Chapter 485: Aizen: Showdown

The sharp blade tip pierced through her chest, emerging from her back.

Hinaki Rina was still savoring the gentleness of Lord Aizen, and when she finally reacted, she lowered her head to see a blood-stained hilt.

And the one holding the hilt... Aizen.

"What is this?"

Hinaki Rina trembled all over, her expression dazed.

She completely could not believe that Lord Aizen would suddenly harm her.

That gentle Lord Aizen! Aizen pulled out his Zanpakuto and looked down at the swaying Hinaki Rina from above; the gentleness in his eyes had vanished, replaced by an absolute coldness.

A coldness and indifference like a God looking down upon ants.

"Lord Aizen!"

"Am I seeing things?"

Watching the girl lose consciousness and fall toward the ground, the Konoha players were all shocked.

Lord Aizen attacking a fellow ninja of the village? Most Konoha players' reaction was disbelief; others clasped their hands together, thinking they had been deceived by Genjutsu, and hurriedly disrupted their own energy to try and break free.

Anyone else could, but it absolutely could not be Lord Aizen!

It wasn't that Konoha didn't have rogue ninjas—Orochimaru, Itachi Uchiha, Uchiha Obito...

But to say Lord Aizen was a rogue ninja? That was absolutely impossible! That man who so perfectly inherited the Will of Fire, gentle, tolerant, as if he could encompass everything, warm and genial like a spring breeze.

On the scene,

most of the ninjas frozen in place had once received favors from Aizen.

In their minds, they recalled things Aizen had done: scenes of Aizen risking danger to lead them in breaking through a game boss.

Scenes of him waving his hand, not caring at all, and giving away precious items dropped by bosses to others despite his own desire for them.

Scenes of Aizen taking out his few Reward Points to buy a new gold-quality weapon for Gekko Hayate, whose weapon had shattered after he went overboard with Reinforcement.

Such a Lord Aizen, how could he possibly attack a fellow ninja of the village?!

They didn't believe it! "I understand, it's Orochimaru, Orochimaru's Ziling Zhushu is controlling Lord Aizen!"

A player unwilling to believe reality burst out in a roar.

The people nearby suddenly realized.

Or rather, even they felt it was impossible for Lord Aizen to betray them, so this seemingly absurd explanation was very reasonable.

"Damn Orochimaru, don't desecrate Lord Aizen, stop it!"

Gekko Hayate gritted his teeth, his face full of killing intent, staring fixedly at Orochimaru.

Even knowing the disparity in strength,

he swung his blade with both arms, rushing toward the spectating Orochimaru like a nimble leopard.

"Foolish."

Orochimaru shook his head with a sigh, then added as if lamenting: "Or rather, Aizen's methods are truly brilliant."

If he himself had possessed Aizen's level of cunning back then, and had been willing to polish and manage his reputation.

Relying on his credentials from several ninja wars, his military merits, and his prestige, the position of Fourth Hokage would have been his for the taking.

However, after thinking about it for a moment.

If time were to turn back, Orochimaru still wouldn't do that; deep in his soul, he did not have the same personality as Aizen.

But it did indeed make Orochimaru feel a trace of danger.

Aizen was very terrifying; after this cooperation ended, he would find an opportunity to kill the other party.

Orochimaru calculated in his heart, his smile unchanged, not caring at all about the rushing Gekko Hayate.

Pop.

A bubble condensed from necrotic energy enveloped Gekko Hayate, and the other party was swallowed inside before he could even dodge.

Without even a sound of struggle, in just a few seconds, when the Necrotic Paopao burst, Gekko Hayate's flesh and blood were already stiff, looking as if he had been dead for several days. He stood there stiffly, unable to even move.

"Lord Aizen, wake up!"

"Captain Aizen is now the Clan Head, hurry and mobilize the Defense Wall and the treasure orbs to attack the monsters crawling out of the Menos Forest!"

"Hurry and wake up, Captain Aizen!"

The Konoha players all looked at Orochimaru with anger, but after seeing Gekko Hayate's miserable state, they did not lose their minds and rush up again.

Instead, they took out various game items and threw them frantically at Aizen in mid-air, wanting to help Aizen break free from Orochimaru's control.

The current situation desperately required Lord Aizen to wake up; otherwise, who could stop the endless monsters, the Menos?

The Konoha crowd looked at Aizen with faces full of hope.

"Everyone, you are truly noisy."

Aizen's expression was indifferent, his gaze sweeping over countless familiar faces.

Then he raised his hand.

Swish.

A silver-moon-like blade glow flared; this time, what it shattered was not a Menos, but the Konoha players who had gathered around, wanting to help him break free from control.

With one strike, he killed dozens of Elite players.

This scene left the players who still wanted to approach stunned in place, standing there blankly.

"Aizen, hurry and wake up!"

While everyone else was too afraid to approach, Mitarashi Anko suddenly rushed out, clutching a blooming flower in her hand, and leaped toward Aizen in mid-air.

【Dark Demon Flower (Dark Gold)】: After consumption, removes all negative and control effects.

A very precious consumable item; if put on the exchange, it could sell for at least hundreds of thousands of Reward Points.

It was a drop from a Dark Gold-level plant-type boss in the new season map, capable of removing all states of being controlled.

Even for someone as strong as Orochimaru, who knows what means he used to control Aizen, as long as one takes out this flower, the restrictions can be lifted.

Because the palm gripping the Dark Demon Flower was too tight, the thorns of the stem pierced her palm, and mixed with fresh blood, it landed directly in front of Aizen under the life-risking charge of Mitarashi Anko.

The Dark Demon Flower bloomed with light, tugging at the hearts of the Konoha ninja, and everyone watched Aizen nervously.

"Stop, Anko!"

Tsunade's gaze was shocked; she could hardly imagine that Aizen's image was so deeply rooted in the hearts of most Konoha players.

The light dissipated.

Aizen remained in that cold and heartless appearance, watching the rapidly approaching Mitarashi Anko.

"Aizen, you told me that you could see the things I hide deep in my heart, and as long as I was willing, you could be my listener, so... don't give up!"

In front of the public, Anko's cheeks flushed slightly after saying these words.

During the 【Evil God Incident】, it was she who discovered Aizen's existence amidst the chaos, willing to save Konoha ninja who were neither kin nor acquaintances, and he possessed super-strong talent and a perfect personality.

To say that she felt no heartbeat when facing such a perfect man would naturally be impossible.

However, at this moment, she only wanted Aizen to wake up and quickly use his identity as Clan Head to control the defensive structures and turn the tide of battle.

Pfft.

Anko's mouth opened slightly, her pupils trembling violently.

What greeted her was not Aizen's support, but a palm that pierced through her chest like a sharp awl.

"I am very sorry, I was not being controlled."

Aizen tossed Anko, whose chest was gushing blood, aside as if throwing away trash.

Looking around at his surroundings, he said softly: "Orochimaru is my partner; pretending to be killed by Itachi Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha assassinating the Hokage, Orochimaru infiltrating Konoha, the opening of the spatial rift in the Menos Forest... everything is within my plan."

(End of this chapter)