Starting as the mastermind behind Naruto

Chapter 684 The Secret Revealed by Gin Ichimaru

Black Zetsu's taunts were somewhat grating.

It made Aizen Sousuke sound like he was being mocked.

This feeling is indeed quite good. Black Zetsu is directly mocking Aizen Sousuke, and even has a hint of self-mockery in his words. For example, Black Zetsu doesn't mention that Uehara Naraku deceived you, but claims that Uehara Naraku deceived us.

These small details are important.

This makes Black Zetsu seem like a fool who was tricked.

Moreover, Black Zetsu knew Aizen Sousuke very well; he was a very magnanimous person, even more so than the reincarnation of his unfilial older brother.

Aizen Sousuke naturally wouldn't blame Black Zetsu for his sarcasm. He slowly lifted his cheek with his hand and chuckled softly, "Oh? Regarding Naraku... have you discovered anything?"

Aizen Sousuke did not reveal that he had seen through Uehara Naraku's true nature. He seemed completely unaware and maintained his original attitude towards Uehara Naraku.

Seeing Aizen Sousuke's smile, Black Zetsu's lips curled up, his eerie eyes slowly narrowing as he nodded and said, "Very interesting... In that White Zetsu's memories, there's actually a battle between that brat named Uehara Naraku and Uchiha Madara..."

Black Zetsu's mocking laughter was even more pronounced, as if he were showing off his own achievement: "Lord Aizen would never have imagined... that the Death Servant, Uchiha Madara, who once defeated you, was utterly powerless against Uehara Naraku."

At this point, Black Zetsu added in a sinister tone, "Even Madara Uchiha went all out, using the blue giant he once used to slaughter Hueco Mundo..."

"..."

Aizen Sousuke lowered his hand again, his fingers nodding on his armrest, and a projection suddenly appeared on the wall of the secret room.

On the projected image, there was a tall, blue Susanoo wielding its Susanoo sword, slicing through deep ravines!

"Is this Mr. Madara in this form?"

Aizen Sousuke slowly lowered his head to look at Black Zetsu, and said softly, "That little Naraku... is he really that powerful?"

"yes…"

Black Zetsu nodded, a sinister smile creeping across his face. "Lord Aizen certainly didn't expect this, did he? The brat we've always treated as a backup pawn..."

"I already know."

Aizen Sousuke slowly shook his head and continued softly, "The Hogyoku warned me; it sensed Naraku's hidden power..."

"Did Lord Aizen already know?"

A perfectly timed look of surprise flashed across Black Zetsu's face.

"Um."

Aizen Sousuke nodded and calmly explained, "I just didn't want anyone else to reveal their weaknesses to Naraku, so I've kept this information a secret..."

Aizen Sousuke's lips curled slightly, and he chuckled softly, saying, "Naraku might want to hide his power just to make others feel ashamed... but as his former captain, I can't let him just fade into obscurity like this..."

to be frank.

It would be best if Black Zetsu didn't kill the White Zetsu who was monitoring Uehara Naraku's power, as that would allow Urahara Kisuke and the Seireitei higher-ups to discover Uehara Naraku's true nature.

With a little provocation, when they start killing each other, or even when the Zero Division has to join the battle against the Uehara clan, Aizen can then step in as the real mastermind and reap the benefits...

However, Black Zetsu is also loyal to him.

As a byproduct of his past experiments, Aizen Sousuke felt somewhat relieved to see that Black Zetsu, even after witnessing Uehara Naraku's power, remained loyal to him.

What made Aizen Sousuke somewhat uncomfortable was that after obtaining the Hogyoku, he believed that by breaking through the limits of Shinigami power, he would gain the upper hand among the three factions he led: Hueco Mundo, the Uehara clan, and the Seireitei.

As things stand, he is still at a disadvantage.

"Black Zetsu, find a way to leak this information to the Seireitei!"

Aizen Sousuke glanced at Black Zetsu and continued in a low voice, "I'm going to see Orochimaru-sensei. Perhaps we'll have to postpone the decisive battle for now..."

"Yes, Lord Aizen."

Black Zetsu's body slowly sank into the ground.

After Black Zetsu left, Aizen Sousuke slowly reached out and touched his chest, where he had transplanted the Hogyoku.

We need to find a way...

To make myself stronger.

The Hogyoku alone might not be enough!

Aizen Sousuke reached out and grabbed the Kyoka Suigetsu Zanpakuto from his hand, gazing at his reflection in the sword, a rare hint of hesitation appearing in his eyes.

Decades ago.

During that defection incident, he was seriously injured, and his Zanpakuto, Kyoka Suigetsu, was destroyed by Madara Uchiha. Fortunately, Orochimaru intervened and helped repair his Zanpakuto.

