Ding!
Steel clashed. A samurai swung his long blade, only for it to be parried by a shinobi's kunai. Though samurai were brave and strong, their discipline meant little before chakra and jutsu.
The battlefield was chaos — the clang of metal, the hiss of steel cutting through air, and the smell of smoke thick enough to choke on.
"Kill them all!"
The Third Elder's voice cut through the noise, as his squad of wolf-like ninja surged into the samurai ranks. Warriors screamed and steel rang again, echoing through the Hatake compound.
Each side had something to protect. The samurai fought for honor. The ninja fought for survival. Blood turned the dirt black, and old allies raised blades against their own kin.
Across the clan grounds, battles raged in every corner. By nightfall, the proud Hatake Clan had turned into a slaughterhouse of divided loyalties.
"It's really tragic."
A lazy voice drifted from above a burning rooftop. Space shimmered, and Amamiya Raizen appeared, sitting cross-legged, watching the massacre below like it was a bad movie he couldn't turn off.
"When profit's involved, people stop pretending. Even family becomes fair game."
He sighed. "And here I am, pretending I've got time to be philosophical."
Raizen's chakra flared faintly as he vanished, space twisting behind him.
The Hidden Chamber of the Hatake Clan
Five shinobi stood guard before a locked door — four Chūnin and one Jōnin. Inside was Hatake Hoshino, the young son of Hatake Gintama.
"The Third Elder's too cautious," one of them grumbled. "Five of us to babysit a kid? He couldn't escape even if he tried."
"Shut up," barked the Jōnin. "That child decides the future of the clan. Don't get sloppy."
Before the man could finish his warning, a soft voice echoed from the shadows.
"Oh? So the Third Elder actually cares about the boy?"
The guards froze, spinning toward the sound.
"Who's there?!"
"Right here."
Space rippled, and Raizen appeared in front of them, standing with his hands in his pockets, expression bored.
"Who are you?" the Jōnin demanded. "What do you want with—"
"Obviously? Him."
Raizen's eyes opened, revealing a swirl of scarlet. Three tomoe spun into perfect alignment.
The guards stiffened — then dropped, one after another, like puppets with cut strings.
"Mangekyō Sharingan. Even a weak illusion turns Chūnin into drooling statues," Raizen muttered. "If I used Tsukuyomi or Kotoamatsukami, even Kage-levels would lose sleep."
He stepped over the unconscious bodies and crouched before the boy.
A child, maybe six, stared up at him — too calm for his age.
"You don't know it yet, kid," Raizen said quietly, "but your bloodline's gonna shake the world. You'll grow up, have a son named Sakumo, and he'll have a son named Kakashi. So… try not to die, alright?"
Hoshino blinked, confused, but Raizen only smiled faintly.
"Yeah, didn't think you'd get that."
The Mangekyō swirled again. Space folded — and both Raizen and the boy vanished.
When the genjutsu dissolved, the five Hatake guards woke up, saw the empty chamber, and paled.
They knew exactly what that meant.
And they knew what the punishment would be.
Back at the Battlefield
Raizen deposited Hoshino in his pocket dimension — a silent void of safety — and left him there.
The boy didn't cry or beg. He just nodded once and went quiet.
Tough kid, Raizen thought. Maybe the Hatake blood really is that cold.
He left again through Kamui, appearing near the Hatake main estate — the last stronghold.
The fight was nearly done. Samurai corpses lay piled around the mansion.
"Patriarch," sneered the Third Elder, "you're finished."
Inside, Hatake Resuke, the old clan head, stepped out in full armor, his white hair stained with blood.
"Finished? You've mistaken me for you," he said, voice steady.
The surrounding ninja hesitated.
"What are you doing, standing there?" the Elder roared. "Attack him!"
No one moved.
Resuke's gaze swept across the battlefield, calm and commanding. "Do you mean to betray your patriarch?"
Every shinobi froze, shame flooding their faces. One by one, they lowered their weapons and stepped back. The circle around him broke like mist in the sun.
The Elder's face twisted. "Idiots! He's manipulating you! Surround him again!"
But no one obeyed.
He suddenly realized, too late, that power wasn't about ranks or titles — it was about respect.
And Hatake Resuke still had theirs.