanpakuto in his hand. His hatred for Konoha burned fiercer than ever.
Meanwhile, moonlight shone on a rushing river. A figure in a black cloak, his body shrouded in shadow, stood silently in the knee-deep water.
He held a black rope wreathed in ominous dark energy. Its other end disappeared beneath the surface, as though he were dredging something up.
Suddenly, his arm dipped under a weight, and his lips curved into a cold smile.
"Heh. Found you."
He slowly pulled on the rope. A body covered in stitches and whitened by the river water emerged from the depths. It was Mahito's corpse.
Naraka studied the lifeless shell, undisguised mockery in his voice:
"Dead for good? The mighty Cursed Spirit came to this in the end. How pathetic."
He extended his other pale hand, eerie purple miasma curling around his fingertips, and prepared to examine the corpse.
But just as his fingers were about to touch Mahito's chest—
Something changed!
The "corpse" that should have been dead snapped its eyes