The atmosphere inside the throne room of Las Noches was thick with the scent of ozone and the crushing weight of Aizen Sosuke's disappointment. As Naruto stepped through the Garganta, his head was bowed, his white cloak stained with the gray ash of the world he had failed to fully abandon.
Aizen did not rise from his throne. He simply leaned his head on his hand, his violet eyes piercing through Naruto's soul.
The Purification of the First
"You returned with a heart that beats, Naruto," Aizen said, his voice a silk-wrapped blade. "I gave you the universe, and you traded a portion of it for the warmth of a girl's hand. This is the flaw of the 'Will of Fire'—it clings to the spirit like a parasite."
Naruto winced, the hollow hole in his chest glowing with an unstable, jagged light. "Master... I eliminated the threat. She is nothing to me."
"Is she?" Aizen stood, and the entire palace groaned under the sudden surge of his Reiatsu. "The Hogyoku does not lie. It felt your hesitation. If you cannot be a God, you are merely a broken weapon. And I do not keep broken things."
Aizen raised a finger. "Kurohitsugi (Black Coffin)."
A torrent of black gravity erupted around Naruto, forming a massive, windowless box of darkness. Thousands of spiritual spears pierced the box, not to kill Naruto, but to shred the remaining human memories from his spirit. Naruto's screams echoed through the halls of Las Noches—a sound of a boy being systematically erased so that only the Espada would remain.
The Predator in the Mirror
Standing in the shadows of the high pillars, Sasuke Uchiha watched the black coffin pulsate with Naruto's agony. His Void-Sharingan whirled, recording the frequency of Aizen's power, but his mind was elsewhere.
Sasuke felt no pity. He felt opportunity.
In the philosophy of the Void, strength was the only currency. If Naruto was weak enough to let a girl from the past shake his resolve, then Naruto was no longer fit to lead the Espada. Sasuke stepped forward into the light of the artificial moon, his hand resting on the hilt of his black blade.
"Master," Sasuke said, his voice cold and sharp. "The Prime Espada has shown his limit. He still looks at the sun and sees a village. I look at the sun and see only a target to be extinguished."
Aizen turned his gaze toward Sasuke, a thin, intrigued smile returning to his lips. "You wish to challenge his rank, Sasuke?"
"I wish to prove that I am the true reflection of your vision," Sasuke replied. "While you purify him, allow me to lead the next harvest. The Akatsuki are gathering near the border. Let me show them that the Uchiha do not tremble, nor do they remember."
Aizen laughed—a soft, melodic sound that chilled the air. "Very well. Naruto shall be my masterpiece of suffering, but you, Sasuke... you shall be my sword of execution. Go. Take the Second and Third squads. If Naruto survives his purification, he will have to fight you to reclaim his throne. If he does not... then the Void has a new King."
Sasuke bowed and vanished in a blur of black smoke. He wasn't just going to fight the Akatsuki; he was going to consume their power to ensure that when Naruto finally emerged from that black coffin, there would be nothing left of the bond they once shared—only the cold, hard steel of a superior god.