Raizen fell quiet at Gen-sama's words.
The Amamiya clan had vast chakra reserves, and every member was born attuned to all five elemental natures. On paper, that was god-tier potential. In reality, it meant nothing.
Only one man in history—the future Third Hokage—had ever mastered all five elements by his own skill. For the Amamiya, it was just an untapped blessing, buried under blood and mud.
Raizen could tell why the old man was bitter. Having power but still bowing to others just to keep the clan alive—it must have eaten at him every night.
Gen-sama's next words broke through the silence."You did well, Raizen. This one act alone restored our clan's name."
The sharp authority in his tone melted into something almost boyish. For once, the weary patriarch looked like a man who still dreamed of glory.
Raizen blinked. Wait... is he actually excited?This was the same man who'd just been ready to skin him alive five minutes ago.
Gen-sama chuckled, shook his head, and waved him off. "Go. Rest. You've earned it."
Raizen bowed and slipped out of the courtyard, still half-stunned. At the gate, he ran into Amamiya Ten, waiting with an anxious look.
"Raizen! You okay? I heard shouting."
Raizen smiled faintly. "Relax, Ten-nii. I'm fine. Still breathing, see?"
Ten let out a sigh of relief and crossed his arms. "Good. If some Senju dog dies, that's his problem. A ninja who loses deserves it."
Raizen raised a brow. "Didn't know you had that kind of fire in you, Ten-nii."
Ten grinned and shrugged. "You pick it up after watching our clan get pushed around long enough."He patted Raizen's shoulder and walked off.
Raizen shook his head, smiling faintly. Then he headed toward the training grounds.
"Raizen-nii's here!"
The moment he stepped onto the field, a swarm of little brats charged at him—tiny clan kids, barely old enough to hold kunai, faces snotty and bright.
"You really killed a Senju ninja? That's so cool!""Yeah! You're amazing, Raizen-nii!"
Their admiration was so unfiltered it almost made him laugh.
Then a smaller kid tugged on his sleeve. "Brother Raizen… can you show us a jutsu? Yamamoto-sensei never lets us see real ones!"
A dozen hopeful faces stared up at him, eyes shining like campfire sparks.
Raizen exhaled slowly, then smirked. "Fine. But don't blink, or you'll miss it."
He stepped to the center of the clearing, lightning already starting to crackle faintly around his palm.
"The jutsu I'm about to show you is called Chidori—'A Thousand Birds.' An A-rank Lightning Style technique. My own creation."
The kids gasped. "Your own jutsu?!"
Their excitement drew in the older clan members nearby—chūnin and jōnin stopping mid-training to watch.
Raizen thrust his arm forward. Blue lightning flared from his hand, screeching like a storm of birds. The air hummed with static.
"That's… Lightning Nature Transformation!" someone whispered.
The sound built until it roared like thunder. The lightning didn't dissipate—it coiled and hardened, focused into a single, deadly point.
Another gasp rippled through the crowd."Not just nature transformation… he changed the form too!"
"Chidori!!"
Raizen shot forward, chakra bursting under his feet. The moment his hand slammed into the dirt wall, the world lit up—
BOOM!
Lightning devoured the wall, tearing it apart in a violent explosion. The air filled with ozone and dust. When it cleared, the wall was gone.
The field was silent. Then the kids started cheering.
"Whoa! So cool!""Teach me, Raizen-nii!"
Even the older shinobi were left gaping, eyes wide with a mixture of awe and disbelief.
Raizen lowered his smoking hand, smirk tugging at his lips.
Yeah. Stare all you want.One day, you'll remember this moment—and you'll know who pulled this clan out of the mud.