The sun beat down on the Land of Rice paddies, baking the earth. Fluffy white clouds drifted lazily across the vast blue sky, It was a picture of peace if it wasn't for the massive army gathered below.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood atop the high wooden platform, looking down at the sea of shinobi from the Five Great Villages below. For a moment, he felt a surge of exhilaration.
He found that he could now understand Danzō's feelings.
If one could become the collective leader of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, it would indeed be a truly intoxicating experience
However, compared to his ambitious old friend, Hiruzen ultimately kept his rationality in check. The excitement faded as quickly as it came. At his core he was a realist. He cleared his throat and began reciting the speech he had prepared earlier.
"Today, the Five Great Shinobi Villages stand together! I trust you all know why we are here... We are here to eradicate a great evil, to purge the filth that seeks to corrupt our world!"
He paused, letting his words hang in the air. "I, Sarutobi Hiruzen, am deeply shamed that this wickedness, Hayashi Yuto, sprang from my own Leaf village. It has been a thorn in my heart, a burden that has cost me countless nights of—"
Bzzzt.
Before his speech could even reach the halfway point, a faint hum suddenly resonated through the air.
"What was that?"
"What's going on?"
The ninjas below glanced around, their faces filled with confusion.
"The sky! Look at the sky!"
A black rift tore open in the air, like the gaping maw of a beast ready to devour its prey.
WHOOSH!
A figure dropped from the rift like a stone, impacting the platform with a sickening crunch of splintering wood. Dust and debris billowed outwards.
As the cloud settled, the man stood. He wore a long white coat, a strange white, bone-like material covering the left half of his face. A long sword hung at his hip, and his lips were twisted into a vicious, playful smirk.
"Who are you?" Hiruzen demanded, his voice tight.
"Arrancar Number Forty-Nine, Nojima Isao." The man in the coat glanced at him dismissively before turning his gaze to the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, standing behind Hiruzen. "My dear Lord Mizukage, I believe you should still recognize me."
Yagura's brows knitted deeply together. "I do," he said softly.
This Nojima Isao was once a genin from their Kirigakure Village. Near the end of the Third Great Shinobi War, Yagura had assigned him to pursue a kunoichi from Konoha who had stolen a Tailed Beast. The entire squad, including Nojima, had ended up slaughtered, their bodies strung up like bloody gourds.
He never expected to see this former subordinate again after all these years.
"Then you should know why I'm here." Nojima Isao grinned, a savage smile spreading across his face.
"Arrancar... You're one of Hayashi Yuto's subordinates?" Hiruzen asked coldly.
"Who else but our great leader could command the Arrancar?" Nojima Isao looked at him and sneered. "Remember, I am Arrancar Number Forty-Nine."
Swish
He moved faster than the eye could follow, a blur of motion aimed directly at Yagura.
THUD!
The sound of the impact was brutal. Yagura was launched backward, crashing through a section of the railing.
"Weak! Pathetically weak!" Nojima Isao threw his head back and laughed, the sound cruel and grating. "Is this the mighty power of a Kage? You shinobi are nothing but trash!"
"Lord Mizukage!"
"Protect the Mizukage!"
"Lord Mizukage,are you alright?!"
Several Kiri-nin leaped onto the high platform, helping Yagura out of the rubble.
"N-No, I'm fine." Yagura shook his head and waved them off. "Step back for now."
"Yeah, backing off would be wise." Nojima Isao's beast-like pupils fixed on Yagura as he mocked, "Otherwise, I'll crush you all into dust in an instant!"
"Arrogant fool!"
"How dare you!"
The Kiri-nin were filled with righteous indignation.
Rip!
Suddenly, a flash of lightning flickered.
THWACK!
Caught off guard, Nojima Isao was sent flying sideways. He slammed hard into the wall at the platform's edge, electrical arcs still sporadically crackling across his body.
"My apologies, Mizukage," the Fourth Raikage, A, said, his face expressionless. "Even though you didn't ask for help, I just couldn't resist punching that guy."
"It's quite alright, Lord Raikage," Yagura replied with a gentle smile. "A dog belonging to Hayashi Yuto is an enemy to all."
"Heh, heheheh..." Nojima Isao slowly pushed himself up from the ground, his expression vicious. "What a bunch of hypocritical rats. You really think you can actually defeat our great leader?"
"Arrancar Number Forty-Nine... Does that mean your strength ranks forty-ninth in the Land of Waves?" Ōnoki the Tsuchikage flated forward, his voice calculating.
"What a stupid question, old man." Nojima Isao looked at him with contempt. "The number forty-nine simply means I was the forty-ninth Arrancar produced. As for strength ranking... that's an honor reserved only for the top ten, the Espada!"
"Espada?" Hiruzen's face grew solemn.
"You should pray you never meet them. For little insects like you, those monsters are walking nightmares!" Nojima's right hand snapped to the hilt of his sword. "Enough talk. Let's start the next round!"
He drew his blade and pointed it at them.
"Grind It to Dust, Millipede!"
BOOM!
An invisible, suffocating pressure exploded outwards from him, so dense it was almost visible, a pale blue light swallowing his form.
"W-What is this?!"
"This pressure..."
"It's a monster!"
Including the four Kage, everyone present wore expressions of shock and horror.
A moment later, the light faded.
Nojima Isao's form and appearance had undergone a dramatic transformation.
Most of his body was now covered in white, bone-like plating. Ten arms lined his sides. His lower body had transformed into a serpent-like tail that thumped heavily against the ground.
"Resurrección," Nojima Isao stated frankly, not bothering to hide it. "This is the true form of us Arrancar! So, everyone... are you prepared to die?"
Meanwhile at the rear camp of the Allied Shinobi Forces...
"Yūgao, do you see that?" Shizune gazed toward the central region of the Land of Fields, her expression grave. "What is that?"
"I sense a very powerful pressure," Yūgao murmured softly.
She didn't say the whole truth. This pressure was making the long sword at her waist stir restlessly.
This blade had mysteriously appeared by her bedside one day. When she picked it up, it felt deeply connected to her, like it was part of her bloodline. It convinced her that the sword was likely related to the dreams she'd been having lately.
A gift from Captain Yuto...
This thought stayed in her heart, not spoken to anyone.
Thud.
As the two women spoke, two guard ninjas beside them suddenly collapsed as if their souls had been ripped out.
A rather beautiful face came into view. Her hair was moss-green and fell loosely, with hints of dark yellow at the tips.
"Y-You are...?" Shizune's eyes widened in stunned recognition.
"Arrancar No. 7, pakura." The woman spoke slowly, her voice devoid of emotion. "You are Shizune, correct? Our leader requests your presence."
"Your leader... Yuto?" Shizune's body trembled slightly, her eyes wide with fear. "He... wants to see me?"
"To avoid unnecessary bloodshed," pakura said, glancing at several ninja rushing toward them upon hearing the commotion. She raised her right hand and gave a casual flick. "...I suggest you don't resist."
Splurch.
The several ninja fell to the ground without even having time to scream.
Blood sprayed, staining the sky.
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