Watch Their Actions, Not Their Words

At midnight, when most people had already gone to sleep.

Yet due to the nature of its work, the distinction between day and night was not especially clear in Konoha.

Just like now, even though it was already midnight, Sosuke Aizen was still handling official documents in his room.

Because it was so late, even the ANBU Ninja had no choice but to reveal himself. Half-kneeling behind Aizen, he spoke softly and sincerely:

"Advisor Aizen, the Third Hokage has specifically instructed you to maintain a normal routine to avoid any accidents. It is already two in the morning. Please take care of your health."

"Ah, please thank the Third Hokage for me. But these documents are urgent, so I'll deal with them first. I'll go to sleep afterward."

"But, Advisor Aizen..."

"There are no buts. It is the eve of war. Everyone is risking their lives on the front lines, yet I delay my work merely because I'm tired. Wouldn't that betray their dedication?"

"...Yes!"

The ANBU Ninja looked at Sosuke Aizen, who was still diligently reviewing documents before him, and lowered his head in admiration before silently vanishing from the room.

Sosuke Aizen looked at the mountain of documents piled beside him and sighed. After filing away the portion he had already finished, he placed the remaining documents on the desk.

Fresh files had once again accumulated into a small mountain. Aizen continued struggling across this battlefield of documents, occasionally setting down his brush to lower his head and consider a few countermeasures before picking it up again to make revisions.

"...That ANBU Ninja was helping cover for you."

"Is that so? Then I'm truly grateful."

Hearing the voice behind him, Aizen replied without turning around, brush in hand.

"Now then, where were we? Sakumo-kun? What happened with that touching reunion between father and son?"

"We were talking about the grave."

And about you as well.

Behind where the ANBU Ninja had just stood, a man in a White Haori leaned against the wall, gazing sadly at the man before him.

Without his Tanuki mask, Hatake Sakumo had truly come back to life. Wearing a White Haori marked with "Eleven," he looked blankly at the man reviewing Konoha's documents.

"...Is that so? So that is why you came to seek an answer from me?"

Seated in the room as he reviewed documents, Aizen adjusted his glasses and looked at Hatake Sakumo, whose expression was complicated.

This man had once chosen suicide for the sake of his reputation and Konoha's interests, yet after watching his son for a month, he had begun to waver.

The reason was naturally simple. Unlike Ninja such as Kagami Uchiha and Dan Katō, who had already reached the true upper ranks, Hatake Sakumo possessed immense fame but was essentially nothing more than a sharp blade.

Faced with the hatred and hostility of others, that blade had been at a loss, believing that death could make everything right. But the result was that death could solve nothing. It would only make his loved ones sad and give ignorant people something to laugh at.

"It truly is strange."

Aizen looked at Hatake Sakumo's conflicted expression and shook his head helplessly.

"The person who once believed in the Will of Fire most deeply, even willing to die for it, has now come to ask me why things turned out this way. Meanwhile, the two people who trust the Will of Fire the least, who want to become Hokage themselves and expound their own vision for the village, avoid me like the plague. What exactly happened to change your state of mind?"

"..."

"Because the world you imagined is not the same as the world you now know. Is that right?"

Facing Hatake Sakumo, who did not wish to speak, Sosuke Aizen worked beneath the electric light, reviewing documents and offering proposals as he spoke.

"Others' love for Konoha and their resistance toward me stem from their bloodlines and positions. They already possess everything, so they view me with hostility. Then, Sakumo-kun, what exactly are you afraid of? What are you resisting in me?"

"...That has nothing to do with our conversation."

"This is the essence of our conversation, Sakumo-kun. Fear, understanding, and the essence of Konoha and its present state."

Aizen disdainfully shook his head at Hatake Sakumo's evasive reply. His brush flowed over the white paper, his fine handwriting laying out proposals for certain reforms within Konoha.

As a Konoha Advisor, he had both the qualifications and the ability to do so.

He was not the sort of Advisor who was ignored or temporarily appointed. After a month of testing, Aizen had earned the deep trust of both the Third Hokage and Danzo. They even seemed inclined to elevate him to a High Position, so that their other two companions might quiet down a little.

And this man, who held a great portion of Konoha's authority, spoke calmly of his thoughts on the world with his back to Hatake Sakumo.

"What you fear is neither change nor power. You are merely afraid of me."

"Because if I wished to do something, I fear no one in this world could stop me. I know that as well. That is why, even now, I am only searching for someone who can stop me."

"Sakumo-kun, you surely cannot understand such a world. When you see beautiful flowers, grass, and trees, you seek out your friends to speak of them. You feel refreshed in body and mind, wanting to share the scenery you witnessed with your closest companions."

"But regrettably, all of you can find such people, while I cannot. I was like this when I was a Soul Reaper, and I remain the same in this world. However, I am no longer the person I was back then. At that time, I despised all ignorant people, hated every system, and wanted to change this world by my own means."

"But now, I have a better method. So I want the world to understand my ideas."

"...You truly are the most dangerous person, Sosuke Aizen."

Watching the man's back under the lamplight, Hatake Sakumo could not help but offer that assessment.

Make the world understand his ideas, change the world, and look down on everyone else? Who did he think he was?

That was why Hatake Sakumo had disliked Aizen from the very beginning. At a glance, he could see the pride buried deep within Aizen's bones. Yet Aizen did not care.

