Naruto: Aizen's Shadow in Konoha

"Oh! This strike will likely be the last sword you wield!" Aizen observed, noticing the energy within Hatake Sakumo's body converging into a singular, powerful point.

"Then let me meet it with my own strength!" A fierce light flickered in Aizen's eyes.

"Twin Severance!"

With a cold intensity, Aizen spoke the name of his technique as he channeled his energy toward Kyōka Suigetsu. This sword skill, borrowed from a famed combat master, possessed the power to slice through even the Splitting Void. And with Aizen's prowess, its potency was only magnified.

As the two kendo masters gathered their energy, the raw power condensed around their blades began to distort the air within a 1,000-meter radius, causing it to boil with intensity.

The massive energy field lowered the air pressure for miles, as dark clouds gathered overhead, heavy with looming thunderstorms. Around their swords, black cracks appeared, as the force of their combined energies began to warp the very fabric of space.

The atmosphere became suffused with a crushing, oppressive tension.

"What… what is this?" Orochimaru, now twenty kilometers away, had just started to feel a semblance of safety. But as the terrifying aura reached him, he froze, his body tense with fear.

After several tense breaths, the energy within Aizen and Sakumo's swords reached its peak.

"Now!" they both shouted in unison.

In a flash, their figures collided, as though space itself had bent to bring their swords together.

Clang!

The clash of their swords sent a piercing sound across the land, and for a brief, tense moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.

Then, a massive storm of sword energy erupted from the point of impact, tearing through the landscape.

Boom!

The force of the sword energy storm alone shattered the remaining mountains within a dozens-of-kilometers radius. Fierce winds, mixed with gravel, broken trees, and clouds of dust, swept outwards, reaching hundreds of kilometers.

Even Orochimaru and the others, desperately fleeing, were caught in the edge of the blast, buried beneath a rain of debris and choking dust.

And this—this was only the aftermath of their monumental clash.

At the center of the swirling storm of sword energy, the two forces were still locked in a fierce clash, their energies interweaving and eroding each other. In the end, they merged into a single, colossal surge of sword energy that shot straight into the heavens, cutting through the sky itself.

Slash!

The black clouds that had darkened the horizon split apart, leaving a gaping, jagged scar thousands of meters long. 

Crack! Crack!

Like a river of darkness, the clouds began to pour along the sword mark, swirling with flashes of lightning and crackling thunder, creating an awe-inspiring scene.

Orochimaru and the others, who had just managed to crawl out of the dust and debris, looked up at this astonishing spectacle.

"Did… did the sky just split open?" Zashi murmured, his expression blank with shock. Covered in dust and dirt, he looked as though he had been carved from the earth itself, a living sculpture frozen in disbelief.

"This… this is the power that lies beyond Kage-level?" he whispered, awe-stricken.

"This isn't just power… it's god-like!" Orochimaru's voice shook as he spoke, his own expression filled with awe as he stared at the gash in the sky.

After a long, stunned silence, Orochimaru gathered himself and turned to Zashi, Yoru, and Hyuga Gin, who had just climbed out of the rubble. "Alright, the battle is clearly decided now. Let's head back."

Without waiting for their replies, Orochimaru seized Zashi and Yoru, pulling them away from the battlefield. Hyuga Gin, looking somewhat resigned, followed along with a weary expression.

None of them noticed the glint of resolve that briefly flashed in Mitarashi Zashi's eyes.

Meanwhile, at the center of the battlefield…

Aizen and Hatake Sakumo stood at the bottom of a massive crater, stretching a thousand meters across and plunging hundreds of meters deep—a testament to the devastation of their battle.

The outcome was clear.

Aizen, having already sheathed his sword, stood with an air of calm confidence as he quietly began to replenish his chakra. His gaze was fixed on Hatake Sakumo, a faint, mocking smile on his lips.

Hatake Sakumo, in stark contrast, was battered and exhausted. His chakra reserves were completely depleted.

His very soul seemed scarred and riddled with holes, burned from within.

His body, overwhelmed by the immense energy he had drawn upon, lay bruised and battered, unable to withstand such a strain. From this moment on, even if Hatake Sakumo survived, he would be rendered unable to wield chakra again. This was the terrible price of forcibly elevating his power beyond his limits.

Hatake Sakumo's face was ghostly pale, his body trembling as he knelt on the ground. His head hung low, a heavy aura of defeat clinging to him. The once-bright determination in his eyes had dulled, leaving only a shadow of the fierce warrior he had been.

He had lost.

He had given everything, risking it all in one final stand. Yet in the end, he couldn't overcome Aizen's relentless assault. As the loser, he knew all too well what fate awaited him.

Aizen looked down at him, not in a rush to end it. Instead, he simply watched, as though waiting for something.

After a moment, as Aizen's chakra steadily recovered, Orochimaru and his group finally emerged from the dust and rubble.

"So… it's true!" Orochimaru muttered, a strange glint in his eyes as he approached Aizen with a cold smile.

"Sakumo?!"

Zashi, captured by Orochimaru, stared at the once-unbreakable warrior, now reduced to this weakened state. His heart wrenched with sorrow and, beneath it, a deep, seething hatred for Aizen. Yoru, by his side, glared at Aizen with pure malice, his gaze filled with fury.

"Congratulations, Aizen-kun, for defeating the legendary White Fang of the Hidden Leaf! From this moment forward, you've proven yourself the strongest in the ninja world," Orochimaru said, tossing Zashi and Yoru aside as he addressed Aizen with a hint of flattery.

Aizen merely smiled, brushing off Orochimaru's words without response, before turning his gaze back to Hatake Sakumo.

...

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