Six Years Ago
The air was thick with tension as Aizen, bound in heavy iron chains and sealing tags, was escorted into the Intelligence Division's restricted prison. The metallic clink of chains echoed against the cold stone walls, and the faint shimmer of seals pulsed around him. His movements were limited, but his gaze carried a glint of something indomitable, a quiet power simmering beneath the surface.
He was assigned a warden, a seasoned shinobi. After days of staring into Aizen's cold, unyielding eyes, he fell prey to the subtle illusions laced in Aizen's reaitsu, the warden's mind started to fray, paranoia creeping into every corner of his psyche until he finally broke. The Hokage's response was swift. Three ANBU were stationed to watch over the boy.
Among the three ANBU, one regarded Aizen with undisguised hatred, his eyes narrowed with a personal grudge, a grudge born of losing someone close in the Nine-Tails' rampage years ago. "Why doesn't the Hokage just kill this demon brat and be done with it?" he muttered in barely contained anger.
Aizen's gaze shifted, almost lazily, toward the ANBU who had spoken. "An ant that dares to speak," he said, his voice silken, yet mocking.
The anger in the man's eyes burned hotter. Before he could retort, he found himself trapped within Aizen's illusion, a nightmare where the Nine-Tails tore his loved one apart, over and over again. His screams echoed through the prison, piercing and filled with despair, until another ANBU member stepped forward, tantō drawn and pointed at Aizen.
"If you don't release him, I'll kill you," the ANBU growled, his voice laced with deadly intent.
Aizen smirked, tilting his head in mock compliance. "Go ahead," he replied coolly. "But think carefully, the Hokage would be furious if you killed Konoha's precious war deterrent." The words dripped with derision, each one a calculated jab.
Reluctantly, the ANBU sheathed his tantō, lifting his comrade from the ground and vanishing in a flurry of leaves. Aizen calmly snapped the chains, brushing off the now-ineffective seals. The last ANBU sank to his knees, the weight of Aizen's presence pressing down on him.
"Relax," Aizen murmured, stepping forward. "I have no quarrel with you. Deliver a message to the Hokage. Tell him he needs increase the power of the seals."
---
Disturbed by the incident, Hiruzen summoned Jiraiya back to the village. A look of sorrow darkened Jiraiya's features as he was briefed on Aizen's descent into darkness. When he finally approached Aizen's cell, he found the boy seated cross-legged, meditating.
"You must be here to place stronger seals," Aizen commented, not even glancing up, as if Jiraiya's arrival was an expected nuisance.
Jiraiya remained silent, grappling with the emotions roiling within him. It took him a moment to find his voice. "Your parents would be disappointed to see what you've become, Naruto."
Aizen opened his eyes, glancing at Jiraiya with the faintest hint of amusement. "My parents were privileged," he murmured with a cruel twist to his smile. "To give birth to a god... That is an honor few would ever know."
Jiraiya's mouth pressed into a thin line, unwilling to dignify the boy's words with a response. He completed the re-sealing process, each one, laid down with an unspoken sorrow.
---
A week later, Aizen lay chained in his cell, his vision and mouth sealed alongside his chakra. In the shadows, a figure slipped into the room, a man with a swirling mask obscuring his face. The masked man stilled as Aizen's presence rippled through the air.
"Welcome," Aizen's voice echoed softly, though his mouth was covered. "To my humble abode."
Tobi chuckled, intrigued by this silent communication. "You're full of surprises, aren't you, brat?"
"There's little about me that would surprise you," Aizen replied smoothly, his reiatsu lacing the air with intense disdain.
Tobi tilted his head, his tone shifting to something more calculating. "You know, the villagers despise you. The Hokage keeps you locked away. But I understand what you are, something beyond them. If you were to join my organization, the Akatsuki, we could give you a purpose. A true place among the powerful."
Aizen's eyes seemed to glint with an almost amused interest. "You believe I would accept the invitation of a masked fool who hides in the dark?"
Unfazed, Tobi leaned in closer. "Consider it a way to show them all who truly deserves power."
Aizen's voice dropped to a low, mocking murmur. "An ant inviting a god to play among insects."
Tobi's hand twitched, but he managed a chuckle. "Suit yourself," he said as he turned to leave. "But I think you'll change your mind in time."
Aizen watched him go, the faintest ghost of a smirk tugging at his lips.
---
Days later, Danzo strode into Aizen's cell, his footsteps even and confident. He surveyed Aizen, his gaze calculating. Aizen's voice floated through the silence, laced with contempt. "You've yet to give up on making me your tool, old man?"
Danzo's brows knitted in surprise, Aizen's mouth was sealed. He was also shocked that boy remembered what happened when he was a infant.
Aizen tells the ant to leave or else he will be crushed.
Danzo chuckled at the boy's condescending tone.
Danzo quickly activated the Sharingan in his right eye, focusing on placing Aizen under his control.
Aizen chuckled, low and dark. "The Nine-Tails has informed me that you're attempting to use genjutsu on me," he sneered. "Pathetic."
Danzo's face twisted with irritation, but before he could counter, a crushing wave of reiatsu filled the cell. The air seemed to burn, pressing down on him as if he were being consumed by flames. "I warned you, old man," Aizen's voice dripped with a quiet malice. "Leave if you don't wish to be crushed."
As Danzo's body trembled under the relentless pressure, he used a substitution technique, vanishing and leaving another prisoner in his place. Aizen released his hold, muttering to himself that perhaps Danzo had learned his lesson.
---
The Hokage entered Aizen's cell later, his gaze falling on the prisoner lying at Aizen's feet, a crater indented beneath him. Hiruzen sighed and dragged the man back to his cell. Once awake, the prisoner had no memory of what transpired, intensifying Hiruzen's concern.
Returning to Aizen, he released the seal on his mouth and questioned him, but Aizen feigned innocence. Though unconvinced, Hiruzen tightened security yet again.
---
In a bid to understand the boy, Hiruzen assigned Inoichi as Aizen's therapist. But their sessions quickly devolved into Aizen's haughty proclamations of godhood and him being superior to all the ants.
Shikaku tagged along on one of these sessions. With him he brought a shogi board.
As they played, Shikaku asked if Aizen remembered the events of his birth. To his surprise, Aizen confirmed it all: the council meeting, Danzo's attempt to claim him, Fugaku's adoption plea.
Shikaku hid his amusement as Aizen announced his moves, winning the game with calculated ease. "Perhaps I'll bring my son next time," Shikaku mused.
Inoichi raised an eyebrow, silently questioning his friend's nonchalance.
Tbc