A week later. The meeting room of the Kazekage building in the Hidden Sand Village.
Pakura pushed open the door and stepped in. She was the last to arrive; the village's leadership—Chiyo, Ebizo, Rasa, Reki—had already taken their seats.
She swept the room and found them split into two moods. Rasa, Reki, and the others wore guarded, uncertain looks, while Chiyo and Ebizo sat wrapped in grave silence.
Pakura didn't need to guess what was going on. A week was more than enough time for the Third Kazekage to return from the great city of the Land of Wind—and he hadn't. Once they'd noticed the anomaly, Chiyo and Ebizo must have looked into his movements and come to the truth. Or rather, to the fact of his disappearance.
Natsuki had scrubbed the battlefield clean; under ordinary circumstances they'd never learn of the Third Kazekage's death. But his vanishing was enough on its own.
Rasa, Reki, and the rest weren't entirely clear on what had happened—but Chiyo and Ebizo's faces told them plainly that something enormous had.
Pakura had drawn no suspicion since returning to the village. Neither Chiyo nor Ebizo believed she had the strength to kill the Third Kazekage. And besides, four Anbu Jonin had been traveling with him.
"Since everyone's here, let's begin." Chiyo drew a deep breath. "Based on our investigation, one thing is certain: we've lost contact with Lord Kazekage."
The room went silent. The others traded glances, every face asking the same thing—did I hear that right?
"Elder Chiyo." Rasa rose. "What do you mean, lost contact?"
"I mean Lord Kazekage is missing. He never reached the great city of the Land of Wind—he vanished somewhere along the way." Chiyo spoke slowly. "Along with the entire Anbu squad escorting him."
"That's impossible!" Rasa denied it on reflex.
"With Lord Kazekage's strength, how could he simply go missing?" Reki asked, disbelief written across his face.
"This is Lord Kazekage—hailed as the strongest to ever hold the title!" Baki said, voice low. "Even face to face with the Kage of another village, there's no way he couldn't have escaped!"
"Could there be some mistake?" Pakura frowned.
"I wish it were a mistake. But the facts are right in front of us." Chiyo's fists clenched. "The Anbu have searched three days now, and there's not a single clue."
At that, the room fell silent and bewildered—stunned by the disappearance itself, and just as baffled as to who could possibly have killed him. A powerhouse like that surfacing was, without question, a catastrophe for the Hidden Sand.
"Keep searching!" Pakura said, ringing with conviction. "I refuse to believe Lord Kazekage would just vanish!"
"Exactly!" Baki chimed in. "Lord Kazekage must have run into some emergency mission and had no time to send word!"
"Even so, we need to prepare thoroughly—especially now, with every Great Village readying for war." Ebizo cautioned them. "If the other villages catch wind of this, the fallout could be beyond imagining."
Every heart in the room sank as the weight of it settled in. Ebizo was right. With the Hidden Cloud and Hidden Mist already at war, the whole ninja world was a powder keg—one spark from going up. And to the other villages, the Third Kazekage's disappearance wasn't merely a spark; it was a fuse in plain sight.
"Ebizo's right. We have to prepare for both outcomes." Chiyo's tone was solemn. "First, keep searching for Lord Kazekage. Second, quietly begin selecting the Fourth."
The words were barely out before a flicker of hungry ambition crossed Rasa's and Reki's eyes. They were, beyond doubt, the two closest to the seat. The others realized as well that the Hidden Sand stood on the brink of upheaval—though whether for better or worse, no one could say.
"What do you mean, quietly select the Fourth Kazekage?" Baki couldn't help asking.
"Cancel the village-wide vote," Chiyo replied. "We'll choose the Fourth by a vote of the Jonin."
Baki's eyes cut instinctively to Rasa.
The village vote had always been a formality anyway—as had the Daimyo's appointment. Under normal circumstances, the Third Kazekage's recommendation carried the most weight. But with him gone, the decision could only fall to the Jonin.
Just as I expected, Pakura thought. She'd foreseen this outcome already.
