The clan finally agreed.
Under Raizen's proposal, the Amamiya would open their gates — recruiting capable outsiders, granting them the right to live within clan lands, and assigning them to the clan's shinobi corps. A risky move, sure. But for a small clan surrounded by giants, stagnation was suicide.
After the meeting, Raizen walked through the Amamiya compound. Every ninja and servant he passed bowed deeply, addressing him as patriarch. The word still felt strange in his ears — heavier than any title he'd ever worn, even in his past life.
When he'd first reincarnated into this blood-soaked world, Raizen had lived carefully — always calculating, always surviving. He'd endured mockery, the pressure of rival clans, and the crushing weight of expectations. Now, all of that had flipped. He wasn't the desperate survivor anymore. He was the one giving orders. The man who had clawed his way from the dirt now stood at the top of a clan.
He could finally breathe.
The freedom felt dangerous.
Inside his residence, two attendants bowed low. Their movements were too polished, too respectful — a reminder that power changes how people see you, not who you are. Raizen sighed, half amused, half uneasy.
Then came a voice from outside. "Patriarch!"
A clan messenger rushed in, face flushed.
"What happened? Enemy attack?" Raizen's tone sharpened instantly.
"Happy news, patriarch! A victory!" The shinobi handed him a scroll.
Raizen opened it, eyes narrowing — then widening.
"The Kaguya retreated…?"
The letter detailed everything: the Kaguya forces had withdrawn from both the Yicheng and Songshan mines. They had instead turned their aggression toward Daitō and Huaxing, abandoning their siege entirely.
For the first time in generations, the Amamiya Clan stood undefeated against a great house.
Raizen's lips curved into a slow, almost disbelieving smile. "So, we actually pulled it off."
He dismissed the messenger with a wave. "Spread the word. Let every man, woman, and child in this clan know — we didn't just survive. We won."
Cheers soon rolled through the compound like a rising storm.
Across the Warring States, that same news hit the other clans like a thrown kunai. No one had expected the Kaguya — those blood-hungry beasts — to retreat. Yet they had. Their withdrawal meant only one thing: the Kaguya had acknowledged defeat.
A new power had stepped onto the battlefield.
In the Senju camp, a letter arrived bearing the Amamiya crest.
Senju Hashirama sat beneath a flickering lamp, reading in silence. His calm expression betrayed little, but the flicker in his eyes told the truth.
"…Raizen. You've really grown."
A young Tobirama stood at his side, silver hair gleaming under torchlight. "Brother, the Amamiya's victory means the smaller clans are evolving while we're locked in this endless stalemate. It's time. I request your permission — let us end the Uchiha once and for all."
A tall jonin added, voice booming, "Patriarch, Tobirama is right. Our men are weary, our supplies thin. This cycle of skirmishes cannot continue. Give the order — end this war!"
One by one, the Senju shinobi stood, echoing:
"Please give the command, Patriarch!"
Hashirama looked over his people, memories flashing — Madara's grin by the river, Raizen's sharp wit, the shared dream of peace that had long since crumbled.
That dream was gone.
He inhaled deeply, shoulders squaring. You are not the boy by the river anymore. You are Senju Hashirama — head of your clan.
"Prepare the troops," he said finally. "Three days from now, we fight at Shenkong Valley. This time, it ends."
A roar of approval shook the tent.
Meanwhile, within the Uchiha stronghold, Madara crushed the same letter in his hand.
"So, you've beaten the Kaguya, Raizen. Heh… You got ahead of me this time."
His Sharingan spun violently, the three tomoe merging into a new, burning pattern. A wave of dark chakra rippled through the room.
"Hashirama…" he whispered, eyes gleaming with crimson light. "This time, I'll sever the past. You and I — we'll end it here."
The two men who once dreamed of peace would now lead their clans into the bloodiest battle of the era.
The Warring States trembled again.
And in the ashes of the Kaguya's defeat, the valley of Shenkong awaited its next legend.
...
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