What was consciousness?
Uesugi Sasuke did not know.
He only felt himself floating in an endless, warm darkness. There was no sound, no light, not even a sense of time passing.
It was comfortable here, quiet.
All his exhaustion, all his pain, every taut nerve found complete relief here. He was like a traveler who had wandered far too long, finally returning to the cradle where he had been laid at birth.
There was nothing he needed to think about, nothing he needed to do.
Sleeping like this forever seemed an excellent choice.
He was already... far too tired.
Just as his consciousness was about to dissipate completely and merge into this eternal tranquility, a cold, mechanical, yet utterly familiar voice rang out in the deepest reaches of his soul.
[Ding!] [Final battle data tally complete.] [Major deviation detected in host's behavioral logic... Evaluating final achievement...]
Sasuke's consciousness stirred slightly.
The system? This presence he had nearly forgotten had surfaced again.
He no longer cared about templates or points. Everything was over.
[Evaluation complete.] [Host has unlocked the ultimate hidden achievement-"Redemption."] [Achievement description: You wielded Six Paths Power, possessing divine authority sufficient to destroy the world or reshape it. When facing the final enemy, you chose not destruction and conquest like Indra, but protection and salvation like Asura. Using yourself as a bridge, you channeled the power of bonds to overcome the curse of hatred and pulled a lost soul out of the abyss.] [Overall rating: God-tier.] [Comment: You have transcended the fate called "Uchiha." You are no longer a prisoner of hatred, nor a slave to power. You have found a new "ninja way" of your own.]
Not a ripple stirred in Sasuke's consciousness.
God-tier? Fate? Ninja way?
These grand words sounded rather distant and