Captain… Aizen?
Konan froze for a moment, her eyes flashing with a hint of panic.
After seeing memories of the Bleach world, she knew exactly what that title meant.
Aizen was once the captain of the Gotei 13's Fifth Division.
In other words, the title "Captain Aizen" should belong exclusively to the Soul Society.
So why did he bring it up in front of her? Did he figure something out?
No… that's impossible!
A chill ran down Konan's back. She quickly opened the group chat and started messaging the others.
Doujin Artist: No way! There's no way he knows we're aware of the Bleach storyline!
This is an Actor: In theory, Aizen shouldn't know—unless he's in the group.
Curly-haired Guy: Hey, that's not funny.
Doujin Artist: Konan, this is a huge crisis! How can you joke at a time like this, Anzen-san?!
There were only a handful of people in this group, and all of them had uploaded their memories.
Memories don't lie.
So no one believed Aizen was actually in the group.
But what they didn't know—what they couldn't even imagine—was that Aizen was a transmigrator.
He could split his memories.
And he had a system that let him play different characters.
So no—he wasn't joking.
Aizen felt a little disappointed. He had expected them to pick up on his hint and figure something out. But it seemed he had overestimated them.
This is an Actor: No worries, I don't think Konan is in any danger. If anything, Aizen is definitely curious about her. Everything is going exactly as we expected.
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: Curious about what?
This is an Actor: I can think of two possibilities. Either Aizen believes Konan knows why he ended up in the ninja world, or he thinks Konan is from the same world as him and has some knowledge about him.
Curly-haired Guy: But… neither of those possibilities make sense!
This is an Actor: We know that. But Aizen doesn't. Remember, he's not from the Naruto world. We know Konan well, but to Aizen, she's still a mystery.
Amegakure Village's Angel: So… what should I do now?
This is an Actor: If I'm right, he's already picking up on something from your reaction. But it's not a big deal. Just act natural. Keep pretending you don't know him or what "Captain Aizen" means.
Doujin Artist: But if we're exposed, shouldn't we at least acknowledge it?
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: Won't that put us in direct conflict with Aizen?
This is an Actor: No, it won't.
Aizen is a naturally curious person. If anything, giving him just a little bit of information will only make him more interested in Konan.
Curly-haired Guy: Still feels risky.
Doujin Artist: Like dancing on the edge of a knife!
Amegakure Village's Angel: It's fine. I trust Anzen-san.
Phew.
Konan took a slow, steady breath, calming herself.
"What's wrong?" Aizen's voice was soft, yet probing. "Does this title make you uncomfortable, Konan-senpai?"
"I'm just curious." Konan met his gaze, her voice cold. "Why do you want me to call you that? And as a new recruit in the Akatsuki, don't you think you're being a bit too bold?"
She was nervous as she said it, but keeping up the act was more important. She needed to pretend she didn't know him, so this was exactly how a senior member would talk down to a rookie.
Nice performance.
Aizen smiled slightly, as if amused, and said, "My apologies, Konan-senpai. It's just that this situation reminds me of something from my past."
His past?
Konan's heart skipped a beat.
Was he… mistaking her for Gin Ichimaru?
It actually made sense.
She did approach him with hidden motives.
But unlike Gin, she didn't hold any personal hatred toward Aizen.
What she felt was caution and unease.
"Konan-senpai, you seem quite wary of me," Aizen suddenly remarked as they approached a dense forest.
He noticed?
Konan wasn't surprised. She had been keeping her distance from him on purpose.
Of course, she knew it was pointless.
If Aizen really wanted to harm her, keeping her distance wouldn't change anything.
"I don't know why, but you feel dangerous to me." She saw no point in hiding it anymore.
"Oh? A warning from your instincts?" Aizen's lips curved slightly. "That reminds me of my former superior."
That "former superior" wasn't Danzo.
He was talking about Shinji Hirako—the previous captain of the Fifth Division in the Soul Society.
Shinji had always had an instinctual distrust of Aizen.
He even recruited Aizen into his squad just to keep an eye on him.
But in the end, Shinji still underestimated him and became a test subject in Aizen's Hollowfication experiments.
"Is that so?" Konan responded coolly, but she was struggling to keep her composure.
His questions were relentless.
It was like he was using words as weapons, chipping away at her defenses.
"Yes." Aizen nodded, smiling. "But compared to him, you're much more interesting."
Interesting?
Konan didn't know what part of her was so "interesting" to Aizen.
She opened her mouth to respond but ended up saying nothing.
As they walked, they arrived at an open clearing.
Aizen suddenly stopped and said softly, "Konan-senpai, it seems we have company."