Location: Kamo Main Estate, Council Room
Time: 08:00 AM
Elder Yasu adjusted his grip on the damp scroll.
His fingers trembled against the fresh black ink.
Seven traditional elders knelt in two rows along the wooden floorboards.
They all kept their heads lowered toward the tatami mats.
Noritoshi Kamo sat at the head of the low wooden table.
The clan head adjusted the sleeve of his dark kimono.
"...Give me the count, Yasu," Noritoshi said quietly.
Yasu wiped a drop of cold sweat from his eyebrow.
RUSTLE.
He unrolled the paper another two inches.
"...Twenty branch members were killed in the woods before sunrise, Lord Noritoshi," Yasu reported.
Yasu took a shaky breath.
"...Four entire perimeter squads were wiped out," Yasu continued. "...Juzo managed to kill an Akuma (Grade 1 curses), but the damage was already done."
Noritoshi rested his jaw on his knuckles.
TAP. TAP.
He slowly tapped his fingers against his cheek.
"...That is twenty of our perimeter scouts gone in a single night," Noritoshi noted calmly.
SLIDE.
The paper doors at the back of the council room opened.
Elder Goro hurried inside, holding two separate sheets of paper.
He dropped to his knees at the end of the line.
"...A telegram just came through from Kobe Port, my lord," Goro said, trying to catch his breath.
Goro held up the first paper.
"...The Zenin clan is taking heavy losses at the western docks," Goro explained. "...Their Kukuru squads are burning through cursed tools trying to pin those Akuma."
Goro held up the second dispatch.
"...And a rider just came from the Kyoto train tracks," Goro added. "...The Gojo retainers are also struggling."
Elder Yasu shook his head with a heavy frown.
"...The post-war negative energy is suffocating the entire mainland," Yasu muttered.
Noritoshi picked up a porcelain cup of hot green tea.
SIP.
He took a slow drink and set the cup down.
CLACK.
"...If the Zenin and Gojo are bleeding out their sorcerers, our contracts with the government remain secure," Noritoshi said.
He looked directly at Yasu.
"...What is our current jujutsu sorcerers standing?" Noritoshi asked.
Yasu pulled a smaller wooden ledger from his hakama pocket.
"...We still have four Zekko (Grade 1 sorcerers) guarding the inner grounds," Yasu answered quickly.
He flipped a wooden tab on the ledger.
"...Twelve Serei (Grade 2 sorcerers) are handling external commissions, and roughly fifty Chusho (Grade 3) and Shoshin (Grade 4) members remain on the outer roster," Yasu finished.
Noritoshi gave a small, slow nod.
"And also not counting us, ten Kenza (Special Grade 1)" the elder continued.
"...So the clan's core strength remains entirely intact," Noritoshi calculated. "...Losing twenty branch members is an inconvenience, not a collapse."
Goro shifted forward on his knees.
Goro spoke up. "...There is something else, Lord Noritoshi,"
Noritoshi raised an eyebrow.
"...Go on," Noritoshi permitted.
Goro tapped his fingers against his dispatch.
"...The sheer panic in the branch quarters caused a massive reaction overnight," Goro reported.
He looked up at the clan head.
"...Fifteen young children spontaneously awakened their cursed energy after the incident," Goro said.
Noritoshi's dark eyes narrowed slightly.
A quiet, genuine spark of curiosity flashed across his face.
"...Fifteen," Noritoshi murmured.
He thought about the hidden stone chamber beneath his private study.
He had successfully sealed the seventh Cursed Womb into its glass jar just two days ago.
'The seventh is stable, but the cursed energy density is thinning out,' Noritoshi thought to himself.
The ancestral blood was degrading with each consecutive attempt.
The chained woman's body was wearing down, and he knew the upcoming eighth and ninth wombs would be even weaker.
He needed to find new, strange genetic anomalies to keep his long-term research moving.
"...Did any of those fifteen children awaken an innate technique?" Noritoshi asked.
Goro looked down at his paper.
"...Only a few minor, common traits, my lord," Goro replied honestly. "...Nothing resembling Blood Manipulation."
Noritoshi smoothed out the front of his dark kimono.
"...We lost twenty and gained fifteen fresh others," Noritoshi stated smoothly.
He stood up from the floor cushion.
"...That is an acceptable balance for the Kamo bloodline," Noritoshi decided.
The seven elders let out a collective breath of relief.
"...What are your orders for the newly awakened children, Lord Noritoshi?" Yasu asked.
Noritoshi adjusted his tall silk hat.
"...Just as always. Everything remain the same," Noritoshi instructed.
He turned his gaze toward the open courtyard garden outside.
"...I will tour the estate grounds today," Noritoshi announced. 'I hope I can find someone with the same anomaly as that woman.'
The seven elders instantly pressed their foreheads against the polished wood.
"Yes, Lord Noritoshi," they answered in unison.
