Angel of the Hidden Rain Village: "Hiss... you won't believe what I just saw!"
Konan was visibly excited, her tone like that of a child eager to share a forbidden secret.
Book Artist: "What is it? What's wrong?"
Curly-Haired Boy: "Such a shocked tone... Could it be that you finally saw Aizen's enoki mushroom?"
This is an Actor: "?"
Scarlet Snake Fairy: "?"
Book Artist: "Gintoki, you really need to bleach your brain. Also, why enoki? Normally, shouldn't it be a matsutake mushroom?"
This is an Actor: "..."
Curly-Haired Boy: "Humph, silly Eriri. Have you forgotten how old Aizen is right now? He's just a teenager whose hair hasn't even fully grown in yet. How could he be as 'grand' as a matsutake?"
Scarlet Snake Fairy: "What are you two even talking about?"
Book Artist: "Ahem! Nothing, we got off track. More importantly, what did Konan-san see?"
Angel of the Hidden Rain Village: "Soul Resurrection! I saw with my own eyes as Aizen awakened a sleeping soul!"
Curly-Haired Boy: "Uh. For Aizen, that kind of thing shouldn't be strange at all."
Book Artist: "Yeah, aren't the Arrancar in his army all technically dead?"
Angel of the Hidden Rain Village: "It's different! I didn't see him build the Arrancar army, but watching him wake a soul from the Pure Land right in front of me... the shock is unimaginable!"
This is an Actor: "That is understandable."
Konan claimed in the chat that it was unimaginable, but Aizen knew perfectly well that she had maintained a blank expression the entire time. Her acting skills had clearly improved; she was becoming quite adept at masking her inner turmoil.
The corners of Aizen's mouth curved slightly, his mood brightening. However, a series of insults drifting from not far away made him frown.
Looking over, he saw a disheveled blond boy. He appeared to be about five or six years old, with pale blue eyes and a round, childish face. His sallow skin suggested chronic malnourishment. It was hard not to feel instinctive sympathy for such a child. Yet, the air around the boy was thick with vitriol.
"Demon fox! It's that demon fox again!"
"He's the one who killed my parents!"
"Damn monster, why don't you just die already!"
Facing the barrage of curses, the boy said nothing. He simply knelt, picked up a rice ball covered in sand and dust from the ground, and walked away in silence.
Sigh.
Aizen felt a wave of concentrated malice emanating from the space behind him. This malice was not directed at him, nor even at the villagers; it was directed at the boy, and at those watching from the shadows.
Those observers were the Anbu Sarutobi Hiruzen had assigned to monitor the boy. Their official purpose was to protect him from "danger," but the verbal abuse and psychological cruelty of the villagers clearly did not fall within their definition of a threat.
"See? This is the truth you wished to confirm." Aizen spoke as if to himself, yet he was clearly communicating with a specific presence. "I wonder, are you satisfied with this reality, Kushina-san?"
Hum.
As if in response, the malice in the air grew palpably heavier.
"Do not worry." Aizen began to walk slowly in the direction the boy had gone, his pace as leisurely as if he were strolling through a private garden. "Even if the long night temporarily shrouds us, the light of dawn will eventually break. Try to keep up with my footsteps... and I shall become the new sun."
Book Artist: "Kushina! Aizen actually awakened Uzumaki Kushina's soul? What is his goal? Is he going to turn her into an Arrancar too?"
Scarlet Snake Fairy: "Kushina... is she Uzumaki Naruto's mother?"
Book Artist: "Yes, she's the wife of the Fourth Hokage. That's why I'm wondering—how could someone like her ever become his subordinate? Wouldn't that be a total fall from grace?"
Curly-Haired Boy: "No, maybe he just wants to 'collect' her."
This is an Actor: "?"
Book Artist: "What kind of collection are you talking about?"
Curly-Haired Boy: "The kind everyone knows."
Book Artist: "Hey! How did you reach that conclusion?"
Curly-Haired Boy: "It's simple. From the plot of Bleach, we can conclude Aizen has no interest in young girls. Even Hinamori Momo, who was so devoted to him, got a sword through the chest. What a waste! So, is it possible he's actually into married women?"
Angel of the Hidden Rain Village: "No way... is Aizen really that kind of person?"
Book Artist: "These are just your baseless guesses, Gintoki. There's no factual evidence at all."
Curly-Haired Boy: "Humph! Beneath that gentle exterior lies a wild and unruly soul. There are many men like that. No one can truly predict his tastes, right?"
Book Artist: "What do you think about this, An Ran-san?"
This is an Actor: "Putting aside the speculation regarding Aizen's preferences, I believe he doesn't do this for something as simple as 'collecting.'"
Scarlet Snake Fairy: "How so?"
Book Artist: "There's no way he could actually bring Kushina under his wing, right? It seems impossible no matter how you look at it!"
This is an Actor: "In truth, as long as one finds the right leverage and identifies a person's core weakness, it is quite easy to shake their convictions. Given the current timeline in the Naruto world, Uzumaki Naruto is likely in the depths of state-sanctioned discrimination."
Book Artist: "Ah! I see! Aizen wants to use Naruto as the catalyst to break Kushina!"
Angel of the Hidden Rain Village: "No wonder Aizen took Kushina's soul to witness the 'truth.' Naruto is the target!"
This is an Actor: "The dark side of the Shinobi World is far more complex than what is portrayed in the panels of a manga. The extent of the abuse Naruto endured cannot be captured in a few mere frames. As a mother who deeply loved her child, it would be impossible for her to remain indifferent after seeing this."
Curly-Haired Boy: "Is that so? Aizen really cannot be underestimated."
This is an Actor: "It goes beyond that. Do not forget that the essence of a Hollow is a product of hatred and the distortion of human obsession. With her child treated this way by the village and her own negative emotions amplified, will Kushina still align herself with the Will of Fire?"
The group chat fell into a heavy silence.
They felt as if they were witnessing the birth of a monster—one crafted by Aizen's own hand, filled with a burning hatred for Konoha. The ultimate irony was that this monster's name was Uzumaki Kushina: the wife of the man who had died to save that very village.