Aizen Sousuke once thought that he would discard this Shinigami Zanpakuto after the Hogyoku. He believed that he would definitely surpass the mirror image of Aizen in the Bankai form of Kyoka Suigetsu, and he did not want to see anyone else being compared to him.

Even if it's another, false version of yourself.

Looking at it now...

Not a single ounce of strength should be wasted.

The illusion of a mirage remains extremely useful.

After Aizen Sousuke fused with the Hogyoku, Suigetsu Mirror Aizen's abilities were greatly enhanced, and the combined power of the original and the mirror image would give them an edge in battle.

but…

Perhaps this is still not enough!

He needs more!

Moreover, no one in Hueco Mundo could offer him better advice than Orochimaru. Aizen Sousuke reached out and brushed the stray hairs from his forehead before opening the door to the secret chamber.

"Lord Aizen."

Gin Ichimaru stood by the door with his hands in his sleeves, a slight smile playing on his lips, and asked, "I wonder... did the Hogyoku fusion succeed? How does it feel?"

"very good."

Aizen Sousuke slowly nodded, then suddenly turned his head and asked casually, "Gin, is there any way to contact Kabuto-san? Perhaps I have some questions to ask him..."

Besides Orochimaru…

It seems we can also contact Pharmacist Kabuto?

Although Kabuto Yakushi was once Orochimaru's disciple, his gentle nature made him far more reliable than Orochimaru...

"Should we contact Mr. Kabuto?"

Gin Ichimaru smiled, narrowing his eyes, and rubbed his temples with his fingers before continuing, "Hundreds of years ago, Kabuto-sensei secretly controlled several Shinigami using a secret technique. We could observe everything happening outside through them, but contacting those Shinigami was extremely difficult for us..."

"Is that so..."

Aizen Sousuke thoughtfully pinched his chin.

Just as Aizen Sousuke was still pondering which Shinigami might be being controlled, Ichimaru Gin chuckled and continued, "After all, those Shinigami controlled by Kabuto-sensei... are the four lowest-ranking Shinigami officers of the Uehara clan!"

"!!!"

The surprise on Aizen's face vanished in an instant!

How could such a thing be possible!

No, that's also possible!

Otherwise, how could Kabuto Yakushi have escaped the pursuit of the Uehara clan when he was all alone, because he had well-connected intelligence channels!

"I was quite surprised when I found out..."

Gin Ichimaru, still squinting, watched Aizen Sousuke's changing expressions with satisfaction, and continued with a smile, "Although they are ranked low and their strength is not particularly great, they are, after all, the Death Servants of the Uehara Clan..."

Yes.

Even just the fact that they are the death squad officials of the Uehara clan is enough to reveal too many secrets!

I really didn't expect this...

Kabuto Yakushi had such a trump card up his sleeve!

"Is that so..."

A glint flashed in Aizen Sousuke's eyes as he fixed his gaze on Ichimaru Gin, a hint of seriousness creeping onto his face: "What is the purpose of telling me this information at this time..."

Gin Ichimaru smiled and opened his palm, saying softly, "Because if we're going to have a final battle with the Uehara clan... it's time to use some of our pieces!"

If Aizen-sama hadn't obtained the Hogyoku, Kabuto-sensei would have kept this secret forever... Now that Aizen-sama has obtained the Hogyoku, Kabuto-sensei will naturally place his hopes on Aizen-sama."

"..."

Aizen Sousuke nodded to himself.

At that moment, he seemed to realize something, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he whispered, "If that's the case, do you and Mr. Kabuto know anything about Naraku...?"

"I once tried to force him to reveal his true colors!"

Gin Ichimaru slowly raised his head, looked into Sosuke Aizen's eyes, and continued with a light laugh, "Unfortunately, no matter what, he didn't reveal any flaws... or rather, Naraku Uehara never reveals any flaws easily."

"..."

Aizen Sousuke was in a bad mood.

Looking back at how Gin Ichimaru and Naraku Uehara used to get along, it seems that Gin Ichimaru was always trying to mock and provoke Naraku Uehara in an exaggerated way!

However, Uehara Naraku had been patiently enduring...

In that case, he was the last person to know Uehara Naraku's true identity. Ichimaru Gin and Yakushi Kabuto already knew about Uehara Naraku but didn't tell him!

Until he obtained the Hogyoku…

Only then did the master and apprentice tell him the news!

This master and apprentice pair only wanted to use him to get rid of the threat of the Uehara clan, so why did they hide information about Uehara Naraku? Were they worried that he would back down?

and…

"Since you know Naraku's true nature..."

