"Welco back to Konohagakure, Madara-san." Aizen spoke softly, not even turning around. "You're a little later than I expected."
Uchiha Obito flinched slightly, his expression behind the mask turning sour.
If anyone else had called him "Madara," he wouldn't have thought much of it. But the boy in front of him clearly knew everything about him, making the na feel more like mockery.
"You don't seem to like that na very much," Aizen said, as if reading his mind. He tilted his head slightly. "Or would you prefer I call you Obito-kun instead?"
"I am Uchiha Madara. That is my only na." The masked man's voice was cold as his gaze shifted to the battle in the arena. "So this... is the power of your Kyoka Suigetsu?"
"Ah, it's just a little trick." Aizen's expression was gentle, and his voice was calm. "This kind of ability doesn't work on the Mangekyou Sharingan. Mr. Madara knows that very well."
The masked man could tell that when Aizen said "Madara-san" he wasn't referring to him, but to the real Uchiha Madara. The brown-haired boy in front of him had known Uchiha Madara even longer than he had.
But... was it really ineffective against the Mangekyou?
The masked man looked at Shisui, who was locked in a fierce battle with so kind of humanoid puppet. The crowd around them cheered, watching the bizarre scene unfold. A deep sense of doubt crept into his mind.
At the sa ti, Uchiha Obito raised his guard against Aizen once again. He decided that from now on, whenever he was around this boy, he would keep his Mangekyou Sharingan active at all tis. He couldn't afford even a mont of carelessness.
"Madara-san, may we leave now?" That calm voice sounded again, pulling Obito out of his thoughts.
Seeing Aizen standing so close, Obito instinctively took two steps back. Trying to appear composed, he said, "Before that, I want to know your real goal. Why did you join the Akatsuki?"
Obito didn't believe that soone like Aizen would care about so-called world peace. If he was taking part in the Moon's Eye Plan, he definitely had his own motives.
The real Uchiha Madara claid he could control Aizen, but Obito found that laughable.
After observing and testing him for a long ti, Obito had already realized that this boy wasn't soone anyone could control. He was too dangerous. The way he manipulated people was chilling—even as a bystander, Obito felt a shiver run down his spine.
"My goal?" Aizen thought for a mont, then said in a calm tone, "I suppose... I want to understand the true nature of this world."
"The true nature of the world?"
"I wonder if you has ever heard of the legend of Yomotsu Hirasaka. They say that all those who pass away go there. If the living could find a way in, wouldn't it be possible to bring the dead back ho?"
Bring them back ho? Bring the dead back to life?
Obito's eyes widened at Aizen's words. If that were really possible... could Rin...?
For a brief mont—
The usually composed Obito felt his mind thrown into chaos.
Aizen, watching his reaction closely, curled his lips into a subtle, unreadable smile.
...
...
Agakure, Akatsuki's headquarters.
"A new mber, Aizen Sosuke." With a gentle smile on his youthful face, Aizen's soft voice echoed through the space. "Nice to et you all."
At this ti, the Akatsuki wasn't as powerful as it would be in the Naruto storyline, but its mbers were still familiar faces. Aside from the leaders, Pain and Konan, there were also Sasori, Kakuzu, Orochimaru, and one of the Seven Swordsn of the Mist, Biwa Juzo.
"Hah? Just a kid?" Sasori muttered, clearly dissatisfied.
"He's not just any kid," Orochimaru said in his raspy voice, licking his lips. "I never thought I'd run into you here, Sosuke-kun."
"Indeed. It's been a while, Orochimaru-senpai." Aizen didn't seem surprised at all, his smile as gentle as ever.
"To think that one of Konoha's Twin Stars would betray the village too." Orochimaru grinned darkly. "How interesting."
"Konoha's Twin Stars? Your heads are worth six million ryo, you know," Kakuzu said, staring straight at Aizen with an unsettling gaze.
"Konoha's Twin Stars? Aizen Sosuke?" Biwa Juzo seed to recall sothing and grinned. "Oh, so you're the kid who took down Mangetsu, huh? Not bad."
Aizen glanced at him briefly and said in an indifferent tone, "If you're using soone like Hozuki Mangetsu as a benchmark, I wouldn't call that impressive."
"That level?" Biwa Juzo raised an eyebrow and said, "Kid, you're pretty arrogant."
"No, I'm just stating the facts." Aizen shook his head slightly and said softly, "I took an interest in him because I heard he was a hunter who preys on the Seven Swords of Kirigakure. But it turns out that the so-called once-in-a-century genius of Kirigakure is just full of empty talk. Or maybe... all of you Kirigakure ninjas are only at this level?"
"Brat, are you trying to provoke ?" Biwa Juzo drew the massive Executioner's Blade from his back, his voice cold.
Although he had defected from Kirigakure, he still had so feelings for the village. And he could tell that this kid nad Aizen was deliberately targeting him.
Aizen spoke softly, "No need to act so angry. Deep down, you also want to see for yourself—just how strong the boy who took down your so-called genius really is."
"You little..." Biwa Juzo felt like his thoughts had been completely seen through, and his face darkened.
"Not coming at ?" Aizen spoke casually, but both of his hands remained tucked inside his sleeves, making it clear that he looked down on his opponent.
Biwa Juzo instantly flew into a rage. "Kid, you're gonna pay for that!" He lunged forward, swinging the Executioner's Blade down at Aizen's right shoulder.
As the massive blade whistled through the air toward him, Aizen simply lifted his left hand lightly.
Clang.
The Executioner's Blade, which could easily slice through rock, was stopped by a single slender, youthful hand. Not only Biwa Juzo but even Pain, their leader, showed a faint look of surprise.
"So this is the Executioner's Blade? It doesn't seem that sharp," Aizen comnted while drawing his Zanpakuto from his waist with his right hand. "Then, how about you take a look at my sword instead?"
A flash of silver light flared up in an instant.
Squelch.
A blade sliced into flesh, and bright red blood splattered through the air.
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