"The Jonin vote will be held in one month," Chiyo went on. "If Lord Kazekage returns safely, it will be canceled."
A month was long enough for the Hidden Sand to settle the question of whether the Third Kazekage lived or died. Not that there was truly anything to settle—a Kazekage gone without a trace for a full month said everything that needed saying.
"I'll send the Anbu to notify all Jonin," Chiyo added. "Nominations for candidates open tomorrow."
"Understood," the room answered as one.
By now Rasa and Reki had forgotten the Third Kazekage entirely—had begun, in fact, to hope he never came back.
Once the brief meeting broke up, each of them set to work, Pakura included. To win a Jonin vote, one had to lock down the most Jonin.
"Sister—who do you think will take the seat?" Ebizo asked. Everyone else had filed out, leaving only the two of them.
"Rasa, most likely." Chiyo considered it. "Though Reki and Pakura each have a chance as well."
"Sister, why hold a Jonin vote at all?" Ebizo asked, puzzled. "With your standing and influence, we could hand Reki the seat easily."
"The Kazekage bloodline wields a great deal of power. Force the issue, and we'd only breed opposition inside the village." Chiyo's voice was perfectly calm. "With strong enemies circling, we have to stay united."
Ebizo made to speak, then thought better of it and held his tongue.
They'd turned the Third Kazekage's disappearance over between them many times, and every time it felt absurd. Who exactly had killed him? Would this person strike again? What was the Hidden Sand to do?
"A pity Lord Kazekage never named a successor," Chiyo said, shaking her head.
"His plan was to settle the succession once the Third Great Ninja War ended." Ebizo sighed. "Plans can never keep pace with change."
"I only hope the new Kazekage can lead our village out of this," Chiyo offered, like a final blessing.
—
A month passed in the blink of an eye. April 15th. The meeting room of the Kazekage building, every Jonin gathered inside—some grieving, some glad, some perfectly composed.
Chiyo and Ebizo came in.
"Before we begin, I have an announcement." Chiyo spoke with deep sorrow. "After a month of searching, we can now confirm it: Lord Kazekage is dead."
An uproar broke out at once. A month without a sign had already told the tale, yet hearing the words aloud still felt impossible. The invincible Third Kazekage they carried in their hearts—dead, quietly, just like that?
"His death leaves our village in dire straits." Chiyo pressed on. "Even if we keep it secret, the other villages will guess the truth within the month."
They weren't fools, after all. A Kazekage absent for one month was strange enough—two would be damning. And more pressing still: the disappearance would touch off an internal struggle for power within the Hidden Sand itself.
In the source material, after the Third Kazekage vanished, the Hidden Sand had brazenly attacked Konoha—precisely to head off exactly that kind of infighting. Rasa had performed brilliantly in the war and claimed the title of Fourth Kazekage. As for Pakura, Rasa had handed her over to the Hidden Mist, buying off their anger with her death. Seen in that light, Rasa clearly had no shortage of tools for seizing the seat.
"To steady our village as quickly as we can, we must choose a new Kazekage." Chiyo had regained her composure. "The Jonin vote begins now. The candidates are Rasa, Pakura, and Reki."
At her word, Ebizo had blank ballots handed out.
Rasa's spirits soared. The day he'd waited for so long had finally come. Over the past month he'd reached out to most of the Jonin and gotten firm commitments back.
Pakura didn't so much as glance at him; she sat calm in her seat. The answers those Jonin had given Rasa were nothing but a front—a way to keep him comfortable. Rasa's faction ran deep in the Hidden Sand, so to be safe, Pakura had deliberately laid a trap. Once she took the seat, she'd deal with Rasa slowly, in her own time. For now, let him enjoy himself.
Soon every Jonin had cast a vote.
"I'll read the ballots." Ebizo stepped to the box and began.
As it went on, Rasa sensed something was off. Pakura's name was coming up more often than his own.
What's going on?
