Naruto: Shikigami Aizen

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As Aizen finished speaking, he turned his attention to Ōnoki floating in the sky, ignoring A completely. Witnessing this, A's expression darkened, and he struggled to suppress his desire to act.

Meanwhile, Gin stood to the side, watching A with an amused smirk. 

"If I were you, I wouldn't foolishly provoke Captain Aizen," Gin remarked with a light chuckle. 

A's face stiffened at the comment. Recalling the overwhelming aura Aizen had exuded earlier, a flicker of unease crept into his heart. His expression turned grim as he shifted his gaze to Gin. 

"And who are you?" A demanded. 

Gin's sly smile widened. The ever-narrowed slits of his eyes opened slightly, revealing deep sapphire irises that gleamed faintly in the moonlight. 

"You can call me Gin Ichimaru. At the moment, I'm Captain Aizen's assistant," Gin replied casually. "My job? Well, you could say I handle pesky nuisances like you who keep jumping out to get in his way." 

His tone was light, almost teasing, but there was an undercurrent of menace beneath his playful demeanor, leaving A uncertain if he was joking or deadly serious. 

A's expression grew even more solemn. He wasn't naive—anyone working alongside Aizen was bound to be formidable. Still, A refused to back down. He took a firm step forward, his sharp gaze fixed on Gin. 

"It doesn't matter who you are. Standing with Aizen makes you an enemy of both the Cloud and Leaf villages!" 

"And we, Cloud shinobi, show no mercy to our enemies!" A declared. 

His eyes briefly flickered to Aizen's back, determination flashing within them. 

"Minato, keep this guy busy for me!" A shouted. 

Before his words had even fully registered, A bent his knees. 

"Boom!"

With a resounding crack, the ground beneath him caved in, and A's figure vanished in a blur of lightning. 

Hearing A's command, Minato's expression grew grim. He knew that facing Aizen was almost certainly a hopeless endeavor, but he couldn't let A recklessly charge in alone. 

Minato deftly flipped his hands, producing a handful of kunai, each shimmering with a faint gleam. 

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" 

The kunai streaked through the night like deadly arrows, forming a perimeter around Aizen and Gin. 

Meanwhile, A, encased in a shroud of crackling lightning, tore across the battlefield like a bolt of pure energy. The ground beneath him scorched with every step, sparks and arcs of electricity flying in his wake. 

Watching A's rapid approach, Gin tilted his head slightly, his ever-present grin curling wider. 

"So, this is the power of a shinobi," Gin murmured. "Impressive speed." 

Before Gin could finish his thought, A appeared directly before him. His imposing frame radiated raw power, his lightning armor blazing brightly. 

A's gaze remained locked on Aizen, his eyes flashing with a cold, predatory glint. His entire body tensed, brimming with ferocious intent. 

He crouched slightly, gathering energy like a coiled spring, before unleashing his technique. 

"Lightning Style: Lightning Guillotine!" A roared. 

His right hand, shaped like a blade, flared with an intense, blinding light, a razor-sharp edge of pure electricity forming along its length. 

But rather than strike Gin directly, A leapt past him, aiming to pierce straight through to Aizen. 

It was a bold, calculated move—but one that was quickly intercepted. 

"Clang!"

The piercing sound of metal on metal rang out across the battlefield, drawing everyone's attention. 

Gin stood in A's path, his ever-present smirk intact. In his hands, he held his short blade, Shinso, which had effortlessly blocked A's devastating attack. 

The two combatants stood locked in place, electricity crackling violently between them. 

Gin's silver hair swayed in the gusts of energy, and his grin turned slightly mocking. 

"Now, now," Gin said lightly, "aren't you being a bit rude? Ignoring me to charge at Captain Aizen like that? If you disturb him, I'll definitely be scolded. Can't have that now, can we?" 

Despite his lighthearted tone, Gin's eyes glinted with a predatory gleam. The cold, calculating intent hidden behind his smile was unmistakable. 

A's expression darkened in disbelief. 

'How? This guy just blocked my Lightning Guillotine… with that tiny blade?' 

Before A could react further, a sharp whistle filled the air. 

"Whoosh!" 

A kunai streaked toward the pair, forcing Gin to shift his stance. With a flick of his wrist, Shinso parried the projectile, creating an opening. 

The clash sent A and Gin flying in opposite directions. 

Seizing the moment, Minato appeared beside A, grabbing his shoulder. 

In an instant, both shinobi vanished, reappearing behind a massive tree trunk on the battlefield's outskirts. 

A scowled, his frustration boiling over. 

"Minato, why did you pull me away? I could've fought him!" 

Minato's expression remained calm, though his tone carried a hint of urgency. 

"You saw it too, didn't you? That guy isn't ordinary. And if he's this strong, imagine what Aizen himself is capable of," Minato said gravely. 

"We need to regroup and withdraw. Right now, taking them head-on is suicide." 

A clenched his fists, visibly struggling with the decision. His pride as a warrior wouldn't let him retreat so easily. 

Before Minato could say more, both men froze, their senses suddenly on high alert. 

