Starting as the mastermind behind Naruto

Chapter 631 The Great Void Forest Collapse Plan Begins!

Aizen Sousuke's most valued subordinate was Black Zetsu.

Because in Aizen Sousuke's view, Black Zetsu was a product of his failed experiment in creating the Hogyoku, a creature that recognized him as its master from birth.

To this day, Aizen Sousuke has never allowed Black Zetsu to appear in public, precisely to conceal Black Zetsu's abilities and allow Black Zetsu to provide him with sufficient intelligence.

In fact…

Black Zetsu never disappointed Aizen Sousuke.

Aside from the difficulty in obtaining information about the Uehara clan, Aizen Sousuke's ability to create the Hogyoku so smoothly in Soul Society using Shinigami without being discovered by anyone was also due to Black Zetsu providing him with ample information.

Decades ago…

When Aizen Sousuke framed Urahara Kisuke and Hirako Shinji, he also received help from Black Zetsu. This subordinate, whom he created himself, truly brought Aizen a lot of convenience and became one of his trump cards for monitoring others.

However, what Aizen Sousuke didn't know was...

Black Zetsu, which he had always considered his trump card, was now in Orochimaru's study, meeting with Orochimaru.

"Uehara Naraku... huh?"

Orochimaru's expression turned somewhat strange when he saw Black Zetsu.

Orochimaru was initially furious when he returned to the base, but his mood gradually calmed down when he saw Black Zetsu…

All right.

Keep the change, please.

Orochimaru already knew who had done this.

Orochimaru slowly grinned, licked his lips, and said with a sinister smile, "It seems I should be able to get the information that Aizen Sousuke has..."

"Hehehehe..."

Black Zetsu grinned and tossed a file folder to Orochimaru: "This information was given to you by Hagoromo. Our plan is progressing smoothly, so I hope you won't let him down..."

"..."

Orochimaru took the file bag with a strange expression.

Black Zetsu's reminder made Orochimaru increasingly clear-headed. He was indeed somewhat dissatisfied with Uehara Naraku's private arrangements, but he didn't yet have the right to resist...

As Orochimaru opened the file containing Aizen Sousuke's evaluation, Black Zetsu grinned and said, "This was written by Hagoromo himself... It's definitely the most honest evaluation of that brat Aizen Sousuke."

"Hehehehe... Is that so?"

Orochimaru simply looked down at the documents in his hands.

This document shouldn't really be called a document, but rather a comprehensive analysis of Aizen Sousuke. It turns out that the information used in this evaluation of Aizen Sousuke, written by Uehara Naraku himself, was all obtained by Orochimaru.

Just the opening title...

This made Orochimaru's lips twitch involuntarily.

"The Tale of Aizen Sosuke?" What a strange name. Orochimaru's first thought was, "Was this really not written by Jiraiya?"

But the more Orochimaru read...

But he gradually realized that something was missing...

Uehara Naraku held Aizen Sousuke in extremely high regard, even believing that Aizen Sousuke truly possessed the ability to overturn everything.

Orochimaru, however, always believed that Aizen Sousuke was just a pawn... a pawn that they controlled.

This is a fundamental difference.

Or rather, it's a difference in their perspectives!

Although Uehara Naru has always treated Aizen Sousuke as a pawn in essence, according to this document, Aizen Sousuke has long since transcended the role of a pawn and become a player!

This is so fake...

No wonder Aizen Sousuke liked this document so much; it was full of praise for him, though of course, it also contained some personal opinions…

such as…

Even Aizen Sousuke longed for companions in his heart, even if they were as ignorant as Tosen Kaname, as treacherous as Ichimaru Gin, as cruel as Ulquiorra, as lazy as Stark, and perhaps even that cowardly and incompetent little guy Uehara Naraku.

This is fucking...

Everyone was praising Aizen before...

Why do they start secretly digging holes again later on?

"..."

Orochimaru's eye twitched involuntarily. After slowly destroying the document in his hand, his expression returned to calm.

Orochimaru slowly raised his head, looking at Black Zetsu, his eyes narrowing slightly. He sneered, "Heh heh... Although I know all of this is for the plan to go smoothly... I hope that next time that guy plots against me, he'll let me know in advance... After all, we're on the same side now!"

"Know your place, Orochimaru..."

