Doujin Artist: This Black Zetsu actually became Aizen's fanboy too?
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: Seriously surprising. Didn't it only care about its own mother, Otsutsuki Kaguya?
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: Yeah, it's weird. Its worship and respect for Aizen seem just as much as for Otsutsuki Kaguya.
Curly-haired Guy: In other words, it's basically treating the boss like his dad now?
Machete Girl: ?
Doujin Artist: What the hell do you mean by "being a dad"?! Are you crazy?
Because of what Gintoki just said, Eriri almost spit out the last sip of her iced cola. That was her final mouthful.
Amegakure Village's Angel: Why don't you guys just admit Anzen-san is way too attractive? Doesn't matter if it's a guy, girl, or neither—he gets them all.
Doujin Artist: Pfft.
Eriri spit it out for real. Her last sip of cola was gone.
Soul Society's Bad Guy: Is Konan being serious right now? Anzen really has that kind of charm?
Amegakure Village's Angel: Nah, I was just kidding. As for why Black Zetsu respects Anzen-san so much—if you think about it, it should be pretty clear.
Doujin Artist: Nope, I don't get it at all!
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: Konan, aren't you in the middle of a fight? Maybe stop chatting for now?
Amegakure Village's Angel: It's fine, it doesn't affect anything.
Right as she sent the message, Nagato swooped down toward her again.
Konan didn't dodge. She gripped her Zanpakuto and swung it straight at him.
Roar.
A giant ice dragon opened its jaws and lunged at Nagato.
That move again!
Nagato's eyes narrowed. He twisted his body and raised his right arm, fingers spread. "Shinra Tensei!"
Boom.
A burst of invisible force slammed into the dragon's midsection. The whole thing shattered instantly into chunks of ice that scattered in all directions.
Crack.
One chunk of ice bounced near Nagato's foot. You could clearly see cold air spreading from the spot, freezing the ground fast. Nagato quickly pulled back, not daring to stay still.
"So this is your Resurrección power?" Standing at a safe distance, Nagato took a breath. "If I'm right, you must be Espada-level too, huh?"
"Espada?" Konan raised an eyebrow, her tone calm. "Don't lump me in with those people. I'm nothing like them."
"What?" Nagato froze, looking confused.
"I'm not an Arrancar. I'm a Soul Reaper." As she spoke, Konan slowly raised one finger. "Bakudō #61: Six Rods Light Prison."
Bang bang bang.
Nagato's pupils shrank. In his shocked gaze, golden beams of light appeared out of nowhere and locked him in place. "Th-this is!"
"That's right."
Konan slowly walked toward him, her face as calm as ever. "This is a spell only Soul Reapers can use. In the entire Pure Land base, only I, Uchiha Itachi, and Lord Aizen are truly the same kind. Now then…"
She raised her left hand. Her pale finger pointed forward. "Hadō #90: Black Coffin." A black, coffin-like box appeared out of thin air. Sharp black spears stabbed into it like nails sealing a tomb.
Curly-haired Guy: ?
Doujin Artist: ?
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: ???
Machete Girl: Black Coffin? Is Konan trying to take Nagato out for good?
Amegakure Village's Angel: Relax, just giving him a scare. With my current spiritual pressure, casting Black Coffin without chanting only gives about 7% of its full power.
Crack.
The black coffin shattered. Inside, Nagato had completely passed out and was lying on the ground in a sorry state.
Wig Guy: Huh, yeah, doesn't look like he's got any real injuries.
Amegakure Village's Angel: Anzen-san, it's handled on my side.
"I see it," Aizen said, taking a step forward and slowly drawing his Zanpakuto from his waist. "Didn't expect that even with all these Arrancar, none of them can match me alone."
Otsutsuki Hagoromo, who had been on high alert, shouted the moment he saw this. "Everyone, stop Aizen now!"
Obito's failure meant their whole plan to outsmart Aizen had fallen apart. Their only option now was a direct fight.
"Stop me?" Aizen smiled like he'd just heard something funny. "With just you all?"
"You little brat, don't underestimate the power of the ninja world!"
A loud roar rang out as a massive shadow suddenly appeared above Aizen's head.
The voice came from Uchiha Madara. He and Senju Hashirama were both standing on opposite sides atop the head of a strange giant—Susanoo wrapped around the Thousand-Armed Buddha. This bizarre fusion monster was holding a bright blue blade, swinging it sideways at Aizen.
Buzz—
A loud hum echoed as the glowing blade tore through the air. Even before the blade landed, the terrifying energy from it was already sweeping outward. The surrounding mountains were completely sliced flat with loud rumbling sounds.
But Aizen didn't dodge or flinch. He calmly raised his Zanpakuto to block the strike.
Boom.
The massive blade clashed against Aizen's sword with a deafening explosion.
A strong gust of wind roared through the area.
Aizen didn't move an inch. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
"This is what you call power? So this is what 'power' really means, huh."
He twisted his sword and slashed back at the Buddha-Susanoo fusion.
A crack—
A tiny crack suddenly appeared at the center of the monster's forehead, then spread downward at lightning speed.
Crack. Crack.
In an instant, the giant figure—hundreds of meters tall—crumbled apart.
Chunks of wood and leftover energy fragments flew in every direction.
Rumble—
Another thunderous boom shook the air.
A mountain range in the distance was split in two.
A deep canyon stretched endlessly forward from Aizen's feet.
Silence.
The entire battlefield instantly went dead quiet—not even a bird's cry or a whisper.