In Muken
The silence in Muken was as absolute as Aizen's boredom.
"Nineteen thousand, nine hundred years left." He mused aloud, mocking his remaining sentence as if it were a mere trifle.
Without warning, he was pulled into his inner world, finding himself face-to-face with the Hōgyoku.
"Returning to your master at last?" Aizen's tone held no gratitude, only expectation.
"Not quite," replied the Hōgyoku with an edge of disdain. "Consider this pity."
Aizen's gaze sharpened. "I have no need for your pity."
"And yet, you long for freedom," the Hōgyoku continued, ignoring his words. "I could grant you that."
Aizen's mind turned, calculating. "What would you gain from such generosity?"
"Call it a farewell gift from your servant, my pitiful master. I'll send you to another world." the Hōgyoku
Aizen's lip curled in faint amusement. "A parting gift? Another world?"
A spark of anticipation lit his gaze. Another world. A fresh host of lives to entertain him.
"Then this is goodbye, Master." The Hōgyoku's voice faded as it began to glow, sending Aizen spiraling into an unfamiliar world.
In the Naruto World
Aizen awoke, eyes focusing on a surreal sight: a colossal fox, its nine tails thrashing in fury, impaling two figures as if skewering flies. Behind it stood the spectral Shinigami, its tantō poised to strike.
A woman's voice trembled in the air, soft yet filled with resolve. "Naruto…don't be picky… eat well, grow strong…" The woman's words drifted in and out as she imparted her final wishes to her newborn son, braving unimaginable pain with every word.
Her husband looked on, his voice calm despite the desperation in his eyes. "Our son…Naruto…" His words faded, and the sealing began.
Son? Aizen realized with sudden clarity. So, the Hōgyoku reincarnated me.
Kushina's gaze fell on Hiruzen, standing just outside the barrier. "Promise me you'll care for him," she implored, her last wish hanging in the air.
Hiruzen nodded solemnly, "I promise."
With that, Kushina's strength gave way, her barrier dissolving as her final breath slipped away. The Kyuubi's energy subsided, the Shinigami sealing it within Aizen's new form, and Minato and Kushina's lifeless bodies crumbled to the ground.
When Hiruzen approached, lifting the newborn into his arms, he glanced around, meeting the eyes of the surrounding shinobi. "No one will speak of what happened here tonight."
Council Room
The emotions were impossible to contain. Grief for the lives lost, relief for the safety of the child they had left behind, all were woven into Hiruzen's heart as he held the newborn in his arms. But he was forced to bury those feelings as he resumed his position as Hokage.
Sitting in his seat, he observed the elders and clan heads who filled the room, each one of them a picture of unease and expectation. He silenced the room with a hand and pointed to Shikaku Nara.
"We've lost nearly a third of our forces," Shikaku reported soberly. "Most of the jounin survived, but our genin and chunin numbers have taken a critical hit. The Academy was destroyed, but with enough manpower, we'll rebuild."
"Prepare a full report by tomorrow," Hiruzen commanded. He turned next to Fugaku Uchiha, head of the Uchiha clan.
"Fugaku-sam during the attack, I noticed a distinct lack of Uchiha manpower." Hiruzen
Fugaku responded, "Hokage-sama, the majority of the Uchiha clan was concerned with evacuating civilians before entering the battle. When you look at Nara-san's report tomorrow, I am sure that you will find the names of two or three dozen Uchiha that died." As he spoke there was the smallest hint of irritation in his voice, showing that he was not happy with his clan being questioned.
Danzo interrupted, as expected. "Yet with the Sharingan's power, wouldn't it have been better to..."
Fugaku cut him off with chilling clarity. "The Kyuubi can only be controlled by the Mangekyou Sharingan. No Uchiha currently possesses that power."
Hiruzen moved on. "Next question."
"Since you've resumed your position as Hokage, are we to assume…" Hiashi hesitated, but Hiruzen nodded before he could finish.
"The Fourth is gone," Hiruzen confirmed, the grief heavy in his voice.
Danzo was the next to speak, his tone a precise blade. "What became of the Kyuubi? As we know, the tailed beasts are immortal."
Hiruzen sighed inwardly, suppressing his frustration. "The answer is right here," he said, pulling back the bundle's covering to reveal Aizen's face. The clan heads collectively recoiled; despite his newborn appearance, Aizen's eyes held a penetrating, chillingly condescending gaze that unsettled even the most hardened shinobi.
"Those eyes…" Shikaku muttered, feeling as if he were under the scrutiny of something far more ancient and dangerous than a mere child.
Danzo leaned forward, his ambition unmasked. "Hokage-sama, let me take him under my wing. I'll teach him to control the Kyuubi's power and turn him into a weapon worthy of, "
At that, Aizen glared directly at Danzo, a look that belied his infant form. His intellect and disdain were unmistakable, and it left even the hardened tactician speechless.
"Extraordinary," Shikaku thought, his mind racing. This infant… he understands us!
But Hiruzen refused Danzo's request. When Fugaku offered to raise Aizen within the Uchiha clan, Hiruzen again declined, wary of the inevitable power imbalance this would cause among the clans. "Naruto," he decided, "will be raised in the village's orphanage."
This old man has broken his promise to my mother, Aizen mused, eyes narrowing. How quaint.
But he hid his thoughts, biding his time. Soon enough, he thought with a smile. The ants will learn what it means to defy a god.
---
Aizen's Inner World
That night, as his infant body drifted into sleep, he awoke in his inner world, where Kyoka Suigetsu greeted him.
But he wasn't alone.
The Kyuubi, seething and fierce, glared at him from within a cage. The beast growled, murderous intent clear in its crimson eyes.
"Open this cage, whelp," it snarled. "Let me tear you to pieces."
Aizen only chuckled, his voice resonating with an authority that made even the Kyuubi hesitate. "Foolish creature," he said, voice dripping with disdain. "You dare to look down upon a god?"
His spiritual pressure intensified, crushing down upon the Kyuubi like an avalanche, forcing the beast to its knees despite its raw power.
How can this infant possess such an aura? the Kyuubi thought, trapped in the weight of Aizen's spirit.
"A pity," Aizen sneered, his voice echoing through the chamber. "But you will serve me… obediently."
The Kyuubi, for the second time, felt fear.