Even Chiyo and Ebizo were caught off guard. Both had been certain Rasa held the advantage—he was of the Kazekage bloodline, the single most powerful faction in the Hidden Sand. Even with Chiyo and Ebizo behind him, Reki couldn't match Rasa. Let alone Pakura.
The reading ended, and the three tallies went up on the board. Pakura first. Rasa second. Reki third.
"How could it be Pakura?" Reki's face twisted; it wasn't a pleasant look. He and Rasa had been the ones to try to kill her—and it wasn't hard to picture how she'd move against him at every turn once she held the seat.
"There's something wrong with these ballots!" Rasa shot to his feet. If Reki merely looked sour, Rasa looked murderous. He'd had victory in the palm of his hand, and the result told him it had all been a dream. Who could stomach that?
"Rasa, what exactly are you implying?" A ninja stood. "Are you calling every Jonin here into question?"
His name was Baki—no elder, but a senior figure in the Hidden Sand all the same. (In the source material, after Gaara became Kazekage, Baki would stand among his opposition, even allying with Hoichi, a disciple of the One-Tail Jinchuriki Bunpuku, in an attempt to subdue Gaara.)
"That's not what I meant!" Rasa said hastily—he didn't dare shoulder the charge of impugning the whole body of Jonin. "I'm demanding a revote!"
"A Jonin vote isn't a game. You can't just demand a do-over on your say-so." Baki objected flatly. "I refuse!"
"I have a solution." Pakura rose, magnanimous. "Let's put it to a show of hands. If everyone agrees, we'll vote again."
Ebizo looked to Chiyo.
"A show of hands, then." Chiyo thought a moment. "Jonin who favor a revote, raise your hands."
In truth, she'd have preferred Rasa in the seat. First, he was the stronger. Second, he and Reki were close. But the Pakura before her today felt unfamiliar. Baki had already spoken up in her defense, so there was no need for Pakura to call for a show of hands herself—unless she was absolutely certain of the result.
At that thought, Chiyo scanned the assembled Jonin. Hands went up—but only a third of the room.
"This is impossible!" Rasa's expression cracked. So many of the Jonin who'd given him firm commitments now sat in silence.
Chiyo and Ebizo exchanged a glance, sensing something had gone very wrong. But it had come to this, and they couldn't openly favor Rasa now—not with every Jonin in the village present. If more than two-thirds of them backed Pakura, opposing her would only turn the room against them.
"I hereby name Pakura the Fourth Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village!" Chiyo hesitated, then declared it aloud.
Applause burst across the room. Only Rasa sank back into his seat, crestfallen. Beside him, Baki, Karura, and the others wanted to console him and had no idea how.
"Thank you all for your support." Pakura stood and bowed.
—
Meanwhile, at the Hokage building in Konoha.
[You have awakened the Sosuke Aizen Template.]
A line of text drifted up out of nowhere.
Natsuki, mid-work, snapped his eyes wide.
Who?
Which Aizen?
He was instantly electrified. Why would the Aizen template trigger now? Could it be because Pakura had become the Fourth Kazekage? He ran the timing, and it lined up perfectly. All through this stretch, he'd been slipping over to the Hidden Sand now and then to keep an eye on her.
No doubt about it—this was Sosuke Aizen from Bleach. Captain of the Fifth Division of the Gotei 13, who later betrayed the Soul Society and fled to Hueco Mundo to reign as its ruler. During his invasion of the Soul Society he was beaten by Ichigo Kurosaki and, in the end, sealed away by Kisuke Urahara. Later, in the Thousand-Year Blood War, Shunsui Kyoraku released him for a time, and he ultimately helped Ichigo bring down Yhwach. The most iconic mastermind and archvillain in all of Bleach.
His power was staggering. The Wandenreich themselves counted him among their Five Special War Potentials; he could put down fellow Captain-class fighters with ease.
Natsuki stroked his chin. Beyond Pakura's rise to Fourth Kazekage, the Aizen template's triggering most likely tied back to two other things: first, killing the Third Kazekage; second, learning the Spirit Transformation Technique. But the most important reason of all was his covert control of the Hidden Sand.