"Once, someone judged me exactly as you have. At the time, I was greatly surprised. I had clearly done nothing wrong, so why did he think that way? Now, I think I understand something."

"What?"

"Some people possess talent."

Setting the completed document aside, Aizen took out the final batch of files. As he continued reviewing them with his brush, he said:

"They can instinctively piece together the 'truth' in their minds from all sorts of clues and words. Yet that truth about another person makes them feel fear and rejection, and so they refuse to understand it, instead facing it with hostility."

"But in truth, people like you understand very clearly. Whether you wish to live or die, it all depends on my mercy. That is the absolute 'fact.'"

"Though I respect every person's courage to choose, I hope you will not abuse this kindness of mine. Otherwise, things will become very ugly. Sakumo-kun, you do not want your son to see his father in that state, do you?"

"..."

Faced with such a naked threat, Hatake Sakumo said nothing.

Once regarded as Konoha's top powerhouse, above even the Sannin, Hatake Sakumo looked at the seemingly defenseless man exposing his back before him and did not utter a single word of rebuttal.

Because he knew that although Aizen was duplicitous, arrogant, and cold-hearted, many times, what he said was true.

He disdained lying or using meaningless things to conceal his purpose.

Hatake Sakumo was merely considering the words Aizen had thrown at him in his own way.

Yet compared to his two indignant colleagues, Hatake Sakumo's feelings toward Aizen were rather complicated.

Hatake Sakumo was not particularly stubborn by nature. He valued loyalty and righteousness, believed in the Will of Fire, and loved the village, but compared to those great clans, he hoped even more that Konoha could become a paradise for children.

Dan Katō was Tsunade's man, while Kagami Uchiha belonged to the Uchiha Clan. They had their reasons and their intentions for opposing Aizen's actions, for treating Aizen wholly as an enemy.

But Hatake Sakumo had no such reason.

He had committed suicide, and his return to life had also been granted by Aizen.

In truth, aside from Aizen's foul mouth and irritating manner, everything he did was fundamentally extremely beneficial to Hatake Sakumo himself.

Kakashi had not been humiliated, nor had he fallen into the abyss of hatred. Konoha had not been thrown into turmoil because of his suicide, either. Instead, under Aizen's control, its effects were gradually being erased.

Revitalizing the economy, strengthening Konoha's power, weakening the influence of Kekkei Genkai clans, promoting capable and passionate people to High Positions, and deeply understanding the spiritual needs of Konoha's Ninja—he had proposed many treatment and support plans to resolve the consequences of battle for the Ninja.

The Will of Fire, the will of the team, the identity and cohesion of comrades, and the emergence of squad funds had also greatly eased the overall atmosphere.

So Hatake Sakumo could not deceive himself. He truly thought Sosuke Aizen had done very well.

Even from the perspective of governance, he was already at a level above everyone but the Hokage.

They should have been listening to Aizen in the first place, rather than making plans for their own clans and their so-called village as they were now.

Dan Katō's obedience and so-called recognition were because his Girlfriend was Senju Tsunade. Their clan itself was part of Konoha. Kagami Uchiha, meanwhile, came from one of Konoha's great clans.

After hearing some of Aizen's plans, Dan Katō and Kagami Uchiha would absolutely never agree to let those things happen.

But for Hatake Sakumo, did those clan honors and ideals truly mean anything?

Perhaps they did. After all, he had devoted his entire life to them and even given up his life.

But faced with his son's contempt, that lonely grave, and the conversations of others in the cold rain, Hatake Sakumo could not deceive himself.

Others could abandon missions for the sake of their companions, call it the Will of Fire, and receive praise. But he could not. Because he was Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo.

Although he still could not approve of someone like Aizen stirring up trouble in Konoha, how should he put it? Hatake Sakumo had unexpectedly realized that he did not particularly dislike things being this way.

He had no real reason to direct killing intent or hostility toward Aizen.

"It seems you have realized it as well. What you hate is not the changes I have brought, nor the reforms I have brought. You are merely afraid of me."

Looking at the silent figure behind him, Aizen smiled, adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose, organized and filed the documents in his hands, and spoke with great seriousness.

"You fear me because I possess power and wisdom far beyond your imagination. Yet you do not know what kind of person I am. People are always wary of the unknown, so you are wary of me as well."

"People always rely on things and experiences they are familiar with, rejecting unfamiliar people and methods. Even when they know that what they cling to is wrong, they are still willing to continue, unwilling to see something newer appear before them. Because that means unknown risks."

"So your concerns and thoughts come from the same place. You are familiar with Konoha and familiar with the Will of Fire. But do you truly understand it?"

"Your perceptions and ideals have interfered with your attitude as a person. Now, you can try looking at all this from a new angle."

"..."

That was a little convoluted for Hatake Sakumo, whose literary ability was not particularly high.

After thinking for a while, he looked at Aizen and asked tentatively:

"You mean that all my current troubles stem from my lack of understanding toward them and Konoha?"

"I think you should use your own eyes to see what Konoha truly is. Only then will you gain a deeper understanding. Not from the perspective of Konoha's White Fang, but from the perspective of Kakashi Hatake's father. I look forward to your thoughts."

Looking at the pensive Hatake Sakumo, Aizen smiled and nodded.