Scouting Lines
Rai returned before dawn. Kisho met him at the gate with two Nightguard at his back.
"Report," Kisho said.
"Six shinobi eliminated. One was Uchiha," Rai answered. "No trail left. I fed only enough to recover."
Kisho nodded. "Good. Rotate with Ren and Yui. You rest four hours, then drills."
Inside the hall, Akira listened as Naoki summarized new results.
"Four candidates started," she said. "Two stabilized. One rejected and is sealed. One pending."
"Names," Akira said.
"Viscount Hina — stable. Marquess Toru — stable. Marquess Yato — sealed. Viscount Mai — pending."
"Move Hina and Toru to supervised training. Keep them near Botan. I want their notes written as they learn," Akira said.
Aya entered with a small map.
"Gekkō Crossing accepts our couriers. Rokkaku Vale is cautious. Tsuya port is buying every rumor about the 'draining demon.' They think it's a rogue bloodline," she said.
"Good," Akira said. "Keep it that way."
Botan arrived with a wrapped scroll. "The Mandala reacted again when Naoki used your ratio," he said. "I recorded a pattern. It looks like a seal array."
Akira unrolled the scroll and looked once. "It's an anchor. Mark it as Spine-1 in the Nocturne Canon."
He turned to Kisho. "Form squads of four for Crimson Forms practice. One senior, one mid, two juniors. Rotate nightly."
Kisho bowed. "I'll post Daigo on the west tunnels and Michiru on surface trails. If the Uchiha or Senju push scouts, we'll see them first."
Akira looked at the map. "We will meet them soon. Not to fight. To measure."
He paused, then added, "Rai joins Hina and Toru for live exercises tomorrow night. Small targets only."
Rai nodded. "Understood."
Senju Probe
Senju Shiori led two shinobi, Hideo and Ranka, along the cedar road. They moved slow and steady, checking ground and trees. By noon they found a ruin of a small camp. Bodies were pale and dry.
Ranka crouched. "Same pattern as the Yurei border."
Hideo checked the tree line. "No drag marks. No blade cuts. Drained on the spot."
Shiori traced a thin black line on a rock. "Residue. Not poison. Some kind of energy burn."
They made a simple trap: a fake campfire, noise of clumsy travelers, a chest half-open under a cloth. Then they waited.
Night fell.
Rai came first, silent. Hina and Toru followed at distance. Kisho's team watched from higher ground.
Rai studied the camp. "Bait," he whispered.
Hina sniffed the air. "Three shinobi. One stronger."
Toru kept his eyes on the tree shadows. "Left side. Breathing's slow."
Shiori stepped out with empty hands. "Stop there," she said. "We want to talk."
Rai raised a hand to still Hina and Toru. "Name."
"Senju Shiori," she said. "We're not here to fight."
Rai said nothing. He looked at her posture, then at her eyes. Calm. Focused.
Shiori held his gaze. "Your kills are clean. You avoid merchants. You target rogues. Why?"
Rai answered simply. "Our orders."
"Whose orders?" she asked.
Rai said nothing.
Hideo moved a step, then froze when thin red threads hummed around his ankles. He had not seen them appear.
Shiori lifted her hand. "We can offer information. Patrol routes, bandit numbers, clan movements. In return, you avoid three villages near the river for one month."
Rai looked at her again. "Why protect those villages?"
"Because they feed half the valley," Shiori said. "If they fall, the price of grain doubles. If grain doubles, smaller towns starve and sell sons to any clan who pays."
Rai thought for a moment. "I will carry the offer."
Shiori nodded. "Then carry also this. We don't hunt shadows for sport. We keep roads open. If your… group wants roads open too, we can avoid each other."
Kisho's voice reached Rai through the link.
Rai inclined his head and stepped back. The red threads dissolved. Hina and Toru faded into the trees. In seconds, they were gone.
Hideo let out a slow breath. "He could have taken my foot."
Shiori stared at the dark path. "He chose not to." She turned to her team. "We leave markers that only they will read. We test if they respect borders."
Ranka frowned. "What if they don't?"
"Then we change the plan," Shiori said.
Lines on Stone
Back in the compound, Akira sat with Naoki, Aya, Botan, Kisho, Rai, Hina, and Toru. A plain slate lay on the table.
Rai reported the talk with Shiori. He did not add tone or opinion. Akira listened without interrupting.
"Senju want stable roads," Aya said. "They'll trade quietly to keep them."
"Uchiha will test with force first," Kisho added. "They'll send a small elite team and watch who comes to stop them."
