Chapter 96: The Purpose Revealed
"Wall of iron fan, thou who art unable to cut off a blade."
"Soar through the heavens, you sun-wheel; scatter and become a thousand ripples of light."
"Bakudō Number Eighty-One: Dankū!"
As Aizen's chant concluded, the space in front of him twisted.
A transparent, rectangular wall of light shimmered into existence, an insurmountable heavenly barrier standing between him and the incoming threat.
Though the wall appeared thin and translucent, it radiated an aura of absolute solidity. It gave the impression that as long as one stood behind it, they were utterly untouchable.
The massive water bullet, carrying its immense energy, tore through the air and slammed aggressively into the luminous shield.
BOOM!
A colossal explosion of water erupted. The originally fluid droplets, infused with Gamabunta's potent chakra, became like a storm of sharpened knives, scattering in every direction like a torrential downpour of deadly pear blossoms.
The great Konoha Shinobi Village, already in chaos, suffered further devastation. Those razor-sharp water droplets rained down on the surrounding buildings, punching holes through walls and roofs.
After the collapse of Konoha's tallest watchtower, the surrounding structures were now being systematically destroyed by the aftermath of the battle between Gamabunta and Aizen. The scene was heartbreaking to behold.
No one could have imagined that just half a day ago, Konoha was a thriving, prosperous hub—the center of the Land of Fire, a cradle of countless geniuses. Now, it lay in ruins, suffering a blow of unprecedented severity.
The sky over Konoha was shrouded in a haze of dust and despair, with fierce battles raging in every district. But the clash between Aizen and Jiraiya held the attention of all, for its outcome would undoubtedly decide the village's fate.
When the watery explosion finally dissipated, the luminous wall stood tall and utterly unscathed.
Countless water droplets traced paths down the surface of the barrier, making the transparent wall gleam like crystal, reflecting the light so brightly it was hard to look upon.
"Impossible!"
This time, Gamabunta was truly shocked. He had never expected the power of this "Splitting Void" technique to be so absolute. The seemingly fragile wall of light had completely neutralized his strongest water-based assault.
"It seems I underestimated him, Jiraiya," Gamabunta grumbled, his voice now heavy with seriousness as he stared up at Aizen, who stood calmly in mid-air.
He no longer dared to take Aizen lightly. The boy was not a mere nuisance to be dismissed.
"Boss, his abilities are too strange," Jiraiya said, his brow deeply furrowed. "I can't even feel the slightest trace of chakra fluctuation when he uses them."
While Gamabunta had been fighting, Jiraiya had been observing intently, searching for any clue, any weakness in Aizen's enigmatic power.
But it was futile.
No matter how closely he watched, he found nothing. He hadn't seen a single hand seal. The barrier had simply… appeared. Such a phenomenon defied all known principles of ninjutsu and left the seasoned Sannin deeply unsettled.
High above, Aizen stood upon the air as if it were solid ground. A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched his lips. The exchange with Gamabunta had finally stirred a hint of genuine battle spirit within his long-dormant heart. The Toad Boss's power far surpassed that of Kakashi or Guy; he was an opponent worthy of Aizen's serious attention.
Of course, Aizen only placed Gamabunta on equal footing because his own power was but a shadow of its former peak.
That was all.
Were he the Captain Aizen of old, this confrontation would have ended before it began.
"This level of power finally warrants my seriousness," Aizen acknowledged, his voice carrying clearly through the air. His expression was no longer the mask of utter boredom he had worn against the two jonin. "There is substance to your reputation, Legendary Sannin."
"Aizen Sōsuke," Jiraiya called out, his voice cold and level. "What is your goal? Why the elaborate deception, the patient infiltration?"
He thought back to their "accidental" meeting a month prior. It now seemed clear that Aizen had approached him with a specific purpose…
A storm of realization raged in Jiraiya's mind, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He suddenly understood that Aizen's fall into the creek was no accident. He had targeted Naruto from the start.
And shortly after they had fallen into the water together, the Nine-Tails' chakra had erupted inexplicably.
"So that's it! The strange power that flared in Naruto that day… that was your doing!"
As the pieces clicked into place, the full picture became horrifyingly clear to Jiraiya. Aizen had deliberately gotten close to him for one reason: to access the Nine-Tails sealed within Naruto.
"You knew about the secret inside Naruto all along," Jiraiya's voice grew colder, the air around him dropping to a glacial temperature that made one's skin prickle. "Your entire infiltration of Konoha… was for the Nine-Tailed Fox?"
"Taming the Nine-Tails?" Jiraiya let out a harsh, disbelieving laugh. "As strong as you are, to think you can control that beast is pure fantasy." Even the Fourth Hokage, the famed Yellow Flash, had lost his life containing the Nine-Tails on the day of its rampage.
"The Nine-Tails?" Aizen shook his head slowly, a look of profound disinterest on his face. "A pity, Jiraiya. Your deduction is completely incorrect."
He paused, letting the words hang in the tense air.
"On what basis do you make such an assumption?" he asked, his tone dripping with condescension. "I am well aware my strength has not yet returned to its zenith. But that creature poses no threat to me."
"Since you believe I cannot tame the fox," Aizen continued, his eyes sharpening, a domineering aura swelling around him, "then I will simply crush you all here. Afterward, I will take Uzumaki Naruto and extract the sealed beast from his body."
He looked down upon the Sannin and the Toad Boss, his final declaration simple and absolute.
"It's as straightforward as that."