Starting as the mastermind behind Naruto

Chapter 696 Black Zetsu: Everyone thinks I was created by them…

A knife!

It directly and severely injured Yamamoto Shigekuni and Aizen Sousuke!

The Remnant Sun Prison Cloak on Yamamoto Shigekuni's body was ripped apart by this strike. He clutched his chest and coughed up blood. If it weren't for the protection of the Remnant Sun Prison Cloak, this blow might have left him on the verge of death...

Aizen Sousuke's body was covered in lacerations. If it were an ordinary person, they would have been dead by now. However, the Hogyoku and Black Zetsu fused within Aizen began to mend and repair his body at the moment of his death...

even…

The Hogyoku is still driving Aizen Sousuke's evolution!

"This feeling is indeed hard to control..."

Uehara Naraku, manipulating the thousand-meter-tall Susanoo, gripped the Susanoo sword again, gazing at Yamamoto Shigekuni and Aizen Sousuke lying on the ground, and continued, "Captain Aizen is right. To want to step on a group of ants without killing them, controlling that kind of power is indeed very difficult..."

"Do they think we're ants...?"

Yamamoto Shigekuni struggled to his feet, leaning on his Zanpakuto as he looked at the Susanoo that stood before him like a mountain. The old man slowly closed his eyes.

"but…"

The spiritual pressure swirled around Yamamoto Shigekuni once more, flames erupted from his Zanpakuto, and his eyes snapped open, the old man's gaze incredibly serious: "It's far too early to talk about victory or defeat now..."

The old man's Zanpakuto drew an arc, his hands gripping the hilt tightly as he slashed heavily at the mountain-like Susanoo!

"The Ten Trillion Death Burial Array!"

A raging inferno rushed towards Susanoo!

The temperature in the entire Spirit King Palace rose again, and the heat wave was so intense that it was almost impossible to stand still. People from each faction used various methods to resist the heat wave emanating from the flames!

Amidst the blazing flames, one after another, jet-black skeletons were reborn and reappeared in the world, brandishing their sharp claws as they pounced on Susanoo!

This is one of Yamamoto Shigekuni's Bankai abilities. He uses the Zanka Tachi to unleash a single strike of flame powerful enough to destroy the world. Enemies killed by Yamamoto Shigekuni will be reborn in the flames and pounce on his enemies with a relentless and suicidal attitude!

And his enemies…

The towering Susanoo raised the Susanoo sword once more, a whirlwind enveloping the giant blade as it slashed towards the endless flames!

A vast and boundless slash erupted from Susanoo, tearing countless black skulls to shreds in an instant, splitting the flames in two as easily as cutting through white paper!

Everyone witnessed that brilliant and magnificent slash!

This magnificent slash ripped the entire fiery battlefield apart, its momentum undiminished, and landed on Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni!

Bang!

Yamamoto Shigekuni was instantly cleaved away by a single blow!

The old man, who had reigned supreme for thousands of years, fell to the ground like a tattered rag, blood seeping from his body and slowly spreading outwards, staining the ground red...

Uehara Naraku stood within the crystal of Susanoo, looking down at Yamamoto Shigekuni, who would never rise again, and whispered: "This strike... is called Zangetsu... the true Zangetsu."

because…

It once truly cleaved the moon in two!

The entire battlefield was silent.

This happened so fast that many people didn't even have time to react.

Just moments before, Yamamoto Shigekuni's strike seemed poised to destroy the entire Spirit King Palace, leading everyone present to believe that the strike would easily tear apart Susanoo and directly defeat Uehara Naraku hidden within it.

The next moment, Uehara Naraku's sword directly tore apart Yamamoto Shigekuni's cremation formation, and with one strike, he completely defeated the old man who possessed the power to destroy the world!

After defeating Yamamoto Shigekuni, Uehara Naraku's gaze fell on another enemy, and the Susanoo beneath him took to the air under his control!

"The legendary... Susanoo!"

Aizen Sousuke's eyes narrowed slightly. Patches of black appeared on his body, enveloping him in a protective aura—a defense added by Black Zetsu.

Aizen Sousuke had heard of Susanoo from Orochimaru, who said it was the ability Madara Uchiha used to slaughter Hueco Mundo…

Now, witnessing the God of War standing over a thousand meters tall, Aizen Sousuke was utterly shocked, for such terrifying power had never appeared in the entire history of Soul Society!

"Are you still afraid?"

Aizen Sousuke frowned slightly as he watched the Susanoo giant flying towards him, and murmured softly, "Fear is the most useless emotion... Begin to evolve, Hogyoku."

The Hogyoku within him…

Fear arose once again.

A light emanated from Aizen's chest, and the Hogyoku's glow grew increasingly intense. In the blink of an eye, its spiritual pressure began to rapidly flow around Aizen Sousuke's entire body, and a pale liquid slowly covered Aizen Sousuke's entire body...

A moment later…

Aizen Sousuke's appearance has changed drastically.

