After Aizen reset the seal of the Dragon Veins, he left the area.
Although Aizen had drained the energy from the Dragon Veins, as long as its core remained intact, the energy would slowly regenerate over time. However, it would take decades for it to return to full power.
When Aizen emerged from within, the ominous visions that had filled the sky due to his power had already begun to dissipate. The people of Rōran, who had been gripped by fear and anxiety, were now regaining their composure, their faces once again filled with hope for life. To them, the earlier chaos now seemed like nothing more than a fleeting nightmare.
"Ha ha!" Aizen chuckled darkly as he looked at the hopeful faces of the people below. The sound of his laughter was unintelligible, almost sinister.
In a single bound, Aizen leaped and, in just a few breaths, he had landed outside Rōran City.
"This place will do nicely," he mused, as though choosing a blade in a butcher's shop.
He surveyed the area, nodding in satisfaction.
Without delay, Aizen began performing the hand seals as described in the 'Forbidden Scroll of Seals.'
Using the power of Kyōka Suigetsu, Aizen had managed to infiltrate the Hokage's office during a prime opportunity, where he had learned all the secret techniques written within the scroll.
As the final, twenty-ninth seal was completed, Aizen clasped his hands in front of his chest.
A massive surge of chakra exploded from him, radiating with such intensity that even Kage-level shinobi would have felt terror.
Boom!
With Rōran at the epicenter, the earth trembled violently within a radius of tens of kilometers.
The citizens of Rōran stood in shock.
Suddenly, a massive tree root, several meters wide, erupted from the ground behind Aizen. It snaked upwards, forming an arch-like bridge over the landscape. The thick, green tree trunk moved as though it were alive, twisting and coiling in the air like a colossal serpent.
Beneath the ground, countless more roots, just as large and terrifying, began to expand and grow. These subterranean behemoths rumbled through the earth, causing it to tremble in waves.
"Wood Style: Advent of a World of Trees!"
Boom!
It was as if a magnitude-9 earthquake had struck. The ground shook violently as thick tree trunks shot out of the earth, twisting and growing into massive, towering forms. These giant trees twisted together like pythons, spreading rapidly into the sky and sweeping in the direction of Rōran.
The Wood Style technique that had once calmed the warring clans and brought peace to the world during the time of Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage, had now returned to the world.
And the first to experience its wrath was Rōran.
Within moments, the wildly expanding trees had enveloped the entire city. No structure, no rock, nothing stood in the way of the unstoppable growth of the Wood Style. Everything was torn apart—hardened stone and towering buildings alike crumbled under the relentless force of the strangling branches.
To the horrified citizens of Rōran, the trees were unstoppable. Anyone who made contact with these monstrous creations was drained of their strength in an instant, rendered completely helpless.
In the next moment, those unfortunate souls were ensnared by the branches, which coiled around them and transformed them into blood-soaked cocoons.
The terror that gripped Rōran was unimaginable. The people screamed, cried, and pushed their bodies to the limit, desperately trying to escape the living nightmare that had consumed their city.
But there was no escape.
Once the Advent of a World of Trees was activated, only those with time-space ninjutsu or the ability to fly could hope to survive. Even a Kage-level shinobi would find themselves at the mercy of the technique, let alone the ordinary citizens of Rōran.
Soon, amidst the desperate and anguished screams of the people of Rōran, nearly all of them perished under the relentless assault of the Advent of a World of Trees. Only a lucky few managed to survive the onslaught of Wood Style.
This outcome was to be expected. While Wood Style is a powerful area-of-effect technique, it is not as all-encompassing as fire or water. With Rōran's population numbering in the tens of thousands, it was impossible for Aizen to locate and target every single person individually, then eliminate them with Wood Style.
Though, it wasn't as if Aizen lacked the ability to do so—it was simply too energy-consuming. Besides, even if he didn't wipe out all of Rōran with one attack, he could easily follow up and finish the job.
"Fire Style: Fire Release!"
Aizen sneered, forming a single tiger hand sign. Immediately, he unleashed a B-rank Fire Style ninjutsu effortlessly.
Puff!
A fiery tongue erupted from Aizen's mouth, transforming into a massive wave of flame as it hit the ground. The sheer magnitude of the firewave rivaled even the largest of S-rank Fire Style techniques.
The flames surged toward Rōran, engulfing the entire city in an instant. Under Aizen's deliberate control, the Wood Style caught fire, igniting a monstrous blaze that devoured everything in its path.
Within the billowing smoke and scorching flames, the few lucky survivors who had evaded the initial Wood Style attack were now facing certain doom.
Screams echoed through the burning city as the branches crackled and snapped. One by one, the agonized cries of the dying filled the air, from the young to the elderly, and even children.
As the horrifying scene unfolded before him, Aizen merely smiled.
"As long as there are leaves flying, the fire will burn! Now I understand. This is the true Will of Fire!" Aizen laughed maniacally, his voice filled with dark excitement.
After a while, the laughter subsided, and Aizen's face turned stoic as the trees and structures of Rōran burned to the ground, leaving nothing but rubble and scorched corpses behind.
Clang!
Aizen drew Kyōka Suigetsu from his waist, holding the blade across his chest. He looked intently at the shining edge of the blade, a glimmer of blue light flashing in his eyes.
Then, something extraordinary happened—the slightly curved blade of Kyōka Suigetsu began to straighten, even the tip transforming into a sharp, straight edge.
During Aizen's recent breakthrough, Kyōka Suigetsu had also completed its Bankai transformation.
The blade had now evolved beyond its former limitations. It could no longer be hindered by static interference, and its powers now allowed for the creation of the Hypnosis Field . Restrictions such as not being able to hypnotize the blind had been removed.
The new blade's shape resembled the famed Kusanagi sword wielded by Uchiha Sasuke, sleek and powerful.
Of course, Aizen had the option to maintain the original shape of Kyōka Suigetsu , but he chose not to. That was what the villain from Bleach had done, remaining unchanged.
But Aizen had a different vision.
Firstly, while much of Aizen's mastery of Swordsmanship was inherited from the villain, he knew that every swordsman walked a unique path. The new form of Kyōka Suigetsu was more suited to his evolving skills in Swordsmanship .
Secondly, and more importantly, Aizen had a singular determination—to ascend to the highest realms of Swordsmanship , surpassing even what the villain could achieve.
"That level of mastery... it's truly exhilarating," Aizen mused. He twisted Kyōka Suigetsu slightly in his hand before sliding it back into its sheath.
Luckily, Aizen had commissioned a custom straight scabbard for this very purpose. The scabbard was only slightly wider than a typical one, allowing the new Kyōka Suigetsu to fit perfectly.
"I'll need to forge a new sheath when I return." Aizen muttered to himself, glancing down at the blade resting at his waist.
With that, Aizen cast a final look at the ruins of Rōran before turning away, ready to depart as if nothing significant had transpired.
But then—
"Hmm?" Aizen paused, a flicker of recollection crossing his face.
He turned his head back toward Rōran, a mischievous smile forming on his lips.
"I wonder what kind of reaction Uzumaki Naruto will have when he receives a gift from me... across time and space," Aizen remarked with a twisted sense of amusement before vanishing into the distance.