Location: Imperial Palace, Tokyo
Time: 10:00 AM | October 1903
Prime Minister Katsura Taro unrolled a large paper map of the Korean peninsula.
FSSSH.
He pressed the edges flat against the wooden floorboards.
Between August and October, the geopolitical reality of Japan fractured completely.
Russian troops aggressively erected permanent stone forts in northern Korea.
Emperor Meiji sat quietly on a raised tatami mat and stared at the map.
"...They refuse to compromise, Your Majesty," Katsura reported grimly.
Foreign Minister Komura Jutaro wiped sweat from his forehead with a cloth.
"...Russia demands a neutral buffer zone north of the thirty-ninth parallel," Komura explained.
Komura tapped the top half of the map with his index finger.
"...They want exclusive influence up here," Komura added. "...And they demand our military be permanently banned from entering."
Elders of the Kamo clan knelt in the far back corner of the room.
Including Gakukanji representative sat perfectly still beside him.
Emperor Meiji looked down at the red markers placed over the northern borders.
"...If we allow their soldiers to remain stationed in the north, they will never leave," the Emperor stated flatly.
He pointed a finger at the map.
"...They will inevitably swallow the entire peninsula," Emperor Meiji finalized his verdict. "...We reject their proposal."
Prime Minister Katsura bowed his head deeply against the wood.
"...Understood, Your Majesty," Katsura replied.
"...Prepare the country," the Emperor ordered. "...We are going to war."
--<>--
Location: Kamo Estate, Council Room
Time: 02:00 PM | February 1904
The Russo-Japanese War officially erupted in February.
The Meiji government began aggressively drafting thousands of men across the country.
Elder Yasu slammed a stack of conscription papers onto the low wooden table.
SLAP.
"...This is completely unacceptable!" Yasu shouted.
Huff. Puff.
He breathed heavily and pointed a shaking finger at the documents.
Kamo Kenji poured hot sake into a small ceramic cup.
SPLASH.
He took a slow sip to calm his nerves.
Kamo Shiro scowled at the papers.
"...The military police in Kyoto are demanding quotas from every noble family," Elder Goro complained from the corner. "...They expect us to send our branch members to Manchuria."
Shiro slammed his fist against his knee.
THUD.
"...We are a sacred Jujutsu family," Shiro argued angrily. "...We exist to exorcise curses."
He glared at the elders.
"...We are not going to join for a human conflict," Shiro stated.
Noritoshi Kamo sat at the head of the table.
He picked up a piece of white rice with his wooden chopsticks.
He placed it in his mouth and chewed slowly.
He looked completely bored by the panic.
"...Lord Noritoshi, we must refuse the draft," Yasu urged him. "...We cannot afford to lose our sorcerers to a non-sorcerer war."
Noritoshi swallowed his food.
"...You are all acting incredibly foolish," Noritoshi spoke in a raspy, calm voice.
The entire council room fell completely silent.
Noritoshi set his chopsticks down.
CLACK.
"...The Meiji generals do not care about our sacred duties," Noritoshi explained casually.
He looked directly at Kenji.
"...Open the main treasury," Noritoshi ordered.
Kenji blinked in surprise and set his sake cup down.
"...Father?" Kenji asked hesitantly.
"...Take the money to the regional commanders in Kyoto," Noritoshi instructed him.
Noritoshi picked up his teacup.
"...Bribe them directly," he added. "...Pay them to permanently strike every Kamo name off the government registry."
Kenji and Shiro looked at each other.
Elder Yasu let out a long breath.
It was a highly corrupt solution to a massive human problem.
"...I understand, Father," Kenji bowed deeply. "...I will arrange the bribes immediately."
Noritoshi took a slow sip of hot tea.
SIP.
'These fools care so much about human politics,' Noritoshi thought lazily.
He did not care about the clan's finances or the Russian war.
He just needed the Kamo estate to remain perfectly isolated while he finished his goals.
--<>--
Location: Kamo Estate, Outer Perimeter
Time: 10:34 PM | November 1904
The Russo-Japanese War devolved into a brutal stalemate by November.
The Imperial Japanese Army lost tens of thousands of soldiers at the Siege of Port Arthur.
Soldiers bled out in freezing trenches over patches of dirt.
The Kamo clan branch members walked through the quiet woods of Kyoto completely untouched by the carnage.
Daiki kicked a large pinecone down the dirt path.
THWACK.
"...I am so bored," Daiki groaned loudly. "...We just walk in circles every single night."
Yumi swatted a mosquito away from her face.
SMACK.
"...Shut up," Yumi scolded him. "...We could be sitting in a trench in Manchuria right now."
Daiki rubbed his neck and sighed.
