Starting as the mastermind behind Naruto

Chapter 693 The head of the Uehara clan has always been only me!

Sunny weather.

Under the warm sunlight, the Grim Reapers in the Spirit King's Palace couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts; the world they saw had been completely turned upside down.

"As you can see..."

Uehara Naraku withdrew his gaze from Orochimaru and landed on Aizen Sousuke's face, explaining with a light laugh, "Since Kabuto and Gin are both my subordinates, Orochimaru-san is naturally also my subordinate."

"From the very beginning?"

Yes, from the very beginning.

Uehara Naraku nodded slowly and said softly, "Do you remember the legend of Hueco Mundo? The so-called Uchiha Madara chasing Orochimaru was essentially just to help Mr. Orochimaru clear away the troubles in Hueco Mundo..."

"...I understand, thank you for clearing up my confusion."

Aizen Sousuke maintained a forced calm on his face.

However, if even Orochimaru was a subordinate of Uehara Naraku, then the Arrancar army created by Orochimaru might not necessarily remain loyal to Las Noches...

Aizen Sousuke's eyes flickered slightly as he looked at the Arrancar army flying towards them, glancing over the Hollows controlled by Orochimaru and landing behind the throne of Naraku in Uehara, until his gaze settled on Koyatai Stark...

and many more…

Koyatai Stark?

How come the leader of the Arrancar is also a member of the Uehara clan?

Aizen Sousuke's gaze swept from Koyatai Stark over the other Espada. Under his watchful eye, the Espada hesitated for a few seconds, then resolutely followed Koyatai Stark to stand behind the throne…

In an instant…

Aizen Sousuke became all alone.

Orochimaru and the Arrancar army all betrayed him!

Just moments before, Aizen Sousuke commanded an Arrancar army powerful enough to shake any organization in the world, but in mere seconds, he lost all his men…

This…

Isn't that a bit too much?

The captains of the Gotei 13 couldn't help but feel a little more sympathy for Aizen Sousuke. This Lord of Hueco Mundo was just too pitiful.

Who would have thought that all of Aizen Sousuke's subordinates were actually enemy spies, meaning he had been under enemy surveillance all along...

and…

Are the Uehara clan sick?

If it were just a Hollow being a spy, that would be one thing, but why send out so many spies just to monitor Aizen Sousuke?

This is fucking...

Apart from Aizen Sousuke, are all the others their spies?

Is this something a human being could do?

"Kyatai Stark is one too...?"

Aizen Sousuke's gaze gradually turned dangerous as he looked back at Uehara Naraku: "Since Stark is also under your command... then... Ulquiorra..."

Just as you thought.

Uehara Naraku nodded calmly and continued with a smile, "It's quite interesting to think about it now... All the assassination plans that Captain Aizen oversaw back then were under my surveillance... Captain Aizen actually wanted to use Ulquiorra to play the victim in front of me... But I enjoyed watching Captain Aizen's performance back then."

"..."

Aizen Sousuke's fingers unfolded again.

Although Aizen's expression remained calm, everyone could sense the suppressed, raging spiritual pressure emanating from him. This was something truly difficult to accept calmly…

Thinking about it now...

Aizen Sousuke back then was truly like a clown!

The assassination plan went very smoothly; Aizen Sousuke himself was even satisfied that the assassination made Uehara Naraku more convinced of him…

however…

Now it seems that all of this was within Uehara Naraku's sight. This young head of the Uehara clan was like watching a clown performance, watching Aizen Sousuke put on a show in front of him. He didn't know whether he felt mockery or ridicule...

Aizen Sousuke cracked his knuckles, a sound coming from them, indicating he wasn't in a good mood...

This is normal.

Back then, Aizen Sousuke always thought he had Uehara Naraku completely under his control, but little did he know that it was Aizen Sousuke himself who had been the one being manipulated all along…

"There's no need to hide your anger anymore, Captain."

Uehara Naraku smiled and opened his palm, speaking earnestly, "Just as you controlled Kurosaki Ichigo's life... your life has always been under my control..."

Ever since I heard about your name and what happened to you, I've had people secretly observing you. From the moment you entered the Central Academy of Spiritual Arts, someone has been reporting everything about you to me, including how many grains of rice you ate during your meals..."

As he said this, Uehara Naraku's smile grew even brighter: "It's a bit of a pity that you've grown too fast, and you almost discovered the tracker's trail... In order to shake off your suspicions, I had to direct your suspicions toward Orochimaru."

"This is a good decision."