Shink! 

A long blade, gleaming in the moonlight, sliced through the thick tree trunk they had been hiding behind. Splinters flew as the trunk was cleaved cleanly in two. 

Time seemed to slow. Minato and A's wide-eyed expressions reflected the lethal edge of the blade, now hovering inches from them. 

And then… 

A cold, mocking voice echoed from the shadows. 

"Leaving so soon?" 

"Shoot to kill, Shinsō!"

Not far away, Gin stood in a calm, poised stance—his left foot forward, his right foot back. His white haori fluttered slightly in the breeze as his hands gripped the Shinsō blade upright before him.

In the moonlight, Gin's pale, almost ghostly skin gleamed. His eyes remained half-closed in their usual sly squint, and his mouth curled into a wide, eerie grin that gave him the air of a cold and calculating predator. 

"Oops, missed?" 

He tilted his head slightly, as if greeting his opponent, and his mocking, casual tone hung lightly in the air. 

The next moment, the long silver blade of Shinsō contracted back into its short form with lightning speed. The blade's incredible swiftness was so imperceptible that none of the spectators could discern the flash of white light that had streaked through the battlefield. 

A faint line appeared on Minato's cheek, and his pupils constricted sharply. 

'That sword… how did it reach me from there?' 

Now that their location had been revealed, Minato and A abandoned any attempt to stay hidden. They stepped into the open, their expressions grim and heavy. 

Both shinobi realized that they had dangerously underestimated their enemies. Whether it was Aizen or this mysterious Gin, their knowledge about these foes was woefully insufficient. 

In the ninja world, a lack of information often spelled certain death—a risk that even the most cautious shinobi could not entirely avoid. 

Seeing the two of them emerge, Gin's lips curled into a sinister smile. His icy gaze swept over them as he spoke in a light but ominous tone: 

"So, you've shown yourselves at last. My earlier point remains unfinished: since I've had to endure the possibility of punishment from Captain Aizen because of you, it's only fair that you repay me… with your lives." 

"Fair trade, isn't it?" 

As Gin spoke, the tip of Shinsō slowly pointed toward Minato. 

Standing before Gin, Minato suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of dread. A chill spread from his chest, seeping into every corner of his mind. 

"Let's start with you," Gin continued, his voice as light as ever. "That vanishing trick of yours is intriguing. It's fast, sure, but I'd like to see how it compares to my Shinsō." 

Before Minato could react, Shinsō's short blade elongated in an instant, its tip rocketing toward him faster than the eye could follow. 

"Boom!" 

Several thick trees behind where Minato had stood exploded into splinters, their trunks pierced cleanly through by Shinsō's impossibly fast strike. 

Both Minato and A wore expressions of disbelief, struggling to process what they had just witnessed. 

'So, his blade can extend in an instant? What kind of ability is that?' 

Gin maintained his enigmatic smile, his slitted eyes betraying a glint of sharp calculation. He shifted his gaze to Minato, who was now panting lightly, having teleported away to safety using one of his kunai. 

"Not bad," Gin murmured, clearly unimpressed that Minato had managed to avoid his attack. Just as he prepared to strike again, a commanding voice stopped him in his tracks. 

"That's enough, Gin. Stand down," Aizen said from behind him. "Ulquiorra and the others have arrived to provide support. Go with them for now." 

Gin froze for a moment, his expression briefly shifting to surprise. But as understanding dawned, he offered a small smile and a nod. 

"It seems you want to handle them yourself, Captain. If that's your decision, I'll respect it and step aside," Gin said with a smirk. 

As his words faded, a brilliant orange beam of light suddenly pierced through the forest, enveloping Gin. 

He didn't resist the strange phenomenon. Instead, he stood calmly as the light washed over him. Slowly, the ground beneath him and nearby rocks began to levitate, as if gravity itself had ceased to exist. 

Within the orange glow, Gin appeared relaxed, his carefree demeanor intact. Yet, just before he was fully absorbed into the light, his tone turned uncharacteristically serious. 

"Captain Aizen... will we ever return to the Soul Society?" 

Aizen, still facing away from him, slightly tilted his head. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he replied softly, 

"Gin, follow me, and your wishes will naturally be fulfilled. Even as a former traitor, you should understand this by now, shouldn't you?" 

Hearing Aizen's words, Gin's smile broadened, and he chuckled lightly. 

"Of course. Captain Aizen has always been so... reliable." 

As the light around him narrowed and disappeared, Gin's figure vanished from the battlefield, his words lingering faintly in the air. 

The sudden departure left everyone stunned. In the sky, Ōnoki, who had been observing in silence until now, finally spoke up in a grave tone. 

"Aizen… what was that?" 

On the ground, A, Minato, and the other gathered shinobi were equally perplexed, their expressions tense as they turned toward Aizen. 

Aizen's calm demeanor remained unchanged. A faint smile graced his lips as he explained, 

"That technique is called Negación. It's not my doing but rather an ability utilized by one of my subordinates—a simple manipulation of space." 

The enigmatic nature of this ability left the assembled ninja even more uneasy.