"Heh, heh, heh, heh..." A low, resonant laugh rang out.
A figure in a black robe slowly stood and pulled back his hood, revealing a face pale as bone, a patch over one eye, and sharp fangs bared in a grin.
"It seems a little mouse who doesn't know the rules has wandered somewhere she doesn't belong."
He spoke with an operatic flourish. "Kirigakure? Perfect. That land shrouded in mist will make a fine stage for me."
"I'll deal with this rude intruder."
"I'll teach her the price of interrupting a gentlemen's meeting. Perhaps her blood will be delicious."
Aizen nodded in satisfaction. "Good. I'll leave her to you, Myotismon."
"That concludes our meeting. Everyone, proceed according to plan."
"Dismissed."
The ten black-robed figures vanished from the round table without a sound, like ink dissolving into water.
An Antique Shop tucked into a corner on the outskirts of Kirigakure looked utterly out of place among the village's austere buildings.
Inside, strange goods from across the world filled every corner: Konoha porcelain, Kumogakure armor, even stone tablets carved with unknown charms. The faint smell of dust and old paper hung in the air.
In a small room on the second floor, the shadows suddenly twisted unnaturally. With a short yelp, a lively girl in casual modern clothes and a ponytail was "popped" out of the floor's shadow and landed hard on the wooden boards.
"Ow! Uncle!" Jade cried, rubbing her sore backside.
The stairs creaked as an old man in reading glasses and a loose silk jacket came slowly up, holding a wooden carving that resembled some kind of totem and polishing it with a cloth.
"Aiya! What is it, Jade?" Uncle pushed up his glasses, sounding a little annoyed at the interruption. "Can't you see Uncle is busy? Kirigakure is