296-300

*Chapter 296: Defeating Jigen*

Aizen continued, “Starting now, you have eight minutes. Based on the speed of the Shadow Clone, it’ll take roughly eight minutes to reach the Hidden Cloud Village.”

"By then, even if you wanted to kneel, it’d probably be too late."

"Damn it... Damn it!" Raikage cursed in his heart. To the shock of his two guards, he fell to his knees.

"Raikage-sama! What are you doing? At worst, we fight him! I refuse to believe that just one man can bring down all of Hidden Cloud," one of his guards protested.

C and Darui moved forward to help him up, but Raikage stopped them. "Enough, C, Darui. This is my failure as Raikage."

In that moment, Raikage’s long-standing pride was utterly shattered by Aizen.

For the first time, he felt the sting of being threatened, just as he once threatened the Hidden Leaf.

"To be honest, you’re worthy of being called Raikage, putting the village first like this. Far better than that bloodsucking Third Hokage. However..." Aizen glanced at C and Darui, who hadn’t yet knelt. "What about you two?"

With Raikage forced to kneel, they had no choice but to do the same. With a loud thud, they too knelt.

"Turn around."

Aizen teleported onto a massive boulder facing the Hidden Leaf, sitting cross-legged and beckoning Raikage and his guards to apologize on behalf of his dear wife.

Although reluctant, Raikage and his men complied, kneeling and shouting, “We were wrong!” three times before retreating in disgrace.

Watching them disappear, Aizen didn’t pursue. Instead, he calmly released his Shadow Clone, sitting in place, awaiting Jigen’s arrival.

Elsewhere, once they were far from the Cloud Valley, Darui finally collapsed to the ground, exhausted.

"Darui, are you okay?" Raikage hurriedly went to support him.

Darui, pale and barely able to speak, replied, “I… won’t die just yet. That monster didn’t follow us, right?”

Raikage glanced back and shook his head. C, recovering from the genjutsu, approached Raikage, ready to treat him, but Raikage waved him off. “Don’t worry about me. Help Darui first.”

Nodding heavily, C helped Darui turn over, tearing open his blood-soaked clothes. Upon seeing the horrifying wound on Darui’s chest, he couldn’t help but gasp.

The injury was severe.

He had thought Raikage’s wounds were bad, but Darui’s were life-threatening. If not treated quickly...

Realizing the urgency, C immediately began treatment while updating Raikage. “Raikage-sama, that man stayed in Cloud Valley, seemingly waiting for someone.”

"Still, both you and Darui are gravely injured. Darui needs immediate treatment back at the village, or else..."

“Damn it... Damn those Akatsuki, damn Fuijwara Aizen, damn the Uchiha. I won’t forgive them!” Furious, Raikage punched a boulder, shattering it to pieces.

Hidden Cloud had suffered a major loss.

Not only had they lost Killer B, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, but Raikage himself and his future successor, Darui, were critically injured. And worst of all, they had been forced to kneel, beg for mercy, and retreat to save their lives.

Since the Third Raikage’s sacrifice, Hidden Cloud had never faced such a loss.

"Raikage-sama, this Fujiwara Aizen is more powerful than the legends say, and with Killer B captured, what do we do now?" Darui asked weakly, lying on the ground.

Raikage closed his eyes, weighing the options. Normally, if he knew where his enemy was, he’d go and fight without hesitation. But this was different—they couldn’t win.

Now, there was only one option: convene the Five Kage Summit.

With resolve, he opened his eyes. “We cannot let Akatsuki go unpunished. We’ll return to the village and send invitations to Konoha, the Sand, the Stone, and the Mist, to hold a Five Kage Summit in the Land of Iron.”

As Raikage, Darui, and C departed, a dark vortex appeared in the sky moments later.

From it emerged a middle-aged man dressed in a white cloak, with his hair tied back in a long braid, a Roman numeral "IV" under his left eye, and a strange wedge mark on his chin. He held a long black staff.