Black Zetsu looked at Orochimaru, grinned, and said, "If you don't want to, you're welcome to leave... I believe there are many people willing to take your place and stand with us... Hagoromo has never lacked followers."

Black Zetsu, observing Orochimaru's ever-changing expression, slowly continued, "Orochimaru, don't disappoint Hagoromo... Your existence in this world is a result of Kabuto Yakushi's contribution in helping Hagoromo conquer a world..."

If it weren't for Kabuto's plea...

Uehara Naraku would never easily agree to release Orochimaru, even though he continued to use him after releasing him...

Five days have passed.

Time flies by.

Orochimaru never returned.

Aizen Sousuke didn't care.

However, Nelliel brought news that Orochimaru needed to handle some internal affairs, but he would appear during the final exam.

During this time, Aizen Sousuke had been observing the second exam that the Arrancar and Hollows were taking. He was quite interested in several Hollows with unique abilities…

Until the five-day assessment ended…

The winner of the second exam has finally been announced.

Only twenty winners made it to the final round.

This ratio is far too low compared to the 180+ participants.

However, the second test was quite interesting. It required the Arrancar to cooperate in battle, cultivating their teamwork. In one instance, two Arrancar directly overwhelmed their split opponents through cooperation. This kind of test was indeed very useful.

I have to say…

Aizen Sousuke's respect for Orochimaru grew stronger.

The sheer variety of tests they've put into training new Arrancar and Hollows far surpasses the tests used to train Shinigami in Soul Society…

Moreover, these Hollowfied Arrancar cooperate more smoothly than the Shinigami of Soul Society, perhaps because they are already used to this way of fighting side by side.

The perfect collaboration between two Arrancar Hollows…

It's definitely not as simple as 1+1=2!

It must be said that Orochimaru was very dedicated to training these Arrancar Menos. Even the proud Adjuchas-level Menos learned to cooperate with his comrades in battle.

Just after the second round of exams ended, a group of Gillian Hollows opened their mouths and spewed out Cero, creating a flat piece of land in the Hollow Forest as the venue for the third exam.

This is also the last exam…

Without a doubt, it will be the most exciting one!

The third exam will be an individual battle, which means that these Hollows will be able to unleash their full power and demonstrate the results of their training to Orochimaru!

Looking at the image displayed on the screen, Aizen Sousuke curled the corner of his lips and chuckled casually, "Alright, let's begin our plan!"

Although both he and Orochimaru harbored the intention to cooperate…

However, the order of priority in their cooperation needs to be clearly defined... no, or rather, it's not cooperation, but a merger and consolidation of forces.

This impending conflict is unstoppable!

Aizen Sousuke intends to seize this opportunity to defeat Orochimaru and all his forces in one fell swoop, and to take over the last threat to Hueco Mundo!

As long as Orochimaru is recruited...

This not only means that Aizen Sousuke can save a lot of time, but also that he can take this opportunity to gain a powerful army and have the qualifications to confront the entire Soul Society head-on!

"Heh... Is it finally starting?"

Gin Ichimaru squinted and smiled as he stepped forward.

Throughout the entire event, Gin Ichimaru was probably the most level-headed person on the field. In fact, compared to Ulquiorra and Koyatai Stark, Gin knew a little more. He was actually quite looking forward to the conflict that was about to erupt...

"Hmm, are we really going to carry out such a dangerous plan?"

Koyatai Stark rubbed his temples, muttering, "The enemy has all gathered here... there are hundreds of Arrancar on the field alone... this force is terrifying just to look at!"

He's clearly an incredibly powerful Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar...

Koyat Stark, however, could never muster any enthusiasm whatsoever!

However, those present seemed to understand his personality and didn't pay much attention to what Koyatai Stark said; he seemed to be overly modest...

"There's no need to worry about it."

Ulquiorra gripped his Zanpakuto at his waist and said coldly, "Apart from that guy named Nelieel, there's no one on the field worth mentioning..."

"That's right."

Kaname Tosen nodded indifferently.

"Don't let your guard down..."

Aizen Sousuke covered half of his cheek with his hand, a mysterious smile on his face: "Orochimaru is a senior who left behind a legend in Soul Society for thousands of years. Who knows how many Arrancar he has trained over those thousands of years..."

