Damn it, I almost died in Hueco Mundo! That bastard Aizen is insane—acting like the Menos Grandes are so impressive. Just you wait! When I can summon every single Titan Beast at once, I'll flatten Hueco Mundo and wipe that smug look off your face!"
Finally managing to escape from Hueco Mundo and return to the shinobi world, Aoyama couldn't stop himself from swearing. He cursed Aizen for more than an hour, only stopping when his throat was dry, but even then, the fire in his chest hadn't subsided. He made a silent vow—if he ever set foot in Soul Society again, he'd find a way to beat Aizen down. The humiliation of being bombarded endlessly by Ceros from countless Hollows would never fade otherwise.
Still, being back in the ninja world felt wonderful. Aside from the freakish Ōtsutsuki clan, there weren't many real threats here, which made Aoyama especially fond of this world. Well, perhaps he also needed to exclude Konoha's "rare beast"—the spandex-wearing Might Guy, who could open the Eighth Gate and nearly kicked a god to death with a single strike. Definitely someone not to provoke.
Breathing in the fresh air, Aoyama relaxed. Before long, a White Zetsu emerged in front of him.
The creature was scratching its backside and making strange movements. Aoyama tilted his head, puzzled by what he was seeing.
After a dozen seconds, White Zetsu sighed helplessly and asked, "Aoyama, do you know what it feels like to… You know, take a dump? Why can't I do it?"
Only White Zetsu could come up with such an absurd question. No other being in the entire ninja world would ask something like this, especially with such a "sincere thirst for knowledge" written all over his face.
Aoyama thought for a moment, then patiently explained:
"It's like this—you know, at first it feels uncomfortable, then you need to use a bit of force in the middle, and at the end it feels really good."
White Zetsu's eyes lit up with understanding. "Ahhh, I get it now! As expected of you, Aoyama. I asked other people, and they just called me an idiot. I think they're the real idiots. Anyway, the leader sent me to find you. You need to go to Konoha. Orochimaru is waiting there—he has a mission for you to carry out together."
Aoyama thought back. If he remembered correctly, Konoha had dispatched a special squad to the Land of Rain to investigate the circumstances of Danzō Shimura's death. That squad had been ambushed by Akatsuki members. Aside from Hatake Kakashi, the others hadn't been particularly strong. If Might Guy hadn't unleashed the Eight Gates, Akatsuki could have wiped them out easily.
Later, to keep Konoha reinforcements from reaching the Land of Rain, Pain had even held a meeting to assign more manpower.
Although Aoyama wasn't sure why Pain wanted him to head for Konoha now—since it seemed the village was still quite busy—he perked up when he heard Orochimaru would be involved. With that, he didn't reject the mission.
"Got it. Go back and tell Pain I'll meet up with Orochimaru in Konoha for the task."
"Alright, I'm off then."
White Zetsu melted into the ground like water, vanishing as quietly as he had arrived. Truly, his talents made him perfectly suited for reconnaissance and intelligence gathering.
Rising to his feet, Aoyama oriented himself toward Konoha. Snaring some game along the way, he hurried down the road, curious about the mission awaiting him.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru had returned near Konoha. Rather than entering directly, he first sought out one of his old laboratories outside the village.
"Hehehehehe…"
"The barrier seals of Root, hm? It seems Danzō has claimed my lab for himself."
"Still, taking what isn't his doesn't quite fit the behavior of a 'partner.' Let's see what you've done with my laboratory, Danzō. Release!"
For Orochimaru, Root's barriers were meaningless. With a casual technique, he unraveled the protective seal.
Inside, most of the valuable equipment had already been carried away by Root operatives. Only scraps and worthless materials remained. Orochimaru didn't mind. Instead, he walked deeper into the laboratory, stopping in front of a wall. Forming hand seals, he pressed a hand against the surface and whispered:
"Open."
The wall split apart, revealing a hidden chamber filled with scrolls of unknown content.
Orochimaru summoned a snake, which swallowed the scrolls whole. Satisfied, he exited the secret room—only to find Aoyama outside, roasting a rabbit over a fire. Orochimaru raised an eyebrow.
"You actually knew this lab was here?"
Aoyama proudly held up the roasted rabbit. "Of course not. But Kongō's nose is incredibly sharp. He picked up your scent along the way, and I figured this had to be one of your labs. So I waited outside."
"Though you never inherited the Snake Contract, your summons don't seem any weaker than the creatures of the Three Great Holy Lands. Especially Kongō—his combat instincts are enviable. With enough battles and time, his future growth will be extraordinary."
"What, only praise for Kongō? Don't tell me you don't like Godzilla anymore. I clearly remember you collecting plenty of Godzilla's scales and using them to craft ninja tools."
"Hehehehe… While Godzilla is fascinating, I'm more interested in the giant beast you summoned against Kakashi. A colossal creature over a hundred meters tall… what exactly was that?"
At the mention, the memory of Behemoth's towering body surfaced in Aoyama's mind.
He shrugged. "If you mean Behemoth, I wouldn't recommend studying him. Summoning him is troublesome, and honestly, he just looks like a giant elephant. Nothing too exciting to research."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "Is that so? A pity. Still, if there's ever a chance, I'd very much like to see this Behemoth with my own eyes."
"Then you'll just have to wait."
Aoyama didn't mind Orochimaru studying the Titan Beasts. In the Monsterverse, humanity had already studied many Titans and even created terrifying mechanical monsters based on them.
One of those—the Mechagodzilla—was even stronger than Godzilla himself.
With Orochimaru's genius, if he maxed out his "technology talent tree," he could no doubt unearth incredible discoveries from the Titans. For example, Kongō's axe which could absorb and unleash energy, and even grow larger alongside Kongō's own development.
Still, Behemoth was far too massive. Summoning him was exhausting, and his size made concealment impossible.