Hearing the voice, everyone quickly rose from their seats.
"Lord Aizen!"
"Aizen-sama!"
Aizen smiled. "Sit down, everyone. I've gathered you here today mainly to discuss one matter."
The group straightened their expressions, clearly listening with full attention.
Aizen continued, "The Ninja Alliance will soon be hosting the World's Strongest Ninja Tournament..."
"The World's Strongest Ninja Tournament!" Ruiga exclaimed. "I've never even heard of such a thing. Did Lord Aizen plant a spy within the Alliance's upper ranks to get wind of this so early?"
"Precisely why you haven't heard of it," Aizen smiled. "Because the proposal hasn't even been made yet. I've influenced Raikage's subordinates and am preparing for this resolution to be introduced through his mouth."
No one was surprised that Aizen could accomplish this, though some expressed concern. "What if this proposal gets rejected? Won't today's meeting have been a waste?"
Aizen shook his head. "That's not something you need to worry about. What you should focus on now is bringing glory to our organization through the competition. Better yet, aim to claim the title of World's Strongest Ninja Tournament!"
Ruiga nervously asked, "Would it be too obvious if we participated in the competition..."
Before he could finish, Toneri enthusiastically declared, "Yes! I'll definitely take first place in the tournament!"
"Excellent! That's exactly the attitude I want to see!" Aizen nodded approvingly, then looked toward Ruiga. "Don't worry about retaliation afterward. Now that I've decided to step out from the shadows, naturally I won't allow the Alliance to continue acting arrogantly!"
With those words from Aizen, Ruiga felt much reassured. "Haha! We'll surely achieve a great ranking!"
However, Aizen shook his head. "Honestly, apart from Toneri, I don't think the rest of you stand much of a chance in this competition."
The group felt astonished. If even Lord Aizen spoke this way, just how powerful must that youth be?
Toneri solemnly said, "Lord Aizen, my strength alone will be more than enough!"
No one became angry, understanding that he wasn't being arrogant—after all, he'd even taken down his own father without hesitation.
Aizen lightly tapped his fingers on the table. "One person's strength alone will only inspire fear toward that individual, not toward our organization. Only when everyone demonstrates formidable power will our organization's name truly resonate in people's hearts!"
Toneri suddenly understood. "I was being narrow-minded!"
Ruiga and the others felt surprised. Earlier, Aizen emphasized bringing glory; later, he stressed making the organization's name memorable. It seemed he truly took this matter seriously!
Wait, wasn't Aizen the kind of person who didn't care about empty glory?
Aizen smiled and took out ten Shinigami masks—the remaining ten from the original twenty-six Soul Reapers who had caused chaos in the Underworld. After returning, he'd reforged them, infusing them with the power of Hollow Orb and Truth-Seeking Balls—since replacing the Ten-Tails' core, he had become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki!
"Of course, these masks aren't for concealing your identities..."
At Aizen's words, everyone chuckled.
Just like how Kisame wields Samehada or Sasori uses Human Puppet, such distinctive features obviously can't be concealed with just a mask.
"Their first function is to serve as the organization's signature feature. Once you appear on the arena, others will immediately realize you belong to the same organization!"
Those who had once been members of Akatsuki quickly understood—it was like the "team uniform" the Akatsuki used to issue, a symbol of their noble status.
"As for the second function, it's to enhance your strength... Ruiga, try putting one on!"
"Yes!" Ruiga stepped forward and picked up a mask. Its surface appeared metallic, yet it felt as smooth and delicate as silk when touched.
Without hesitation, Ruiga put the mask on his face.
The next moment, an incredibly powerful Chakra surged into his body. He almost moaned out loud from how pleasant it felt.
"So strong... I feel like I could now take on ten of my former selves!"
Kakuzu's eyes lit up, and without any urging, he stepped forward and also put on a mask.
"It's definitely very strong, but I don't think it's exaggerated to the point of being able to fight ten of me from before—I'd say about five."
The others quickly followed, each putting on a mask.
"I feel like I'm now three times stronger than before!"
"Why do I only feel about twice as strong?"
When it was Toneri's turn to put on the mask, he said flatly, "Around 1.1 or 1.2 times stronger. Not much of a difference."
Ruiga's heart leaped with joy. "Could it really be the strongest mask?"
Aizen chuckled. "All the masks are the same. Of course, the weaker a person is, the more power boost they'll receive!"
Ruiga's smile immediately froze on his face, and he mentally comforted himself, "It's okay. This just means I still have a lot of room for improvement!"
The others instinctively turned their gazes toward Toneri. If the power enhancement was this small, it meant his strength alone might surpass all of them combined.
Kisame glanced curiously at the three remaining masks in front of Aizen and asked, "Are these three masks reserved for future recruits?"
Aizen smiled. "Their masters have already been decided, but I'm not ready to announce it yet."
Toneri and Xianglin's eyes lit up—they understood immediately that these three masks were reserved by Aizen for his old comrades.
Kisame and the other three exchanged uneasy glances. So those present weren't even the full extent of Aizen's forces.
Xianglin excitedly asked, "Lord Aizen, do we have a powerful, impressive name once we go outside?"
Aizen smiled. "Let's call it 'Espada'."
"Espada? Like the ten swords?" Xianglin asked excitedly. "I want to be the sharpest weapon in Lord Aizen's hand, even sharper than Brother Toneri!"
"That won't do. I also want the title of Second Espada!" Kisame chuckled.
Xianglin pouted like a child. "I said it first!"
"This isn't about who came first," Kisame said firmly. "Perhaps your devotion comes purely from admiration for Lord Aizen, but for me, it's a debt of gratitude I must repay!"
Xianglin snorted lightly, "Is that all it is? Uncle Shark, do you think anyone here hasn't received Lord Aizen's grace?"
Kakuzu and Ruiga instinctively nodded, recalling how Aizen had saved their lives years ago with the Greer Stone. Meanwhile, Sasori remembered how Aizen had helped him reunite with his family.
Seeing the reactions of the group, Kisame shook his head and chuckled, "I guess I was being shallow..."
Aizen tapped the table. "That's enough for today. Take this time to get used to the masks' abilities."
"Yes sir!"
Once the group left, Aizen pulled out half of the Hollow Orb. "With this, I can finally advance further within the divine system. Next, I'll use this competition to spread the name of my 'god'!"
"Also, it's time to remind the Alliance just how dangerous it is without a leader in place!"
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