Raizen moved through the aftermath of the battlefield with a strange, hollow weight in his chest. Familiar faces lost to the war pressed on his mind, and a restless urgency gnawed at him. He wanted power—real power—enough to end the Warring States period in one fell stroke. Too bad he was still far from it. Even against mid-level Jōnin, he wasn't a match. And Madara-san and Hashirama-san? Not even in the same league… yet.
Tonight, though, he could do nothing but let the surviving clansmen clean the battlefield. By dawn, the corpses were stacked for burial, awaiting the return of the patriarch, Amamiya Gen. Then, slowly, the clan began rebuilding what the Ueshi raiders had destroyed. Five hundred sixty people moved together, hearts weighed with grief for the kin they had lost, yet driven by stubborn survival. The dead were gone—Raizen knew they could not be saved. The living, however, had to ensure the Amamiya name endured.
Meanwhile, far from the charred remnants of the clan residence, Patriarch Amamiya Gen led the returning ninjas back with grim determination. Yesterday, he had taken most of the family's forces to reinforce distant allies, expecting the Ueshi clan to field a full contingent. Instead, only a handful of Ueshi Jōnin—two alongside the elite Ueshi Masahiro—stood on the battlefield. A smaller force than anticipated, yes, but still dangerous.
Seeing an opportunity, Amamiya Gen pressed the advantage, striking at Ueshi Masahiro's contingent. The Ueshi forces faltered under the relentless assault, and Amamiya Gen pursued Masahiro personally, convinced the Jōnin's retreat was fear. Yet just as he closed in to deliver the decisive blow, Masahiro revealed a shocking truth: the main body of the Ueshi clan had infiltrated the Amamiya residence itself.
The news hit Amamiya Gen like a thunderclap. The thought of his clan trapped under a surprise attack spurred him into motion. No hesitation—he led the family's ninjas in a full-speed dash back to their home. As they approached, smoke spiraled into the sky, and scorched stakes dotted the perimeter. The sight sent a pang of dread through him.
"Patriarch!" a voice cried from the station. A group of surviving Amamiya clan members emerged, battered but alive. Relief and disbelief clashed in Amamiya Gen's chest. He didn't stop to assert his authority; he ran to them.
"What happened to the family? Why is it like this?" he asked, voice hoarse.
A clansman bowed and recounted the previous night's events in solemn tones. Amamiya Gen staggered from the report—dizzy with disbelief. The Ueshi clan had truly struck at the heart of the Amamiya residence.
"Then… the family… are you the only ones left?" he choked out.
"Patriarch," the survivors hurried to explain, "we're not alone!"
The tale unfolded: the Ueshi ninjas had attacked with lethal intent, but Raizen-san had descended from above like a storm incarnate. His intervention shattered the Ueshi forces within the clan residence, wiping them out and saving every survivor.
For the first time that night, Amamiya Gen allowed himself a shaky breath. The family was saved, battered but unbroken—and the Amamiya clan lived to fight another day.
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