Naruto: Aizen's Shadow in Konoha

Third Raikage sprang to his feet and rushed to the door of his office, a sudden realization striking him.

He had forgotten something critical!

His Shadow Guard—many of whom were highly skilled sensory ninjas, the best of the best—were stationed just outside. Yet, during the mysterious man's infiltration, they hadn't noticed a thing! What had happened to them?

Boom!

Third Raikage flung open the door, only to be met by a familiar face—one of his Shadow Guard, standing there with a confused expression.

"Lord Raikage, is everything alright?"

It was the captain of the Shadow Guard, a tall, muscular man with dark skin, who quickly stood at attention upon seeing his leader's tense demeanor.

Third Raikage paused for a moment, then looked closely at his Shadow Guard captain with an intense expression.

This man, was one of the finest sensory ninjas in Cloud Shinobi Village. Someone had just infiltrated their secure perimeter, yet he hadn't sensed a thing. Worse still, though Third Raikage had briefly unleashed his aura when attacked by the mysterious intruder, none of the guards, including the shadow guard, had reacted at all!

Taking a deep breath to steady the alarm rising in his chest, Third Raikage spoke evenly, keeping his face impassive. "Come inside. I need to speak with you."

Without another word, he turned and walked back into his office.

"Yes, Lord Raikage," The shadow guard replied immediately, following without hesitation.

However, a trace of confusion lingered in his mind. Normally, when Raikage had something to discuss, he would shout his orders from the office without bothering with formalities. What was different today? Why the sudden change in demeanor?

Of course, these thoughts stayed safely buried in his mind. Even in his wildest dreams, he wouldn't dare voice such questions in front of Raikage-sama.

As the shadow guard stepped into the office, he noticed nothing amiss about the room—despite the bloodstains that had covered it mere moments ago. He showed no reaction, no awareness of what had transpired.

Third Raikage's pupils contracted sharply at this realization.

The fear he felt toward the mysterious man, who had introduced himself as Sōsuke, grew to unprecedented levels. This man wasn't just strong—his abilities were beyond comprehension. He had infiltrated the Raikage's office, engaged him in combat, and left without a trace, all while suppressing the senses of some of the village's most elite shinobi.

If strength alone were the only issue, that would be one thing. But the stranger's identity, purpose, and now his unnervingly strange abilities—these all weighed heavily on Third Raikage's mind.

He would have to treat this man with extreme caution. The events of tonight could not be taken lightly, but they would also need to be kept a secret. There was no telling what kind of danger revealing this encounter could invite.

When did the supreme leader of the second-largest ninja village ever fear someone to such an extent?

Even after being slashed several times by the intruder, he could only hide the incident, terrified that it might provoke the man's displeasure.

What had his life come to?

Third Raikage felt a suffocating frustration wash over him. How far had things fallen for him to be so powerless?

"Lord Raikage?"

Keiji low voice snapped Third Raikage out of his thoughts. He had been sitting in a daze behind his desk.

Right. There was no use in brooding over it. If the information that this mysterious man—Sōsuke, as he called himself—provided turned out to be true, then a few slashes would be worth the price. It would be far worse if the core secrets of Cloud Shinobi Village were leaked. 

Compared to that, a few cuts were nothing.

"Keiji, listen carefully..."

Narrowing his eyes, Third Raikage began giving Keiji a series of instructions.

As the Raikage plotted in his office, Aizen, having left through his mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique, had already arrived at the core intelligence room of Cloud Shinobi Village.

When Aizen had slashed Third Raikage earlier, he had subtly extracted a fragment of the Raikage's mental energy. From that, he had gained access to a wealth of sensitive information about Cloud Shinobi.

Ahead of him was the heavily guarded intelligence facility. But Aizen had no interest in Cloud Shinobi's secrets.

With a slight smile, he unsheathed Kyōka Suigetsu from his waist.

"Field of Hypnosis."

With a single, elegant sweep of his blade, Aizen set up an invisible barrier over the entire area, expanding Kyōka Suigetsu's reach. Within this field, Aizen laid a unique trap—anyone who searched for information or attempted to escape would unknowingly fall under Kyōka Suigetsu's hypnosis. They would be trapped in an endless loop, spinning in circles without ever realizing they were going nowhere.

Once Mitarashi Zashi and his forces arrived, they would be in for quite the surprise.

Even though Zashi and his subordinates were already under Kyōka Suigetsu's influence, Aizen wasn't interested in fully controlling them just yet. Who knew when they would act? Aizen wasn't inclined to sit around waiting for them to make a move.

Setting this trap would save him the trouble.

"Zashi, I wonder how pleased you'll be with my little gift," Aizen remarked with an evil smirk.

With those parting words, Aizen's figure vanished again.

Moments later, he reappeared on a tall tree outside Cloud Shinobi Village.

This tree was crafted by Aizen using Wood Style.

Recently, Aizen had also perfected a combination of the Flying Thunder God Technique with his Wood Style.

Ingeniously, he left the mark of the Flying Thunder God within the trees created by Wood Style! One could imagine how terrifying this would be for his enemies, especially when Aizen could reshape the environment and move freely within it at will.

With Aizen's ever-growing mastery of multiple abilities, his power was becoming more and more unfathomable!

"The preparations are complete. Now, we just need Zashi to play his part in this little show," Aizen said, casting a glance at Cloud Shinobi Village with a wicked smile on his face.

With that, Aizen activated a special soul connection, sending a message directly to his Shadow Clone stationed back in Konoha Village, miles away.

In Konoha, Aizen's Shadow Clone stirred the moment it received the signal from the original. Rising from where it rested, the clone sensed the nearby Anbu surveillance around the house. With a smug smile, the clone moved silently, slipping past the guards without alerting anyone, making its way toward Orochimaru's residence.

Meanwhile, just days after Aizen had passed the information on Zashi to Cloud Shinobi Village, the spy known as Wood Worm received shocking news—his promotion to a high-ranking position in the village had been moved up by a month. In just ten days, he would officially ascend to the top management of Cloud Shinobi leadership.

Wood Worm hurriedly transmitted this critical information to Zashi.

Overcome with both surprise and excitement, Zashi swiftly made his decision. He mobilized his forces, sparing only a few Anbu ninjas to continue monitoring the Hokage faction. The rest of his ninja forces were deployed in full strength.

Their destination: Cloud Shinobi Village!

With a sense of urgency, Zashi led a formidable force of hundreds, traveling under the cover of night.

In just over twenty days, they reached the outskirts of Cloud Shinobi Village.

Standing atop a mountain peak, gazing down at the distant lights of Cloud Shinobi Village, Zashi felt a surge of pride and anticipation.

His time was finally at hand.

...

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