"Ah, it was indeed I who deliberately allowed you to encounter it."
Aizen stepped forward slowly, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. "As an ambitious individual craving power, encountering such an unknown and unique creature inevitably evoked a desire to study it. And just as I expected, you led your men to slay what you believed to be the 'source' of the Hollowification, bringing the corpse to the fourth research laboratory at the Root base for sampling."
Boom.
Danzo felt as if his world had been upended. What was happening? How did Aizen know everything? It was as if every secret move he had made over the years had occurred right under the boy's nose.
How did he do it?
Moreover, Aizen had clearly known the truth all along, yet he had acted completely oblivious in Danzo's presence. In the years they had spent together, the boy had never revealed even the slightest flaw.
This acting... it is absolutely perfect.
"Hahaha, what a terrifying scheme." Orochimaru sneered sinisterly, casting a mocking glance at Danzo. "It seems Advisor Danzo has truly chosen an incredible brat as his disciple."
"You're wrong, Orochimaru-senpai." The silver moonlight fell across Aizen's face, his transparent lenses reflecting a cold, sharp light. "In fact, from the moment I entered the Konoha Orphanage, I was already prepared to serve under Lord Danzo."
"What do you mean?" Danzo asked, his voice thick with astonishment.
"You chose me for the Root because you saw how well-organized I was at managing the orphanage. Coupled with my talent for ninjutsu, you were naturally drawn to me, weren't you?"
"So what if I was?"
"Have you ever wondered why Nonō-san asked me—a four-year-old—to manage the orphanage in the first place?"
"Are you saying..."
Danzo understood. He understood everything. It turned out that Nonō had betrayed him even back then, deliberately pushing Aizen to the forefront to bait him with the boy's talent.
"So," Aizen said softly, his lips curling into a slight, elegant arc. "It wasn't Danzo-sama who chose me. I chose Danzo-sama."
"Hateful!" Shimura Danzo's face turned ashen as he ground his teeth. "Aizen Sosuke, you damn brat!"
Unprecedented fury surged in Danzo's chest, causing his entire frame to tremble as veins throbbed violently on his forehead. Who could have imagined that the disciple he had cultivated as a perfect work of art was actually a demon who played with human hearts? Danzo, the eternal manipulator, finally tasted the bitterness of being handled like a toy.
The sensation was vile—poisonous. Hatred and distortion began to erode his remaining sanity.
Phew.
Suddenly, white foam erupted from Danzo's mouth. A viscous, flowing substance—seemingly alive—began to crawl across his cheeks and over his body.
"It looks like it has already begun," Aizen remarked calmly, as if he had been checking a clock. "Excessive emotional agitation does indeed accelerate the Hollowification process."
"Haha, how truly ironic." Orochimaru watched Danzo as if he were a circus clown. "Danzo, the man who prided himself on manipulating hearts, has ended up a puppet in the hands of a child."
"An interesting comment." Aizen turned his gaze toward Orochimaru, his voice dropping to a gentle whisper. "So, Orochimaru-senpai, do you truly believe you are no longer a puppet yourself?"
"Trying to provoke me with words, kid?" Orochimaru grinned, his sneer deepening. "I admit you're a genius at parlor tricks, but not everyone can be controlled by your petty schemes!"
Whoosh!
The moment the words left his mouth, Orochimaru lunged, thrusting the Kusanagi sword directly at Aizen's throat.
Hum—
In that instant, a crushing sense of oppression erupted. This heavy pressure seemed to strike directly at the soul, making Orochimaru's very bones creak under the weight.
Clang.
The Kusanagi sword slipped from his fingers and hit the dirt. Panting heavily, Orochimaru fell to one knee. He raised his head with stiff, jerky movements, only to find the source of the pressure: a lavender-haired woman with a long sword at her waist.
"Konan?" Orochimaru hissed. "To think even a founder of the Akatsuki has become your personal lapdog... shocking."
Silence followed. Konan maintained her usual indifferent expression, seemingly deaf to Orochimaru's barbs.
"She is not a subordinate. Konan-senpai is my compatriot," Aizen corrected in a melodic tone. "Though, I suppose it would be difficult for a cold-blooded creature like you to grasp such a concept."
"I apologize, Aizen-sama," Kabuto Yakushi said, lowering his head in guilt. "I failed to notice that Orochimaru was still capable of movement."
"It isn't that you failed to notice, Kabuto," Aizen said lightly, his lips curling. "It is simply that Orochimaru-senpai has mastered the power of High-Speed Regeneration."
"You even know about High-Speed Regeneration?" Orochimaru's expression soured. He had intended to use that ability as his final trump card. "How deep does your research go?"
"Research?" Aizen smiled, looking at him with placid eyes. "It seems you still don't understand, Orochimaru-senpai. I have been familiar with every ability and power of the Hollows from the very beginning."
From the beginning? Orochimaru's eyes widened. "You... could it be..."
Howl—!
Before he could finish, bestial roars echoed through the valley. Colossal monsters wearing bone masks emerged from the trees, surrounding the group. Strangely, the monsters ignored Aizen and his companions entirely, their predatory eyes fixed solely on Orochimaru and Danzo.
"So many 'sources' in one place?" Orochimaru muttered, breathless.
Aizen clarified, "Actually, they should not be called 'sources.' Their true name is Hollows. They are the distorted products of human resentment and hatred."
"I see... so that's it! Is this what you meant by 'from the very beginning'?" Orochimaru finally understood. These creatures called Hollows had been created by Aizen all along.
The gap—at that moment, Orochimaru truly felt the distance between himself and the young man before him. It was a chasm the size of a world.
"It seems you finally understand, Orochimaru-senpai," Aizen said softly. "In that case, let me tell you two more things. Have you never wondered why the eighth subject of your study mutated so specifically? Do you truly believe you evolved that regeneration ability on your own?"
Orochimaru's eyes flickered with a raw, visceral shock. "It was you?"
"That's right." Aizen smiled warmly, his tone as casual as if they were old friends sharing a drink. "That is why I asked you... do you really think you're not a puppet?"
"Damn you! Aizen Sosuke!" Orochimaru roared, his face contorted with rage.
Phew.
At that moment, his own Hollow transformation took hold. Orochimaru, who had just mocked Danzo as a clown, realized that he was the one wearing the makeup.
"Goodbye, Danzo-sama. Farewell, Orochimaru-senpai." Aizen turned to leave, his gentle voice drifting back on the wind. "You really are... truly excellent experimental materials."
"You little bastard!" Orochimaru, his face now half-obscured by a bone mask, hissed through gritted teeth as he fought a losing battle for his consciousness.
The surrounding Hollows began to close in on the two fallen men.
Hum—
Suddenly, a golden beam of light descended from the sky.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Hollows touched by the light were instantly reduced to ash. A strange figure clad in a silver-white robe appeared abruptly in front of Orochimaru and Danzo.
"Who... are you?" Orochimaru managed to ask before his mind slipped away.
"Do not worry. I mean you no harm." The figure approached, reaching out to tap Orochimaru's forehead gently. Orochimaru's body stiffened and he slumped into a deep sleep. "After all... we share a common enemy."