Aizen Sousuke slowly nodded, his spiritual pressure gradually stabilizing, and continued softly, "So, all the information I received about the Uehara clan was false, and your age... doesn't seem to be that of the so-called newly succeeded head of the Uehara clan..."

There's absolutely no need for further speculation!

Aizen Sousuke pondered how the Uehara clan had always concealed their heritage, the information about their past heads, and all their history…

Even the Thirteen Dead Servants never showed any sign of betrayal!

A somewhat terrifying answer appeared in Aizen Sousuke's mind.

"You guessed right... Captain!"

A hint of amusement crept onto Uehara Naraku's lips. He glanced at Aizen Sousuke, then at Yamamoto Shigekuni and the other approaching Shinigami captains, and continued with a light laugh, "The Uehara clan has never had a successor as head of the family. For thousands of years, I have been the head of the family myself..."

"Isn't this much better...? A family head with a short lifespan, doesn't that fit Seireitei's expectations for the Uehara clan? If it were a powerful family head who had lived for thousands of years, wouldn't the mere mention of him instill fear?"

"Don't look at me like that. Everything I've done has met your expectations, hasn't it? What do you think... Captain-Commander Yamamoto?"

"..."

A sigh crossed Yamamoto Shigekuni's mind.

The captains of the Gotei 13 slowly revealed a hint of fear on their faces.

The patriarch of a powerful clan that has existed for thousands of years would indeed make them unconsciously begin to speculate about Uehara Naraku's power and his intentions...

Nobody would think...

The head of a powerful family has lived in anonymity for thousands of years just to put Seireitei at ease.

That guy, Uehara Naraku…

They're surprisingly tolerant!

He has kept himself hidden for thousands of years...

"Would you like to hear a story?"

Uehara Naraku leaned back on the throne and said leisurely, "The weather is so nice today, it seems perfect for an outdoor tea party!"

"Speaking."

Yamamoto Shigekuni gripped the hilt of Ryujin Jakka tightly in his palm, the deceived old man appearing ready to draw his sword at any moment!

Uehara Naraku was completely unconcerned about the threat posed by Yamamoto Shigekuni, and simply tilted his head and chuckled, "It's quite a long story... so much so that most of the time I wonder why I can endure this loneliness."

"If we're being precise, it should be around three thousand years ago, before the Gotei 13 were even formed, when Seireitei was still a desolate wasteland, and the so-called nobles were just a few weaklings..."

"In an attempt to integrate, we tried to attract the strongest members, Captain Ichibei of Hyosube and Captain-Commander Yamamoto, but unfortunately, they rejected us!"

"To avoid arousing their suspicion, my subordinates and I established the Uehara Clan, setting up a powerful family in the wilderness... It's quite interesting, really. The Uehara Clan, which was once ostracized, now stands above the former five great noble families... and one noble family even joined my ranks..."

The group of Death Gods listened with faces full of fear.

No one would have imagined that the Uehara clan had been hiding for thousands of years!

For thousands of years, how exactly did these guys live their lives without revealing their true faces to anyone?

Especially Uehara Naraku…

This was once seen as a kind little guy... but his true face is that of a mastermind who has been stirring up the world for thousands of years...

What so-called successor to the family head...

What do you mean by being unable to defy the will of the Thirteen Deadpools...?

Everything was just a disguise used by the mastermind to conceal his identity.

The Grim Reapers' expressions showed signs of breakdown; even though those words came from Uehara Naraku's mouth, their minds still hesitated, unwilling to convince themselves to believe them…

This kind of thing...

It's really hard to believe...

Only Matsumoto Rangiku's face showed a hint of realization. This woman finally remembered the advice that Yakushi Kabuto and Ichimaru Gin had given her, telling her never to disobey Uehara Naraku's words and never to show any disrespect in front of Uehara Naraku...

"A terrifying level of forbearance..."

However, once they accept this fact, everyone can't help but marvel at how terrifying Uehara Naraku and the Uehara clan are!

The fact that it could remain hidden for thousands of years under the noses of so many people is something that no one else present could have accomplished!

Even Aizen Sousuke once showed signs of it!

"The Tsunayoshiro clan has submitted to you, hasn't they?"

Yamamoto Shigekuni slowly closed his eyes and whispered the name of the family that had sided with Uehara Naraku: "Only by siding with you could you hide all of this..."

"yes…"

Uehara Naraku nodded with a sigh, and continued, "The Great Spirit Book Corridor records all the major events that have occurred in Soul Society, which is quite a problem..."

From that time on, we concealed our power, secretly watching as the Seireitei, once as weak as a village, gradually grew larger, and watching the enemies of the Gotei 13 perish time and time again…”

"I'm very curious..."

