The Hanabira Clan and the Daitō Clan had finally finished building their settlements beside the Amamiya. The once quiet forest was now alive with smoke from fires, shouts of labor, and the rhythmic thud of hammers.
Three clans sharing one stretch of land should've felt like the start of something powerful… except it didn't.
They were close enough that a short walk could take you from one territory to another, yet the air between them stayed thick with tension.
Old habits die hard — especially the kind built on centuries of betrayal. The clans barely interacted, each watching the others from behind invisible walls.
Raizen frowned at the sight. "Great. Three families side by side, and we're acting like cats in a sack."
He rubbed his chin, thinking. Peace wouldn't come from silence. It needed movement, noise — commerce.
A market, he realized. People who trade together eventually talk. People who talk… might stop killing each other.
And so, the order went out:
A central bazaar will be built at the heart of the forest. Anyone may trade — clan or wanderer alike.
The other clans blinked, confused at first, but curiosity soon overpowered suspicion. The forest was swelling with people, and more mouths meant more needs. Tools, food, scrolls, medicine — everything had value.
In a matter of days, the bazaar took shape. Makeshift stalls popped up like mushrooms after rain. The air filled with the clatter of coin, the scent of grilled meat, and the chatter of merchants shouting over one another.
For the first time, the three clans had something to share other than paranoia.
Raizen stood on a hill overlooking the growing chaos, arms crossed. "Trade binds wallets, not hearts. If I want unity, I'll need something deeper."
His gaze turned thoughtful. Then came the next idea.
A Ninja Academy — and beside it, a shared training ground.
Children of all clans and wandering shinobi would study together, learning the basics of chakra control, tactics, and ninjutsu. Bonds would form the way they always did — through laughter, rivalry, and bruises. Those kids would bring those bonds home, weaving a net of shared futures before their parents even realized it.
As for the training ground, it'd be a shared arena. A place where strength wasn't inherited but earned, where warriors from different clans could fight and learn together.
The concept was bold — revolutionary, even — but Raizen wasn't naive. He called a council with the Hanabira and Daitō patriarchs.
"A ninja school… and a common training field?" the Hanabira chief asked, eyes narrowing.
Raizen nodded. "Yes. If our next generation trains together, they'll stop seeing each other as enemies."
The two exchanged wary looks. The Hanabira patriarch spoke first. "Sharing education… fine. But the training grounds? You're asking us to expose our techniques. Our clans have jutsu we cannot simply flaunt."
Raizen's smile didn't reach his eyes. "So do we. Yet the Amamiya clan is still willing to share space. You're worried about losing secrets. I'm worried about losing futures."
They hesitated, murmuring among themselves.
To Raizen, that hesitation said everything — fear, pride, and short-sightedness all rolled into one. He'd met their kind before. Leaders content to guard ashes instead of building fire.
Small clans. Small minds.
He could've forced the issue. The Amamiya had grown far beyond the point of needing permission. But appearances mattered. The clans had to feel included if unity was to mean anything.
"What's it going to be?" Raizen asked flatly, dropping all pretense of diplomacy.
The patriarchs sighed. The Hanabira chief finally nodded. "If the Amamiya patriarch insists, we'll comply."
Raizen smirked. "Good. Then it's settled. The children begin training tomorrow. One field, one dream."
The meeting ended. The two patriarchs left with forced smiles, their resignation hidden under the weight of politics.
Raizen watched their retreating backs, his expression unreadable. "No guts, no growth," he muttered. "If I rely on these fossils, we'll never move past survival."
He pulled out a weathered map and laid it across the table. Two locations were marked in red ink:
—the Amamiya territory, freshly built and thriving,
—and the Kaguya Clan lands to the south.
Raizen's eyes narrowed, a spark of ambition flickering there.
"Looks like it's time to find new allies."