Surveying his surroundings, he murmured, “So, this is the parallel world the Seventh Hokage’s son mentioned? I can sense a chakra similar to the fox’s somewhere in this world. Seems I’ve come to the right place.”

Before that, though…" Jigen turned his gaze downward toward Aizen, floating slowly to the ground. His expression turned solemn. "This chakra… there’s no mistaking it. You’re the one who killed Urashiki, aren’t you?"

"Good guess." Aizen drew his zanpakuto and, releasing his Kyoka Suigetsu, said indifferently, "You must be Jigen, or rather, Otsutsuki Isshiki."

Jigen sneered, “I can sense you have the strongest chakra in this world. It seems you’re the most powerful one here.”

"But once I kill you, the fox will be mine."

As he finished speaking, a white blade suddenly pierced through Jigen’s back, straight through his brain, and out his right eye.

"That is, if you can manage to do it.” Aizen’s voice sounded like judgment from behind him.

"W-What is this?" Shocked, Jigen glanced back, only to see Aizen’s image fading away. "A genjutsu? When did it happen?"

"You thought I’d be foolish enough to explain my powers like some comic book villain?” Aizen twisted the blade.

Jigen screamed, gasping for air. “You think this will kill me?”

Aizen responded calmly, "It’s true that normal methods rarely kill Otsutsuki with your monstrous powers. But I’m different. I’m your clan’s nemesis."

*End of Chapter*

*Chapter 297: Before the Storm*

The Zanpakuto slowly pierced through the head of Jigen, blood dripping down its pure white blade as Aizen spoke calmly:

“No matter how powerful the enemy, as long as they are a living being, they have a soul.”

“Otsutsuki Urashiki was like this, Otsutsuki Momoshiki was like this, Otsutsuki Kaguya was also like this, and even that so-called Otsutsuki god of yours is no exception.”

“And you’re no different. I know this body isn’t your true form; you’re just occupying this person named Jigen through that thing you call a ‘Karma.’”

“Even if I destroy him, you won’t truly die. But the soul does exist.”

“As long as I cut down your soul, no matter how powerful your reincarnation ability is, you won’t survive.”

“Ah… so it was you who caused Momoshiki’s disappearance.” The remaining eye of Jigen narrowed, his voice trembling as he spoke with difficulty.

“Smart, but no reward for you,” Aizen replied with a smile. “If we were in your world, maybe I’d be interested in sparring with you, but too bad—you shouldn’t have invaded here. You shouldn’t have violated my Shinobi World.”

Aizen emphasized the words “my Shinobi World.”

“Wait… I think we can still talk…” Jigen attempted a final plea, but Aizen gave him no chance.

With a swing of his Zanpakuto, he sliced both Jigen’s body and soul in half, killing him beyond any hope of revival.

Blood stained the ground, and with a shake of his blade, Aizen released Uncle Sasuke and the panic-stricken Boruto from his storage.

“Aaah!” Boruto shrieked in terror the moment he was freed.

Uncle Sasuke looked grim but composed, a man seasoned by countless battles and hardships. Taking in their surroundings and realizing they’d left that strange dimension, he patted Boruto’s shoulder, reassuring him, “Calm down, Boruto. We’re out now.”

Only after Uncle Sasuke’s words did Boruto finally calm down, stopping his frantic movements. “Wait… we’re really out?”

“Was it really that bad?” Aizen looked at him as if he were watching a fool.

At this, Boruto snapped, “Easy for you to say! You have no idea how terrifying that place was! No sight, no touch, no sound, no air—just endless sinking, feeling like you’d never die, just endless suffocation and fear…”

Uncle Sasuke ignored Boruto’s complaints and looked seriously at Aizen, asking, “What’s the situation now?”

“I chased Raikage off a while ago. As for this Jigen…” Aizen pointed behind them.

At his words, Boruto and Uncle Sasuke instinctively turned around. Startled, they saw Jigen’s body split in two, dead beyond doubt.

“How did you do it?” Boruto swallowed nervously.

