At those calm words, the three of them stiffened as if facing a great enemy, their expressions wary and their eyes fixed intently on the newcomer.
"Whoosh—"
A gentle breeze brushed through the mountains, lightly stirring a few strands of hair over the newcomer's forehead and adding a hint of bloodlust to this unusual reunion.
"Sosuke... Just as the intelligence said... You've joined forces with Iwagakure!"
Jiraiya stared at the newcomer with a grave expression. Though he was in terrible shape, facing Aizen seemed to make everything else unimportant.
After Jiraiya spoke, Tsunade, standing behind him, looked at Aizen with a tender gleam in her eyes and a trace of sorrow in her gaze. She asked softly,
"Have you really decided to join Iwagakure and fight Konoha... Sosuke?"
At their words, Aizen slowly approached the three of them from a distance. A faint smile curled his lips as he replied,
"Sosuke... What a nostalgic name..."
As he spoke, his gaze swept over the three of them, a trace of indifference flashing through his eyes. His voice remained calm.
"But... to me, that was nothing more than an illusion of the past..."
"My name is Sosuke Aizen. I will become the ruler of this world, establish a new order, and usher in a new era."
"Sosuke was merely a false identity I assumed while living among you."
Aizen's calm voice fell slowly over the scene. Behind him, Minato and Sasori bowed respectfully, as though standing before an exalted king.
At Aizen's words, Jiraiya's face darkened. Enduring his pain, he roared,
"Sosuke! What happened to you!? Why... why won't you even acknowledge the memories we shared? Are you afraid to face them!?"
"I was your friend. I knew you. The falsehood you speak of means nothing!"
At Jiraiya's furious shout, Tsunade watched