Company?
Konan paused, surprised.
Then, she saw Aizen glance toward the trees and say calmly, "Are you here to catch up, Orochimaru-senpai?"
"Hehehe… Your perception is as sharp as ever, Sosuke-kun."
Orochimaru, dressed in a black cloak with red clouds, stepped out of the forest, a faint smile on his lips.
It really was Orochimaru.
But what was he doing here?
Konan was curious.
Then she noticed something strange—
Orochimaru wasn't even looking at her.
It was as if, standing next to Aizen, she didn't exist at all.
Something's not right!
No matter what Orochimaru's reason for being here was, he wouldn't just ignore her like this. And yet, he acted as if he hadn't even noticed her. That could only mean one thing… This was Kyoka Suigetsu's ability?!
It controlled the five senses, making Orochimaru truly believe she wasn't there—like she was nothing but air!
Realizing this, Konan felt a chill run down her spine. Was Aizen doing this on purpose?
Was he deliberately showing her the power of Kyoka Suigetsu to test her reaction? What should she do now? Should she stay silent or say something?
Feeling completely at a loss, Konan thought about opening the group chat for help again. Facing someone like Aizen, she felt utterly powerless.
In reality, Konan was overthinking things. Aizen wasn't testing her—he had no reason to. Since group members couldn't harm each other, Kyoka Suigetsu didn't work on Konan in the first place, which was why she could still see the truth.
As Konan quietly typed in the chat, Aizen spoke again. "This has nothing to do with perception, Orochimaru-senpai. It's simply that your ability to conceal yourself is far too clumsy." His tone was polite, but there was a faint trace of disdain in his eyes.
Orochimaru's smile instantly vanished. He said coldly, "It seems that after working under Danzo for a few years, you've become arrogant."
"My apologies. It looks like my words have offended you, Orochimaru-senpai," Aizen said with a slight smile. "Then, let me put it another way—your spiritual pressure is far too obvious to ignore."
Spiritual pressure?
Konan froze. A deep sense of disbelief surged in her heart. She knew exactly what spiritual pressure was. And because she knew, it was all the more shocking!
Spiritual pressure—the unique energy of the Soul Reaper world! But how could Orochimaru, a ninja, have it?
Could it be…? Her eyes suddenly shifted to Aizen. It had to be him. There was no doubt about it. The fact that spiritual pressure even existed in the Naruto world had to be his doing!
Konan hadn't forgotten that among Aizen's many accomplishments, he was also a researcher and an inventor. In the Soul Reaper world, his research skills were probably second only to Urahara Kisuke, the founder of the Technology Development Bureau.
Which led to the real question—why? Why would Aizen give Orochimaru spiritual pressure? What was he after?
Konan's mind raced. Meanwhile, Orochimaru's expression darkened. His hoarse voice broke the silence. "Sosuke-kun, you really do know a lot. Looks like avoiding that fool Konan and coming to meet you alone was the right choice. Now, tell me everything you know. Otherwise…"
Fool?
Konan's mouth twitched slightly as she watched Orochimaru talk nonsense right in front of her.
"And what if I don't?" Aizen remained as calm as ever, his gentle smile unchanged.
"Then this." As Orochimaru spoke, he suddenly lunged forward, his pale hand stretching out to grab Aizen's throat, lifting him high into the air. "I'll make you regret it for the rest of your life!"
"Oh? That's quite the scary threat." A familiar voice unexpectedly came from behind Orochimaru.
What?!
Orochimaru's eyes widened in shock. Before he could react, a flash of a blade appeared behind him.
*Slash.*
Orochimaru's body was sliced in two and fell to the ground.
Aizen could tell it was just one of Orochimaru's body-substitution techniques, but he didn't care. With a sharp sound, he sheathed his sword. "Let's go, Konan-senpai."
"Mm." Konan snapped out of her thoughts, pushing aside the questions in her mind and giving a small nod.
But just as they turned around—
Orochimaru's upper half suddenly burst out of the ground behind them. His long black hair hung over his shoulders as his pale hands quickly formed hand seals.
Earth Release: Stone Lance Barrage!
*Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!*
More than a dozen pitch-black stone spears materialized in midair, shooting toward Aizen at an incredible speed.
Aizen didn't turn around. His expression didn't change in the slightest. He simply extended a finger toward the ground and murmured, "Earth Release: Ten-Thousand Mile Earth Wall."
*Boom!*
A massive cloud of dust exploded as a towering stone wall, dozens of meters high, suddenly rose from the ground behind Aizen. The impenetrable wall completely blocked all the incoming spears with a series of heavy thuds.
H-How is this possible?!
Orochimaru's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the enormous wall standing before him.
The Ten-Thousand Mile Earth Wall was only an A-rank jutsu, but it usually required multiple ninjas working together to perform. The sheer amount of chakra needed was enough to drain even an elite jonin in an instant.
But this twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy had not only used it effortlessly on his own—but had done so with a single hand? No, wait—was that even a proper hand seal?! He only used a single finger!
Orochimaru began to doubt reality itself. But at the same time, he became even more certain—Aizen must have used that* And not the incomplete version that he himself had been experimenting with.
Danzo.
That old bastard Danzo must have finished developing the full Hollowfication formula. And yet, he had been keeping it from him this whole time?!
This was infuriating!
Orochimaru couldn't stand it. He could hide his true strength from others, but if someone hid theirs from him? That was unacceptable! He had to find a way to make Danzo understand the cost of keeping secrets from him.