Three pairs of pale butterfly wings sprouted from his back, and his spiritual pressure gradually evolved to a higher level. His physical strength increased exponentially, almost making him unable to suppress the urge to throw a punch!

The Hogyoku allowed him to break through the dimension of the Shinigami's power!

This power gave Aizen Sousuke the confidence to face any enemy!

Meanwhile, the Black Zetsu within Aizen Sousuke's body transformed into a mass of pitch-black liquid, flowing across his body and leaving behind streaks of black lines...

Black and white left a clear boundary on his body, and he instantly felt the power rapidly expanding within him!

"Naraku!"

Aizen Sousuke swung his fist to meet Susanoo's attack. Reason began to fade from his mind, and the rapidly expanding power brought with it a rapidly expanding confidence!

"Has it evolved to this extent?"

Uehara Naraku's eyebrows twitched, and Susanoo gradually collapsed under his control. In an instant, he deactivated Susanoo mode!

next moment…

Uehara Naraku's fist suddenly clenched!

An endless stream of spiritual pressure was released from his body!

Three pairs of white wings suddenly appeared behind Uehara Naraku!

Sage Mode, activated!

Uehara Naraku's figure seemed to teleport to meet Aizen Sousuke, and the two simultaneously swung their fists at each other, engaging in a fierce hand-to-hand combat!

Two beings who have transcended dimensions simultaneously…

Every punch and kick created a shockwave, and the air itself trembled under their fists!

"This is power that surpasses even death itself..."

A maniacal smile flashed across Aizen Sousuke's face as he threw a punch at Uehara Naraku's head, but Uehara dodged it by slightly tilting his head!

"That's true... but..."

Uehara Naraku slammed his fist into Aizen's chest, the fist almost sinking deep into the white flesh of Aizen's body. The immense pain caused Aizen Sousuke to involuntarily twitch his cheek!

Uehara Naraku stared at Aizen, whose face showed pain, and instantly released the spiritual pressure from his fist, slamming Aizen Sousuke into the ground!

Aizen's body crashed to the ground like a cannonball, instantly creating a huge crater and causing his body to gradually disintegrate!

In physical combat...

No one has ever been able to defeat Uehara Naraku's Sage Mode!

"This is the power I give you."

Uehara Naraku's wings fluttered slightly, carrying him slowly to Aizen Sousuke's side. He opened his palm and said, "Before we even clashed, the outcome between us was already decided, Captain Aizen..."

"My past assessment of you was completely wrong..."

Aizen Sousuke slowly climbed out of the deep pit. The butterfly wings on his back gradually gathered together, transforming into a pair of wings of light. He shook his head slightly: "Everyone thinks you have humility, but that's actually your greatest pride, because you've never taken them seriously..."

The Hogyoku has begun its evolution once again!

Or rather, during the battle with Uehara Naraku, the Hogyoku was preparing for its next evolution every moment. Even after this evolution, the Hogyoku was still brewing for the next one, and it was still afraid of the man in the sky!

Aizen Sousuke had no time to pay attention to the Hogyoku, which was still afraid of Uehara Naraku. His wings of light fluttered slightly, and his body disappeared from the spot in an instant!

next moment…

Aizen Sousuke transformed into a beam of light and suddenly appeared behind Uehara Naraku, his hand grabbing towards Uehara Naraku's heart on the back!

"Ha, do you believe in the light now?"

Uehara's lips curled up slightly.

Just as Aizen Sousuke's hand tore through his back, everyone saw Uehara Naraku's body dissipate into countless particles of light in the air...

"but…"

"Who understands the existence of light better than I do?"

The next second, countless light particles reassembled into the shape of Uehara Naraku, his fingertips glowing with golden light, and a ray shot towards Aizen Sousuke!

The golden ray split into countless rays along its path, piercing through Aizen Sousuke's body with numerous small holes!

Uehara Naraku looked down at the Hogyoku that was healing Aizen Sousuke, and shook his head slightly: "The power of the Hogyoku is nothing special... or rather, your power is nothing special..."

At this point, Uehara Naraku revealed a playful smile: "But that's understandable, since I know everything about you."

"From the moment you were born..."

"From the moment you entered the Central Academy of Spiritual Arts..."

"From the moment you began to give rise to darkness..."

"..."

"Is that so?"

Aizen Sousuke's hand suddenly turned pitch black, and his figure vanished from the spot, reappearing beside Uehara Naraku. His hand transformed into a sharp claw and clenched towards Uehara Naraku's chest!

"How long until the next evolution?"

Uehara Naraku gripped Aizen Sousuke's wrist tightly, slowly shook his head, and sighed, "Because this world is too small, it limits your vision... Captain Aizen... The Hogyoku is not omnipotent; it fears beings stronger than itself."

"But I will not be afraid..."

The sharpness in Aizen Sousuke's eyes remained unchanged!

"What's the point then?"

Uehara Naraku released Aizen Sousuke's hand, and a repulsive force suddenly erupted from his palm, sending Aizen Sousuke flying: "Everything about you is under my control. Our battle was already decided. It's just a dessert I'm tasting to prepare for my next opponent..."

