Location: Kamo Estate, Main Council Hall
Time: 08:30 AM
Zenin Shingen sat quietly on a purple cushion.
He rested his wooden spear horizontally across his lap.
Staring at the sliding paper doors.
Gojo Hideaki sat directly across from the Zenin Clan Head.
Hideaki rubbed his tired eyes and let out a long breath.
Kamo Kenji poured hot green tea into three ceramic cups.
SPLASH.
The fifty-year-old Kamo heir pushed the cups across the low wooden table.
Elder Yasu knelt perfectly still right beside him.
"...Thank you for arriving so early," Kenji spoke politely. "...The journey from Kyoto city center is quite long."
Shingen picked up the ceramic cup.
He took a slow sip.
SIP.
"... It's good," Shingen grunted respectfully. "...We really need to discuss the Tokyo barrier budgets today."
The Kamo clan possessed an active Blood Manipulation user right now. Even if he was old, but almost all knew that after the current clan head, their aren't any blood manipulation technique emerged from his sons and grandsons.
Still it was their best era and age.
Shingen forced himself to suppress his usual violent temper out of sheer respect for their strength.
Kenji offered a polite smile.
"...Lord Noritoshi is just finishing his morning routine," Kenji answered. "...He'll join us shortly."
Hideaki adjusted the collar of his silk kimono.
"...We have a lot of ground to cover," Hideaki said quietly.
Hideaki tapped a finger against the wooden table.
TAP.
"...We need to finalize the boundaries before the government signs those checks," Hideaki added.
Yasu nodded his head.
"...Lord Noritoshi understands the urgency," Yasu assured them. "...Please, relax while we wait."
Shingen crossed his arms over his chest.
He hated waiting.
Hideaki closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall.
--<>--
Location: Kamo Estate, Outer Courtyard
Time: 08:45 AM
Hanzo stood in absolute silence near the stone pathway.
Daiki and Yumi stood right next to him.
A dozen other branch members guarded the perimeter area.
They pulled a double shift and nobody had slept.
Daiki gripped his wooden spear so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"...The pressure these elite sorcerers is suffocating," Daiki whispered.
A bead of sweat rolled down Daiki's cheek.
"...Standing fifty feet away from the Gojo and Zenin Clan Heads is terrifying," Daiki added.
Yumi swallowed hard and kept her posture perfectly straight.
"...Just keep your eyes forward," Yumi muttered. "...Don't embarrass the clan in front of them."
Hanzo nodded in agreement.
"...We just need to get through the morning," Hanzo whispered back.
He acted like a completely normal, exhausted guard.
Daiki and Yumi had absolutely no idea what he did last night.
Hanzo slid his right hand into his uniform pocket.
His fingers brushed against a plain wooden talisman.
It was his Key Tag.
'Everything is secure,' Hanzo thought internally.
He reviewed his actions from the previous night.
Successfully smuggling the padded bag of Death Paintings out of the clan.
He avoided using the caves to store it.
Relying on his past civil engineering knowledge to construct a custom shelter years ago.
Yes, Hanzo was already prepared long ago.
He dug it directly out of a solid ground bunker just outside the clan's perimeter area.
Reinforced the ceiling with thick timber beams.
It was completely away and hidden from non-sorcerers.
He could walk there and back in less than ten minutes.
But it was useless against sorcerers.
Hanzo applied a complex Inversion Barrier to the shelter.
He buried a Core Stone talisman deep under the floor of the bunker.
The technique erased the bunker's coordinates from the universe's data log.
He permanently tied the barrier's geometric formula into a piece of his own soul.
That's right.
Hanzo used a piece of his soul, fragment to power the concealment.
When he stepped away from the bunker, his brain blocked the memory of the location.
It works the same way as fidelius charm of Harry Potter but also different.
He could only remember the exact coordinates while holding the Key Tag in his pocket.
Even if Gojo Satoru could walk right over that area right now.
His brain would seamlessly stitch the space together and completely ignore the bunker's existence.
But the absolute concealment required a terrifying trade-off.
One hundred percent of the cursed energy flowed inward to maintain the information erasure.
The outer of the barrier was as fragile as a pane of glass.
If a falling tree broke through the ground by accident, the pocket space would shatter it.
He would lose that severed piece of his soul forever.
Hanzo gripped the wooden Key Tag tightly.
'It is strictly a temporary risk,' Hanzo reminded himself.
The moment he consumed the Death Paintings, he would drop the technique.
He will take his soul fragment back.
Hanzo looked up at the sliding paper doors of the Main Council Hall.
And waited for the impending chaos.
--<>--
Location: Kamo Estate, Main Council Hall
Time: 09:30 AM
Nearly an entire hour passed.
The tension inside the large room was suffocating.
Kenji kept his hands neatly folded on his lap.
He rubbed his thumb nervously against his index finger.
His younger brother Shiro sat rigidly beside him.
Elder Yasu and the five other Kamo elders kept their heads bowed in silence.
Zenin Shingen shifted his weight on his purple cushion.
He gripped the wooden shaft of his spear.
