Dark clouds piled ever more thickly across the sky, and brilliant flashes of lightning flickered through their dense layers.
A moment later, the thunder roared across the heavens.
"Splatter... splatter..."
Torrential rain followed, pounding the earth and sending up clouds of mist.
Yet inside the enormous palace deep within the cliffs,
the atmosphere was nothing like the gloom outside. Instead, it was relaxed and almost pleasant.
After all, that lord sat upon the stone throne. The spiritual faith of Las Noches was here. Nothing could make those gathered feel afraid.
Nagato, standing in the great hall, also let out a quiet breath of relief.
It seemed Lord Aizen had no intention of pursuing the matter.
Konan, beside him, relaxed as well. She no longer worried that the incident would disappoint Lord Aizen.
What did worry her was Yahiko. After hearing Ulquiorra speak, he seemed eager to test himself, and the fighting spirit in his eyes made Konan uneasy.
She decided she would tell Yahiko about Ulquiorra's terrifying strength later, to keep him from acting on impulse and doing something foolish.
Just then,
after Ulquiorra finished introducing himself, Aizen looked over the people gathered before him, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"This time, I called you here not only to introduce Ulquiorra, but also to announce something."
At Aizen's words, everyone focused their attention on him, listening closely to what he would say next.
Seeing their reactions, a glint flashed in Aizen's eyes.
"Three years have passed. The Ninja World has been at peace for far too long... But this is only history repeating itself..."
"The hidden villages are gathering their strength... preparing for the next war... another dull cycle, repeated again and again... The only difference is which sides are fighting, and under what names..."
"I will ignite