Chapter 357: Aizen's First Contact with Konoha

A brief sensation of weightlessness,

By the time Aizen recovered, he had already left the Bleach world and arrived within the borders of the Land of Hot Water.

His figure suddenly flashed into the sky. Looking down at the devastated earth, his expression was neither sad nor happy, and a sense of novelty welled up within him.

"So this is the ninja world? It is truly interesting. The energy permeating the air is quite strange; I am unable to exert my full strength."

Aizen raised his hand, stirring the nearby energy fluctuations.

He discovered that the energy contained within the ninja world was slightly weaker in quality than that of the Bleach world.

All transcendence is a life form's mastery over energy; if the quality of the energy deteriorates, it will naturally lead to a weakening of strength to a certain degree.

"However, Sanzan did not warn me about the strength of the energy. Is it because he forgot, or is it that... players have something special about them?"

A hint of curiosity appeared in Aizen's eyes. His gaze swept across the battlefield covered in frost and explosions of fire, and suddenly, he appeared directly beside an injured player.

"Who are you?"

The player, wearing a Konoha forehead protector and possessing a pair of light brown eyes, was startled by the sudden appearance of Aizen.

Not a ninja, nor from the Navy...

He did not perceive any killing intent from the other party; in fact, the other party was not even a player.

To think he could bypass his own perception.

Aizen said in a gentle tone: "Do not worry, I am reinforcements who have come to help eliminate the Pollution Monster."

He extended his arm to observe the other's injuries. Logically speaking, such close-range contact would absolutely trigger the instinctive defense mechanisms of a ninja trained from childhood.

But strangely, until Aizen finished observing the injuries for him, Mitarashi Anko did not show the slightest resistance.

It was only after she came to her senses that she hurriedly checked her injuries, discovering they had already been healed by Aizen.

"How strange, you aren't a player, are you?"

Mitarashi Anko asked curiously: "Could you be a human from another world? To think you could successfully heal such severe injuries without even casting the Mystical Palm Technique."

Not all aid from otherworldly factions consists of players.

Just like the Navy, there are Navy soldiers among them who have not yet become players but whose talent and potential are highly valued, relying on Teleportation Scrolls to come to the ninja world for training.

"No, I am a samurai fleeing the chaos of war, having arrived to help after hearing Konoha's call for aid."

Aizen shook his head. After denying it, he added with a gentle tone: "Although battle requires one to give their all, one must also reserve enough strength to protect oneself; only then can one make a comeback."

"Temporary bravado and death will only make one's companions sad."

It sounded like a lecture, yet she felt no aversion. Mitarashi Anko even felt that the person before her was like a close friend who cared about her life and death.

Even though it was clearly the first time she had seen this guy.

It really was strange.

"Leave the rest to me."

Aizen stood up,

drew the Zanpakuto at his waist, and looked toward the Abyss Evil God causing destruction in the distance, assuming a fighting stance.

Mitarashi Anko hurriedly spoke up: "You aren't even a player; if you are discovered by the Abyss Evil God, you will die..."

The one that had just injured her was an 【Abyss Brute】, a type of melee monster similar to a shield-warrior.

Its 【Strength】 and 【Constitution】 attributes were likely both at 99 points, and it possessed skills capable of Reinforcement for strength and defense.

Even Elite players were no match for it,

let alone an ordinary person like Aizen who wasn't even a player.

He claimed to be a samurai,

and in her impression, even the strongest samurai, Mifune, was barely at the Shadow-level.

Ever since the Samsara Game appeared, the Shadow-level had long been eliminated and reduced to the dust of history; any random Lv. 19 player could rival a Shadow-level.

She herself was a Lv. 30 Sword Skill master,

and she had been easily killed in seconds by the Abyss Brute. For an ordinary samurai like Aizen to challenge it was no different from throwing his life away.

Shatter! Kyoka Suigetsu...

