I only wanted the life I'd read about and dreamed

Hidaka Toshiaki. The clan name was indeed familiar but it wasn't one of particular note, or really one that stood out amongst the many others that flocked to Iga's compound. For Hattori to take an interest in a clan outside of his own was rather rare, to be honest, perhaps illuding to how close minded he'd been once. How different things used to be. But to now hear Kunai had been stripped of his name and clan rights did little to outwardly affect the Kaicho's opinion of him, he was many things but not quite a hypocrite. He had been ousted too but held onto his name nonetheless, allowing nothing or no one to take it from him.

If Kunai wanted a new start then this was the place for it.

But Hattori was curious, he wanted to know why. What slight, real or imagined, had pushed him down this path.

"And what did you do?" He asked, wiping his paw on the leaf carpet to get rid of the blood. "Was it deserved? Or did your parents expect too much?"