That corpse was none other than the leader of the Land of Sky, Shinnō, who had recently perished at Aizen's hands! Aizen had used Kyōka Suigetsu to discreetly leave the Konoha camp the night before departing for the Land of Sky. He had then ventured to the burial site of Nawaki Senju's organs and secretly retrieved them.
His intention was to frame Shinnō for Ryuken's death. Like Senju Ryuken, Aizen saw this mission to the Land of Sky as an opportunity to eliminate him. And, just like Ryuken, he had chosen a scapegoat – Shinnō. However, Ryuken and Aizen differed significantly!
Aizen could perish among insignificant foes, but not Ryuken ! Even high-ranking shinobi weren't worthy! The esteemed Ryuken couldn't be so easily killed by these unknown pawns. Shinnō was different.
He was the figure who had once manipulated both Konoha and Sunagakure, causing Chiyo to suffer a major setback! If Ryuken died at Shinnō's hands, it would be much more plausible.
With this in mind, Aizen produced another scroll and various containers, proceeding to collect blood, organs, hair, and other samples fromRyuken's body. Although he coveted Ryuken's entire corpse, Aizen maintained his rationality! If Ryuken's body were to disappear entirely or lose most of its parts, it would undoubtedly raise suspicion and trigger an investigation by Konoha's leadership! Aizen couldn't risk that at this moment.
After collecting all the valuable materials, Aizen nodded in satisfaction. This mission had been quite fruitful! Then, Aizen's spiritual network expanded rapidly, reaching the secret chamber dozens of meters underground.
It was a vast space filled with countless cells. There, emaciated civilians from the Land of Sky, their eyes filled with despair, were imprisoned like slaves. Among them were young adults, elderly individuals, women, and even children. Conservatively estimated, there were at least a thousand people!
Wisps of despair and sorrow emanated from them, flowing through special devices within the cells and converging in a secret room above. They condensed into a dark purple chakra mass several meters in size! This was the very dark chakra that Shinnō had used to create the Zero-Tails in the original story! However, the current dark chakra was merely a prototype.
The reason the Land of Sky's leadership had planned to escape here was to detonate this energy, taking the invading Konoha shinobi with them in a final act of defiance!
"Excellent. With this, I can save myself a lot of trouble!" Aizen's face lit up with delight as he sensed the immense energy below. Originally, he had devised an elaborate and complex plan to make it appear as if Ryuken had died at the hands of Shinnō in disguise! But now, with this unexpected gift from the Land of Sky ninja, everything was much simpler.
He simply needed to treat the sword wounds on both Ryuken and Shinnō's bodies, and then detonate the dark chakra below. Even Tsunade wouldn't be able to detect any foul play with their remaining corpses. Moreover, the massive explosion would obliterate any trace of his presence!
Thinking of this, Aizen retrieved another corpse from a scroll. It was the Aizen who had infiltrated the medical unit that morning and was promptly killed by the real Aizen before his departure to the Land of Sky. Aizen had also learned of Ryuken's mission from the residual mental energy of Kogane, and seized this divine opportunity to eliminate him. Aizen was quite adept at gathering intel through souls.
"I'll be a good Samaritan and let you master and servant reunite here for your final resting place," Aizen chuckled cruelly.
Next, Aizen proceeded to deal with Senju Kogane's body and the corpses of the Konoha shinobi he had just slain.
Of course, for the sake of secrecy, Aizen had also eliminated their souls and spiritual energy when he killed them! Aizen was always thorough in his actions!
After settling everything, Aizen stealthily entered the secret room and placed a detonation seal on the dark chakra. Then, he silently exited the Air Ninja base.
As he left, his spiritual network continued to monitor that secret space. If anyone were to accidentally stumble upon the passage Aizen had used. He would return to eliminate any potential threats. Fortunately, the location was well-hidden. Ryuken had been eager to pursue the high-ranking Air Ninja and hadn't had time to inform the other sub-commanders. So, everything went smoothly!
Outside the Air Ninja base, Aizen stood in a hidden corner opposite the cliff, a playful glint in his eyes, and formed a hand seal!
Boom!!! A deafening explosion erupted at the heart of the Air Ninja base! The entire base began to collapse, and the Konoha shinobi inside frantically fled for their lives! However, they were destined to suffer heavy casualties!
As for the civilians of the Land of Sky imprisoned within the Air Ninja base... They would all be buried there as well! But Aizen cared nothing for these people! From beginning to end, their existence hadn't even registered in his mind!
After a while, several more powerful Konoha shinobi managed to escape and appeared before him. Aizen smiled wickedly, waved his sleeve, and silently departed without a trace.
"..." Among the escaped Konoha shinobi was the squad leader previously named by Ryuken, Aoki! He was doubled over, coughing up blood!
After some time, several other sub-commanders arrived with a few powerful Jonin.
"Captain Aoki, have you seen Lord Ryuken?" one of the sub-commanders inquired.
Hearing this, Aoki's expression changed, and he replied solemnly, "No." As the first to escape, he hadn't seen Ryuken. Considering the sudden explosion of the Air Ninja base, he had already formed a grim conclusion in his mind.
His words also altered the expressions of the other sub-commanders who shared the same suspicions.
"Lord Ryuken is so powerful, he should be, he must be alright." Another squad leader said, his voice lacking conviction. He was merely trying to reassure everyone.
"Regardless, this situation is beyond our control. Immediately contact Commander Hyuga and Commander Aburame, and let them decide our next course of action," Aoki said calmly.
The squad leaders hastily agreed and carried out his orders.
Later, when Aburame and Hyuga, who had already completed their mission and were preparing to celebrate, received the news, they were shocked and immediately rushed to the scene.
After painstakingly excavating the remains of Ryuken and the others, they made a judgment based on the evidence at the scene and the information they had gathered about the Land of Sky ninja. Ryuken had apparently fallen into Shinnō's trap while pursuing him and other high-ranking officials, and had perished alongside them in the final moments.
Both Aburame and Hyuga accepted this explanation. It was the only plausible scenario.
Thus, the death of Ryuken was officially confirmed!
With this, both Konoha's war against the Land of Sky and Aizen's secret plan had reached their conclusion. The matter of the Land of Sky was settled.