Naruto still remembered his first encounter with Aizen.
At the time, he was just ending another miserable day. A group of children from the village had ganged up and beaten him. He had dragged his battered body back to his small hut, eaten a bowl of instant noodles, given himself a cursory wipe-down, and prepared for sleep.
Even as a young child, Naruto had noticed he was different from ordinary students. No matter how severe his injuries, the bruises would vanish by the next day, and his stamina would recover. This meant he wasn't a normal person. Perhaps, just as the villagers said, he really was the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox.
With these complex thoughts weighing on his mind, he fell into a deep sleep. His consciousness sank, drawn into a mysterious space.
Drip. Drop.
The sound of dripping water woke Naruto. He opened his eyes in a daze, and what greeted him was a dim, gloomy, and cold basement.
"Where is this?" Naruto wondered, bewildered. He had been asleep just a moment ago, and now he was in an unfamiliar space. "Is anyone here?" he shouted, his voice echoing in the chamber.
Guided by the faint light, Naruto fumbled forward. The cold, damp air made him hug his arms, his eyes filled with fear. Soon, he felt his way to an iron gate. A sealing strip was pasted on it.
Through the dim light, a figure materialized. He wore a white robe, had brown, wavy hair, an eternally confident and gentle smile, and a pair of inscrutable eyes hidden behind glasses.
Aizen.
Full name: Aizen Sousuke. From the world of Shinigami, former captain of the Gotei 13's Fifth Division, who later betrayed Soul Society to become the ruler of Hueco Mundo. Outwardly refined and gentle, he was, in reality, cold-hearted and immensely ambitious. He had only one goal: to transcend the Shinigami and pursue ultimate power. He viewed everyone around him as mere pawns to be manipulated at will. After obtaining supreme power, he became even more conceited and arrogant, successively defeating the Shinigami who stood in his path. But he was ultimately defeated by Kurosaki Ichigo, who had mastered "Mugetsu," and was imprisoned in the deepest level of hell, Muken.
That was Aizen's original life story. However, the Aizen here was still the powerful and polite captain of the Fifth Division within the Shinigami ranks.
In the sealed space, facing a completely bewildered Naruto, Aizen adjusted his glasses, his brown eyes glinting. For some time now, whenever he fell asleep at night, his consciousness would arrive in this dark space. A screen of light would appear before him, displaying snippets of Uzumaki Naruto's life.
Thus, Aizen had observed Naruto's life: controlled by the higher-ups, bullied by the villagers as the demon fox, enduring all sorts of cold shoulders and malice. With Aizen's intellect, he quickly understood that Naruto was a terrifying weapon in the eyes of Konoha's leadership. To control Naruto, they had made him the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, an object of hatred for all villagers, so that they could then become Naruto's "light."
It was a very low-level brainwashing tactic. Pathetically clumsy, even. Naruto, growing up in such an environment, could easily develop hatred for the village, even go on a rampage. But, incredibly, Naruto harbored no hatred for Konoha and even aspired to become Hokage.
Hokage – the title for the leader of a ninja village. What Aizen understood of the Hokage was merely the tip of the iceberg of the entire ninja world. He was intensely curious about this unknown world. Previously, he had persecuted the former Fifth Division Captain, Hirako Shinji, making him an experiment for Shinigami Hollowfication, thereby seeking a way to break through the limits of Shinigami power.
Now, he wanted to understand the secrets of the ninja world through Naruto's perspective, to find a power that surpassed that of the Shinigami. This world had no Soul Society, no Shinigami, and certainly no Shinigami power system like Reiatsu. Instead, there were ninja and Chakra. Every ninja could use Chakra to perform ninjutsu of different elemental affinities. Unfortunately, Naruto had never yet witnessed the use of ninjutsu.
Aizen understood. Uzumaki Naruto's "level" wasn't high enough yet. Or perhaps, once he matured, he would come into contact with the mysterious art of ninjutsu. For now, Aizen's curiosity about ninjutsu outweighed any direct desire for it. But this was, after all, another world's system; there were surely many more things worth exploring and understanding.
Naruto, as Aizen's "eyes," needed to grow properly. So, Aizen put on that refined demeanor he always feigned. He greeted Naruto, "Uzumaki Naruto. I finally meet you."
"You know me?" Naruto asked, surprised.
"Of course. You like instant noodles, dislike expired milk, and you greatly dislike everyone's hostile gazes. You want to become Hokage," Aizen's voice was magnetic. "I know you better than you think. I've been paying close attention to you, Naruto."
That phrase, "I've been paying close attention to you," instantly brought tears to Naruto's eyes. Other than Grandpa Third, this was the first person to treat him this way. No, this Mr. Aizen understood him even better than Grandpa Third.
"By the way, my name is Aizen Sousuke. You can call me… Aizen."
The meeting with Aizen was simple. He was like a ray of light that illuminated Naruto's world. With Aizen's help, Naruto began to read books and try to think independently.
"Sometimes, what your eyes see isn't real." "Why do you, who are seen as the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, possess a human form? Why are you so weak that even children can bully you?" "Every world has its rules, and living in this world, you are bound by those rules. To you, Konoha is a protective umbrella, but it is also a place that shackles you." "Will you choose to obey the rules, or will you step outside them and become a rule-maker?" Aizen at that time would always speak in difficult-to-understand phrases, his eyes profound.
Naruto hadn't understood at first, but now, he too was beginning to try and think. How to look beyond the surface of events to see the truth. How to understand his own situation and make the most perfect response.
Naruto shed his childishness and innocence, becoming elegant, and at the same time, more taciturn. He grew continuously through learning and developed a deep curiosity about Aizen. He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but Naruto always felt that this refined and gentle man had another side to him. He was so unfathomably deep. It always felt like he wasn't seeing Aizen's true face.
"Aizen-sensei, why are you helping me?" One day, Naruto voiced the question hidden in his heart. Aizen had inexplicably appeared in the sealed space and had so gently taught him. If it were the old Naruto, he would have been moved to tears of gratitude, eager to worship Aizen as his god. But now, he would instead ponder.
There was no such thing as absolutely selfless help in the world. There must be something Aizen-sensei wanted from him.
Facing Naruto's question, Aizen smiled. "To be able to ask this question, it seems you are no longer the Uzumaki Naruto of before."
"I come from another world. My purpose is simple." "One, to understand the secrets of ninjutsu through your eyes. Perhaps it can become an asset to me in the future." "Two, your life serves as a diversion for my otherwise dull existence. I want to see how the Naruto who has broken free from conspiracies will treat Konoha, how he will overturn this world." "Three, on a personal note, I greatly dislike Konoha because their methods are too clumsy, too foolish. So, I simply lent you a hand."
The memory ended.
A faint smile touched Naruto's lips. Regardless, it was an indisputable fact that Aizen had done him a great service. Without him, Naruto might still be pathetically aspiring to become "Hokage."