"Brother… Left!"
Amamiya Raizen stared at the mangled figure sprawled on the battlefield. Words failed him; the only sound he could manage was a choked, soft call.
"I… I found him on the battlefield. I did everything I could to pull him back, but… by the time I got him out… he was barely alive…"
The left wing—his elder brother—lay there, his pain etched deeper than any wound, his expression stripped of hope. Nothing remained but endless loneliness and helplessness. This was the life of a ninja. Death was the only certainty. Bonds shattered the moment a shinobi stepped onto the battlefield. The passing of the fallen left only emptiness for those who survived.
"Raizen…?"
At the faint sound of his name, the left wing stirred. His blurred eyes found Raizen's face, pale but alive. A spark of vitality returned to him, and for a fleeting instant, hope pierced the shadow of despair.
"Brother… Left!"
Raizen's lips twitched into a tired, shaky smile as he rushed closer. Seeing him safe, the left wing allowed a weak, fleeting smile to grace his face.
"I… I promised I'd protect you. Seems like you've grown stronger than me now… and yet… I end up like this. What a shame."
"Don't say that, Left-wing brother. You'll get stronger—just you wait. You'll get through this!" Raizen said, voice cracking but urgent, gripping his brother's trembling hand.
The left wing shook his head. "I… I know my limits. The Amamiya left wing… never had the talent to be a great ninja. I've trained since I could hold a kunai, but… I'm still so weak!"
"But Raizen… you're different. You're only five years old, and yet, look at the strength you've already shown. You're the most gifted ninja I've ever seen. I've believed in you from the first moment I met you. You'll revive the Amamiya clan!"
Raizen choked back a sob.
"Raizen…" The left wing's gaze dimmed. His bandaged hand trembled as he pointed weakly toward the tabletop.
"My time… is running out. Have you… seen my ninja bag?"
Raizen's throat tightened as he looked at the battered bag on the table. His voice came out hoarse. "I… I saw it."
"There's… a record of my missions, my experiences… it's my… last gift. I hope it helps you."
Life drained slowly from the left wing's eyes, a soft glow fading into shadow. The end had come. Outside, dark clouds churned across the sky, as if the heavens themselves marked the passing of this ordinary, yet valiant ninja. Raizen's hands shook as he opened the ninja bag. Inside, a yellowed book waited, its pages brittle. He opened it gently.
"My left wing must become a powerful ninja and restore the Amamiya clan. This is my Shindo. Ninja, Shindo, bonds, death, pain, hatred…"
Raizen closed the book slowly, feeling the cruel weight of a ninja's life press down on him. This world was merciless. Bonds forged in battle carried pain when severed, and death's shadow sharpened hatred like a blade in the soul. A shinobi's path was never kind—only survival mattered.
From that moment, Raizen trained harder. Pain and loss fueled his every move. The death of his brother lit a fire within him—a yearning for power so he could keep death at bay, at least from those he loved.
With the left wing gone, the war between the two coalitions finally ended. The Hyuga clan, though cut off from supplies, refused to surrender. Meanwhile, the northern Hayi and the Mori's Senju officially declared war on the Uchiha and Hyuga. The Uchiha had no choice but to sign a ceasefire with the Hyuga.
Thus, this brutal conflict ended abruptly, leaving the clans of the Warring States shaking their heads in disbelief at how cruel, senseless, and absurd war could be.