Looking at Gin Ichimaru's smiling face, Aizen Sousuke continued softly, "Why didn't Kabuto-san tell the Seireitei about this? If so, wouldn't the Seireitei also be an enemy of the Uehara clan?"

There's no way to explain it.

Gin Ichimaru shook his head slightly, slowly opened his eyes, and looked extremely solemn: "Because when we met Lord Uehara Naraku... his strength had grown to the point that even Kabuto-sensei had to back down."

As Gin Ichimaru said this, his expression grew increasingly serious: "And Lord Aizen should know our identities."

Regardless, Seireitei would not trust the enemies of the Uehara clan. Moreover, according to Kabuto's observations, the Uehara clan also had spies within Seireitei, such as Kaname Tōsen, who betrayed Aizen-sama…

In that case...

Teacher Dou dared not make any rash moves that might alert the enemy.

"..."

A hint of apprehension flashed across Aizen Sousuke's face.

If, back in the time of Dongxianyao, his every move was under the surveillance of the Shangyuan clan, then that would be a huge joke!

"As for why it wasn't reported to Lord Aizen..."

Gin Ichimaru narrowed his eyes again, smiling as he continued to explain, "Kabuto-sensei believes that Lord Aizen might be killed during our defection from Hueco Mundo..."

Even though Lord Aizen escaped Seireitei using special methods, he was easily defeated by that First Seat Officer. It seems unnecessary to tell Lord Aizen this secret...

Gin Ichimaru's meaning is very clear.

That is because Aizen Sousuke's strength was insufficient; he wasn't yet worthy of being told these secrets by Kabuto Yakushi. Only after he obtained the complete Hogyoku would Kabuto believe that Aizen Sousuke was qualified to know these secrets…

"According to Kabuto-sensei's research, the Hogyoku should be very difficult to subdue... If the fusion experiment fails, no one can guarantee what Aizen-sama will become."

Gin Ichimaru's lips curled into a slight smile as he continued, "Even Kabuto-sensei wouldn't dare conduct such a dangerous experiment. Now that Lord Aizen has left the secret chamber, congratulations on taking another step forward..."

"..."

The personalities of this master and apprentice...

It's just as awful as ever!

Aizen Sousuke had no reason to criticize Ichimaru Gin, since their relationship wasn't particularly loyal to begin with, and it was normal for Kabuto Yakushi and Gin Ichimaru to keep things from him.

only…

This feeling of being used as a pawn... even someone as magnanimous as Aizen Sousuke found it somewhat ironic.

However, by this time, Gin Ichimaru had already compromised...

Moreover, this is not the time to pursue the matter with Gin Ichimaru.

"That's...interesting."

Aizen Sousuke slowly curled the corners of his lips into a smile, his words tinged with sarcasm: "Because you believe you cannot defeat a powerful enemy, you place your hopes on an even stronger one?"

perhaps…

This is the first step in the impending birth of God.

When others place their hopes on him, it means he has already taken that step toward God…

But this is somewhat tragic.

"Because we dare not speak lightly of death."

Gin Ichimaru smiled at Sosuke Aizen and explained as if talking to himself, "We have bonds between us, and we both have people who are more important to us... so we absolutely... absolutely cannot risk dying so easily... I'm sorry, Lord Aizen."

"It's alright."

"But judging from what I just heard, it seems that Lord Aizen has also discovered Uehara Naraku's true nature?"

"It has been some time now."

Seeing the slight surprise on Gin Ichimaru's face, Aizen Sousuke calmly continued, "However, I'm still very grateful for your news..."

"I'm glad I was able to help you."

Gin Ichimaru lowered his head slightly and chuckled, "After all, if we want to eliminate the threat posed by the Uehara clan to us... neither we nor that Orochimaru-san can now rely on Lord Aizen, who has obtained the Hogyoku."

A strange feeling crept into Aizen Sousuke's heart. He had thought that his path to godhood was actually just a way for some people to place their hopes of overthrowing the Uehara clan and the Seireitei on him.

"It's okay, I'm just curious about something..."

Aizen Sousuke shook his head and asked softly, "The Uehara clan's Death Knights have lived for thousands of years, even the weakest of the last four. Can Kabuto-sensei control them indefinitely with his secret techniques?"

"Or rather, it's not a secret technique at all."

A strange look appeared on Gin Ichimaru's face, and he said with a sigh, "Because Aizen-sama obtained a successful Hogyoku, he naturally didn't expect what kind of gift a failed Hogyoku would bring..."

Kabuto-sensei has a living, soulless creature called White Zetsu implanted in his body. It was a soulless living thing he obtained when he and Orochimaru failed to create the Hogyoku while he was studying with Orochimaru…

One secret, two secrets, three secrets…

(End of this chapter)