Noritoshi turned around and walked out through the side corridor.
He wanted to see if the extreme terror of last night had triggered any useful mutations among the new batches.
--<>--
Location: Third Communal House, Branch Quarters
Time: 09:30 AM
Hanzo stood in front of a long, single-story wooden building.
He held the strap of his small canvas bag tightly over his shoulder.
An elderly woman sat on the edge of the wooden porch.
She had deep, jagged scars across her left cheek.
She tapped a long wooden pipe against the porch railing.
TAP. TAP.
"...You are Noboru's kid," the woman stated flatly.
Hanzo stepped forward and stopped at the edge of the dirt path.
He immediately bent at the waist and gave a perfect, ninety-degree bow.
Hanzo replied respectfully. "...I am Kamo Hanzo."
The woman raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Young orphans usually arrived crying or staring blankly at the ground.
Hanzo just stood perfectly straight with a polite, calm expression.
"...I am Matron Ota," she said.
She took a slow drag from her pipe.
PUFF.
"...I manage this Nagaya," Ota continued. "...I have a little amount cursed energy, barely to see cursed spirits. But I can't fight."
Hanzo gave her a short, understanding nod.
"...I will not slack off, Ota-san," Hanzo promised.
Ota blew a cloud of gray smoke into the cold morning air.
"...There are five communal houses in the outer ring," Ota explained.
She pointed the stem of her pipe down the dirt road.
"...House One preps the food, and House Two pulls the weeds," she listed quickly. "...This is House Three. We wash the clothes."
Hanzo looked at the large wooden washing basins lined up in the side yard.
"...Because you sparked your cursed energy, the clan considers you a future asset," Ota grunted.
Tap. Tap.
She knocked the ash out of her pipe onto the dirt.
"...You wake up at five in the morning and scrub uniforms until ten," Ota laid out the schedule. "...That pays for your rice and your sleeping mat. But this will slowly change as you get older... We will talk about that in the future."
'Five hours of manual labor... then straight to the advanced courtyard.' Hanzo thought.
It left him just enough time at night to execute his own training.
"...After ten, you report to Instructor Juzo for combat training," Ota finished. "...Do you understand the rules?"
Hanzo bowed his head again.
"...I understand perfectly," Hanzo said.
Ota stood up from the wooden porch.
"...Drop your bag in the back room and get to the yard," Ota ordered.
Hanzo walked inside and set his bag on a thin straw mat in a room crowded with ten other sleeping spaces.
He walked straight out to the muddy washing yard.
He stopped in front of a wooden basin filled with freezing water.
A massive pile of dirt-stained gray training uniforms sat next to it.
Hanzo plunged his bare hands into the freezing water.
SPLASH.
He grabbed a block of harsh lye soap and started scrubbing.
SCRAPE. SCRAPE.
The cold water instantly numbed his fingers.
He pulled a tiny, almost invisible spark of cursed energy from his stomach.
He pushed it directly into his wrists to keep his joints from popping under the heavy, wet wool.
A nine-year-old boy stood at the next basin over.
He struggled to wring the water out of a thick, heavy winter cloak.
The older boy's bare hands slipped completely off the wet fabric.
"...Damn it," the boy whispered through chattering teeth.
Hanzo didn't feel any actual pity.
He just saw a perfect opportunity to build his image again.
Hanzo let go of his own uniform and took a step sideways in the mud.
"...Let me help you with that," Hanzo offered with a warm, innocent smile.
The older boy blinked in surprise.
Hanzo reached out and grabbed the bottom hem of the heavy cloak.
"...You twist the top, and I will pull the bottom," Hanzo instructed politely.
The boy wiped a drip of snot from his nose with his shoulder.
He grabbed the top of the cloak and twisted hard.
Hanzo twisted the bottom in the exact opposite direction.
SQUELCH.
The freezing water poured out of the wool and spilled into the dirt.
"...Thanks," the older boy mumbled quietly.
Hanzo gave him a cheerful nod.
"...We have to finish before ten," Hanzo said easily.
He stepped back to his own washing basin.
'If everyone thinks I am just a nice, helpful kid... no one will ever look closely at my progress.'
Hanzo plunged his hands back into the water and kept scrubbing.
--<>--
Location: Advanced Branch Courtyard
Time: 10:30 AM
Hanzo walked through the open wooden gates.
His bare hands were completely raw and peeling from the harsh lye soap.
He stepped onto the dusty dirt of the courtyard.
The veteran children were already swinging heavy wooden swords against the stone posts on the far side of the yard.
THWACK. THWACK.
A smaller group of kids sat in the dirt near the wooden fence.
"...Hanzo!" a familiar voice called out.
Hanzo turned his head.
Ren sat in the dust with dark bags hanging under his eyes.
Yumi and Daiki sat right next to him.