Uncle Sasuke also looked on with curiosity. This guy had once pushed both his father and his mentor to the brink. Not only could he absorb ninjutsu, but he could also alter his body size and the size of any non-living object freely. His taijutsu skills were equally terrifying.

Someone with such power was killed so easily? And judging by Aizen’s clean clothes, he hadn’t even broken a sweat.

“It’s simple: just eliminate him before he can use his abilities.” Aizen summoned fire chakra in his right hand, conjuring a flame that consumed Jigen’s body entirely.

Aizen didn’t elaborate. He never liked flaunting his abilities.

For him, explaining his powers to others was a recipe for disaster.

Boruto and Uncle Sasuke exchanged exasperated looks, unimpressed by his nonchalant answer.

“So, what’s your next plan?” Aizen asked.

Uncle Sasuke assumed Aizen was urging them to leave. “Since Jigen is dealt with, we should head back to our world soon. But first, we need to retrieve the turtle Jigen took.”

“Not sure where he hid it.”

Glancing at Jigen’s burned remains, Uncle Sasuke felt a sense of regret.

“This one’s easy.” Aizen opened his left hand and made a simple hand sign with his right.

Whoosh!

A golden light flashed.

Suddenly, a turtle with a red ribbon appeared in Aizen’s palm—just the one Sasuke had mentioned.

“How did you manage that?” Boruto asked in surprise.

Before Aizen could answer, Uncle Sasuke interjected, “This must be the Flying Thunder God.”

Boruto blinked, “Grandpa’s time-space jutsu?”

“To be precise, it was the Second Hokage’s jutsu, later modified by the Fourth Hokage. I improved it and left a mark on the turtle last time we met. I also marked both of you, just in case. Without it, you’d have never found it.”

“Wait, we have marks on us too?” Boruto felt a chill run down his spine.

“Of course.” Without further explanation, Aizen infused chakra into the turtle. Its shell opened layer by layer, revealing a radiant golden orb.

The golden light enveloped Uncle Sasuke and Boruto, and as it faded, they returned to their world.

For safety, Aizen kept the turtle in his possession, not wanting to risk another Otsutsuki member slipping through to cause chaos.

*Land of Fire – Hidden Leaf Village*

After some encouragement from Iruka and Shikamaru, Naruto regained his fighting spirit.

Determined to avenge his mentor, he went to Mount Myoboku to learn Sage Mode.

Upon deciphering Jiraiya’s last message, “no real body,” and combining it with the information Aizen had provided, all the villagers and new-generation ninja of the Leaf were evacuated to shelters under the Hokage Rock.

With that, the village entered a wartime state.

The evening sun cast its light on the falling yellow leaves, creating a patchwork of shadows with a sense of time passing.

The once-bustling Hidden Leaf was now quiet, replaced by an eerie stillness.

The entire village had fallen silent, as if frozen.

This was the calm before the storm, with an air of tension so thick it felt explosive.

An autumn wind blew, scattering yellow leaves into the Hokage’s office.

Standing up and gazing out the window, Tsunade began to doubt herself. Could the Leaf Village truly overcome such a powerful enemy?

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 298: Sakura is About to be Stabbed*

Outside the Hidden Rain Village, inside the Akatsuki base cave.

Pain, Konan, Obito, Zetsu, Kisame, and Yagura have just completed the sealing of the Six-Tails.

"Finally done. Without Deidara, Mr. Aizen, and Itachi, it took much longer than expected," Kisame remarked, rubbing his sore neck.

"It couldn’t be helped. Itachi is dead, Aizen is holding off the reinforcements from the Hidden Cloud while capturing the Eight-Tails for Sasuke, and as for Deidara, well, let’s not even go there," Black Zetsu replied in his usual raspy voice.

"Speaking of the Eight-Tails, it's been a while since Aizen went to handle it. Any updates?" Pain turned toward Obito.

After a pause, Obito replied indifferently, "Nothing yet, but it shouldn’t be long now… as long as Aizen doesn’t slack off."

"Are you sure it’s fine? The Eight-Tails is a perfect Jinchuriki, after all," Konan voiced her concerns, not for Sasuke, whom she barely knew, but for Aizen, who had often flirted with her.