Just when everyone thought Aizen Sousuke was about to warn them to be careful, his tone suddenly shifted, his voice now laced with arrogance: "However, there really aren't any opponents we should be concerned about..."

After saying that, Aizen slowly stood up.

Just then, a Hollow knocked on the conference room door and said softly, "Lord Aizen, Lord Orochimaru requests that you proceed to the higher floor to observe the ceremony..."

"I see."

Aizen Sousuke slowly nodded.

The top of the audience seats in the examination room for the third exam.

Orochimaru sat there calmly, waiting for Aizen Sousuke to arrive. A sense of absurdity flashed across his face; he felt as if he had experienced this scene before!

No…it wasn’t him who experienced it!

Rather, it was something his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had experienced!

If I'm not mistaken...

Aizen Sousuke will likely carry out the Great Hollow Forest Crush Plan during the third exam, just like Orochimaru's Konoha Crush Plan...

It's really ironic when you think about it...

"snort…"

Orochimaru glanced at Aizen Sousuke as he approached, a hint of disdain flashing across his face: "That Uehara guy... does he really think I'll be easily dealt with by that brat Aizen Sousuke, and that everything I do will become nourishment for that brat's power?"

Having lived in this world for so many years...

Orochimaru was acutely aware of his weaknesses, so he gradually replenished his power, and he continued to attempt to fuse the powers of the two worlds…

To be honest...

If Uehara Naraku and the Uehara clan didn't exist in this world, Orochimaru would have dared to use his own power and the Arrancar and Menos Grande he created to directly invade Soul Society, storm the Soul King's palace, and seize the Soul King's body!

If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't see through Uehara Naraku and was worried that his probing would lead to his demise... Orochimaru would actually really want to test just how much Uehara Naraku was capable of!

However, after considering how many cards he could play, Orochimaru inevitably realized that all the cards in his hand were given to him by Uehara Naraku…

"Mr. Orochimaru."

Aizen Sousuke, a gentlemanly smile still playing on his lips, slowly sat down in the chair next to Orochimaru, adjusting his glasses: "This exam is almost over, shouldn't we get down to business..."

"..."

Orochimaru's lips curled into a smirk as he turned to look at the two Hollows battling it out in the examination hall. He chuckled in a low voice, "Hmph, no rush. Let me see if my little guys have improved..."

"I feel like there's no need for that anymore..."

Aizen Sousuke shook his head and chuckled, saying, "While I must admit that Orochimaru is exceptionally talented in his research on the Arrancar, and these Hollows have broadened my horizons, I must say that they can only be used to deal with minor characters..."

At this point, Aizen Sousuke turned to look at Orochimaru, his smile growing wider: "If they encountered beings of our level, they would still be a bunch of utterly useless trash. I believe Mr. Orochimaru shares the same view as me, doesn't he?"

"..."

Orochimaru slowly fell silent.

Yes, that's the truth, as Aizen Sousuke stated.

These Hollows, if they were to gather together, might be able to invade Soul Society and even defeat the Gotei 13, but they would never be able to take a single step forward under the command of the Gotei 13's Captain-Commander, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto…

Just as Aizen Sousuke was about to say something, Orochimaru suddenly revealed a strange smile: "Hmph, I never placed my hopes on them in the first place. When I created them, I just felt that when I ascend to godhood in the future, it would be too lonely without an audience to see everything I've done..."

"..."

Aizen Sousuke looked slightly surprised.

The next moment, the mastermind behind this new generation slowly nodded, as if in admiration, and said, "That's right, the road to the top is indeed lonely, and without an audience, it can be quite unbearable..."

"..."

Orochimaru's smile grew increasingly strange.

I really didn't expect that Uehara Naraku actually knew Aizen Sousuke. He was just casually saying that based on Uehara Naraku's information...

"However, the most important thing is to first reach the top of the clouds."

Aizen Sousuke slowly reached out and touched his glasses, murmuring softly, "If I could, I really wouldn't want to lay a hand on Orochimaru-san..."

next moment…

A surge of spiritual pressure suddenly erupted from Aizen Sousuke's body!

Almost instantly, the light of a Zanpakuto flashed from Aizen Sousuke's hand and was suddenly held horizontally across Orochimaru's neck. Aizen Sousuke's move was so ruthless and insidious right from the start!

(End of this chapter)