The collapse of the Kaguya clan's forces came faster than anyone could've imagined — even Raizen himself. The once-fearsome warriors were now broken, scattering like startled animals through the mud and blood. Their will to fight had been crushed; all that remained was the desperate urge to flee.
If they'd just stayed together — fought as one — they could've forced a stalemate. The Amamiya and Hanabira clans were exhausted, after all. But fractured armies die fast, and Kaguya's pride had splintered them beyond repair.
Raizen stood at the center of the chaos, his clothes burned and spattered with blood, voice cutting through the noise. "All Amamiya and Hanabira shinobi, listen up! Split into two teams — one continues the siege, the other hunts down every Kaguya still breathing!"
The orders were cold, precise, and obeyed instantly. Ninja swarmed into motion like a single organism. The fleeing Kaguya were run down in the forests and plains, screams echoing under the clash of steel and detonations.
Out of the three hundred Kaguya who had once stood proud, less than a hundred remained. Surrounded and trembling, they finally broke.
"We surrender!" one of them shouted, throwing his sword to the ground. Others followed, hands raised, eyes wide with fear.
Raizen's gaze hardened. Surrender? He'd seen this play before. Leave them alive, and in a few months, they'd crawl back stronger, sharper, hungrier for revenge.
"The Kaguya invaded Amamiya and Hanabira lands for their own gain," Raizen said flatly, his voice carrying across the field. "The hatred between our clans can't be undone. Better to end it now than regret it later. No survivors."
He clasped his hands together. Chakra flared.
"Dust Release: Primary Realm Disintegration."
A cone of blinding white light tore through the ranks. The screams were brief. The bodies were not.
The Amamiya and Hanabira shinobi moved without hesitation. Steel flashed. Tags detonated. The air filled with the wet crunch of bone and the stink of burned flesh.
"Damn you, Amamiya! You'll pay for this!" one of the Kaguya screamed before a kunai silenced him. There was no glory left — just slaughter.
Within minutes, nearly a hundred lay dead. Barely fifty remained, trapped in a tightening circle.
The Hanabira patriarch hesitated, horror flickering in his eyes at Raizen's ruthlessness. But when he met Raizen's gaze — calm, unblinking — he gritted his teeth and shouted, "Hanabira shinobi! With me — wipe out the Kaguya!"
The last of the Kaguya fought like cornered beasts, but even beasts bleed. The final scream faded into the cold wind, and silence finally returned to the valley.
Raizen and the Hanabira patriarch exchanged a wordless glance — victory, heavy and hollow.
"Clean the field," Raizen said.
Teams spread out, tending to the wounded, burning corpses, collecting tags and kunai from the mud. The metallic scent of blood clung to everything.
The Hanabira patriarch approached, bowing slightly. "If not for the Amamiya's aid, my clan would've been wiped out. From today, we'll stand as your closest ally."
Raizen smiled faintly. "Then let's make it official. If we want to survive this era, we'll need more than promises. Let's sign an alliance."
The patriarch nodded, weary but willing. The Hanabira had lost too much to stand alone. Whatever terms Raizen demanded, they'd have no choice but to accept.
Later that night, the two clans held a victory ceremony beneath fluttering banners. It was half celebration, half funeral. While laughter rang through the camp, the air still stank of ashes.
In the command tent, Raizen sat opposite the Hanabira patriarch, sipping cold tea. "What I propose," he began, "isn't just an alliance — it's unity. One command structure. One defense. We share resources, and our shinobi train together. No more isolation."
The patriarch blinked. "You mean… merging the clans?"
"Call it what you want," Raizen said with a shrug. "If we want peace, we build it. Piece by bloody piece."
The older man went quiet, deep in thought. Outside, the wind howled across the battlefield — the sound of an era still at war.
Raizen looked into the darkness beyond the tent and smiled faintly to himself. Step by step, he thought. A world that doesn't eat its children… starts here.