Itachi raised his eyes and silently looked at Aizen.
Aizen made no effort to hide his admiration for him. A smile lingered in his eyes as he said softly, "What Las Noches needs are geniuses like you, Uchiha Itachi."
At Aizen's words, a shadow seemed to fall over Itachi's crimson eyes. He replied in a hoarse, quiet voice, "Sorry... I... have no intention of serving under you..."
As soon as Itachi's words fell, even Kisame, standing beside him, could not help but draw in a slight breath, wishing he could answer in Itachi's stead.
He turned to stare at Itachi in astonishment, inwardly panicking.
Accept it, Itachi!
That man is Aizen. If we refuse him... we may die here today for absolutely nothing!
For Kisame, death itself might not have been the most terrifying thing.
But... facing an enemy like Aizen, such a death would undoubtedly have not the slightest value!
Or rather, beyond that, even if they died here, no one would likely learn even the smallest scrap of information.
Likewise, upon hearing Itachi's answer, Ulquiorra could not help but raise his head and look at him coldly.
He immediately dropped to one knee, lowered his head, and respectfully said to Aizen, "My apologies, Lord Aizen. This subordinate failed to display enough strength to intimidate such petty rabble."
"Please grant this subordinate another chance to make up for this failing!"
Hearing that, Aizen's lips curved slightly upward. He lightly waved a hand and said, "There is no need for that, Ulquiorra."
"You have already done quite well. I had no intention of reprimanding you."
As he spoke, he did not look at Ulquiorra. His gaze remained fixed on Uchiha Itachi before him as he chuckled softly.
"Uchiha Itachi, I believe you saw it as well. Because of your answer,