Four elite Zenin sorcerers belonging to the Hei, knelt perfectly still right behind him.
Gojo Hideaki sat across the low table.
His own elite Gojo sorcerers stood like statues near the sliding paper doors.
"...The tea is completely cold, Kenji," Shingen stated flatly.
Kenji flinched slightly.
"...I apologize, Lord Zenin," Kenji replied quickly. "...I'll have the servants brew a fresh pot."
Shingen tapped his fingers against his spear.
TAP. TAP.
"...I don't want more tea," Shingen grunted. "...We agreed to meet at eight."
Hideaki opened his eyes and looked at the Kamo heir.
"...Lord Noritoshi is a man of strict routine," Hideaki observed quietly. "...This delay is highly unusual."
The other elders also wiped a bead of sweat from their forehead.
"...My father is likely finalizing the contract details," Kenji offered a weak excuse. "...Please give him a few more minutes."
Before Shingen could complain again, the sliding paper door rattled.
SLIDE.
A young clan servant crawled into the room and his face was completely pale.
His entire body shook violently as he pressed his forehead against the floorboards.
He was terrified to interrupt a meeting of the Three Great Clans.
Kenji frowned deeply.
"...What is it?" Kenji demanded quietly.
The servant kept his head on the floor.
"...Lord Kenji," the servant stammered. "...The Clan Head is not answering his door."
Shiro leaned forward in surprise.
"...Did you announce yourself clearly?" Shiro asked.
The servant nodded his head violently.
"...Yes, my lord," the servant whispered in fear. "...We called out several times. It's completely silent inside."
Kenji felt his chest tighten.
His father never deviated from his schedule.
He forced a calm expression onto his face and looked across the table.
"...Please excuse us," Kenji said tightly. "...My father might be unwell."
Kenji stood up.
Shiro and the six Kamo elders immediately followed him.
They needed to handle this quietly.
Shingen grabbed his spear and stood up.
Hideaki rose smoothly from his cushion and adjusted his silk collar.
"...If Lord Noritoshi is ill, we should offer our support," Hideaki stated plainly.
Kenji gritted his teeth.
"...This is a private family matter," Kenji argued firmly. "...We'll send for a doctor if necessary."
Shingen stepped around the low wooden table.
He walked right up to Kenji.
"...We're deeply concerned for his health," Shingen said bluntly. "...We're coming with you."
Kenji stared at the Zenin Clan Head.
He couldn't refuse the request without looking incredibly suspicious.
They already smelled blood in the water.
"...Fine," Kenji muttered while looking at the elders wbo also nodded to him. "...Follow us."
--<>--
Location: Outside Clan Head Quarters
Time: 09:40 AM
Kenji walked rapidly down the wooden pathways.
Shiro and the six elders hurried right behind him.
Shingen and Hideaki followed closely.
Their clan members remained stationed outside the main courtyard.
Bringing armed retainers to the host's bedroom was a line they would not cross.
Kenji reached the sliding paper door of his father's room.
He knocked hard against the wooden frame.
THUMP. THUMP.
"...Father?" Kenji called out.
He pressed his ear against the paper.
The room remained completely silent.
He could not even hear the sound of breathing.
Kenji stepped back.
Opening the door
The group rushed inside the dark room.
Kenji looked at the bed.
The sheets were neatly folded.
Elder Kamo Yasu pointed a finger at the center of the room.
"...Look," Yasu gasped.
The tatami mats and heavy floorboards were shoved completely aside.
A dark stone staircase led deep underground.
A terrible, pungent smell drifted up from the dark.
"...Blood," Shingen noted quietly. "...And chemicals."
Kenji ignored the rival Clan Heads and rushed down the freezing stone steps.
--<>--
Clack. Clack. Clack.
Kenji reached the bottom of the stairs.
The pitch-black room smelled like rotting meat.
Elder Yasu hurried down the steps right behind him.
Yasu pulled a match from his pocket and struck it against the stone wall.
SCRATCH.
He lit a small oil lamp resting on a nearby wooden desk.
The dim orange light revealed the underground space.
Kenji froze completely in place.
An emaciated woman lay dead on a bloody iron table.
Thick leather belts strapped her arms and legs down tightly to the metal.
"...Father!" Shiro yelled from the stairs.
Noritoshi Kamo lay dead on the cold stone floor near the operating table.
Kenji dropped to his knees and grabbed his father's shoulders.
He pressed two fingers against the old man's neck and found no pulse.
The body was completely cold.
Kenji looked closely at his father's forehead.
The skin was flawlessly stitched together with thick black thread.
He looked like an old man who simply collapsed and died from exhaustion while working in secret.
Yasu backed away in pure horror.
CRUNCH.
Yasu froze and looked down at his feet.
The entire stone floor near the far wall was covered in shattered glass.
Large puddles of yellowish fluid soaked into the dirt and stone.
Hideaki walked past the grieving sons.
He stepped over the broken glass and approached a long wooden table.
Picking up a piece of paper covered in anatomical diagrams and bloody fingerprints.
His face contorted in pure disgust.
