"What happened?!"
Raizen's voice tore through the camp, sharp and desperate. He rushed forward, catching Amamiya Itsuo before the man could hit the ground. The younger ninja's breath came in ragged gasps, eyes red and wild.
"Y-young Patriarch… during patrol— we found something…"
Itsuo's voice broke halfway, tears slipping down his cheeks.
Raizen's gut turned to stone. "What did you find?"
Itsuo's hands trembled. "The Patriarch's… body."
For a heartbeat, the world froze.
Then came the sound — Raizen's breath catching, his mind refusing to process it.
"…What did you just say?"
His voice cracked, colder now, lower.
"We found the Patriarch's body, Raizen-sama. H-he didn't make it back from the supply raid…"
Raizen's eyes widened, then slowly dimmed. His hands were shaking.
Last night, Gen-sama had left camp to strike the Kaguya Clan's supply line. By noon today, his corpse was found.
It wasn't a battle — it was a message.
Raizen swallowed the lump in his throat.
"Who else knows?"
"Only the three of us on patrol. Captain sent me back to report quietly."
"Good. Keep it that way." Raizen's tone sharpened like drawn steel. "Hide the body. Tell your captain no one— and I mean no one— breathes a word until I say so."
"Y-Yes, Raizen-sama!" Itsuo bowed deeply and vanished into the forest.
As his silhouette disappeared, Raizen exhaled slowly, a sound halfway between a sigh and a growl.
Damn it.
The Kaguya's blades hadn't just killed a man — they'd gutted the clan's heart.
If word got out, morale would collapse overnight.
He clenched his fists and turned toward the command tent.
Minutes later, three figures entered — veterans with scarred faces and quiet eyes: Amamiya Ten, Amamiya Watari, and Amamiya Jinen.
The highest officers left beneath Gen-sama.
"You called for us, Raizen-sama?" Ten asked, wary.
Raizen's face was unreadable. "The patrol found something. You'll see for yourselves."
He didn't explain further, just led them into the night.
The forest swallowed their footsteps. When they arrived beneath an old cedar, three scouts appeared from the shadows.
"This way," one whispered.
They followed — until the torchlight revealed him.
Amamiya Gen lay still beneath the roots of the cedar, armor cracked, blood dried black.
For a moment, no one breathed.
Raizen dropped to his knees. "...Patriarch."
The word came out small. Human.
He stared at the man who'd raised him from a reckless boy into a warrior.
The one who taught him how to mold chakra without fear.
And now, he was just— gone.
Tears welled, fell, hit the dirt.
Raizen gritted his teeth, forcing himself upright. The grief didn't fade— it just hardened.
Behind him, the others bowed their heads. Ten's face twitched with emotion, though his voice stayed steady.
"Young Patriarch… now isn't the time for tears. If this gets out, the clan's done for."
Watari nodded grimly. "The Kaguya will smell blood before sunrise. We need to act."
Raizen wiped his eyes, the tremor in his hands fading as resolve set in.
"…You're right."
He looked at them, his tone like a blade.
"We move the body. Quietly. Not a single whisper leaves this forest. If we're lucky, we can hold this together for a few days."
"Yes, Raizen-sama!"
He continued, his mind already racing ahead.
"When the others ask where the Patriarch is— we tell them he vanished during a supply raid. It'll raise suspicion, but it'll buy time."
The older shinobi exchanged glances.
It was a ruthless lie. But the only kind that could save them.
"Move. Now," Raizen ordered.
They lifted the fallen leader's body with quiet hands. No words. No ceremony. Just the cold rhythm of duty.
By dawn, the corpse of Amamiya Gen rested within the heart of the camp — sealed, guarded, and hidden.
The patrol team that had found him was quietly reassigned, cut off from contact with the others.
When everything was finally done, Raizen sat in silence before the clan's war map.
The candle beside him trembled in the wind, its light barely holding.
Gen-sama…
You left me a burning house and called it inheritance.
He closed his eyes.
The air felt heavier than blood.
Tomorrow, the Amamiya would need a new leader.
And ready or not… Raizen was all they had left.