Konoha Grand Arena.
Uchiha Shisui looked out at the crowded auditorium and took a deep breath. Today was his Jonin promotion exam, but in Shisui's eyes, it was a fateful battle. His opponent was a genius—Aizen Sosuke—a boy no less talented or diligent than himself.
Together, they were known as the "Twin Stars of Konoha." They were rivals, certainly, but also the best of friends.
Chink.
Shisui drew his sword from its sheath, his right hand trembling slightly as he gripped the hilt. It wasn't nervousness; it was pure excitement. He looked across the arena at the brown-haired boy with the gentle face and the smile in his eyes.
"I know, Aizen. You must be feeling the same way I am right now."
He understood Aizen, and Aizen understood him. Shisui felt they had reached a state of near-telepathy, able to read each other's thoughts with a single glance. It was a tacit understanding honed through years of fighting side-by-side on the battlefields of the Hidden Mist.
On the viewing platform, Sarutobi Hiruzen watched the two spirited young men, his lips curling into a slight smile. "Who do you think will win?"
"Hmph! Aizen was taught by me personally," Danzo Shimura replied coldly, his face a mask of stern indifference.
Despite his old friend's abrasive attitude, Hiruzen could hear the underlying smugness and pride in his tone. He couldn't help but needle him. "But I don't think Sosuke-kun has ever actually called you 'Teacher,' has he?"
Danzo's face twitched. "He belongs to my Root," he retorted. "He has no need for the cowardly, pathetic bonds you praise. The way of the ninja is not a child's game."
Hiruzen was momentarily stunned, sensing that his old friend was drifting further down a path of dangerous extremes. He opened his mouth to offer a warning. "Danzo, you—"
"It's about to begin, Hiruzen," Danzo interrupted. "Open your eyes and see the perfection of my work."
Hum.
With a soft chime, Aizen slowly drew the long sword from his waist. "Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu."
Clap.
A sound like a breaking mirror echoed throughout the venue. Wisps of mist began to radiate from Aizen, rapidly spreading in every direction.
As expected, is this his opening move?
Shisui's expression remained calm, but within his scarlet pupils, the three black magatama of the Sharingan began to spin rapidly. He knew this technique well; as Aizen's best friend, he was intimately familiar with the S-rank illusion.
The technique used light reflected from the blade to generate fog and water, interfering with an enemy's vision and trapping them in a hazy world. It also allowed Aizen to mask his presence and approach silently.
Just like he was doing now.
Shisui gripped the hilt of his short sword, spun suddenly, and swung in a horizontal arc.
Ding!
The two blades collided, sending sparks flying. Having missed his mark, Aizen pulled away to create distance. Shisui, blade firmly in hand, pressed forward without hesitation. Their incredible speed turned them into ghosts—blurry black shadows intersecting and separating across the arena floor.
The audience sat enthralled, unable to pull their eyes away from the breathtaking duel.
In that moment, no one—not even Sarutobi Hiruzen or Shimura Danzo on the podium—noticed a young man in a white kimono standing in the aisle directly in front of the spectator seats. He stood with his hands tucked into his sleeves, his face a mask of serenity.
He had fluffy brown hair, black-rimmed glasses, and a green-handled sword hanging at his waist. His expression was neither sad nor happy. If any spectator had looked his way, they would have realized the boy's appearance was identical to the Aizen Sosuke currently fighting in the arena.
But no one noticed. Even if someone had looked directly at him, they would have seen only an empty entrance.
This was the true, domineering power of Kyoka Suigetsu: Complete Hypnosis.
It wasn't a mere illusion; it was the power of a Zanpakuto. The moment Aizen released his blade, everyone in the arena became a captive of his will. Even the Sharingan, famous for piercing through Genjutsu, was powerless against the absolute authority of Kyoka Suigetsu.
This was the result of experiments conducted a long time ago by the soul inhabiting that body.
The brown-haired boy's real name was An Ran.
In his previous life on Earth, An Ran had been a renowned psychoanalyst in China, specializing in the mental patterns of "special" groups. His journey across dimensions had been uneventful—no car accidents, no lightning strikes. He had simply gone to sleep and woken up in the world of Naruto.
He found himself in the body of a young child, equipped with a "God-Level Character System." The function of this "cheat" was simple: drawing cards. The system contained characters from across the multiverse for him to randomly summon.
An Ran had drawn the Aizen Sosuke role-playing card at the start. By embodying Aizen—adopting his personality, preferences, and even his specific manner of speaking—he could increase his proficiency and gradually unlock the character's full suite of god-like abilities.
Role-playing was a delicate art, but the system provided a "user-friendly" assist, automatically adjusting his physical appearance and style to match Aizen's perfectly. More importantly, it had instilled Aizen's memories and vast talents into him. Without that foundation, he wouldn't have achieved such success over the last few years.
Pulling himself from his thoughts, An Ran glanced at the progress bar on his mental display.
Current Role-Playing Progress: 34%
Hum.
The air suddenly vibrated, twisting into a localized vortex. A man in a black cloak and a strange, swirling mask materialized silently behind him.