Chapter 31: The Tools of Illusion
The forest in the northern sector of Konoha was a place of deep shadows and profound silence. Under the blanket of a moonless night, it was the perfect sanctuary. After his meeting with Danzō, Aizen Sōsuke did not return to the monitored house. He moved with a purpose, his destination a secluded grove far from prying eyes.
He stood before a formation of moss-covered boulders. With a thought, the air whispered.
Swish.
He vanished, reappearing an instant later, his feet planted firmly on a large rock fifty meters away. The movement was flawless, silent, and left no disturbance in the air.
"Shunpo," he murmured, the Bleach technique's name feeling natural on his tongue.
If Kurenai were to witness this, her composure would have shattered. During the day, his performance with the basic Body Flicker Technique had been impressive for a genin. But this… this was something else entirely. A distance of fifty meters in a single, effortless motion was a level of mastery that defied all conventional understanding of a new academy graduate.
"It is time to assess the value of Danzō's 'gift'," Aizen said to the quiet night, his voice calm.
He unsealed the ninjutsu scroll without a trace of excitement. He was under no illusions. A man like Danzō would never part with truly valuable techniques out of generosity. This scroll was a test, a bribe of convenient tools, and a way to make Aizen's power predictable. It was filled with the common, low-level ninjutsu that formed the backbone of a genin's arsenal, perfect for the image Aizen needed to project.
He needed to master these tools to make his performance in the Chunin Exams believable. The finals, he knew, would be a grand spectacle watched by the entire village and dignitaries from other lands. It would be the perfect stage, the first true moment to begin weaving his illusions for a wider audience.
He opened the scroll fully. The contents were, as expected, a catalogue of basic techniques across multiple natures: Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique, Wind Style: Breakthrough, Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu, and Lightning Style: Earth-Style Wall.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched his lips. In his previous life, such elementary manipulations of energy would have been beneath his notice. But here, they were the perfect bricks and mortar for the facade he was building.
More importantly, mastering them was trivial. His mutated spiritual power seed, which constantly refined itself to generate chakra, gave him a unique advantage. His chakra wasn't restricted to a single nature; it could mimic all five basic transformations with ease. These ninjutsu were not challenges to overcome, but simply recipes to memorize.
His eyes, sharp and analytical, scanned the hand seals and chakra flow diagrams once. His mind, a fortress of knowledge and strategy, committed them to memory instantly.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique," Aizen announced calmly.
His hands flew through the seals with a speed and precision that would make a chunin envious. He took a sharp breath, and chakra—a hybrid energy tinged with his unique spiritual pressure—condensed in his lungs and rushed forth.
BOOM!
A torrent of water erupted from his mouth, twisting and coiling into the form of a majestic, roaring dragon. The construct of water slammed into a distant tree with a thunderous crash, splintering wood and soaking the earth. The sound echoed briefly before the forest swallowed it, returning to its deep silence.
"Adequate power for a genin's display," Aizen commented, his tone neutral. For him, this was merely data collection. Mastering the five basic natures was a stepping stone, and these low-level jutsu were simply the brushes he would use to paint his masterpiece of deception.
He spent the rest of the night in the grove, a solitary figure under the starlight. He cycled through each technique again and again, not to improve, but to achieve a practiced, believable proficiency. By the time the first hints of dawn tinged the horizon, he could perform each jutsu with the flawless, almost bored ease of a seasoned veteran.
As the sun rose, Aizen straightened his simple clothes, his expression smoothing back into one of gentle humility. He left the grove and began his journey to Training Ground 8. Today held a new significance. Today, Team 8 was scheduled for a joint training session with Team 10. It would be another excellent opportunity to observe, to learn, and to carefully reinforce his image as Konoha's most promising new genius.