Drinking Alone Beneath the Moon

In the Ninja World, there were countless ninjutsu and genjutsu capable of manipulating the five senses.

Whether Kekkei Genkai, secret techniques, special arts, or certain locations, all could seize control of a person's five senses and distort them into whatever one desired.

But no matter who did it, it never brought that terrifying, palm-sweating feeling. Dan Katō and Kagami Uchiha had once thought the same: it was only genjutsu. As long as they recognized reality, there would be no problem.

Yet at this moment, the sight of Sosuke Aizen sitting calmly there, eating snacks, drinking sake, and admiring the moon filled them with a terror that rose from the depths of their hearts.

Ninjas from ANBU and Root guarded and monitored the area from elevated positions and even underground.

Every one of them was certain that Aizen, having taken an interest in the moment, had set out a table with a few dishes and sake to admire the moon.

Yet none of them noticed that behind Aizen, right in the center of the Writing Room, two ninjas wearing Konoha Headbands were glaring furiously at him.

"You must be having a difficult time in your current bodies. On one hand, you must resist the instinct to refine Chakra; on the other, you must search for the imprint of your own souls, correct?"

Leaning casually against a porch pillar, Aizen gazed at the slightly icy-blue full moon and sighed before turning to the two behind him.

"But that hardship is worthwhile. Only through constant tempering can one find what belongs to oneself."

"A sharpened blade can wound others, but prolonged hesitation only makes it rust. Seeing one's enemy clearly and seeing oneself clearly are both exceptionally precious qualities."

"Actually, I would not mind if the two of you released your Bankai. Concealing one's strength is indeed a good thing, but only if one can conceal it successfully. At least in my eyes, your actions are like elephants hiding in a porcelain shop. Even if I wanted to look away, it would be quite a test of my acting ability."

"...Are you saying that all of this was part of your plan?"

Suppressing the malice and horrifying suspicions that had emerged in his heart, Kagami Uchiha took a breath, gathered his courage, and glared at Sosuke Aizen, who was holding a delicate sake cup.

"Our actions, our efforts—you knew everything. You have been monitoring us all along?"

"Not at all."

Facing the Uchiha ninja's glare, Aizen shook his head calmly and looked toward the pale blue flowers in the garden, their petals beaded with mist and rainwater.

"I once enjoyed monitoring the lives of others, but not anymore. Now, I prefer anticipating surprises. It is merely that your thoughts and actions were too straightforward, so I offered a friendly reminder."

"Who would believe such lies?"

"But it is the truth. The former me likely would not have cared about your thoughts. But now, things are different. People possess the courage to raise rebellion against the gods. There are also those who dare take one step forward before flowers growing on a cliff. You are both renowned ninjas—how could I not have expectations of you?"

"...You are too arrogant, Aizen."

"Arrogant? If stating facts is considered arrogance, then that is what is truly ridiculous."

Facing the two ninjas, who were deeply unconvinced yet outwardly extremely respectful, Aizen shook his head and spoke in an even tone.

"I sincerely hope that all of you can display different colors. Taking a step toward the unknown is courage. But taking a step toward death while knowing nothing about oneself is recklessness."

"..."

"Refusing to understand? That cannot be helped. After all, this is indeed too difficult for you. You cannot even understand courage."

Facing the two ninjas who clearly had no intention of cooperating, Sosuke Aizen sighed, adjusted his glasses, and turned back toward the beautiful full moon.

Gentle moonlight fell across his cheeks, lending an added touch of mystery to his already captivating face.

He did not look like some fraud casually spouting empty words. Instead, he seemed filled with a certain genuine power.

"I have always despised those who think themselves clever and believe themselves wise for surrendering and admitting defeat."

Admiring the beautiful moonlight, Aizen spoke softly.

"They speak of sacrifice and devotion as though they were jokes, mocking the efforts and value of others as if they have won something."

"Whether they mock or sneer, they are weaklings. Nothing more than weaklings drifting with the tide. They lack the strength to act and the courage to see themselves as strong. Only by belittling others can they feel that they are right."

"The behavior of the weak is to treat escape as courage. To treat arguments that benefit themselves as truth. Then they mock the way others live and use it as the basis for gaining confidence in their own wretchedness. I once thought all creatures in the world were like this, but in truth, I was wrong."

"The reason humanity can continue living is because it possesses the 'courage' to walk onward while knowing the truth of the world."

"The courage to recognize the suffering of reality and continue living with resolve, and the courage to recognize the root of a problem and decide whether to solve it through one's own death or another's—I believe both are remarkable."

"...Are you mocking us for lacking the courage to go to our deaths with you, Aizen?"

Hearing this, Kagami Uchiha could no longer hold himself back. He stepped forward and glared at the figure drinking alone beneath the moonlight.

"You are mocking us for not understanding your thoughts. You are mocking Konoha's beliefs, mocking the Will of Fire, and mocking us for lacking the courage to die alongside you. Is that how I should understand it?"

"Not at all. On the contrary, I believe that is a highly rational choice. Because you do not understand what I mean by courage."

Looking at Kagami Uchiha, whose teeth were clenched tight, Aizen explained seriously.

