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Ryuken looked down at the familiar blade piercing through his chest, his face contorted in agony! That bastard Aizen had tricked him again! And in the same spot.

In that moment, Ryuken felt an unprecedented humiliation alongside his despair. "Gah..."

The blade was ripped out violently, spraying blood anew! Ryuken collapsed to the ground, revealing Aizen standing behind him.

Once again, Aizen towered over Ryuken, his eyes filled with unconcealed greed and fanaticism! This time, he wouldn't give Ryuken another chance!

Crouching down, Aizen's palm glowed with a vibrant green light as he pressed it against Ryuken's chest! Countless strands of strange green chakra infiltrated Ryuken's body, disrupting his chakra flow and bodily functions, completely sealing his ability to move and utilize chakra.

Ryuken, who had intended to repeat his previous trick and heal his injuries, found himself utterly powerless. His face was ashen, his eyes filled with pain and despair!

This technique was a special medical ninjutsu modified by Aizen! It could seal a ninja's movement and chakra manipulation. Aizen had specifically developed this jutsu to preserve valuable experimental subjects.

Gazing into Aizen's terrifying eyes, magnified by his glasses, even the desperate Ryuken felt a chilling horror. Simultaneously, the "Aizen" in the distance vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Shadow Clone?! No! How is this possible?!" Ryuken's face paled with disbelief! He was a seasoned shinobi himself. And the creator of the Shadow Clone Jutsu was his own grandfather – the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama! If anyone in Konoha was most familiar with the Shadow Clone Jutsu, Ryuken was certainly among the top three. Therefore, a simple Shadow Clone Jutsu should have been impossible to fool him.

Wait, could it be? A sudden realization struck Ryuken, a suspicion forming in his mind.

"It was your illusion, the one that manipulates the five senses. It tricked my perception into believing that your Shadow Clone was your real body, am I right, Aizen?" Ryuken fixed his gaze on Aizen.

"Correct. When you melted the lake you created with the Morning Peacock, I secretly deployed this Shadow Clone. My true body was hidden underground," Aizen replied with a slight smile, his emotions somewhat subdued upon hearing Ryuken's question.

"So, you kept provoking me with the Shadow Clone, creating the illusion that you wanted to lure me into attacking. As long as I focused on your Shadow Clone and revealed a weakness, I would be met with your true killing blow!" Ryuken said, his expression grim.

"Precisely," Aizen admitted candidly.

Though Kyōka Suigetsu still had its flaws. There were no truly useless abilities, only incompetent users. The tactic of combining Kyōka Suigetsu with the Shadow Clone was Aizen's own innovation!

Ryuken's eyes were filled with complex emotions, his expression shifting constantly. Then, with a slightly hoarse voice, he asked, "Then, one last question. Why didn't you kill me when you first subdued me? Why did you deliberately let me live?"

Indeed, after Aizen had successfully struck Ryuken the first time, a more cautious approach would have been to finish him off with a few more blows. Likely leaving Ryuken no chance to retaliate.

Previously, Ryuken might have attributed this to Aizen's arrogance and overconfidence as a genius. But now, knowing Aizen's meticulous tactics. He understood that a ninja like Aizen, with such a careful mind, wouldn't make such a rookie mistake.

"Yes, you guessed correctly," Aizen admitted again. "Why?" Ryuken pressed.

"Because, the moment I saw you, I sensed what was sealed within your body," Aizen replied with a strange smile.

Upon hearing these words, Ryuken's expression changed drastically, and his entire sealed body began to tremble uncontrollably!

"You... you bastard, you can actually sense the secrets hidden within my body?!" Ryuken's eyes were wide with horror, his voice filled with disbelief.

"Of course. Otherwise, how would I know that your Senju clan is dying?" Aizen's lips curled into a malicious grin.

Seeing Aizen's expression, Ryuken's resentment and rage flared up again, and he shouted, "It's all because of your mother! If it weren't for that traitor Senju Masako, our Senju clan wouldn't have fallen to this state! Everything that's happened is because of you! I wish I could kill you all!"

Facing the maddened Ryuken, Aizen merely sneered. His eyes held nothing but endless contempt and disdain for him.

The reasons behind the Senju clan's decline had been a topic of debate in the original story. Some speculated they were secretly eliminated by Sarutobi Hiruzen and other powerful shinobi. Others claimed the Senju clan suffered heavy losses in various ninja wars andeventually faded away. Some even suggested that the Senju hadn't disappeared but had intermarried with Konoha civilians and integrated into the village.

There were various theories. But upon closer examination, none of these reasons held up!

First, considering the immense prestige and influence Hashirama and Tobirama Senju wielded during their reigns. This influence included the forces they supported, as well as their numerous disciples and followers throughout Konoha. Who would dare to attack the Senju clan? Furthermore, even if Sarutobi Hiruzen were insane, would he risk everything to act against his own teachers' family ?

But did they even have the power to do so?

The Uchiha clan was undoubtedly the most significant thorn in the side of Konoha's leadership. In the original story, if not for the emergence of two powerful Uchiha clan members, Shisui and Itachi, who were both double agents. With three pairs of Mangekyo Sharingan, even if the Uchiha clan could be wiped out, it would likely have devastated Konoha! It took immense effort for Konoha's leadership to eliminate the Uchiha clan, let alone the Senju clan, whose strength and prestige surpassed even theirs!

Therefore, the notion that Konoha's leadership eradicated the Senju clan was utter nonsense.

Moreover, if the Senju clan had truly been destroyed by Konoha, how could Tsunade have returned to the village and become the Fifth Hokage? The logic simply didn't add up!

.....

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