The Hanagata patriarch sat in silence, fingers drumming against the table. Raizen's proposal to merge their clans' territories echoed in his head like a kunai scraping stone. Moving an entire clan wasn't just a logistical nightmare — it was a gamble with survival as the stake.
If they united under one banner, and the Amamiya turned on them… there'd be no escape. No walls high enough, no blades sharp enough to resist from within. And this talk of "unified power"? That was just a polite way of saying centralized control. Everyone knew who'd end up holding that control — Amamiya Raizen.
The patriarch's jaw tightened. The Hanagata might be small, but they still held pride. To surrender autonomy meant watching his clan slowly fade, swallowed by another's shadow. Yet… the other side of the coin gleamed just as dangerously. The alliance could also mean protection — stability, resources, survival.
Raizen watched the old man's expressions shift like storm clouds. His tone was calm, but his eyes carried that familiar, cynical gleam.
"Tell me, Patriarch Hanagata — have you forgotten your clan's current situation? Without the Amamiya's help, you won't last the year."
The words hit harder than any jutsu.
The Hanagata clan was in ruins — contracts broken, farmlands burned, resource lines severed. Their shinobi corps was half-gone, their coffers nearly empty. Without Amamiya support, they'd be like fresh meat in a field of wolves. Every nearby clan would tear a piece off before winter even hit.
The patriarch clenched his fists, silent. The truth was cruel but undeniable — they had no leverage left. Whether by choice or by desperation, their future now walked the path Raizen set.
"…Can you tell me the full terms of this 'alliance,' Chief Amamiya?"
Raizen's smirk softened. "Relax, Hanagata-dono. We're not here to swallow anyone. We just need unity — true unity. That's the only way to survive this era."
He leaned forward, eyes sharp with that peculiar mix of reason and madness.
"The idea is simple. The major clans move their territories close together — one shared region. But leadership remains separate. Each clan keeps its own head, its own industries, its own rights. What changes is this — when one clan is attacked, the others respond. Together."
He gestured toward the map between them, the borders and rivers marked with ink. "And in future wars, we coordinate. Victories and spoils are shared, distributed based on contribution. Not rank. Not age. Merit."
Raizen paused, letting that sink in before continuing.
"And one more thing — we'll build a joint training ground. A school for the next generation. Every child of every allied clan will grow up learning side by side. Fighting together. Laughing together. The next war won't just unite our interests… it'll unite our hearts."
The Hanagata patriarch studied him quietly. The words were dangerous — visionary, even. If this was true cooperation, not absorption, then the risks might be worth it. They'd gain a stronger shield and a stronger ally.
Raizen waited, hands folded, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "So, Patriarch. Have you decided?"
"…The Hanagata clan agrees to join the alliance."
Raizen rose, a glint of satisfaction crossing his face. The first stone was laid. Once this worked, others would follow — the smaller clans first, desperate for protection. Then more would gather, until the alliance was no longer just a pact, but a foundation. A prototype of something greater.
"The birth of a new order," he murmured to himself.
The Hanagata patriarch spoke again, his tone firm. "Then when shall we hold the ceremony?"
"No need to rush," Raizen replied, smiling faintly. "We won't be the only ones. The Daitō clan will likely see the same truth soon enough."
The old man nodded. The Daitō were in the same state — bleeding, exhausted, cornered. Even if they'd repelled the Kaguya, the cost had been steep.
And as Raizen predicted, while he sealed his alliance with Hanagata, the Daitō front was also burning itself out. The Kaguya forces there were smaller, but so were the reinforcements. The battle had dragged on, bloody and aimless. Neither side gained ground.
But word spread fast — the Kaguya were crushed at Hanagata. Their losses were catastrophic. Their prestige, shattered.
When the surviving Kaguya realized their clan was losing its status as one of the great families, their morale finally broke. Retreat became inevitable.
In the wake of that retreat, three battered clans — Amamiya, Hanagata, and Daitō — stood victorious.
And that day marked the end of the Kaguya Wars.