On a warm night in October, Hanzo was walking in the shadows of the streets outside Shimada Castle in Hanamura, Japan. He is a middle-aged man with light skin and long dark hair tied into a small ponytail by a long piece of fabric. He wears a dark one-shoulder suit that covers his right side and arm. His left side is exposed and covered in two dragon tattoos that encircle his entire arm. A quiver of arrows is also slung on his back along with his bow. He climbed a few walls and started parkouring rooftops as he began remembering his childhood. He was the eldest son of Sojiro Shimada, the family's head, and was bound by duty to succeed his father to rule the Shimada empire. The Shimada family was established centuries ago, a clan of assassins whose power grew over the years enabling them to build a vast criminal empire in Japan that profited from lucrative trade in arms and illegal substances. From a young age, Hanzo was trained for that responsibility, displaying a natural aptitude for leadership and possessing an innate understanding of strategy and tactics. He also excelled in more practical areas: he was a prodigy in martial arts, swordplay, and bowman-ship. He had to deal with expectations that his younger brother, Genji, did not. Genji had little interest in the family's illegal businesses and although he excelled at and enjoyed his ninja training, he spent most of his time pursuing a playboy lifestyle. He was given the name sparrow as an insult by other members in the clan, but Genji grew to adopt it as his nickname. His father gave him leniency and space but other members of the clan thought otherwise and thought of Genji as a liability. When their father passed away, Hanzo took over the empire but left soon afterwards due to internal conflicts within the clan and as a result was marked for death by the clan. This is the reason why today he needs to sneak into the place he once called home.
Since the castle is very familiar, Hanzo knew where each of the guards are stationed and the perfect place to infiltrate the castle without being seen. After easily climbing the walls, he jumped rooftops of the temples and some of the courtyard structures to finally get to where he wanted to go, the dojo. There were no guards stationed here at this hour allowing Hanzo to take his time inside.
The dojo interior is colored in beige and dark brown. The entrance is a large shoji, a Japanese sliding door, that open to a large rectangular center and the back of it are two corridors that lead to a smaller arena. On the left side of the room is another shoji which is already open to a large balcony overlooking the city. The ceiling has a painting of two dragons intertwined. Across from the entrance sits a large Kanji banner with a white background with the words 竜頭蛇尾 which translate to dragon's head, snake's tail. It's ironic how this kanji poster resembles Hanzo's and Genji's constant bickering with each other growing up.
Hanzo took a right at the entrance to see a wall bearing with a few markings that are marked with names Genji, Hanzo, and Kiriko, the daughter of their fighting instructor. This bearing was used to monitor their height increase as they grew older in their training. He walked a few more steps and found some wooden swords used for training. He began remembering the lesson from their instructor Asa Yamagami with Genji and Kiriko. She taught them martial arts, climbing walls and the use of different weapons. Kiriko grew to become a cute little niece figure to both of them. Genji and Kiriko spent a lot of times at the arcade, where they racked up numerous high scores. Hanzo kept advising them not to spend so much time to avoid trouble because other clans spend time there as well. However, given their rebellious nature, they continued and Hanzo had to step in to help them escape from time to time. A smile was about to shine on Hanzo's face as he recollected those blissful memories before grief overcame. He remembered that today marks the 10th anniversary of something he regrets ever doing.
Hanzo turned around and walked over to the Kanji poster. It became clear now that it's been too long since anyone has tended to it, where it has a few slashes and tears at the bottom from a previous battle that took place here in this dojo 10 years ago. He approached it while feeling his steps get heavier until he knelt down placing his bow on the ground. From his pockets, he took out a sparrow feather and incense candles and lit them to pay his respects in honor of the memory of his long-lost brother, Genji. Even though Hanzo feels immense regret and sorrow about his brother, his face remains expressionless. This has been so since the past 10 years as the loss of his brother has broken him into a life of seeking meaning outside the Shimada clan.
About a minute had passed until, Hanzo broke the silence and spoke with his eyes closed. "You are not the first assassin sent to kill me... and you will not be the last". At the entrance of the dojo, a figure appeared from the shadows glowing in green. He had a brown cyborg body with white plating and armor on top, neon green accents, and a silver helmet with a glowing green line on the front and a long piece of fabric tied on the back of his head. He has two blades hanging on his back, one that unsheathes from his back while another from his side. It does not come as a surprise that Hanzo's naturally heightened senses made him aware he was being watched. The ninja spoke in a partially mechanical voice as if modified "you are bold, to come to Shimada castle... The den of your enemies".
Hanzo lost his temper at having this castle, his home, be called a den to his enemies. "This was once my home... Did your masters not tell you who I was!?" He reached for his bow and turned quickly to fire. The ninja was very quick to bend to the side away from the arrow trajectory. Unfazed, he replied "I know who you are... Hanzo... I know why you come here every year on this same day... Risked so much to honor someone you murdered."
The ninja took out three shuriken from his mechanical arms and threw them at Hanzo. He ducked to avoid them but they landed at some of the arrows in his quiver, breaking them, before sticking to the wall behind him.
The enraged Hanzo replied "You know nothing of what happened... you were not there"
Hanzo pulled his bow as strong as he could and launched the arrow at the ninja's chest. The ninja was anticipating this shot and attempted to deflect, but the speed was very high that it pushed him backwards into the corner of the dojo. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Hanzo pulled out his Scatter Arrow, a modified arrow that splinters to miniature ones that is able to ricochet of walls for a small duration. As a response, the ninja took out his sword and was deflecting all incoming arrows while running towards the open balcony and stepped out of site.