"...Yeah, thankfully the clan didn't agree," Daiki admitted casually. "... And besides we already killed dozens of cursed spirits now."
Hanzo walked a few steps behind them.
He was fifteen years old.
His dark uniform fit tightly across his broad shoulders.
"...Money solves almost every problem outside these walls," Hanzo chimed in. Get faster updates on g.com.
He stopped walking and stretched his arms over his head.
POP.
"...I am going to split off here," Hanzo told his teammates. "...Cover me for a few hours"
Daiki rolled his eyes.
"...This guy," Daiki muttered. "We already trained hard enough when we were still little, now you are still training?"
Yumi waved her hand without turning around.
"...Do not stay out too late, Hanzo," Yumi called out. "...We will finish the southern gate for you."
Hanzo smiled and bowed slightly.
"...Thank you," Hanzo replied.
He turned off the dirt path and walked deep into the thick brush.
--<>--
Hanzo found a secluded clearing surrounded by tall trees.
He took his uniform jacket off and dropped it onto the grass.
Hanzo started his daily training.
SWISH. SWISH. SWISH.
"One."
"Two."
He moved at a violent, explosive pace.
His muscles burned intensely. Sweat dripped from his chin into the dirt.
'Just a few more months,' Hanzo thought with quiet excitement.
His ten-year binding vows were incredibly close to its completion.
--<>--
It's already morning.
The patrol duty of ordinary branch clan members were finished.
Step. Step.
Hanzo walked up the stone path toward the inner gates.
He carried a small woven basket under his arm.
Ryu and Genji stood near the heavy wooden posts of the guardhouse.
They looked completely exhausted from their night shift.
"...Good morning, Ryu-san. Genji-san," Hanzo called out with a bright smile.
Ryu rubbed his tired eyes and looked up.
"...Hanzo," Ryu greeted him with a wide grin. "...Tell me you brought food."
Hanzo set the basket down on the wooden bench.
CLACK.
"...Fresh steamed buns," Hanzo offered.
Genji immediately grabbed one and took a massive bite.
"...You are the best junior in this entire clan," Genji mumbled with his mouth full.
Hanzo sat down on the edge of the bench.
He used his social intelligence to blend perfectly into the casual environment.
He joked with the older guards about the freezing night temperatures.
While Genji complained about the cold, Hanzo looked past the gates.
Hanzo unintentionally look at the distant wooden corridors of the Main Estate.
An elderly figure wearing a pristine layered kimono walked slowly across the raised wooden deck.
It was Noritoshi Kamo.
Hanzo kept his facial expression entirely relaxed.
'He is still here,' Hanzo confirmed internally.
He needed to verify Kenjaku was still occupying the body.
Hanzo pointed casually toward the distant corridors.
"...The Clan Head is up really early," Hanzo observed innocently. "...He seems incredibly disciplined."
Ryu swallowed his food and puffed his chest out slightly.
He loved showing off his insider knowledge to the younger branch members.
"...The old man is a creature of absolute habit," Ryu bragged. "...I have worked this gate for years."
Genji nodded and took another bite of his steamed bun.
"...He never deviates from his schedule," Genji added.
Hanzo tilted his head slightly.
"...Really?" Hanzo asked, acting mildly impressed.
"...Yeah," Ryu explained confidently. "...Every single morning at exactly six o'clock, he opens his door for his tea."
Ryu pointed his finger toward the main house.
"...The servants hand him the tray, he locks the door from the inside, and he does not come out until the clan meetings," Ryu detailed the routine perfectly.
Hanzo smiled and grabbed a steamed bun from the basket.
"...That sounds incredibly boring," Hanzo joked easily. "...I am glad I am just a patrol guard."
Genji laughed and patted Hanzo on the shoulder.
"...Get back to your barracks, kid," Genji told him. "...We need to finish our shift."
Hanzo stood up and bowed slightly.
"...Have a good rest, senpai," Hanzo replied.
--<>--
Location: Kamo Estate, Hidden Basement
Time: 02:00 AM | August 1905
By the late summer of 1905, the geopolitical axis of the mortal world shifted entirely.
The Imperial Japanese Navy decimated the Russian fleet months prior.
The Russo-Japanese War reached its bloody conclusion.
The mortal nation celebrated a massive victory.
Deep beneath the Kamo estate, the turning of the era signaled a different kind of end.
Noritoshi Kamo stood quietly under the flickering candlelight of his laboratory.
He traced the dark age spots covering his hands.
"...This body is finally spent," Noritoshi murmured.
He walked toward a heavy iron operating table.
A young man lay completely dead on the cold metal surface.
He was a recognized, talented sorcerer from the Fujiwara clan.
Noritoshi picked up a sharp surgical saw from a metal tray.
"...The human brain is a fragile container," Noritoshi spoke casually to the sleeping man. "...It can only hold four innate techniques."