After spending years with Akatsuki, Konan had a solid understanding of the Tailed Beasts. They were truly war machines. While she was confident in Aizen’s strength, his current opponent was the Eight-Tails, second only to the Nine-Tails among the Tailed Beasts—a perfect Jinchuriki. Her concern was hard to suppress.

Obito raised an eyebrow beneath his mask at her words and was about to respond when, suddenly, a soft hum echoed as Aizen’s projection appeared on the right index finger of the Gedo Statue.

Obito’s masked face broke into a smile. "Speak of the devil, and he shall appear."

"Aizen, how’s it going over there?" Konan asked quickly, a hint of joy flashing across her face.

"Not bad," Aizen replied ambiguously. "Though Sasuke took quite a beating, it should be considered a success. By the time I left, the fully transformed Eight-Tails had already been hit by Amaterasu."

Pain frowned. "You left? Don’t tell me you slacked off again."

"Don’t look at me like that; I was intercepting reinforcements from the Raikage," Aizen replied nonchalantly.

"Heh… So Mr. Aizen faced off against another Kage, and this time it was the Raikage of the Hidden Cloud," Kisame said with interest. "Did you kill him?"

Aizen shook his head. "Not all Kage are as weak as Rasa and Hiruzen. The Raikage is formidable. His Lightning Release armor is like a turtle shell—ordinary attacks can’t even scratch him." Then, with a playful smile, Aizen added, "I did manage to slice his back. For fun, I made him kneel and beg for mercy in exchange for the lives of his subordinates and the entire Hidden Cloud."

The room fell silent, only for a mocking voice to break the stillness.

"As expected from Mr. Aizen—always with a twisted sense of humor. Making a Kage kneel in front of his own men, that’s more humiliating than death," Kisame chuckled.

"Now the Hidden Cloud has a blood feud with us. With the Raikage’s temper and the loss of his brother, they’re bound to retaliate with everything they’ve got," Black Zetsu noted grimly.

"Let them come. Aizen alone could handle the Hidden Cloud, and Sasuke has already captured the Eight-Tails. It’s no big deal," White Zetsu said indifferently.

But Black Zetsu replied gravely, "It’s not that simple. While the Five Great Nations are often at odds and have fought wars that engulfed the ninja world, they’re still likely to unite against a common threat. Right now, Akatsuki is that threat."

"After suffering such a huge loss, it’s possible that the Raikage will call for a Five Kage Summit to form an alliance against Akatsuki."

The mood in the room grew somber. Each Akatsuki member thought highly of themselves, but if the Five Great Nations united, they would face an immense force—one beyond just battles.

Aizen, however, seemed unfazed. "Isn’t that to be expected? Akatsuki already has seven—no, eight Tailed Beasts. There’s not even talk of a Five Kage Summit yet, and the Hidden Cloud’s ties with the other four nations aren’t as close as you might think. They would need to arrange messengers just to deliver messages to each other."

"All we need to do is capture the Nine-Tails before any alliance forms."

At that, Aizen exchanged a glance with Obito, and they both looked at Pain.

A playful smile crossed Aizen’s face.

Back when Konoha was destroyed by Pain’s Almighty Push, Sakura had cried out, “Naruto, hurry back!” She’d rushed to bring her to the injured Naruto, who would be pierced by Pain’s black rods, triggering the Nine-Tails’ transformation. Aizen had been waiting eagerly for this moment.

Unaware of Aizen’s thoughts, Pain’s Rinnegan flashed as he looked at them. "Once we secure the Eight-Tails, I will personally capture the Nine-Tails."

---

Three days later…

A battered Team Taka finally arrived at the rendezvous point where Obito was waiting for them. Naturally, Aizen was there as well.

"Yo, Sasuke. How was your duel with the Eight-Tails’ Jinchuriki? Gotta admit, you were brave. Your visual prowess must have improved a lot from it, right? Can you use Susanoo now? If not, then that beating was for nothing," Aizen taunted, waving at him.

