Thud.
Biwa Juzo knelt on one knee, using the Executioner's Blade to support himself. A deep, bloody cut stretched from his right shoulder down to his abdomen.
"I originally planned to take your whole right arm, but you managed to dodge at the last second?" Aizen flicked the blood off his blade, his expression calm as he praised, "Impressive reflexes."
It sounded like a compliment, but to Biwa Juzo, it felt like pure mockery. His face twisted in anger. "Damn... you little brat!"
Aizen ignored him and turned to Pain. "Leader, do I have the qualifications to join now?"
Biwa Juzo's attack had clearly been permitted by Pain. His goal was to make Aizen display his power, and Aizen understood that perfectly.
Pain nodded slightly, his expression cold. "Next, I'll assign you a new mission..."
Aizen didn't really listen to the rest. Since he had read the original story, he already knew what the Akatsuki was about. The so-called "new mission" was just another step in their strategy to hunt down and capture the Tailed Beasts.
That was exactly why Aizen chose to join the Akatsuki—his own plan required the Ten-Tails to appear.
Of course, even without joining, Aizen could still capture all the Tailed Beasts by himself. Even with only 34% of his power unlocked, it was more than enough to crush the entire ninja world.
But that wouldn't be his style.
Rather than brute-forcing his way through everything, Aizen preferred achieving his goals in a more interesting way—by guiding, manipulating, and using others as tools.
But at the moment, the "tools" in front of him didn't interest him that much anymore. Because he had found something even more intriguing.
[Congratulations! You have received an invitation. Would you like to join the Dimensional Chat Group?]
Looking at the glowing screen before him, even Aizen was momentarily stunned.
Opening the group's description, he quickly saw that this so-called Dimensional Chat Group allowed people from different dimensions to connect, interact, and communicate through a system-invited chatroom. And judging by the interface, it bore a striking resemblance to a certain social platform from his previous life.
In other words... was this his second cheat ability?
Interesting.
Aizen raised an eyebrow and used his thoughts to click [Join], following the instructions in the group introduction.
[An actor has joined this group.]
An actor?
Seeing his own nickname, Aizen immediately realized that some kind of will within this group seemed to recognize that he was playing the role of Aizen.
However, judging by the notice at the top of the group chat, the group owner position was currently vacant. In other words, the group's will and rules were just unconscious constructs.
Clearly, this group was something beyond Aizen's control, but he didn't dislike it—he actually found it interesting. However, if a group owner were to appear, things would be different. That would mean the possibility of being controlled or dominated.
Neither Anzen himself nor the Aizen he was playing could allow that to happen. With this thought, his gaze shifted to the group chat interface.
Curly-haired Guy: Oh? A new member?
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: An actor?
Doujin Artist: Welcome, newbie. If you don't mind, could you introduce yourself?
Curly-haired Guy: Mochou-chan, an 'actor' is actually a kind of job. They wear all sorts of weird costumes and play different roles in movies and TV shows. But of course, my favorite kind is the kind that doesn't wear anything at all. Oh! Could it be that our newbie is that kind of actor?
Doujin Artist: Shut up! Stop corrupting Mochou-neesan, you bastard!
Curly-haired Guy: What are you saying, you idiot Eriri? I'm just helping Mochou-chan grow up!
An actor who doesn't wear clothes?
If Anzen wasn't currently playing Aizen, his face might have turned completely dark.
But from their conversation, he had more or less figured out the identities of these group members. Curly-haired Guy was Sakata Gintoki, Scarlet Lotus Fairy was Li Mochou, and Doujin Artist was Eriri Spencer Sawamura.
In his past life, these were all quite familiar names.
Pulling his thoughts back, Aizen followed the group's instructions and typed a message with his thoughts: "My name is Anzen."
After sending the message, he instinctively glanced at his role-play progress bar—it was still at 34%. So, chatting in the group didn't affect his role-play progress?
Curly-haired Guy: Hey, hey, newbie, do you have no sense of socializing? Just saying your name counts as an introduction? Can you at least be a little more engaging?
Doujin Artist: Shut up! You, of all people, who constantly spout dirty jokes, have no right to talk about social skills.
This is an Actor: Sorry, my introduction was indeed a bit too brief. My name is Anzen, male, 27 years old, and I work as a psychological analyst.
Curly-haired Guy: Huh? What is this, a job interview?
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: Psychological analyst?
Curly-haired Guy: Don't ask me. Even I, the great Gin-san, don't know.
Doujin Artist: Probably something like a psychologist? But your username doesn't really match your job. Are you an actor on the side or something?
This is an Actor: Yes, something like that.
Role-playing is basically acting, just without the paycheck.
Amegakure Village's Angel: Huh? When did we get a new member?
Amegakure Village? Angel?
The moment this username appeared, Aizen's gaze immediately shifted to Konan, who was not far away. She had her head slightly lowered, her eyes focused on something at her lower right, as if lost in thought.
So, it really is her?
Raising an eyebrow, Aizen had already made up his mind.
Although no one but himself could see the chat group's light screen, Aizen knew that its position was exactly at the lower right of the group members' vision—the very spot Konan was currently fixated on.
Moreover, he also noticed that Kyoka Suigetsu's control over Konan's senses had disappeared.
Interesting. This is really interesting!
Aizen's lips curved slightly as he sent a message in the group chat: "Hello, my name is Anzen. I just joined and am new here."
Konan didn't seem to catch the hidden meaning in the other person's words. She politely replied, "Mm. Hello, my name is Konan. Welcome to our big family."