Boom—!
The moment Aizen raised his hand, all the heavy chains wrapped around his body shattered like glass, exploding with a crash.
It wasn't just the chains.
With his slight movement, the entire world constructed by Tsukuyomi began to shake and collapse violently, as if an earthquake had struck.
From the sky, the earth, the water—all the elements that made up this world.
The battlefield, originally an endless crimson, rapidly cracked into countless fragments, and a continuous stream of cold seawater surged from beneath the earth, quickly covering the world where the two stood.
Uchiha Itachi had almost no time to react; this world, which should have been completely under his control, had already changed its appearance.
The two stood opposite each other in the chilling seawater, surrounded by countless tall buildings like blocks, indistinguishable from up, down, left, or right. Even the most basic gravity had vanished, and he couldn't even control his own body.
'How is this possible?!'
Uchiha Itachi's heart trembled as he looked incredulously at Aizen, who stood silently before him.
Compared to when he had parried his full-power sword strike with a single finger in the forest, the scene unfolding before him brought an impact that was countless times greater.
This was his unique Dōjutsu!
As if sensing his astonishment, Aizen, just as before, patiently enlightened him:
"Dōjutsu or rules, it doesn't matter."
"In reality, they are merely 'realities' constructed by the Sharingan through the essence of Yin Release."
"So, as long as one is stronger than you and your Mangekyo Sharingan combined, a so-called Dōjutsu is nothing more than a relatively special genjutsu."
Given Aizen's character, if he would voluntarily appear before something that might pose a threat to him, it could only mean one thing.
He already had ample confidence.
As early as when he was studying the battles between Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, he had often wondered.
If the so-called Mangekyo Sharingan was truly that powerful, then how did Senju Hashirama deal with Uchiha Madara?
In the end, the solution to all problems seemed to lie in Senju Hashirama's unbelievably vast Chakra reserves.
Although he didn't know that there was an even higher level of eyes above the Mangekyo Sharingan, and that the Eternal Mangekyo possessed a very special quality.
That is, direct Dōjutsu casting from a lower-level Mangekyo is completely ineffective against it.
Not only are Eternal Eyes immune to Mangekyo, but even Susanoo itself can be immune to Dōjutsu from other Mangekyo.
However, this did not prevent him from deducing, from various details, the impact of differences in the quality and quantity of Yin Release on the Mangekyo Dōjutsu itself.
It was no exaggeration to say.
In terms of the quality of Yin Release Chakra—that is, the essence of the soul—he had no real opponent in this world.
When he had comprehensively monitored Uchiha Itachi during his awakening, Aizen had already understood this.
This was why he appeared directly before Uchiha Itachi.
However, the sense of shock brought by this result, deduced through scientific methodology, was clearly unbelievable for Uchiha Itachi, who had only an elementary school education.
"This is impossible!"
He widened his eyes, his crimson Mangekyo spinning rapidly in the center of his pupils, blood continuously flowing from his eye sockets, covering half of his face.
However, no matter how he urged it.
This Tsukuyomi world was as if fixed by some invisible wedge, unable to budge even an inch.
The only thing he could clearly feel was the thick and stable essence of the soul of the seemingly ordinary man before him, like a mountain.
How could such a monster exist in this world?
The relaxed feeling of impending revenge suddenly plummeted, turning into endless despair.
How could Uchiha Itachi be willing to accept this?
In this situation, he once again forcefully activated his Dōjutsu power.
But this time, he injected it into his other eye.
[Kotokamatsukami]
The young man stared directly at the unmoving figure before him, and with a powerful emotion that exhausted his entire life, he let out a shout that pierced the soul:
"Die—!!"
In that instant, under his 'command,' the entire world seemed to waver for a moment.
Even the figure of the man in front seemed to blur for an instant.
However, that was all.
Uchiha Itachi looked forward in despair.
Aizen Sōsuke's figure, though standing in water, seemed to walk on land, approaching him step by step.
He extended his hand, lifted the young man's chin, and looked down at those crimson eyes.
"Truly beautiful eyes."
The next moment, with a bang.
The entire Tsukuyomi world collapsed completely under his will.
Returning to reality, Uchiha Itachi felt his entire body go limp, kneeling on the ground, his frustration and despair beyond words.
How could he, at this level, possibly defeat such a monster?
He slowly lowered his head, no longer resisting:
"You've done all this, presumably for these eyes."
"Let Sasuke go."
"I will give you these eyes completely."
"...Please."
However, what answered him was Aizen's seemingly unchanging, peaceful voice:
"What can these eyes alone change?"
"Itachi-kun."
Hearing this, Uchiha Itachi, who had already fallen into complete despair, seemed to pause for a moment, raising his head in astonishment to look at him.
Aizen Sōsuke stood at the boundary of moonlight and the shadows of the dense forest, revealing to him a smile as refreshing as spring, just like when they first met:
"I've done all this just to make you understand, Itachi."
"You must have experienced it firsthand by now, haven't you?"
"The pain from the Village, the pain from the clan, the pain from loved ones..."
"And what is the root cause of all this?"
Listening to his voice, Uchiha Itachi subconsciously recalled the advice he had sought when they ate at Ichiraku Ramen together.
—The more you are unable to make a choice, the more you must strengthen your inner resolve and not be swayed by the opinions of those around you.
Carefully choose the people you should kill.
"The root cause of all this..."
Uchiha Itachi looked down at the blood-soaked soil, and in an instant, countless figures flashed through his mind: Sandaime, his father, Sasuke, Kakashi-senpai... everyone he knew.
He whispered, seemingly lost in thought, yet uncertain: "...Is it us, as Ninja, who chose killing as a way of life, and therefore must obey orders?"
Listening to his murmuring, disbelieving whisper, Aizen's smile grew even gentler:
"As a profession that produces nothing yet wields the world's most powerful force, the identity of a Ninja itself is the original sin."
"If it continues, then tragedies like Kakashi, like you, like Sasuke, will randomly occur one after another, endlessly."
"It's unavoidable."
"Therefore, I yearn to change such a distorted world."
He spoke, extending his hand to the young man kneeling on the ground, at a loss.
The night sky was like ink, and the boundless moonlight poured down, dyeing the man's figure into a silver silhouette, even fading the deepest night.
However, this cool brilliance could not even compare to a trace of his calm smile, and his voice was as deep and gentle as ever:
"Itachi-kun."
"Will you help me achieve this ideal?"