Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

"From now on, the ten of you will share the same title."

Aizen paused, his voice carrying a strange fervor, "The Espada."

He walked toward a room deep within the hall, gesturing to the eight Espada around him to join him, while giving Stark and Harribel a gentle smile.

"Stark, Halibel, you two come here too."

Aizen's gaze lingered on the two of them for a moment.

Upon hearing this, neither Stark nor Harribel acted immediately. Instead, they instinctively turned their heads and cast questioning glances at Sasuke.

"Go ahead." Sasuke nodded slightly, signaling them to follow.

After receiving permission, Stark lazily yawned and caught up with the group.

Harribel also bowed slightly to Sasuke, then turned and followed.

Aizen took in all of this, and his smile grew even brighter.

The heavy stone door slowly closed.

Once again, only Sasuke and those two shadowy figures remained on the throne.

"Oh dear..."

A frivolous and mocking voice rang out in the empty hall.

Gin Ichimaru had somehow descended the steps and stood beside Sasuke, squinting as he scrutinized him with interest.

"You're really something, Sasuke-kun."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear: "In just a few days, you've already recruited two such powerful companions for Captain Aizen."

"We are even willing to entrust you with the safekeeping of something as important as the Hogyoku."

Sasuke didn't speak, but simply turned his head and looked at him coldly.

"Don't look at me like that, I don't mean you any harm."

Gin Ichimaru seemed oblivious to the cold gaze and continued to say with a grin, "After all, there aren't many people who can earn Aizen-sama's special attention. We might become great companions in the future."

He paused, as if sharing a secret, then leaned close to Sasuke's ear and lowered his voice.

"Speaking of which, Sasuke-kun, you've been in Las Noches for so long, you must have noticed by now, right?"

"It seems that there is no 'sky' in this place, apart from us Grim Reapers and Hollows."

Sky?

Sasuke's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly; he hadn't even noticed it.

"The sky above us is nothing more than an illusion created by Lord Aizen using a barrier."

Gin Ichimaru slowly straightened up, widening the distance between them again, a playful smile on his face. "The real sky has always been covered by a thick layer of rock."

"What do you want to say?" Sasuke's voice carried a hint of impatience.

"nothing."

Gin Ichimaru shrugged, his narrowed eyes curving into a dangerous crescent moon. "I was just thinking..."

"How can a bird, imprisoned in darkness yet yearning for the sky, truly fly away?"

He turned his head to the side, his gaze subtly sweeping over the sword at Sasuke's waist, and the smile on his lips widened.

"Should we choose to believe the zookeeper who promised to open a window for it?"

Or perhaps...

Gin Ichimaru leaned forward slightly, his voice full of seduction, "Would you tear the entire birdcage to shreds with your own claws?"

These words instantly turned Sasuke's eyes cold.

He looked at Gintoki Ichimaru's narrowed fox-like eyes and calmly asked a question.

"The cage was torn to pieces, so the bird could fly out."

"But how can you be sure that the world outside the cage isn't an even more dangerous hunting ground?"

"hehe......"

Gin Ichimaru's laughter grew even more delightful. "Then we'll see whether it's a sparrow that flies out, or an eagle capable of devouring all the hunters."

He didn't continue the topic and waved to Sasuke with his back turned.

"Well then, good luck, Mr. Eagle on whom we place our hopes."

Gin Ichimaru's figure gradually disappeared into the shadows of the hall.

Not long after, Tosen Kaname also left.

Sasuke stood alone in the center of the empty hall.

After a long while, he slowly raised his hand and held the purple crystal, which was still emitting a faint light in his palm, up to his eyes.

Gin Ichimaru was intentionally or unintentionally provoking him, or rather, he was testing his attitude towards Aizen, a fact he was well aware of.

Although he didn't know their purpose, to him they were nothing more than boring tricks.

As long as I still have this Hogyoku in my possession...

Everything is still uncertain.

Chapter 154 There are no rivals ahead of us.

In the corridor between the thrones, Uchiha Sasuke leaned quietly against a huge white pillar, toying with a warm yet ominous purple crystal in his hand.

He waited quietly.

After a long while, the heavy stone door that had isolated the outside world finally opened with a low rumble.

Sasuke's gaze immediately locked onto the figures that had emerged.

Aizen continued to walk at the front, a gentle smile on his face.

Behind him, Stark, Halibel, and the other eight Broken Ones emerged one after the other.

But Sasuke sensed something was wrong.

Unlike when they first entered, Stark and Halibel had two more numbers on their bodies, and some of the Arrancar's original numbers had also changed.

Sasuke's gaze fell on Stark's bare hand, where he saw the dark number.

——NO.1

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Could he really be the First Espada?

Sasuke's gaze unconsciously fell on Barragan. In his mind, this former Hueco Mundo king who had once ruled this desert should be the strongest among the Espada.

But reality was somewhat different from what he had imagined.

From this perspective, Barragan's previous appointment as Lord of Hueco Mundo was purely due to Stark's lazy nature.

That makes sense, given his aversion to fighting; even if he possessed the greatest power, he probably wouldn't bother fighting for any power.

Sasuke's gaze shifted again, landing on Harribel.

When he saw the clear number on the healthy, wheat-colored skin of her right chest, his surprise deepened.

The 30th Espada?

The fact that she was ranked in this position by that man suggests that the "evolution" brought to her by the Hogyoku was far more thorough than she had imagined.

Just as Sasuke was pondering, Aizen also stepped forward, seemingly preparing to say something to Sasuke.

But at that moment, Aizen seemed to sense something, stopped in his tracks, and his eyes flickered slightly.

He turned his head to the side, a slight smile curving his lips, and looked out of the Void Palace with great interest.

"It seems..."

Aizen's voice was soft, yet clear to everyone's ears: "It seems we have new guests."

"And it seems they aren't exactly welcome guests."

guest?

Sasuke's brow furrowed sharply, almost the instant Aizen finished speaking; he sensed it too.

A familiar spiritual pressure seemed to have appeared within Hueco Mundo.

The texture of that spiritual pressure...

It's... Yoruichi?!

Sasuke's breathing quickened uncontrollably at that moment.

That woman... what is she doing in Hueco Mundo?!

Could it be that she was worried about me, so she followed me?

Are you kidding me? Hueco Mundo is no safe place.

Sasuke's heart skipped a beat, and his breathing became rapid.

Aizen took in Sasuke's subtle emotional changes, his smile unchanged, but he slowly turned his head to look at the golden figure beside him.

"Hribel".

"Yes." Heribel stepped forward and bowed slightly.

"Go."

Aizen's voice was gentle, "Please entertain this guest who has come from afar for me."

"Yes, Lord Aizen."

Without the slightest hesitation, Heribel respectfully accepted the order. She then gave a wink to the three subordinates behind her, and the four figures instantly vanished into the distance at the end of the corridor.

However, Sasuke was completely stunned.

His gaze was fixed on Haribel's disappearing figure, his eyes filled with disbelief and confusion.

Lord Aizen?

He remembered clearly that when he first brought Harribel back, that woman's attitude towards Aizen was never very good, and she would even call him by his first name.