After leaving Mu Qing's small cabin behind, Sasuke quickly realized just how remote this place was.For hours, they walked along dirt roads lined only with sparse farmland and clusters of weathered huts. The few villages they passed were too small and poor to be worth settling in.
As they traveled, Sasuke tested his options—attempting to summon his green snake and his hawk. Predictably, nothing answered his call.
"Even out here in the wilderness, they have people stationed," he thought, his eyes narrowing. This Spirit Hall must have a far-reaching and powerful network.
"Brother Sasuke," Mu Qing asked, tilting her head up at him, "do you really not know about the Spirit Hall?"
"Do I need to?" Sasuke replied without slowing his pace.
Mu Qing nodded earnestly. "They send people to even the tiniest villages every year to awaken the spirits of the children. Everyone hopes their spirit will be strong enough to become a soul master and make a name for themselves. Most people here are poor… so being chosen is the only way out."
"And what's the point of giving away that kind of power?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly. If what she said was true, Spirit Hall wasn't just an organization—it was a machine for cultivating loyalty and fame.
"I don't know," Mu Qing admitted. "But if you become a soul master, you don't have to worry about food or shelter ever again. Spirit Hall has branches everywhere, and they give you a big allowance when you register!" Her eyes shone as she spoke.
Sasuke took in her expression—so hopeful, so naive—and understood the situation. She was already thirteen, yet still living in the mountains, bullied by locals. If she'd ever been evaluated for soul master potential, it clearly hadn't gone well.
Soul Master, huh? Sasuke looked up at the sky. This world had no shinobi, no hidden villages. An image of a certain blond, hot-blooded fool flashed into his mind. He smirked faintly. If that idiot were here, he'd probably have built a whole new Konoha by now.
He plucked a leaf from a nearby branch, watching it flutter between his fingers. Where the leaves dance, the fire will never die. Itachi… you were the leaf burning in the shadows. But where does my own path lead now?
"Brother Sasuke!" Mu Qing tugged at his sleeve. "Look! There's a crowd over there!"
Following her gaze, Sasuke spotted a run-down building ahead. A crooked sign above the entrance read, Shrek Academy.
At Mu Qing's age, she should have been in a place like that, studying with her peers, not wandering homeless beside him. Wordlessly, he took her hand and led her to the back of the line forming outside.
At the registration table sat an elderly man with a long beard. He barely looked up at the next applicant—a boy escorted by a farmer.
"He's over thirteen. Why bring him here? I've said it before—Shrek only accepts monsters! Next!"
The farmer's face fell. "Teacher, what about the registration fee? Ten gold soul coins is no small amount…"
The old man smirked. "Mu Bai! Someone wants their fee back!"
From the side, a tall, broad-shouldered man appeared, adjusting his collar. "Simple," he said. "Hit me, and I'll give you your money back." Three soul rings rose beneath him, glowing with power. The farmer took one look, swallowed his words, and left with his son.
So this is a soul master, Sasuke thought. His Sharingan spun lazily, tracing the energy within the man's body. It wasn't chakra, but it had the same living flow—closer to natural energy, though far less pure.
"How old are you?" Sasuke asked quietly.
"Thirteen," Mu Qing said, then her eyes widened in sudden fear. "Brother Sasuke, let's go! You must be older. I don't want them to separate us!"
Sasuke didn't answer. He had no intention of leaving her adrift.
They stepped up to the table. Without glancing at them, the old man said, "Ten gold soul coins."
Sasuke withdrew a gleaming black weapon from the seal on his wrist and set it on the table. "A tungsten-steel Fūma Shuriken. This should more than cover your fee."
The old man opened and closed the weapon, then eyed Mu Qing as she gripped Sasuke's sleeve. "Release your martial spirit. Let's see it."
She hesitated, looking to Sasuke for reassurance. Then she slowly summoned her spirit.
The old man frowned. "Higanbana? A useless martial spirit, and an unlucky one at that. I told you—we only take monsters. Do you even know the worth of the name Shrek? No spirit ring, no talent—what are you doing here? Looking for charity?"
Monster? Sasuke thought. So, genius, then. His eyes slid to a young man lounging in the shade nearby. Geniuses… whether in an academy or alone in the world, they burned bright regardless. What difference did it make if they wore your colors?
Saying nothing, Sasuke took Mu Qing by the hand and walked away. The wind had turned cold, and night was coming.
They wandered into a dense forest. Mu Qing's small hands trembled with the chill, though she stayed silent.
The air here was… different. Sasuke could feel faint traces of soul power in the plants, birds, and animals. He knelt beside a carnivorous plant with oversized leaves, gripped its stem, and activated his Rinnegan.
"Sealing Technique—Suction Seal."
Soul power drained from the plant into his body. It withered almost instantly. The energy felt crude compared to natural chakra, closer to Orochimaru's curse seal in strength and texture—an imperfect mimicry of true senjutsu.
"Help! Someone, please save us!"
The cry snapped Sasuke's attention forward. He slung Mu Qing onto his back and sprinted toward the sound.
In a small clearing, three figures—two young women and a young man—were cornered by four massive blue-furred wolves. All three humans were bleeding and pale.
"This is your fault! I told you we should've told the teacher!"
"Oh, shut up! Now's not the time to argue!"
"I can't die here—I still have grandparents waiting for me at home!"
The wolves growled low and lunged.
"Chidori Senbon."
A storm of glowing, needle-thin blades rained down, crackling with lightning. In an instant, the wolves were skewered and pinned to the ground, dead before they could howl.
The young women froze in shock. The young man clutched his wound, staring upward—perched on a tree branch was a black-haired youth, expression unreadable.
A second later, a man in moon-white robes landed between the students and the fallen beasts, his expression thunderous.
"You three snuck out without telling me? At night? Do you want to die?"
"Teacher Ye, we're sorry! We won't do it again!" they cried, clinging to him.
The man—Ye Zhiqiu, last teacher of Canghui Academy and a level 56 Soul King—glanced at the wolves, then raised his voice. "Friend in the tree! Come down and speak with me!"
Sasuke dropped lightly to the ground.
Ye Zhiqiu clasped his fists in salute. "I saw you take down those wolves—four two-thousand-year soul beasts, felled in a heartbeat. That's no small feat for someone so young. I am Ye Zhiqiu, teacher of Canghui Academy. If there's any way I can repay you, name it."
Sasuke beckoned. "Mu Qing."
She emerged from the shadows, stepping to his side.
"Since you're a teacher," Sasuke said, "can your academy take her in?"
Ye Zhiqiu looked at her once and smiled. "Of course. That's a small matter. Both of you—come to Canghui Academy as my guests."
The two rescued girls whispered to each other, eyes still on Sasuke.
"So handsome…""And did you see his eyes? Gorgeous!"
"Hey, you two!" Ye Zhiqiu barked. "Move!"
"Yes, Teacher!" they chorused.
As they started walking, Ye Zhiqiu looked over his shoulder. "I didn't catch your name, little brother."
"Uchiha Sasuke."