He dropped the paper back onto the wood.
"...He was forcing cursed spirits to breed with human women," Hideaki said coldly. "...He documented the gestation cycles."
Shingen walked past the dead woman on the table.
He looked down at the shattered glass on the floor and noticed the thick fluid pooling around his boots.
"...He did not just breed them," Shingen corrected him quietly.
Shingen pointed the blunt end of his spear at the broken glass.
"...Whatever he created down here broke out," Shingen realized.
Hideaki narrowed his eyes and stared at the empty room.
"..."
They both realized the exact same thing.
The Kamo clan just handed them the ultimate political weapon.
Noritoshi Kamo had illegally bred curse-human hybrids in secret.
And those nine abominations were now loose in Japan.
The Kamo clan's golden age was officially over.
Kenji stood up with shaking legs.
Tears streamed down his face.
"...Please get of out of here, Clan Heads." Kenji said with exhaustion. "...We have a lot of things to do."
Hideaki turned around and walked toward the stairs.
"...We have seen enough, Clan Head Kenji," Hideaki said formally.
After the death of the clan head, Kenji was already named as the next Heir in succession unless there is a blood manipulation technique emerged.
But the political damage was completely irreversible.
--<>--
Location: Kamo Estate, Outer Courtyard
Time: 09:55 AM
Hanzo stood together with the other clan members
Daiki and Yumi stood quietly next to him.
A crowd of confused branch members watched the wooden pathways.
The sliding doors of the inner courtyard snapped open.
Shingen and Hideaki walked out at a very fast pace.
They signaled their elite guards standing nearby.
The Gojo and Zenin retinues fell into formation.
They marched straight toward the main gates of the estate without saying a single word to anyone.
"...Why are they leaving so fast?" Daiki whispered to Yumi. "...The gathering just started."
Seconds later, Kenji and Shiro stumbled out of the quarters.
The six Kamo elders followed them.
Their faces were completely pale and drained of blood.
Elder Yasu leaned against a wooden pillar and threw up into the bushes.
Kenji looked around at the branch members with absolute panic in his eyes.
The entire courtyard fell into a dead silence.
The regular clan members didn't know the details yet, but they could read the terror on their leaders' faces.
Hanzo watched the Kamo elders fall apart.
He remembered smashing the spare glass jars and pouring out the chemical fluid before escaping into the tunnel last night.
'My staged breakout worked perfectly,' Hanzo thought casually.
--<>--
A few hours later in the afternoon.
Hanzo sat quietly at his low wooden desk.
He looked out the small window toward the main estate.
The entire Kamo compound was in a state of absolute chaos.
Word had already spread to the branch members.
The Clan Head was dead.
The elders completely locked down the inner courtyard.
They desperately tried to keep the details of the underground laboratory a secret.
Hanzo knew their efforts were completely useless.
Zenin Shingen and Gojo Hideaki walked out of that basement with their own eyes.
They were probably trying to spread it far and wide in the Jujutsu world.
Noritoshi Kamo's horrific legacy was permanently cemented into history.
Hanzo closed his window and pulled the latch shut.
CLICK.
He ignored the political collapse of his clan entirely.
He needed to focus on his own survival.
Looking down at the blank scroll resting on his desk.
Hanzo picked up a calligraphy brush and dipped it into a small stone inkwell.
TAP. TAP.
He needed to plan his consumption process perfectly.
The Cursed Womb: Death Paintings were living, conscious entities.
If he ingested them, their souls would fight him for control of his physical body.
Hanzo wrote the numbers four through nine on the paper.
He drew a simple circle around them.
'The four to nine death paintings are weak,' Hanzo analyzed silently.
Hanzo could defeat them and assimilate their energy without much resistance.
"By then, I'm already a half cursed spirit."
He moved his brush to the other side of the paper.
He wrote down the numbers one, two, and three.
He drew a heavy, dark square around them.
Choso. Eso. Kechizu.
They were cursed objects with cursed techniques
Their souls were incredibly dense, fully formed, and highly aggressive.
If a person simply swallowed Choso's fetal mass, this guy would simply immediately overwrite their brain.
Just like in the what they did in original timeline.
Hanzo set the brush down on the wooden holder.
CLACK.
"My Binding Vows for ten years is enough but also not a hundred percent secure... My physical body is really strong. But I can't measure how strong my will and spirit is."
He needed a sure way to win for this cursed objects when he consumed them.
"As long as I consume the ninth one and became half-cursed spirit first. Then everything will just connect together.."
Hanzo reached into his uniform and pulled out the plain wooden token.
He needed to create two another new binding vows.
They had to be incredibly harsh contracts.
He would forcefully subjugate and fused the death paintings one by one. After all he knew their techniques well.
"And besides those guys aren't the same a hundred years later. Their techniques and moveset should be a lot weaker... Let's start with the weaker four to nine first and elevate my cursed energy capacity."
Hanzo picked up the brush again and stared at the blank parchment.
"So what binding vows should be done?"
--<>--
For this story be included in the algorithm.
-Dr_Chad
--<>--
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