Following Masako Senju's successful marriage, Senju Chikatsu was consumed by guilt. He voluntarily resigned from his position as chief elder of the Senju clan and, like his daughter, relinquished his Senju identity and status.
Not long after the original owner was born, Senju Chikatsu passed away, burdened by shame, guilt, and the accumulated pain of the past. When the original owner was six years old, Masako Senju and her husband also perished at the hands of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist during a mission in the Land of Water, both of them meeting their end in the sea.
It wasn't until two years later that our story begins. By this point, the grievances and conflicts between the original owner's parents and the Senju clan had come to an end.
Next, is the tale of another remarkable leader within the Senju clan.
Incidentally, after Senju Chikatsu stepped down as chief elder, the then-patriarch of the Senju clan, Hideo Senju, the son of the Second Hokage, successfully took over the clan's leadership! And the first thing he did upon assuming power was to completely abolish the agreement allowing intermarriage with outsiders! However, by this time, many young Senju men and women had already married outside the clan. This measure proved futile in the short term.
Witnessing the weakened state of the Senju clan, Hideo Senju became so anxious that he even dreamt of ways to quickly revitalize it! Thus, Hideo Senju made a decision that would prove disastrous. He decided to experiment with transplanting the cells of the God of Shinobi, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju!
As a superhuman who pacified the Warring States Period and brought an end to the era of conflict! Hashirama Senju possessed the power to single-handedly suppress the entire ninja world! The strength of Hashirama Senju had always been a source of pride and aspiration for the Senju clan.
But fans of the Naruto series know that there are two major transplant phenomena in the world of shinobi! One is the Sharingan, and the other is Hashirama Senju's cells.
Transplanting the former might lead to a weakened body, diminished mental fortitude, and chakra levels measured in mere units, as seen in Kakashi Hatake. But transplanting the latter. Well, you might just die like a normal human, and that would be a mercy!
In fact, after Hashirama Senju's death, the Senju clan had attempted to transplant his cells. But the 100% mortality rate was so devastating that. The matter was quickly abandoned by the Senju leadership and forgotten.
However, now, the Senju clan faced a dire predicament! If they wanted to quickly rise to power again, they needed someone as strong as Hashirama Senju!
So, Hideo Senju decided to gather the clan to discuss the matter of transplanting Hashirama's cells. Unexpectedly, almost all clan members agreed to this proposal.
On one hand, due to the outflow of numerous core bloodline members, the Senju clan's strength had been severely weakened, and their situation was precarious. On the other hand, the power of Hashirama Senju was simply too alluring!
Imagine, by merging with Hashirama's cells, it might be possible to attain his strength, becoming nearly invincible! For power-hungry shinobi, such a temptation was irresistible!
Who wouldn't yearn for the godlike power of the Shinobi God, to quell mountains and rivers, and look down upon the world with unparalleled might?!
Therefore, even though transplanting Hashirama's cells carried an unimaginable risk, it was still considered acceptable compared to the potential rewards. Although, at the beginning, Hideo Senju was more cautious, only sending a small number of ninjas for cell fusion experiments.
Over time, as one Senju after another perished, the entire clan became like gamblers on a losing streak! The more they lost, the more they felt compelled to gamble, and the more they gambled, the more they lost! When only a hundred or so members remained in the Senju clan, mostly elderly.
Eventually, even Hideo Senju and his wife volunteered for the experiment. As a result, the then ten-year-old Ryuken witnessed the horrifying sight of his parents transforming from normal humans into grotesque half-human, half-tree creatures.
And by this point, the Senju clan, after the "hard work" of several generations of leaders, had finally "lived up to expectations" and been utterly destroyed.
It could be said that the demise of the Senju clan was not solely the responsibility of several generations of leaders but also due to historical circumstances and certain accidental factors. Therefore, although the original owner's mother did bear some responsibility, it would be utterly unreasonable to blame everything on her.
However, Senju Ryuken clearly didn't see it that way. In his mind, if Aizen's mother hadn't insisted on marrying outside the clan, how could it have triggered the subsequent chain of events? The weakening of the Senju clan and the deaths of Hideo Senju and his wife were all Masako Senju's fault! This was the root of Ryuken's intense hatred towards Aizen!
And the thing sealed within his body was the diluted cells of Hashirama Senju! Although he couldn't utilize Wood Style, it significantly enhanced his physical strength and granted him extraordinary regenerative abilities.
Aizen had learned the story of Masako Senju's marriage from Jiraiya before heading to the Land of Sky battlefield. In the past, Jiraiya had been concerned about the Senju clan and couldn't reveal this information directly to Aizen. But now, with the Ryuken situation escalating, Jiraiya had no choice but to inform Aizen of the matter's gravity.
Upon first encountering Ryuken, Aizen immediately detected the abnormality within his body! His spiritual awareness, enhanced by natural energy, was particularly sensitive to Hashirama Senju's cells, which possessed a potent life force!
And when Ryuken unsealed and merged with the Senju cells, Aizen had already formed a rough understanding of the Senju clan's demise.
Now, as he looked upon the ranting and raving Ryuken on the ground, Aizen raised Kyōka Suigetsu with a wicked glint in his eyes! Ryuken Water, sensing Aizen's undisguised killing intent, abruptly stopped his frantic outburst.
"I am the grandson of the Second Hokage! You cannot kill me, Aizen! If you do, Konoha will never let you go! No! Aizen, please don't kill me."
Under the shadow of death, Ryuken finally regained his senses and desperately pleaded for his life, mixing threats with pleas for mercy.
"The Senju bloodline fused with the First Hokage's cells is quite valuable as experimental material. How could I bear to kill you before? But now..." Aizen remained unmoved, and after answering Ryuken's final question, he plunged the blade into his head!
"Aagh!" Ryuken let out a piercing scream!
As he extinguished Ryuken's life force, the spiritual energy within Kyōka Suigetsu surged, completely obliterating his soul and spiritual energy! Thus, Ryuken, one of Konoha's Eight-Colored Senju, fell!
Aizen had destroyed Ryuken's soul and spiritual energy to prevent anyone from using techniques like the Impure World Reincarnation to summon his soul and uncover the truth of what had transpired. If this incident were to be exposed, Aizen would be forced to defect from Konoha.
After all, the death of Ryuken was a major event for Konoha! The village would undoubtedly investigate this matter thoroughly!
Therefore, Aizen needed a scapegoat to pin Ryuken's death on.
With that in mind, Aizen retrieved a scroll from his chest, unfurled it on the ground, and performed a single hand seal! With a puff of smoke, a familiar corpse appeared on the scene.