With that, Natsuki turned to the template itself.
[Name: Sosuke Aizen][Era: Thousand-Year Blood War][World: Bleach][Rank: S-Rank][Ability 1 — Bakudo: Unlocked.] Effect: The Bakudo mastered by Sosuke Aizen, carrying a range of binding effects. [Ability 2 — Hado: Locked.] Effect: The Hado mastered by Sosuke Aizen, carrying a range of offensive effects. Unlock Condition: Take an enemy-village ninja as a student. [Ability 3 — Kyoka Suigetsu: Locked.] Effect: An illusion-type Zanpakuto with a pale green hilt. Unlock Condition: Kill a Kage-level powerhouse. [Ability 4 — Kyoka Suigetsu (Shikai): Locked.] Effect: Any target who sees Kyoka Suigetsu's Shikai even once is completely hypnotized from that moment on. Unlock Condition: Secretly control one of the three major hidden villages (excluding the Konoha and Hidden Sand Villages) and establish the Espada, composed of Jonin-level members. [Ability 5 — Hogyoku: Locked.] Effect: Can give form to the user's innermost desires and drive the user's evolution. Unlock Condition: Absorb the chakra of all nine Tailed Beasts.
Reading it through left Natsuki with a single impression: this was Aizen, all right—the abilities and the unlock conditions alike were brutal.
Ability 1, Bakudo, and Ability 2, Hado, needed no explanation. He'd already picked up the Unohana Retsu template's Bakudo and Hado earlier, and there was heavy overlap between the two sets—both Unohana Retsu and Aizen were Captain-class, after all. It was the unlock condition for Hado that was slyer: it required him to take an enemy-village ninja as a student. A nod to Aizen and Gin Ichimaru, perhaps?
Ability 3, Kyoka Suigetsu. Aizen's most iconic ability—his Zanpakuto, rather. And its unlock condition was a nasty one: kill a Kage-level powerhouse. Fortunately it said Kage-level powerhouse, not a Kage outright. Had it demanded an actual Kage, his pool of targets would shrink to three—Onoki, the Third Raikage, and the Third Mizukage, once you set aside Orochimaru and Pakura. But "Kage-level powerhouse" opened the field considerably: Chiyo, Rasa, Kitsuchi, and plenty of others.
Ability 4, Kyoka Suigetsu: Shikai. Its effect boiled down to Complete Hypnosis—effectively an upgraded Kotoamatsukami, Uchiha Shisui's own technique. Complete Hypnosis had three terrifying facets. First, it seized control of all five senses. Second, it was permanent; a single glimpse of Kyoka Suigetsu's Shikai was enough to lock it in. Third, the only escape was to touch Kyoka Suigetsu's blade before Shikai was ever released. In short, all but unbeatable.
Its unlock difficulty climbed another tier—even worse than killing a Kage-level powerhouse. It required him to covertly seize one of the Hidden Cloud, Hidden Stone, or Hidden Mist Villages and build the Espada. Whether it was taking control of a whole village or bringing ten Jonin under him as subordinates, neither was remotely easy.
Ability 5, Hogyoku. The Hogyoku had been formed by fusing the Soul King's severed fingertip with the souls of countless Hollows and Soul Reapers. Its effects were flatly broken. First, like the Holy Grail, it could grant the user's desires—provided the user had the strength to see them realized. Second, high-speed regeneration and evolutionary capability: it could draw out the user's potential, ushering them into a timeline in which they'd already grown stronger.
Taking the unlock condition together, Natsuki suspected that unlocking the Hogyoku might let him evolve into an Otsutsuki. Its condition, after all, was to absorb the power of all nine Tailed Beasts—and in this world, the power of the nine Tailed Beasts combined with the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path could become the Ten-Tails. That was the linchpin of the Akatsuki's Eye of the Moon Plan: once the Ten-Tails emerged, Uchiha Madara became its Jinchuriki, and through it unsealed Otsutsuki Kaguya.
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