"You… If you’d helped, we wouldn’t have been wrecked by the Eight-Tails like that," Suigetsu spat, glaring at Aizen.

Thanks to the Fivefold Rashomon, Suigetsu had survived without being completely drained by a Tailed Beast Bomb. Still, he’d taken a severe beating from Killer Bee. After all, the Hozuki Clan’s members were naturally weak against Lightning Release.

"Catching the Eight-Tails was your job. I had my own mission. Ensuring you all survived was already more than generous. Didn’t you notice that you didn’t encounter any other Cloud ninja?" Aizen shrugged, looking innocent.

Obito explained, "Aizen intercepted the Raikage. Without him, even if you had captured the Eight-Tails, you’d never have made it out in one piece."

"Sasuke, you actually captured the Eight-Tails. Impressive work."

"Enough talk," Sasuke muttered darkly, tossing "Killer Bee" in front of Obito. "Where is Danzo?"

"Relax, I’ll keep my promise. But with your current condition, fighting Danzo would be suicidal. Are you sure you want to face him now?"

Sasuke scoffed, looking away without replying.

"Danzo is in Aizen’s hands. When you’re fully recovered, he’ll hand him over to you," Obito said, picking up the Eight-Tails and turning to Aizen. "Well, I’ll be off then."

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 300: Konan’s Self-Strategy*

If you add Hinata to the mix, who’s always being teased endlessly by Aizen...

Goodness.

By that count, Aizen has now charmed five kunoichi from the Leaf Village, and each one is a stunning beauty.

Aizen didn't bother to explain much. In his mind, rather than explaining, it was better to let them talk things out on their own.

After leaving a few shadow clones as guards in the shadows, he departed with Pakura.

He first sent Pakura to a cave holding the Gedo Statue.

Then he headed off to the Leaf Village.

"Where’s Aizen?"

In the dark cave, Obito, Zetsu, and Kisame were standing on the fingers of the Gedo Statue.

Killer Bee's octopus clone lay below the statue.

Seeing that Aizen hadn’t shown up, the three were puzzled.

"Lord Aizen went to watch the battle in the Leaf," Pakura said, her expression indifferent as she jumped onto her designated ring on the Gedo Statue. Apart from Aizen and Konan, she had little affection for the other members of the Akatsuki.

“Still as icy as ever, Pakura with her Scorch Style,” Kisame chuckled bitterly. "Even Mr. Aizen went over. Only the four of us are here. Looks like this will take a while. I wonder where Deidara wandered off to. I’m starting to miss him."

“Enough with the complaints. Let’s get to it,” Black Zetsu urged.

The four began weaving hand seals simultaneously.

The Gedo Statue opened its mouth, emitting a beam of white light that engulfed Killer Bee's octopus tentacle clone.

The sealing process officially began.

Meanwhile...

Pain and Konan were also heading to the Leaf.

Given the need to keep Nagato’s real body hidden—and a bit of overconfidence in Pain’s power—Konan ultimately decided not to invite Aizen. She couldn’t bring herself to ask him anyway.

Aizen, however, had already used Flying Raijin to reach the Leaf in advance.

“I wonder how many buildings in the Leaf will be left standing after today,” he mused, standing atop the towering walls of the Leaf Village, looking down at the massive village, sighing before disappearing.

At this time, Tsunade was busy, stressed by the looming crisis threatening the Leaf Village.

She had just sent Kakashi and other core members away when word came from Karin that her mother, Kyougetsu, and Kurenai Yuhi had gone missing.

Their chakra signatures had vanished entirely, leaving no trace.

This made Tsunade’s head ache.

She knew that, most likely, Aizen had taken them.

After all, only Aizen could evade Chika’s tracking.

And if he’d gone to the trouble of taking Kurenai without any notice, there could be only one reason.

The Akatsuki were finally making a move on the Leaf.

“A heap of worries,” Tsunade muttered, sighing as she slumped over her desk.

Suddenly, a figure appeared behind her, making her jump. But, upon hearing his familiar voice, she relaxed again.

