Hearing the voice that had appeared silently behind her, Sakuya's little face instantly froze. Her big, bright eyes widened.
As if she had lost her soul, she slowly turned around.
When she saw the figure standing straight a short distance in front of her, her whole body suddenly jolted. Her mouth fell open, and she murmured in disbelief,
"Sos... Sosuke-nii..."
Hearing Sakuya's words, Aizen, standing behind her, raised the corner of his mouth slightly. His deep eyes rested on her as he said softly,
"It's been a long time, Sakuya."
As if she couldn't believe it was real, Sakuya gently covered her mouth with one hand. Her voice was hard to describe.
"How could this be..."
With a smile on his face, Aizen slowly walked toward Sakuya.
Sakuya stood there, staring at him wide-eyed.
"Tap!"
Aizen's tall figure stopped in front of her. He slowly reached out and placed his hand on her head, gently ruffling her hair as he chuckled.
"Is it so hard to accept, Sakuya?"
Hearing Aizen's words, Sakuya shook her head and looked up at him, her face full of distress. She cried out,
"Why... Why did you become a rogue ninja of the village, Sosuke-nii?"
"You'd already become the Fourth Hokage. Why!?"
As she spoke, the tears she had managed to stop began flowing again. She stared fixedly at Aizen, on the verge of tears, waiting for his answer.
Aizen's smile slowly faded. He looked at Sakuya with a complicated expression and said softly,
"Because, as long as I remained in Konoha, I couldn't bring an end to the wars raging across this world."
Hearing Sosuke's words, Sakuya shuddered. She didn't even bother to wipe the tears from her cheeks. Her voice trembled as she said,
"But... But you became a rogue ninja of the