He tapped the side of the young man's head with a pale finger.
TAP. TAP.
"...If a sorcerer attempts to absorb a fifth technique, it will only result to brain death," Noritoshi explained.
He pressed the jagged blade of the saw against the crown of the Fujiwara man's skull.
"...You possess an incredible pool of raw cursed energy," Noritoshi praised him. "...And you have no innate technique."
Noritoshi smiled warmly.
"...You are a perfect one for me" Noritoshi finished.
He pulled the saw back and forth with brutal precision.
Blood spilled over the iron table and dripped onto the stone floor.
Noritoshi cut a perfect circle through the bone.
He set the bloody saw down on the tray.
He grabbed the severed skull cap and pulled it off.
SQUELCH.
He tossed the bone onto the desk.
CLATTER.
Noritoshi raised his hands to his own forehead.
He dug his fingernails deeply into the thick horizontal scar.
He ripped the black stitches apart.
SNAP. SNAP.
He grabbed the top of his own skull and pulled it violently backward.
Thump. Thump.
Inside the cavity sat a pulsating brain with a small, sharp-toothed mouth.
The cursed brain physically severed its connection to Noritoshi's spine.
SLOSH. SLOSH.
It crawled out of the aged skull using wet, fleshy tendrils.
The empty body of Noritoshi Kamo instantly collapsed.
THUD.
The cursed brain dropped heavily into the open skull cavity of the Fujiwara man.
The tendrils immediately burrowed into the fresh spinal cord.
They hijacked the central nervous system in seconds.
The Fujiwara man's eyes snapped open.
"Hmm.."
He gasped loudly and sat up on the iron table.
He raised his hands and flexed his strong, youthful fingers.
"...A younger body."
Kenjaku smiled inside his new host.
He reached over and grabbed a thick needle and a spool of black thread.
He quickly sewed the top of his skull back onto his head.
He tied the thick stitches off securely across his forehead.
He looked down at the dead body of Noritoshi Kamo on the floor.
"...You played your part perfectly," Kenjaku told the corpse.
He looked across the room at the nine glass jars containing the Death Paintings.
He looked at the dead mother strapped to the second bed.
Kenjaku turned around and walked toward the heavy stone stairs. He intentionally left his laboratory unlocked.
With a simple barrier technique, anyone can enter.
He wanted everyone to find out what is happening here.
As for the curse wombs? His expirements on them is done. Maybe he won't need them anymore or he needed them in the future.
Who knows.
Kenjaku however wanted the Jujutsu world to brand Noritoshi Kamo as the most evil sorcerer in history.
It was a scandalous smokescreen to cover his quiet escape while also proceeding with his plans.
Kenjaku walked up the stairs.
"...I need to tap into the Fujiwara network," Kenjaku muttered in his new voice.
Step. Step.
He disappeared into the dark hallways of the Main Estate.
--<>--
The month of April had passed entirely.
Hanzo was now sixteen years old.
The ten-year duration of his self-imposed binding vows was completely finished.
The cosmic contracts dissolved quietly into the universe.
Hanzo walked down the stone path in the crisp morning air.
He felt incredibly relaxed.
His physical body felt extremely light.
The daily requirement to push his muscles was complete.
The seventy-five percent seal on his cursed energy was gone.
A terrifyingly dense pool of cursed energy flooded his system.
He was finally back at one hundred percent capacity.
Hanzo clamped down on his energy output with flawless control.
He forced the raging energy deep beneath his skin.
To the outside world, his cursed energy signature looked exactly the same as it did yesterday.
He walked up to the inner guardhouse just as usual.
Ryu and Genji were leaning heavily against the wooden posts.
They looked deeply annoyed.
"...Good morning, everyone," Hanzo greeted them casually.
Ryu yawned loudly and stretched his arms.
"...Hey, Hanzo," Ryu replied tiredly.
Genji crossed his arms and looked at the tall roofs of the Main Estate.
"... Its a wierd morning to be honest," Genji said.
Hanzo stopped walking.
He kept his posture perfectly relaxed.
"...Did something happen?" Hanzo asked innocently.
Ryu scratched the back of his neck.
"...The Clan Head missed his usual morning routine," Ryu answered.
"...The servants knocked," Genji added. "...But he never opened the door. He should be doing something important I guessed.
Hanzo stopped breathing for a fraction of a second.
His heart thumped violently against his ribs.
THUMP. THUMP.
"...It is already past seven," Genji added. "...The door is still locked from the inside."
Hanzo stared at the distant doors of the Main Estate.
'He is gone,' Hanzo realized instantly.
The ten-year wait was officially over.
It was time to execute his heist.
--<>--
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-Dr_Chad
--<>--