“What’s bothering you?” Aizen placed his hands on her shoulders, massaging them gently.

“Mm...” Tsunade let out a small moan, sighing. “What else could it be? It’s that damned Akatsuki! What else could possibly stress me out?”

“Well, I can’t say I’m sympathetic. Honestly, if you weren’t Hokage, I wouldn’t care at all about what happens to the Leaf. Knowing that, I should’ve stopped you from taking the role,” Aizen said, slipping his hand toward her neck, releasing a hint of chakra to draw Karin and Chika, who were searching for Kurenai and Kyougetsu.

“Can’t you be serious?” Tsunade smacked his wandering hand away, then asked casually, “You took Kyougetsu and Kurenai, didn’t you?”

“Well, with a big battle about to start, it wouldn’t be great if my family got caught in the crossfire,” Aizen replied, smiling. “The reason I came back again this time is to—”

Before he could finish, Tsunade cut him off sharply. “Don’t even think about it. As the Fifth Hokage, I will never abandon the Leaf.”

“Chika is in the shelter under the Hokage Rock. You know the place. Go take her with you.”

“Can you let me finish?” Aizen chuckled, knowing that she wouldn’t want to leave. If she did, she wouldn’t be Tsunade.

So, he shifted his approach. “Chika isn’t at the Hokage Rock anymore. That girl can’t sit still. She’s out with Karin, looking for Kurenai. I just released a bit of chakra; they’re on their way here now. Go call Shizune and Hinata. I have something to discuss with all of you.”

“Hinata?” Tsunade raised an eyebrow, giving Aizen a suspicious look. “You didn’t go after that little girl, did you?”

“How could I? You’re overthinking it. We’ve just known each other a long time. Besides, she’s Kurenai’s student, and we refer to each other as siblings. She’s also the only one in the Leaf who knows about our relationship.”

Aizen spoke with a serious face, though he hadn’t exactly lied; he simply hadn’t made a move on Hinata—yet.

“More like you just haven’t had the chance,” Tsunade smirked, seeing through him. “I’ll warn you, Hinata isn’t like the rest of us. She has family, and the Hyuga clan has strict rules. Hiashi would never agree to let her be with you.”

“We’ll see about that,” Aizen shrugged, not intending to negotiate with the Hyuga.

He didn’t need anyone’s approval.

As long as his woman wanted to be with him, that was enough.

Then, he could use the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Once the Fourth Shinobi War was over, there wouldn’t be anything left in this world to hold him back.

It would be better to reshape it to his liking.

Soon after...

Karin, Chika, Shizune, and Hinata arrived at the Hokage’s office.

Aizen laid out his plan.

First, he dropped the bombshell that Pain was about to invade the Leaf.

Then, using the pretense of explaining Pain’s abilities, he convinced them to stay.

The moment Pain invaded, Aizen unleashed the Uchiha Flame Formation, surrounding the Hokage’s office in a blazing barrier.

The move startled many.

“What is that?” a Leaf Village ninja on patrol whispered, attempting to approach but was stopped by an ANBU member who’d seen Aizen’s Uchiha Flame Formation before. “Don’t get close. That’s a barrier set by Fujiwara Aizen. It can block even Tailed Beast attacks and has dangerously high temperatures. Get too close, and you’ll die.”

Everyone was shocked.

Could it be that Fujiwara Aizen, the one who’d turned the Leaf upside down during the Chunin Exams, had returned?

A legend who’d defeated Copy Ninja Kakashi and the Wild Green Beast of Konoha, Might Guy, single-handedly.

Even Pain and Konan, who had just arrived in the Leaf, were surprised.

They recognized Aizen’s jutsu immediately.

But they hadn’t expected the laid-back Aizen to rush over.

“Konan, did you call Aizen?” Pain asked casually.

“No, maybe he sensed our chakra leaving the Hidden Rain Village and decided to join the fun,” Konan replied, her face slightly flushed. Could it be that he came because he was worried about her?

(End of Chapter)

no ch 299 . lost.