Encounter with Aizen

Naruto still remembered the first time he met Aizen.

At the time, he had just endured another miserable day. A few children from the village had ganged up and beaten him.

He dragged his battered body back to his little house, ate a cup of instant noodles, wiped himself down carelessly, and prepared to sleep.

Naruto had discovered as a child that he was different from ordinary students.

No matter how badly he was hurt, the bruises on his body would vanish by the next day, and his strength would return as well.

That meant he was not an ordinary person.

Perhaps, just as the villagers said, he was the Nine-Tails Fox Demon.

With complicated thoughts in his heart, he fell into a deep sleep.

His consciousness sank, drawn into a mysterious space.

"Ding-dong."

The sound of dripping water woke Naruto.

He opened his eyes in confusion, only to find himself in a dim, cold basement.

"Where is this?" Naruto looked utterly bewildered.

He had clearly been asleep, yet in the next moment, he had arrived in an unfamiliar space.

"Is anyone there?" he shouted, his voice echoing through the space.

Relying on the faint lighting, Naruto groped his way forward. The frigid air made him hug his arms, fear filling his eyes.

Before long, he found an iron door.

A sealing talisman was pasted onto it.

Through the dim light, a figure emerged.

A white robe, curly brown hair, an eternally confident and gentle smile, and unfathomable eyes hidden behind glasses.

Aizen.

His full name was Sōsuke Aizen. He came from the world of Bleach and had once been the Captain of the Fifth Division in the Gotei 13. Later, he betrayed Soul Society and became the ruler of Hueco Mundo.

On the surface, he was refined and gentle, but beneath that exterior lay a cold heart and towering ambition.

He had only one goal: to transcend Bleach and pursue supreme power.

He regarded everyone around him as chess pieces to be manipulated at will.

After gaining supreme power, he became even more arrogant and overbearing, defeating one Bleach after another who stood in his way.

Yet in the end, he was defeated by Ichigo Kurosaki, who had mastered Mugetsu, and imprisoned in the deepest level of The Undercity Prison.

That had been Aizen's original life. However, at this point, he was still the powerful and courteous captain of the Fifth Division.

Inside the Sealing Space, Aizen faced the utterly confused Naruto, adjusted his glasses, and his brown eyes flickered continuously.

He did not know when it had begun, but every night when he fell asleep, his consciousness would enter this dark space.

A screen of light would appear before him, showing every detail of Naruto Uzumaki's life.

Aizen had watched Naruto's life from the sidelines—controlled by the higher-ups, bullied by villagers who viewed him as a fox demon, and subjected to every kind of cold stare and malice.

With Aizen's intelligence, he quickly understood that Naruto was a terrifying weapon in the eyes of Konoha's higher-ups. To control him, they had turned him into the Nine-Tails Fox Demon hated by the entire village, allowing themselves to become Naruto's "light."

It was an extremely low-level brainwashing tactic.

It was downright crude.

Growing up in such an environment, Naruto could easily have developed hatred toward the village or even gone berserk.

Yet incredibly, Naruto did not hate Konoha. He even yearned to become Hokage.

Hokage was the title given to the leader of a ninja village.

What Aizen knew of the Hokage was only the tip of the iceberg of the entire Ninja World, and he was filled with interest in this unknown world.

Previously, he had persecuted Mako Hirako, the former Captain of the Fifth Division, turning him into an experiment in Bleach Hollowfication in order to seek a way to break through the limits of Bleach power.

Now, he wanted to use Naruto's perspective to learn the secrets of the ninja world and seek power that surpassed Bleach.

This world had no Soul Society, no Bleach, and certainly no power system from the world of Bleach—no Reiatsu.

In their place were ninjas and Chakra.

Every ninja could use Chakra to perform ninjutsu of different attributes.

Unfortunately, Naruto had never seen ninjutsu being used.

Aizen understood.

Naruto Uzumaki's level was not high enough yet.

Or perhaps, once he grew up, he would be able to come into contact with the mysterious art of ninjutsu.

For now, Aizen's curiosity toward ninjutsu outweighed his desire for it.

But this was, after all, a system from another world. There had to be many more things worth exploring and understanding.

Naruto, as Aizen's "eyes," needed to grow properly.

So Aizen put on the refined demeanor he had always feigned.

He greeted Naruto. "Naruto Uzumaki, I have finally met you."

"You know me?" Naruto looked shocked.

"Of course. You like instant noodles, hate drinking expired milk, and also hate the hostile eyes everyone directs at you. You want to become Hokage." Aizen's voice was magnetic.

"I understand you better than you think. I have been paying close attention to you, Naruto."

The words "I have been paying close attention to you" instantly brought tears to Naruto's eyes.

Other than Third, this was the first person who had ever said such a thing to him.

No, Mr. Aizen understood him even better than Third did.

"Oh, right. My name is Sōsuke Aizen. You may call me Aizen."

His encounter with Aizen had been simple.

Aizen had been like a ray of light, illuminating Naruto's world.

With Aizen's help, Naruto began reading books and trying to think independently.

"Sometimes, what you see with your eyes is not the truth."

"Why do you, who are regarded as the Nine-Tails Fox Demon, possess a human form? Why are you so weak that even children can bully you?"

"Every world has its own rules. As long as you live in this world, you will be bound by those rules. Konoha is your shelter, but it is also the place that restrains you."

"Will you choose to follow the rules, or step beyond them and become the one who makes them?" Back then, Aizen would always say things Naruto could not understand, his gaze deep and profound.

Naruto had not understood at first, but now he had begun trying to think as well.

How to look past the surface of an event and see the truth.

How to understand the situation he was in and make the most perfect response.

Naruto gradually shed his childishness and innocence. He became elegant, but also quieter.

He continued growing through his studies, and he also developed a deep curiosity about Aizen.

He did not know whether it was merely an illusion.

Naruto always felt that this refined and gentle man had another side.

He was unfathomably deep.

Naruto always felt that what he saw was not Aizen's true face.

"Mr. Aizen, why are you helping me?" One day, Naruto finally asked the question he had kept buried in his heart.

Aizen had appeared in the Sealing Space for no apparent reason, then gently guided him.

If it had been the old him, Naruto would have been overwhelmed with gratitude and would have wanted to treat Aizen as his god.

But now, he thought about it instead.

There was no such thing as completely selfless help in this world.

There had to be something Mr. Aizen wanted from him.

Faced with Naruto's question, Aizen merely smiled. "For you to ask that question, it seems you are no longer the Naruto Uzumaki you once were."

"I come from another world, and my purpose is simple."

"First, I want to use your eyes to learn the secrets of ninjutsu. Perhaps it may become useful to me in the future."

"Second, your life serves as a diversion from my dull existence. I want to see how Naruto, freed from those schemes, will treat Konoha and overturn this world."

"Third, on a personal level, I dislike Konoha very much. Their methods are too crude and too foolish, so I simply decided to help you a little."

The memories ended.

Naruto's lips curved slightly.

No matter what, it was an indisputable fact that Aizen had shown him kindness.

Without him, perhaps he would still be longing to become "Hokage" now.

A new book was setting sail. Please support it with all kinds of data. This was not my first time writing Naruto, but Aizen was such a charming character that I was worried I might not be able to do him justice. If you notice any problems, feel free to point them out so we can discuss them together.