Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

The massive blade missed its target and slammed heavily onto the sand, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Such speed, such exquisite free-for-all.

"Very powerful." Yoruichi's voice carried a hint of approval. "But, a little slow."

After a muffled thud, Halibel felt a sharp pain in her abdomen and was sent flying backward uncontrollably.

She twisted her body forcefully in mid-air, her feet carving two furrows in the sand before she could barely regain her balance.

Heribel glanced at the woman who remained relaxed not far away, then looked at the three subordinate officers who were already locked in a fierce battle on another battlefield.

I knew I couldn't delay any longer.

"You are very strong, Grim Reaper."

Harribel straightened up, a determined look in her eyes. "But, to protect my comrades, I cannot lose here!"

She raised the broadsword in her hand high, pointing it at the pale, cold moon. A powerful spiritual pressure surged into the sky, causing the surrounding sand to crack inch by inch!

"—Conquer him, Empress Mermaid!"

Accompanied by her cold, detached words of liberation, a massive vortex of water swirled around her, completely engulfing her.

When the water receded, her appearance had undergone a complete transformation.

From the shoulders to the chest, there were more ferocious bone armor-like structures.

The massive broadsword in her hand merged completely with her right arm, transforming into an even more ferocious, enormous shark-tooth blade.

Behind her, however, appeared a pair of enormous water wings that resembled feathers.

Resurrección - Empress Shark!

After her release, Haribel experienced a qualitative leap in both strength and speed.

"Broken Waterfall!"

As Harribel's blade flashed, a massive torrent of water appeared out of thin air, shooting towards Yoruichi like a water cannon.

Yoruichi forcibly twisted her body in mid-air, narrowly avoiding the attack.

But Halibel's offensive continued relentlessly.

"Scorching Sea Current!"

She pointed the tip of her knife at the ground, and a burst of extremely hot steam erupted from the tip of her knife. The endless sea of ​​sand boiled beneath her feet, and streams of scorching steam blocked all of Yoruichi's escape routes.

"..."

Yoruichi stopped in mid-air, looked at Soi Fon who was locked in a fierce battle in the distance, and her expression finally turned serious.

"Ugh, really..."

Yoruichi stretched her agile limbs, producing a series of crisp cracking sounds from her bones. "I was hoping to play with you a little longer."

"It seems there's no time for that now."

The moment she finished speaking, her entire demeanor changed abruptly.

"boom--!!!"

A storm of platinum-gold spiritual pressure erupted from her center!

That wasn't just spiritual pressure; it was mixed with a high concentration of Kido, an energy brimming with a violent aura.

The platinum lightning materialized, coiling around her back and shoulders like a living thing, emitting a deafening roar, while her long purple hair danced wildly in mid-air as if it were alive.

War is imminent.

..........

Meanwhile, deep within Hueco Mundo, in a place that could be either a study or a laboratory.

Aizen sat in an armchair, holding a thick book in one hand and a cup of warm black tea in the other. The rising steam obscured his eyes, making it impossible to see his expression.

However, he did not focus his gaze on the words on the page, but instead stared at Uchiha Sasuke in front of him with great interest.

Or rather, they were staring into his eyes.

Aizen's lips curled into a smile, and a look of curiosity flashed in his eyes.

From the moment they first met on the White Bridge in Soul Society, he keenly sensed the "abnormality" about this boy.

The unusual thing here refers to the strange power he possesses, and even more so to his strange eyes.

Those eyes, which he called "Sharingan," seemed to have an inseparable connection with the Zanpakuto called "Indra" on the boy's body, and with that strange power.

This puzzled him greatly, and that's why he made the decision that shocked everyone: to temporarily entrust the Hogyoku to this boy.

He wanted to see what kind of dazzling possibilities would arise from the collision of these forces under the catalysis of the Hōgyoku.

Not long ago, when Sasuke returned, Aizen realized that the experiment seemed to have yielded results far exceeding his expectations.