Mitarashi Anko felt a slight blur before her eyes, and then she saw Aizen gripping his Zanpakuto, maneuvering around the Abyss Brute. Just as she had thought, Aizen, not being a player, was being beaten back step by step by the Abyss Brute's fists.

Like a small boat struggling to stay afloat in a violent storm.

Just as she wanted to rush up to help, she discovered that the Aizen she had just met was extremely fast in both strength and speed, far exceeding an ordinary samurai, likely reaching the Shadow-level.

Although he could not compare to the Abyss Brute, he relied on outstanding combat techniques and skilled, exquisite Sword Skill to bridge the chasm-like gap in attributes.

"How is this possible?"

Anko was full of shock, thinking her eyes were playing tricks on her.

This feeling was like seeing a trainee ninja from the Ninja Academy, while in a state of extreme disadvantage in chakra volume, physical fitness, and Ninjutsu mastery,

fighting the Hokage to a standstill through combat techniques alone.

Fighting above one's level was indeed quite common; Konoha was a cradle that produced geniuses.

Kakashi Hatake, while still a Genin, could defeat some ordinary Chunin, or even some weaker Special Jonin with obvious shortcomings.

For someone even more formidable, the Fourth, Namikaze Minato, could rescue the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki from three Cloud ninja before he had even graduated from the Ninja Academy.

But...

There had to be a limit. Aizen's ability to fight above his level had already exceeded the scope of what Anko could understand.

Yet, everything seemed so reasonable.

"A genius?"

When Aizen was about to reach his limit, Anko also recovered and hurriedly stepped in to help. With Aizen assisting from the side, they defeated this Abyss Brute.

"Are you really a samurai?"

Anko narrowed her eyes and brazenly grabbed Aizen's palm. The intimate action made Aizen slightly stunned; like an honest man upholding etiquette, he hurriedly pulled his hand back.

But it was enough for Mitarashi Anko to release her sensory perception.

One of the branded skills within her 【Sword Skill Master Lv. 30】 could enhance perception.

Just now, when she tentatively gripped Aizen's palm, she truly did not discover any traces of ninja training,

he was completely a samurai who had undergone tempering.

"That's right, my hometown is on the border of the Land of Fire, and I have never left the village."

Aizen revealed a smile, then his gaze dimmed as he said: "It's just that because of Orochimaru's scientific research experiments, the village was destroyed, and I escaped; I happened to run into Konoha being attacked by a God, so I wanted to help out."

Orochimaru? Hearing the familiar name, Mitarashi Anko's body suddenly tensed up, then quickly returned to normal.

Mitarashi Anko, who studied under Orochimaru, hated him now just as much as she had once admired her teacher.

It was not just because he destroyed Konoha, but because from beginning to end, she had been treated by Orochimaru as a tool that could be discarded at will, rather than a true partner or disciple.

Mitarashi Anko gritted her teeth, staring intently at Aizen,

wanting to see a clue on his face.

A samurai from the Land of Fire possessing Shadow-level strength who also proactively brought up Orochimaru—it was hard not to suspect whether this was Orochimaru's doing.

However,

Aizen only displayed the slight awkwardness of being stared at by someone of the opposite sex at just the right moment; even with her perception fully open, Mitarashi Anko did not sense any changes in his emotions or chakra.

It seems it has nothing to do with Orochimaru?

The skills of the Samsara Game were abilities bestowed by the game merchant and absolutely could not be wrong.

Unless,

Aizen, who was not even a player before her eyes, had a higher spirit attribute than her own, or a high-level anti-perception skill.

Otherwise, he could not possibly hide it from her.

Is such a situation possible? Impossible! Mitarashi Anko had absolute confidence in her own perception skill.

Recalling Aizen's astonishing combat talent, Mitarashi Anko's thoughts stirred, and she said: "You must have heard of the hostile relationship between Konoha and Orochimaru; if you want revenge, then join Konoha!"

"I can be your recommender, or even your teacher."

"We both have a common goal: to overthrow Orochimaru's brutal rule over the Land of Fire."

(End of chapter)