Soul Land: I am Uchiha Sasuke

After leaving Mu Qing's cabin, Sasuke realized how remote his location was. Along the way, he passed through several small villages, none of which were suitable for settling down.

He also attempted to summon Green Snake and Eagle, but as expected, both attempts failed.

"There are minions even in such remote places. It seems that this Spirit Hall has a deep foundation," Sasuke thought.

"Brother Sasuke, do you really not know about Spirit Hall?" Mu Qing looked at him in surprise.

"Do I need to?" Sasuke asked.

"Every year, Spirit Hall sends people to small villages like ours to awaken children's martial souls. The villagers are very poor, and everyone dreams of becoming a soul master to change their fate!" Mu Qing explained.

"What's their goal in doing this?" Sasuke mused. From her words, it was clear that Spirit Hall was skilled at cultivating power and building influence.

"I'm not sure, but if you become a soul master, you won't have to worry about food and shelter. Spirit Hall has branch halls everywhere, and once you register as a soul master, you receive generous subsidies!" Mu Qing's eyes sparkled with admiration.

Seeing her eager expression, Sasuke guessed that she must have tried before but failed to awaken a useful martial soul—hence her current situation, struggling to survive in the wilderness.

"Soul master?" Sasuke gazed at the sky. So, this world had no history of ninjas. A fleeting image of a hot-blooded blond fool crossed his mind. He sneered. If that guy were here, he would probably build a new Konoha in this world.

Sasuke picked up a fallen leaf and twirled it between his fingers. "Wherever the leaves dance, fire will burn." Itachi had become Konoha's hidden flame in the darkness. And now, where would his own path as a shinobi lead?

"Brother Sasuke, look! There are a lot of people over there!" Mu Qing suddenly pointed ahead.

Following her gaze, Sasuke saw a run-down building with the words "Shrek Academy" clumsily scrawled on its entrance.

Sasuke glanced at Mu Qing. A child her age should be in an academy, not wandering the wilderness with him.

They joined the back of the queue.

"You're over thirteen, aren't you? Why are you even here? Let me make it clear—our academy only accepts monsters!" The old man at the registration desk waved dismissively. "Move along! Next!"

Hearing this, a farmer who had brought his child nervously rubbed his hands together. "Teacher, what about the registration fee of ten gold soul coins?" he asked.

The old man laughed and turned to someone behind him. "Mubai, we have another one who wants his tuition fee refunded!"

A tall, muscular young man stepped forward, straightened his collar, and grinned. "It's simple—if you can defeat me, I'll return every coin!"

As he spoke, three soul rings emerged around him. The farmer's face paled. Without another word, he turned and left with his child.

So this was a soul master? Sasuke activated his Sharingan and observed the flow of soul power within the man's body. The energy felt strangely familiar. It wasn't chakra, but it resembled natural energy—though much weaker and less pure.

"Mu Qing, how old are you?" Sasuke asked.

"Thirteen," she replied, glancing at him before suddenly realizing something. She grabbed his sleeve. "Brother Sasuke, let's go! You must be older than thirteen. I don't want to be separated from you!"

Sasuke remained silent. His only goal was to find a safe place for her.

He led Mu Qing to the registration desk. The old man didn't even look up. "Ten gold soul coins!"

Instead of money, Sasuke pulled a gleaming black weapon from the seal on his wrist and placed it on the desk. "This is a Fuma shuriken made of tungsten steel. It should be more than enough to cover the registration fee."

The old man unfolded the shuriken, inspected it, then glanced at Mu Qing, who was still clinging to Sasuke's sleeve.

"Release your martial soul and show me," he said to her.

Mu Qing hesitated, looking at Sasuke for reassurance before carefully summoning her martial soul.

"The Flower of the Other Shore?" The old man raised an eyebrow. "Not only is it a useless martial soul, but it's also considered unlucky. Like I said, we only accept monsters. Do you even understand the significance of the name 'Shrek'?" He scoffed. "Even soul masters without a single ring would rather register here than be rejected. Why should we lower our standards for charity?"

A "monster"—did that mean a genius? Sasuke glanced at the young man lounging under a tree. Geniuses carved their own paths no matter where they went. If Mu Qing wasn't accepted here, it didn't matter.

Without another word, Sasuke took her hand and left the academy. The sun was setting, and the temperature was dropping. He didn't mind the cold, but he noticed Mu Qing's hands trembling slightly.

She followed him silently, instinctively feeling safe at his side. Unbeknownst to them, they had wandered into a forest.

Sasuke observed his surroundings. The trees, plants, and even the animals carried traces of soul power. Interesting. He plucked a large, menacing piranha-like flower and activated his Rinnegan.

"Sealing Jutsu: Absorption Seal!"

The flower's soul power was instantly drained into Sasuke's body, causing it to wither within seconds.

He analyzed the energy. It wasn't difficult to control, but it felt weaker than the natural energy of his world. It was similar in intensity to Orochimaru's cursed seal. Like Senjutsu, soul power seemed to be borrowed from external sources.

"Help! Somebody, please help us!"

The desperate cry interrupted his thoughts. Carrying Mu Qing on his back, Sasuke moved swiftly toward the sound.

He arrived to find two women and a man surrounded by four massive green wolves. The trio bore visible injuries.

"This is all your fault! If I had known, I would have told the teacher!" one of the women scolded.

"Stop arguing! Now's not the time!" the other snapped.

"I don't want to die! My grandparents need me!" the man whimpered.

Sensing their prey had lost the will to fight, the wolves lunged.

"Chidori Senbon."

Lightning crackled as countless sharp senbon rained from the sky, instantly piercing the wolves and pinning them to the ground. They died without so much as a whimper.

The two women were frozen in shock. The man clutched his wound, his eyes wide as he turned toward the tree where Sasuke stood.

A middle-aged man in a moon-white robe landed before them. His stern gaze swept over the students. "Sneaking out without telling me? What if something happened to you?!"

"Teacher Ye, we won't do it again!" The three students immediately ran to him, sobbing.

The man, Ye Zhiqiu, was a teacher from Canghui Academy—and a level 56 Soul King.

He examined the fallen spirit beasts, then looked up at Sasuke. "My friend in the tree, would you mind coming down so we can talk?"

Sasuke jumped down.

Ye Zhiqiu clasped his hands in gratitude. He had witnessed Sasuke's skills—fast, precise, and merciless. Instantly killing four two-thousand-year-old spirit beasts was no small feat.

"Thank you, young man, for saving my students. I am Ye Zhiqiu of Canghui Academy, a level 56 Soul King. If there is anything I can do for you, please ask."

Sasuke gestured toward Mu Qing. "She needs a place to stay. Can your academy take her in?"

Ye Zhiqiu studied Mu Qing before nodding. "A simple matter. Come, young man, visit Canghui Academy with us!"

The female students whispered excitedly.

"He's so cool!"

"Did you see his eyes? They're mesmerizing!"

Ye Zhiqiu turned back. "By the way, young man, what's your name?"

Sasuke's crimson Sharingan gleamed in the moonlight.

"Uchiha Sasuke."