Sasuke's eyes underwent a fundamental change.

To verify this conjecture, he conducted a small experiment during a subsequent secret meeting with the Espada.

He altered Tia Heribel's memories.

It's worth mentioning that the ability of "Mirror Flower Water Moon" is not simply and crudely modifying memory fragments in the brain; that would be too rudimentary and crude.

Its essence is a kind of absolute control over the five senses based on "complete hypnosis".

He simply had Haribel, in a completely hypnotic state, repeatedly experience a carefully orchestrated past from a first-person perspective.

In that past, she was created by herself, and her absolute loyalty to him was the sole meaning of her existence.

When these manipulated sensory experiences are received, processed, and incorporated into memory, they autonomously form a false but self-consistent memory.

This is not a direct modification, but rather an induced generation.

Essentially, it uses perceptual deception to force the brain to generate false memories, which is the real terror of illusions.

And the results of the experiment were exactly as he had expected.

Some time ago, the instant Harribel's gaze met Sasuke's eyes, Aizen clearly felt that the false memory he had created had been corrected by an invisible force.

Although Haribel's subsequent disguise was almost perfect, the brief moment of confusion that originated from the depths of her soul could not escape his perception.

Even more interesting is...

Aizen slowly closed the book in his hand, the curve of his lips becoming even more meaningful.

Sasuke Uchiha in front of him seemed completely unaware of this.

More accurately, he seemed completely unaware that his eyes had acquired a completely new power.

A rough gem yet to be discovered.

Thinking of this, Aizen's smile deepened.

He stood up, smiled gently at Sasuke, his voice not loud, but clearly echoing in every corner of the room.

"Sasuke-kun, if I may be so bold as to ask a question."

How do you evaluate the power within you?

Upon hearing Aizen's seemingly random question, Sasuke frowned and turned his head curiously to the side.

What do you mean?

Aizen didn't answer directly. Instead, he walked slowly to Sasuke, a regretful expression on his face.

"Could it be that Sasuke-kun has never noticed that the power within you has always been incomplete?"

Aizen's voice was soft, full of gentle persuasion.

But Sasuke didn't quite understand what Aizen was saying at this moment.

Is he referring to Takemikazuchi and Indra?

Although these two forces both originate from their own souls, they are distinct and diametrically opposed, and have never truly merged.

Is this what he meant by incomplete?

Sasuke's brows furrowed tightly.

He had considered this question before.

However, these two forces are somewhat repulsive to each other, and it is no easy task to merge them.

Sasuke spoke softly, "Are you referring to the two Zanpakuto I possess?"

Aizen shook his head. It was strange for a Shinigami to have two Zanpakuto, but it wasn't incomprehensible, and there was nothing to investigate.

"I'm referring to that unique power you possess, a power I've never seen in anyone else in this world..."

Chapter 156 The Power of Yin and Yang

"A unique power?"

Sasuke murmured softly, opening his left hand. A ball of blue energy, composed of pure chakra, spun silently in his palm.

But as Sasuke himself said, he did not feel any incompleteness from it.

On the contrary, that touch and flow were as familiar to him as breathing.

Sasuke raised his head and calmly looked at Aizen, saying, "I don't feel anything is incomplete."

"hehe......"

Aizen chuckled softly, a knowing glint in his eyes. "Sasuke-kun still can't figure it out?"

"That's understandable, after all, that power has long been integrated with your soul, just like a fish cannot perceive the existence of water."

"But for an observer like me..."

Aizen's gaze slowly swept over Sasuke, landing on his pupils. "That sense of incompleteness is like a waning moon in the night, clear and obvious."

He paused, shifting his gentle gaze from Sasuke, and spoke softly towards the doorway.

"Come in."

With his gentle command, a figure in a white lab coat with short pink hair silently entered—it was the Eightieth Espada, Szayelaporro.

He carried a thick stack of documents and strode up to Aizen.