"No one can control everything in this world."

Aizen Sousuke crawled out again, stood on the ground, looked up at the enemy in the sky, and shook his head slightly: "The future you imagine and the unexpected events you don't want to see... we never know which will come first..."

next moment…

The black liquid on Aizen Sousuke's body is flowing faster and faster!

While the Hogyoku was still afraid of Uehara Naraku and dared not act, Aizen Sousuke could only temporarily rely on the power of Black Zetsu within him!

"Perhaps..."

Uehara Naraku shook his head self-deprecatingly, then suddenly changed the subject: "Perhaps I cannot control this world, but I should be able to control you... The last few guests have already infiltrated the Spirit King's Palace. There's no time to waste any longer, let's make our move!"

After Uehara Naraku entered Sage Mode, he knew almost everything about the entire Spirit King Palace. A powerful spiritual pressure appeared from the shadows and disappeared in a flash, but it did not escape Uehara Naraku's notice.

Aizen Sousuke slowly shook his head, still trying to refute Uehara Naraku's words: "Your naiveté doesn't seem to be..."

"He's right."

Click!

Unexpected changes occurred!

A hoarse voice appeared in Aizen Sousuke's ear!

A jet-black hand suddenly pierced through Aizen Sousuke's chest and abdomen, grabbing the Hogyoku fused to his chest!

He's right.

Black Zetsu's voice held a hint of mockery as he taunted Aizen, whom he was possessing: "Perhaps he can't control this world, but he's more than capable of controlling everything about you... Lord Aizen."

"Black Zetsu..."

Aizen Sousuke's eyes widened little by little as he slowly lowered his head to look at the black hand that had appeared on his chest, his astonishment growing ever stronger...

The next moment, Aizen Sousuke's eyes blazed with barely contained rage: "You are someone I created, someone I gave you life..."

"Hehehehe... Everyone thinks I was created by them."

Black Zetsu's body slowly covered Aizen's face, his hoarse voice echoing in the space: "Whether it's you or Kisuke Urahara, you have never created anything... All of this comes from our gifts."

"Lord Aizen, I was never created by you..."

Black Zetsu's laughter grew increasingly sinister as he chuckled and continued, "What a pathetic reality... Lord Aizen, you never trust anyone... That's why I became your favorite pawn to use..."

"From the very beginning, when you were researching the Hogyoku, in order to determine whether the Hogyoku could pose a threat to our rule over this world, we secretly infiltrated your ranks under the guise of the failed products of the Hogyoku experiment..."

"so…"

"Nothing you've done has escaped our notice..."

Accompanied by Black Zetsu's voice...

One by one, White Zetsu emerged from beneath the Spirit King's Palace...

The White Zetsu, together with the Black Zetsu, sealed Aizen Sousuke away...

This scene caused Kisuke Urahara's expression to change. He had never known that a White Zetsu had infiltrated the Spirit King's Palace!

"Hehehe... I'm so sorry..."

The White Zetsu in its true form grinned at Kisuke Urahara and waved at him: "I never expected that someone would actually be fooled by us..."

"..."

Kisuke Urahara's expression turned slightly awkward.

Although he did not participate in the battle, he felt that he had been hurt a lot, especially since Urahara trusted the White Zetsu and their silly creatures!

In Kisuke Urahara's view, Black Zetsu and White Zetsu were always two opposing species that fought each other to the death, and they were actually spies sent by that guy...

Isn't Uehara Naraku going a bit too far?

Not only did Kisuke Urahara think this way, but all the Shinigami present were also wondering just how far Uehara Naraku was capable of going...

It turns out that…

They were right.

Uehara Naraku was indeed capable of doing even more outrageous things.

"Ichigo, Isshin-sensei."

Uehara Naraku waved his hand, signaling Black Zetsu to seal Aizen Sousuke away. His gaze fell on a vast expanse of shadow, and he spoke softly, "There's no need to hide in the Shadow Realm anymore. It's not good for any of us... I know you must really want to see someone, right?"

Uehara Naraku's body slowly landed on the ground, and he gently snapped his fingers, creating a spacetime vortex around him.

A woman with long orange hair was brought out.

"That is..."

Everyone looked somewhat surprised.

While they were still wondering, Kisuke Urahara and the others, who knew that woman before, were utterly astonished: "How is this possible... Mrs. Masaki Kurosaki?"

"The Shadow Realm... isn't that the space where Yhwach hid?"

Who is Masaki Kurosaki?

"Ichigo's mother, Captain Isshin's wife."

"Wait... wasn't it said that the woman named Kurosaki Masaki was already consumed by a Hollow? Or... was she another pawn planted by Naraku...?"

"What exactly is going on?"

The entire Lingwang Palace was in an uproar.

It seems their understanding of Uehara Naraku is still too naive.

Ah, I absolutely have to use Bankai in the Bleach arc tomorrow!

There should be more after 1 or 2 AM, so everyone should go to sleep early!

(End of this chapter)