"Is this also one of Lord Aizen's subordinates?"
The shark-faced young man wore a Kirigakure headband, a massive bandaged blade strapped to his back, and a long sword hanging from his waist. His mouth stretched wide, revealing rows of jagged, needle-like teeth. "What terrifying power!"
Aizen didn't answer; he didn't even look at him. "You know what needs to be done, right, Kisame?"
"Of course." Hoshigaki Kisame smiled, pulling back the high collar that masked his chin. What was truly horrifying was that his jaw and neck were now partially covered by white, porcelain-like bone.
Phew.
Without hesitation, Kisame drew the sword from his waist and slashed fiercely across his own left shoulder. As blood sprayed, the grin on his face grew even more ferocious.
"The Sixth Division of the Kirigakure Assassination Force was intercepted by Aizen Sōsuke of Konohagakure. All fourteen members, including the Vice-Captain, were killed in action. The Six-Tails Jinchūriki has been captured."
It was Konan who had actually secured Utakata, but it was Kisame himself who had slaughtered the Kirigakure pursuit team. Now, Kisame was framing Aizen for the entire incident.
Aizen seemed satisfied with the report. "Ah. Thank you for your hard work," he said in a gentle tone.
Clearly, this had been his plan from the start. As a Konoha ninja, Aizen had ostensibly murdered a Mist elite squad and stolen their ultimate strategic weapon. How would the Kirigakure high command retaliate against Konoha now? The answer was obvious.
"You're welcome, Lord Aizen." Kisame grinned, his eyes fixed on the distant horizon. "I, too, wish to see the future you described."
"You shall see it. Just follow me closely." Looking up into the sunlight, Aizen's eyes flashed with immense confidence and pride.
As he finished speaking, the chat group interface before him vibrated.
Book Artist: "An Ran-san! An Ran-san! Are you there?"
Angel of the Hidden Rain Village: "Eriri, this isn't right. If An Ran-san is busy with something important, wouldn't we be disturbing him?"
Book Artist: "That shouldn't be the case. It feels like An Ran-san is pretty relaxed most of the time. Besides him, is there anyone else in this group who can actually answer this question?"
Curly-Haired Boy: "Humph! As the Leader, it's only natural to be interrupted. It's part of the duty! If I were the Leader, I'd be happy to be bothered!"
Scarlet Snake Fairy: "Judging by his tone, Gintoki is truly envious of Master An."
Book Artist: "That's normal. Outstanding people are always envied, especially by those who are inferior in every conceivable way."
Curly-Haired Boy: "Bah! What are you talking about, you brat? Inferior in every way? At the very least, Gin-san can unzip his fly in front of a crowd without batting an eye. Can that An Ran do that?"
Angel of the Hidden Rain Village: "..."
Skirt-Lifting Maniac: "Unzip... his fly?"
Saten Ruiko's eyes went wide, her face burning with embarrassment.
Book Artist: "Fine, I admit it. No one can compete with you in the field of shamelessness."
This is an Actor: "Stay confident. No one ever could."
Skirt-Lifting Maniac: "An Ran-san is here!"
Book Artist: "Oh, it seems my summoning technique actually works!"
This is an Actor: "Apologies. I was simply assigning tasks to my subordinates."
Curly-Haired Boy: "If you hadn't mentioned it, I'd have forgotten you were the head of a research institute. Tsk, tsk. I bet you've used some 'unspoken rules' on your female subordinates, haven't you? Truly scandalous."
Book Artist: "Hey! Don't assume everyone is a pervert just because you are!"
Angel of the Hidden Rain Village: "It must be a pleasure to work under a boss as capable as An Ran-san."
This is an Actor: "Sometimes I can be quite strict as well."
Aizen glanced at the blood-soaked Kisame standing beside him.
Scarlet Snake Fairy: "Strictness is a form of refinement. But let's get back to the topic."
Book Artist: "Right! We were just discussing Aizen's motives. An Ran-san, why do you think Aizen wants to collect the Tailed Beasts? Konan-shijie said Aizen hasn't told her the reason."
This is an Actor: "The Ten-Tails."
Skirt-Lifting Maniac: "Huh?"
Book Artist: "Wait, that doesn't make sense. An Ran-san, didn't you say before that Aizen looked down on the power of the Ten-Tails?"
This is an Actor: "I said Aizen would not become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki. I did not say he looked down on the power itself."
Angel of the Hidden Rain Village: "An Ran-san, do you mean..."
This is an Actor: "Just because he won't become its host doesn't mean he won't recreate it. Aizen intends to overturn the Shinobi World; to do that, he must strike at the source. The source of all shinobi power is chakra. And how is chakra produced?"
Angel of the Hidden Rain Village: "The Ten-Tails! The Sacred Tree!"
Book Artist: "Is Aizen planning to destroy the Sacred Tree? Is that even possible?"
Curly-Haired Boy: "If it's that guy Aizen, I'm afraid it is. He's not a man who can be judged by common sense!"
Skirt-Lifting Maniac: "Gintoki-san, I think you're also that kind of man."
This is an Actor: "I believe he can do it. But I doubt he would simply destroy it. He doesn't do things that are so... uninspired."
Scarlet Snake Fairy: "How can he subvert the world without destroying the tree?"
This is an Actor: "Think about it differently. If the Sacred Tree—the source of all chakra—were to be infected by spiritual energy, would the ninjas of the world still be extracting chakra? Or would they be extracting Reishi?"
Book Artist: Hiss!
Eriri gasped, her face filled with shock.
Curly-Haired Boy: "Good grief, Aizen is a sinister guy!"
Angel of the Hidden Rain Village: "So that's what it is..."
Konan looked down at the black cube in her hand, a flash of understanding crossing her eyes.
Skirt-Lifting Maniac: "So, what should we do? Should we stop him?"
Book Artist: "The problem is how to stop him. This is the despair of Aizen's plans—even if you know what he's doing, you can only watch helplessly."
Curly-Haired Boy: "If we wait for him to get distracted and launch a sneak attack, what are our chances?"
Angel of the Hidden Rain Village: "No. There is no need to stop him."
Book Artist: "?"
Skirt-Lifting Maniac: "Huh?"
Angel of the Hidden Rain Village: "My ultimate goal is peace in the Shinobi World. As long as peace is achieved, it doesn't matter whether 'ninjas' exist or not. Right, An Ran-san?"
This is an Actor: "Precisely."