After the meeting with the Higher-Ups concluded, Kamo Takanobu returned to the Kamo family estate.
"Brother!"
Kamo Hiroki stood at the entrance and bowed respectfully. Beside him were Takanobu's wife and Hiroki's wife, both lowering their heads in quiet obedience, their posture flawless. Behind them stood a man with a forced smile, his demeanor submissive, almost pitiful.
Kamo Asaoka, a member of the branch family.
The only reason he was allowed to stand here, in the presence of the head of the clan, was simple.
He was the father of Kamo Noritoshi.
Noritoshi was the heir to the Kamo family's prized inherited technique, Blood Manipulation. Though born into a branch family, he had been brought into the main house for cultivation. Asaoka, in turn, rose with his son's status and was permitted to live within the main estate.
Takanobu glanced at Asaoka, a trace of disdain flickering in his eyes.
"Brother, did everything go smoothly?" Hiroki asked as he stepped forward.
Takanobu nodded. "Smooth enough. And there is some good news."
"Oh?"
"The Zenin family has begun preparations to select their next head."
"Wasn't Zenin Naoya already confirmed?"
Takanobu let out a quiet laugh as he walked past them. "If it were truly Naoya, Naobito would not make such a spectacle out of it."
"This suggests his preferred successor is someone else."
Hiroki frowned. "Who else could it be? Among the younger generation, Naoya stands above the rest."
"It does not have to be someone from within the Zenin family."
Takanobu's smile deepened. "That old man still cannot let go of the Ten Shadows Technique."
Hiroki's expression shifted instantly.
Megumi Fushiguro.
"So... he intends to pass leadership to him?" Hiroki asked. "Will the elders accept that?"
"Of course not."
Takanobu sneered. "Leaving aside Toji Fushiguro's history with them, Naoya himself would never accept it quietly. He will cause a scene."
"The Zenin family is digging their own grave."
Hiroki's eyes lit up. "With the Gojo family stepping away from the Higher-Ups, and the Zenin family in turmoil... this is a rare opportunity for us."
Takanobu gave him an approving look. "Exactly."
"Masamichi Yaga has stepped down, and Yoshinobu Gakuganji is dead. Both Jujutsu High branches are without leadership. That is where we begin."
"Understood."
Takanobu paused, then lowered his voice. "What about the experiment?"
He cast a glance at the women, who immediately excused themselves.
He then turned to Asaoka. "Report."
Asaoka bowed slightly, his tone eager. "Everything is proceeding well, Lord Head. The data has stabilized. All that remains is real combat testing."
Takanobu laughed, patting his shoulder. "Good. Very good."
"The Zenin family abandoned their research the moment a Ten Shadows user appeared. Short-sighted fools. Our persistence will pay off."
"Asaoka, from this day forward, you are the Third Elder of the Kamo family."
Asaoka froze, his eyes widening in disbelief before trembling with excitement. He dropped to his knees at once.
"Thank you, Lord Head!"
Takanobu looked down at him, his gaze cold.
A branch family member, yet capable of proposing the concept of an artificial cursed technique and bringing it this far. That alone made him more useful than many within the main house.
"Stand."
"Yes, Lord Head!"
...
Half an hour later, Asaoka returned home.
"Good afternoon, Father."
Noritoshi bowed as he entered.
Asaoka no longer wore his earlier submissive expression. Instead, he carried himself with forced dignity, attempting to embody authority.
"How was your training today?"
Noritoshi managed a small smile. "It was completed as expected."
"Good."
Asaoka nodded. "I have been appointed Third Elder. As my son, you must train harder from now on. Do you understand?"
"Third Elder?"
Before Noritoshi could respond, Asaoka had already turned and left, his robes swaying behind him.
It was clear. He had come only to announce his promotion. Concern for his son had been an afterthought.
Noritoshi felt little about his father's behavior, but the promotion itself unsettled him.
In a rigid and hierarchical family like the Kamo clan, elevating a branch member to elder status was almost unheard of.
Was it because of him?
Compared to the Six Eyes twins of the Gojo family, or Megumi Fushiguro, who had already achieved Domain Expansion at fifteen...
His Blood Manipulation felt lacking.
Fragments of his father's drunken ramblings surfaced in his mind.
"Blood Manipulation... experiment... artificial cursed technique..."
A chill crept into Noritoshi's chest.
After a long pause, he made his way to his father's quarters.
"Father."
"Come in."
The voice from inside was cold.
Noritoshi entered, meeting Asaoka's impatient gaze. "What is it?"
Noritoshi smiled faintly. "You forgot. After being appointed elder, you must visit the ancestral grounds to pay respects."
"...Is that so?"
"It is the rule of the main house."
Asaoka scratched his head. "Fine. I will go."
He did not question it. Noritoshi had never lied before.
Once Asaoka left, Noritoshi moved quickly into the study.
It did not take long to find what he was looking for.
A dossier.
It was not that Asaoka had been careless. He simply never imagined that Noritoshi, who had always followed the family's rules without question, would act against them.
As Noritoshi read through the contents, his face slowly drained of color.
Shock turned to horror.
When he finally stepped out, his movements were stiff, almost lifeless.
The summer air was warm, but he felt nothing but cold.
After a long time, he pulled a photograph from his robe.
In it, a man and a woman held the hands of a young boy, smiling brightly.
A perfect family.
But the angle revealed the truth. It had been taken secretly.
Noritoshi traced the woman's face with trembling fingers, his eyes filled with longing.
When he was young, after his Blood Manipulation manifested, he had been taken into the main house.
His mother was left behind.
In that moment, he had made a vow.
He would become the head of the Kamo family, and give her a place within it.
But he had been wrong.
Even his name had been chosen out of spite.
And in the end, his mother left. She built a new life with someone else.
The boy in the photograph received everything Noritoshi had once wished for.
Love. Warmth. A family.
And Noritoshi could only watch from afar, a stranger to it all.
He stared at the image again.
His mother's smile was free, unburdened.
No restrictions. No binding vows. No chains.
Just happiness.
"...Maybe leaving was the right choice after all," he whispered softly.
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Powerstones?? (´ε｀ )
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