"Because making the decision to die is not actually difficult. Hot blood rushing to one's head, inciting others, ignorance of consequences, pride and arrogance—such deaths are brought about by others and have little to do with one's own heart."

"Those with no real feeling for life, no love or hatred for living, are the same toward death. Their deaths are not courage in the face of reality. They merely wish to die because others want them to, or because they themselves wish to escape their problems."

"Therefore, courage is not simply believing that one can use death to escape a problem. It is recognizing one's own place, having people one loves and things one hopes for, understanding life's sweetness and pain, and then choosing to stand beside death in order to resolve the problems between oneself and the world. That is the 'courage' to set foot upon fate."

"And most ninjas do not possess this true courage. They merely choose death out of hot-blooded bravery after being blinded by so-called righteousness and responsibility. You have no great visions for the future, nor have you reflected upon the problems within your clans and society. You simply believe that titles, status, and the words of others are enough to make you die, as though death can solve every problem."

"This is escape. Death may solve your own anguish, but it cannot solve the problem. Just like the action you wanted to take earlier. You could die and have it all end there, but what about afterward? Have you considered how to eliminate me completely?"

"..."

Though it was humiliating to be prompted by their enemy, it was obvious that neither of them had considered it.

Yet seeing Aizen calmly drinking fine sake, admiring the bright moon, and speaking to them casually while the surrounding ANBU and Root paid no attention at all filled them with even greater terror.

They truly had wanted to solve everything themselves and have it all end there, because they could not think of any way to deal with Sosuke Aizen. In a sense, Aizen could now represent Konoha's will. How were they supposed to deal with him? Turn against themselves?

At that thought, Kagami Uchiha's fists clenched involuntarily, creaking with strain.

"Cannot think of one? That is only natural. Your education and lives never contained such things."

Looking at the two troubled ninjas, Aizen sighed with pity.

"You do not even understand what it means to truly live, so how can you speak of courage? I merely hope that the two of you can find your own reasons to live within the Konoha of today."

"Only after every question has found its answer in your hearts will you possess the clear 'courage' to face me. That is why your Bankai and Shikai are imitations, not true Bankai."

"How can you obtain a true Bankai when your own hearts remain unclear? What you possess now is the false hatred and hope I gave you. Only by truly understanding life and reaching enlightenment can you obtain what is genuinely yours."

"That is your own soul."

"..."

There was no story like those in biographies and novels, where someone understood everything at a single point and attained Bankai after coming to terms with it.

Kagami Uchiha and Dan Katō still opposed Sosuke Aizen before them correctly, yet meaninglessly, letting his words enter one ear and leave the other.

An enemy's words did not need to be understood, nor did they need to be heard. That had always been the ninja educational philosophy and their logic of action. If one understood an enemy, one would waver, and wavering led to death.

That was common sense in the Ninja World.

Yet to Aizen, whose understanding came from two worlds, that common sense was deeply painful.

"You do not understand? That is only natural... Perhaps that is the only reason I drink alone."

"You have not truly lived in this world. Only the living can enjoy the beauty of life; the dead cannot experience it."

"No matter how I describe how enchanting tonight's moonlight and misty rain are, you will not understand. You will merely take it as my lofty mockery and ridicule of you. There would be no pleasure in that."

"Oh, Sakumo-kun will wake tomorrow. He will temporarily assume the position of captain of the 11th Division. I hope the two of you can accept that."

"'...Understood.'"

Their brief replies came so close together that their voices almost merged into one.

And in the next instant, the figures of their White Haori had vanished from that area.

Though they were his subordinates and under his control, they no longer wished to listen to Aizen's so-called twisted reasoning.

"Still unable to understand..."

For this failed conversation, Sosuke Aizen could only shake his head and sigh.

Konoha's ninjas were still ninjas, after all. They were different from Soul Reapers and samurai. Unconcerned with elegance or worldly affairs, existing only for missions and profit—that was the purpose for which ninjas had originally been created.

But how could people remain sealed in one place forever? How could they remain silent forever? Eventually, someone would take that step, tear open the false curtain, and strive to reach out toward the truth and this world.

It was just that perhaps it would not begin here.

"Though I can understand it, I still find it tragic. In the end, I am merely a Soul Reaper—now only a human."

Aizen shook his head, picked up a serving of Sake Thief, drank a little sake, and gazed at the moonlight.

Just then, the sound of footsteps suddenly came from outside.

Kakashi Hatake entered wearing his mask, his expression cold and indifferent. He headed straight toward the training grounds. When Aizen saw him, he called out.

"Kakashi-kun, would you like something to eat?"

"Huh? No."

"Hahaha, what a pity. The scenery is so beautiful."

"I would rather train than spend time admiring it."

"Yes, that is true enough."

Watching Kakashi, his face full of distaste, head straight into another courtyard to begin training, Aizen smiled and shook his head as he looked at the full moon in the sky.

The moon truly was beautiful amid the thin mist.

So beautiful that Aizen could not help raising his sake cup and taking another small sip.

Though several cups sat on the tray, in the end, he still drank alone.

"Lonely..."

Gazing up at the full moon, Aizen leaned against the porch pillar, poured himself another drink, paired it with Sake Thief, and drank another cup of sake.