Yamamoto Shigekuni opened his eyes and stared intently at Uehara Naraku: "Even with the Tsunayoshi clan covering your secrets for thousands of years... it's impossible to guarantee that not a single secret will be leaked..."

What Yamamoto Shigekuni really wanted to ask was…

Just how many people did the Uehara clan plant in the Gotei 13?

With Aizen Sousuke's example serving as a stark warning, anything, no matter how unbelievable, could happen to them. Even Yamamoto Shigekuni couldn't help but wonder just how many spies were actually within the Gotei 13...

"I guess what the Captain-Commander really wants to ask is..."

Uehara Naraku looked at Yakushi Kabuto and Orochimaru, and said with a light laugh, "You two don't actually think that obtaining the perfect artificial body brought by the Edo Tensei doesn't require any price, do you?"

"..."

Yamamoto Shigekuni fell silent.

Impure World Reincarnation... has huge problems!

At this moment, Yamamoto Shigekuni vaguely understood why the Uehara clan was so strict in its examination of those who underwent the Impure World Reincarnation, and why many Shinigami who received the gifts of Impure World Reincarnation chose to join the Uehara clan, because they were already under the control of Uehara Naraku…

"never mind."

Uehara Naraku raised his head and looked at the Gotei 13 in the distance, and said loudly, "At this point, there seems to be no need to hide anything... All those who bear the name of Akatsuki... now, stand behind me!"

"Yes...sir."

Captain Tosen Kaname of the Ninth Division and Captain Komamura Sajin of the Seventh Division were the first to step out, followed by one Shinigami after another!

The captains of the Gotei 13 watched this scene with grim expressions. Only two captains left, but thousands of Shinigami left with them!

That guy, Uehara Naraku…

They actually deployed so many people in the Gotei 13!

Even though it wasn't as effective as controlling Aizen Sousuke, it was still unacceptable to the captains of the Gotei 13, especially the captain of the 8th Division, Kyoraku Shunsui!

because…

Kyoraku Shunsui was left with only his vice-captain, Yashimaru Lisa.

All the members of the entire Eighth Division were spies planted by Uehara Naraku, no wonder the Eighth Division often failed to gather any intelligence!

fortunately…

He also has a subordinate.

Kyoraku Shunsui even had a touch of bittersweet humor in his expression, reaching out to pat Yagami Maru Lisa on the head and chuckling, "Looks like I'm in luck; that guy still left me with a subordinate I can delegate to..."

"...Let go!"

Lisa Yagyuumaru's expression was not very pleasant.

There's no comfort in this kind of thing without comparison.

Compared to the isolated Aizen Sousuke, the situation for the Gotei 13 was slightly better, although they were also furious about the betrayal of their teammates…

Aside from the manipulated Grim Reapers…

There were also some Shinigami who grew up in the Yakushi Kabuto Orphanage. Some of these Shinigami believed that they had been deceived and used by Yakushi Kabuto, but in the end, some of the orphans chose their own director.

In this difficult choice of which side to take, Matsumoto Rangiku, Abarai Renji, and Kuchiki Rukia were somewhat at a loss, unsure of which side to stand on…

Fortunately, no one held it against them.

Yamamoto Shigekuni glanced at the noticeably smaller Gotei 13, a hint of self-mockery in his eyes: "Looks like... they haven't completely humiliated me yet..."

Uehara Naraku shook his head, chuckled, and said, "After all, the Captain-Commander has always taken good care of me... although he only wanted to use me..."

"Now that everything is clear..."

Yamamoto Shigekuni nodded slowly, then suddenly drew his Zanpakuto: "So, this should be the final battlefield from now on!"

"The losers only need to accept the rule of the throne of heaven."

Aizen Sousuke quietly landed next to Yamamoto Shigekuni, slowly raised his head to look at Uehara Naraku, and his spiritual pressure gradually transformed into gusts of strong wind!

"This is our battlefield now..."

"Let's decide the final winner right here..."

"A truly brilliant plan, so much so that even I am impressed... but the outcome still depends on our strength to determine the victor..."

"I want to see..."

"Even though I've been manipulated to this point, I still want to see if I'm the bird trapped in a cage..."

"..."

Uehara Naraku remained silent for a moment, watching Aizen Sousuke approach step by step. Gol D. Roger and Edward Newgate suddenly stepped forward to stop Aizen.

Uehara Naraku waved his hand, signaling them to step aside, and slowly stood up, nodding at Aizen Sousuke.

"As you wish."

"As a gift of gratitude for the time you saved me."

"I will give you the opportunity to use your full strength."

I've been drinking, it's late.

(End of this chapter)