"...You are late," Ren pointed out tiredly. "...Sensei already made us run laps."
Hanzo walked over and sat down in the dirt beside them. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
"...I live in the communal barracks now," Hanzo explained quietly. "...I have to wash the patrol uniforms before I can come here."
Ren lowered his head slightly.
"...Oh, right," Ren mumbled. "...My dad told me about your father. I am really sorry, Hanzo."
Hanzo gave him a small, polite smile.
"...Thank you, Ren," Hanzo said.
Yumi rubbed her stomach and groaned.
"...My gut hurts so much," Yumi complained. "...Every time I pull the energy up, it feels like I am going to throw up my breakfast."
Daiki held out his right hand.
FSSSH.
A pale, wavering spark of blue light flickered across his small knuckles.
"...Sensei says our bodies just aren't used to it yet," Daiki boasted slightly. "...But I can hold it for ten seconds now."
Hanzo focused completely on his own body.
He clamped down hard on his maxed out Grade 3 capacity.
He forced his output down to a pathetic, flickering Grade 4 spark and let it coat his fingers.
"...Yeah, mine feels the exact same way," Hanzo lied easily.
He blended perfectly into the group of traumatized, newly awakened children.
CRUNCH. CRUNCH.
Instructor Juzo walked over and tapped his bamboo cane against the ground.
TAP.
"...Stop whining and sit up," Juzo ordered.
The children quickly scrambled to sit perfectly straight in the dirt.
"...You all have terrible output," Juzo stated bluntly. "...So you need to understand the absolute rules of exchange early."
Juzo rested both hands on the top of his cane.
"...In Jujutsu, there are three types of binding vows," Juzo explained.
Hanzo kept his eyes glued to the instructor.
"...The first is a vow with yourself," Juzo said. "...You place a strict limit or a risk on your own body to gain a temporary boost in power."
Juzo pointed the cane directly at Ren.
"...If you break a vow with yourself, you simply lose the advantage you gained," Juzo stated.
He moved the cane and pointed it at Yumi.
"...The second is a vow with others," Juzo warned. "...You make a contract with another sorcerer or a spirit."
Juzo narrowed his eyes.
"...If you break that contract, the punishment is severe and completely unpredictable."
Daiki swallowed hard.
GULP.
"...The third is a Heavenly Restriction," Juzo finished. "...It is forced on a person at birth by the universe."
Juzo looked up at the sky.
"...It trades physical strength for cursed energy, or the exact reverse," Juzo said. "...You do not get a choice in the matter."
Juzo looked back down at the children.
"...Do you understand?" Juzo asked loudly.
Kenta raised his hand from the back row of the older kids.
"...Sensei," Kenta spoke up.
Juzo looked at the nine-year-old boy.
"...What happens if someone makes a vow with themselves, but the risk is too heavy?" Kenta asked. "...What if it kills them?"
Juzo stared at Kenta with a completely flat expression.
"...The heavens do not care if you die kid," Juzo answered bluntly. "...You trade your flesh for power. If your body breaks before you secure the power, you just die... That's it."
"..."
A heavy silence fell over the children in the dirt.
Hanzo kept his breathing perfectly steady.
The heavy wooden gates of the courtyard swung completely open.
Juzo stopped talking instantly.
He dropped his bamboo cane and fell to his knees in the dirt.
CLATTER.
"...Kneel!" Juzo hissed urgently at the class.
The twenty-five children panicked and scrambled to press their faces into the dirt.
Hanzo immediately dropped forward and pressed his raw, blistered knuckles against the ground.
Noritoshi Kamo walked slowly into the yard.
The clan head wore a pristine dark kimono and a tall silk eboshi hat.
"...You are the future foundation of the Kamo clan," Noritoshi announced smoothly.
His voice sounded warm and regal.
Hanzo peeked up just an inch through his dark bangs.
Noritoshi walked slowly past the front row of kneeling children.
His dark eyes were completely cold and serious.
He scanned the kids like he was inspecting livestock for a specific trait.
A sudden gust of cold wind blew across the courtyard.
FWOOSH.
The wind lifted the front edge of Noritoshi's tall silk hat for a brief moment.
Hanzo glanced it slightly.
A thick, horizontal line of jagged surgical stitches was shown on the side of Noritoshi's forehead. If you don't focus on it, you will not be able to detect it.
'So this is his face now.'
He stared blindly at the dirt under his nose.
'Prison Mommy for Gojo and Yuji... Kenjaku.'
Then a thought suddenly formed on Hanzo mind.
'...'
'Wait a minute... Cursed Wombs... Death Paintings.'
Hanzo squeezed his eyes shut.
He thought about his own permanent average ceiling.
'Black Box..'
He slowly opened his eyes and looked down at his own weak, peeling hands.
He remembered Juzo's lecture from two minutes ago.
'Binding Vow...'
'...'
'...Choso'
---<>---