Kazekage's Office
Kenya stood at the windowsill, gazing down at the ever-prosperous Sunagakure.
Slowly, he raised his left hand, covering his face, and then slid it down. The mask of composure he wore each day only truly revealed his real self for less than half that time.
Part of the Konoha Collapse Plan had already been shared with the three siblings—Gaara, Kankurō, and Temari. Kenya believed that the damage dealt to Konoha this time would be far greater than what occurred in the original timeline.
And only by shattering first, could they stand anew.
Leaning back into the office chair, Kenya closed his eyes. When they opened again, he was no longer in Sunagakure, but standing in a grand and imposing palace.
Seireitei.
Of course, it wasn't the true Seireitei, but rather a training ground crafted by the system's functions. The system could generate a virtual battlefield modeled on the data of whatever template character was being unlocked.
For example, in the case of Aizen Sōsuke from Bleach, the system reproduced Seireitei because that was the world in which Aizen grew and ascended to power.
Though it was nothing more than a simulation, the atmosphere was still solemn and heavy, nearly indistinguishable from the real thing.
The moment Kenya stepped through the great gate into the virtual Seireitei, the silence shattered.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Dozens of Shinigami appeared in an instant, clad in black Shihakushō, their Zanpakutō gleaming in the light.
Among them were lieutenants bearing their squad insignias, and even captains draped in flowing white haori.
Kenya recognized none of them. These were not characters from Ichigo Kurosaki's era, but Aizen's foes from centuries earlier—before Shinji Hirako and Aizen's time in the Fifth Division.
The captain before him bore the number Five on his haori, and his lieutenant's badge also marked him as Fifth Division.
"Raaahhh!!!"
The NPC Shinigami roared as one, Zanpakutō flashing from their sheaths as they rushed toward him.
Kenya's eyes remained cold. In a fluid motion, he unsheathed Kyōka Suigetsu. A silver gleam danced across his dark pupils.
In the blink of an eye—
The three Shinigami leading the charge froze mid-swing, their bodies already severed in two. Before they could even hit the ground, their forms dissolved into digital fragments and vanished.
But the surrounding Shinigami did not falter. Roaring, they pressed their assault, unleashing Shikai and hurling Kidō.
Kenya vanished into Shunpo, weaving through sword strikes and blasts of Kidō with effortless grace. By the time his enemies even realized where he had gone, Kyōka Suigetsu was already claiming more lives.
It was a scene reminiscent of Uchiha Madara during the Fourth Shinobi World War—an unstoppable figure wading through countless foes.
"Hadō #88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!!!"
The Fifth Division captain raised his hand, unleashing a blinding pillar of thunderous blue energy, its destructive force rivaling a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Kenya's Sharingan flickered. He calmly raised his left hand.
"Bakudō #81: Dankū."
BOOM!
A massive translucent barrier appeared before him.
The clash shook the entire virtual Seireitei. Explosions roared, winds howled, and a mushroom cloud rose into the air—only to be sliced apart by the sword aura that followed.
At the center of it all, Kenya and the Fifth Division captain crossed blades.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Their strikes were too fast for the eye to follow. Swordsmanship, Shunpo, Kidō, tactics—all intertwined in a battle surpassing even Kage-level combat.
…
Kenya did not know how much time had passed before he finally slid Kyōka Suigetsu back into its sheath.
Behind him, the captain of the Fifth Division collapsed, bloodied and broken, his Zanpakutō snapped in half. Moments later, his form dissolved into nothingness.
[Current Template Character: Aizen Sōsuke — Unlock Progress: 37.69%]
"Not even 40% yet? But… does this progress reflect Shinigami Aizen, or the Hōgyoku Aizen?"
The thought lingered in his mind as he withdrew from the virtual Seireitei.
Back in his office, Kenya's eyes fell on the stack of paperwork piled high on his desk. He sighed bitterly.
It wasn't quite as overwhelming as what Naruto faced after becoming Hokage, but it wasn't far off either.
Truth be told, he preferred the indulgence of a Wine Pond, Meat Forest far more than the monotony of daily administration.
"Three months until the Chūnin Exams…"
Picking up his brush and the first document, Kenya murmured under his breath, "It's coming soon. What is owed to me… will finally be repaid."