As Hanzo stood in the middle of the balcony ready with his bow, he heard the ninja speak from the shadows.
"I know you tell yourself that your brother disobeyed the clan."
Hanzo fired an arrow at where he thought the voice came from, on his left, but it landed in a pillar.
"And that you had to kill him to maintain order. That it was your duty."
Hanzo, remembering the past and how he felt pressured by the clan to fight Genji, replied, "It was my duty... and my burden". He closed his eyes to focus on his hearing and continued "That does not mean I do not honor him". He located the ninja and fired an arrow at him but the ninja deflected it into the ground.
Out of arrows, Hanzo grunted and screamed as he charged with his bow into close combat. He went on the offensive while the ninja took a defensive stance in the first few blows. As Hanzo took a moment to pull his arms back to strike, the ninja took this moment to leap and kick Hanzo backwards next to the arrow that struck the ground.
"You think you honor your brother, Genji, with incense offerings? Honor resides in one's actions".
"You dare lecture me about honor! You are not worthy to say his name!"
Hanzo took a deep breath pulling the arrow backwards and speaking the words "Ryuu-ga, Wa-ga-te-ki-wo, Ku-ra-u" which translates to a meaning of "Let the dragon consume my enemies."
The two dragon tattoos on his left arm began to glow in blue as they started swirling around his arm like snakes engulfing the arrow. The arrow completely disappeared, and the two dragons grew exponentially. Two Large blue glowing dragons were swirling now towards the ninja reaching for his second blade, for the first time, and spoke the words "Ryūjin no ken wo kūrae!" which translates to "The dragon becomes me." The ninja's blade was engulfed with a single green dragon that swirled on it. He then sliced through the air at the incoming two dragons. The Green dragon charged at the blue ones changing their direction. The ninja was controlling the direction of all three dragons with his blade and moving them around the balcony before releasing them back at Hanzo.
Hanzo was completely in shock to see someone else in control of the dragons other than himself. The green dragon has disappeared as the blue ones flew toward Hanzo. He kept his hands in front of his body to brace for impact. As the dragons phased through him, he felt the energy being drained from his body as he got pushed back. It is the first time that he has tasted his own power and realized why a person with a lack of strength would die at this attack. He was completely drained and fell to his knees. The ninja sheathed his dragon blade on his back and equipped his other sword.
Hanzo spoke in a defeated tone "only a Shimada can control the dragons... Who are you?"
The ninja charged forward in immense speed holding the sword at Hanzo's neck. Hanzo's body stiffened as he waited for the strike but it never landed.
"Do it then. Kill me."
The ninja removed the blade from Hanzo's neck while looking ahead into the city then turning to Hanzo and said "no... I will not grant you the death you wish for... you still have a purpose in this life... brother."
Hanzo in complete despair could not believe the words he heard. He stood up, turned around and spoke in a trembling tone "no... my brother is dead."
The ninja put his back to his helmet, a puff of air came out as the helmet unlocked. He removed his helmet to show the parts of his face still human, his eyes. Hanzo recognized those grey eyes that belonged to his brother. His voice broken called out to his brother.
"Genji" In a moment, Hanzo realized the rest of his brother's body is cybernetic. He looked away feeling responsible and said, "What... have you become?"
Genji replied "When you fought me ten years ago because I would not serve the clan, you left me on the brink of death. People, who I now call friends, took me in and made me who I am." He took a short pause as he remembered Dr. Angela Ziegler and how overwatch took him in and helped him recover. Overwatch gave him a cybernetic body that increased his agility and strength. He joined the covert ops division in Overwatch, Blackwatch, which not many knew of its existence. Only some of the overwatch strike team members were aware of it. Even though he fought with his new mechanized body, he only ever accepted it after the fall of Overwatch when he began his own mission in finding inner peace.
He put his helmet on, put a hand on his brother's shoulder and said "I have accepted what I am, and I have forgiven you. Now you must forgive yourself."
He walked away towards the edge of the balcony and looked down on his wrist to a holographic overwatch symbol with the word Recall "the world is changing once again Hanzo". He climbed onto the railing and before jumping off said "and it's time to pick a side".
Hanzo, who was still processing all the information, looked at the arrow that was lodged at the pillar ahead of him. He pulled it out and ran to the edge of the balcony with his bow ready. However, Genji was nowhere to be seen. He screamed in hopes Genji would hear "Real life is not like the stories father told us. You were a fool for believing it so."
As Hanzo was about to give up on hearing a response, a voice replied from the shadows.
"Perhaps I am a fool to think there is still hope for you. But I do."
Hanzo loosened his grip on the bow and lowered the weapon as the voice continued.
"Think on that brother."
Hanzo stood alone in silence looking out into the city. Striking down Genji 10 years ago broke Hanzo's heart and drove him to reject his father's legacy, ultimately leading him to abandoning the clan. Even though he just saw his brother still alive, the pain of those memories never fades. He stepped away from the balcony and went back inside the castle towards the place he placed his incense candles. He sat down once more and prayed.
Genji was in the shadows still able to see his brother as his wrist began to blink indicating an incoming message. He turned his hand over and opened up a holographic screen which started playing an emergency broadcast message on the overwatch coms channel. It was Winston's message to join him once again and he felt an obligation to respond. However, he needed to visit an old friend at the Shambali Monastery and pay him his respects as Mondatta was recently assassinated.