Botan tapped the slate. "We can write rules," he suggested. "Simple ones. We follow them unless broken."
Akira took the chalk and drew four short lines.
No strikes on farmers, traders, or healers.
No strikes inside three marked villages for one month.
No trophies, no banners, no names left behind.
If attacked by organized clans, disengage unless commanded.
"Add a fifth," Naoki said. "If a hybrid shows mental drift, withdraw and seal. No exceptions."
Akira wrote it.
If drift appears, seal and report.
He looked at Rai, Hina, and Toru. "Do you accept these?"
"Yes," they said together.
"Good. Aya, send the village marks in a way the Senju will recognize. Kisho, set escape routes near those villages in case plans fail. Botan, copy these lines into the Canon. Title: Field Rules, First Set."
Daigo entered with news. "Surface scouts saw two Uchiha two nights ago. Watching trails. No action. Pattern looks like mapping."
Akira nodded. "Expected."
He turned to Naoki. "Status of Candidate Mai?"
"Stabilized," she said. "Slow adaptation, but steady. No signs of drift."
"Good. Move Mai to Hina's supervision," Akira said. "Rai, you and Toru take the southern route. Avoid the Senju probe for now. Watch only."
Rai bowed. "Understood."
They dispersed.
When the room was empty, Akira stood at the map in the floor. He marked three small circles at the river — the villages Shiori wanted safe.
Botan hovered at the doorway. "You are giving them space," he said.
Akira nodded once. "For a time."
"Because you trust her?" Botan asked.
"No," Akira said. "Because roads that carry food also carry information. The clan grows faster with both."
He looked at the slate again. "We will meet the Uchiha soon. When we do, we will not posture. We will show them a clean edge and leave."
Botan smiled faintly. "And later?"
"Later, we build something that forces both clans to speak to us with respect," Akira said. "A place with our rules. A place they need."
He put down the chalk.
"The first stones go under the old crypt," he said. "Quiet construction. Training halls, sleeping quarters, and a council room that can hold a hundred."
Botan's eyes widened. "A village."
"A start," Akira said. "We don't name it yet."
He stepped away from the map. "Kisho will handle security. Aya will move labor through false contracts. Naoki and Botan handle design for essence channels. Keep it small, strong, and hidden."
He paused.
"When those two boys grow up and hear about us," he said quietly, "I want them to find walls already standing."
Botan bowed. "I'll begin the plans."
Akira faced the dark tunnel that led down to the Mandala. His eyes were calm.
"We move forward," he said. "No noise. No waste."
And the clan did exactly that.
Traces in the Dark
Two weeks passed quietly.Too quietly.
Naoki's lab ran night and day. Hina, Toru, and Mai continued their fusion training, their control over blood essence and chakra improving faster than expected. Rai led small missions—scouting, testing the Senju "safe zones," and watching Uchiha movements.
Everything seemed stable. But Akira knew peace was never real; it was only the breath before the next move.
[Southern Border – Night]
Rai crouched on a branch, watching three figures move through the mist.Two carried the fan insignia of the Uchiha. The third wore no symbol, but his chakra felt stronger—steady and precise.
"Captain, traces end here," one Uchiha whispered. "No prints after this point."
The older man nodded. His voice was low and calm."They're watching. Pretend not to notice. If we look scared, we die."
Rai smiled faintly. He's right.
He stepped from the tree.
Leaves shifted; the Uchiha turned instantly. Kunai gleamed. But Rai didn't attack. He stood there, arms at his sides, calm eyes meeting theirs.
The older shinobi spoke first. "You're the one from the pines."
Rai tilted his head. "You remember."
"You killed Ryougen's nephew," the man said. "You made us look weak. Why?"
Rai's tone was flat. "Because he drew first."
For a long second, no one moved. The Uchiha captain studied Rai's face. He wasn't angry—just measuring.
"Tell your master," the man said quietly, "the Uchiha don't forgive easily. But we remember those who show restraint."
Rai nodded once. "Then remember well."
He turned and vanished into the fog before they could react.The captain stared after him. "He didn't use hand seals… didn't even channel chakra. Just—gone."
The younger soldier swallowed. "Captain, what is he?"
The older man frowned. "Something the clans forgot."
[Kyuketsuki Compound]
Rai reported everything to Akira that night.
"They recognized me," Rai said. "They called me 'the one from the pines.' Their captain—strong, disciplined. He didn't attack."
Akira sat quietly. The red glow of the underground halls reflected in his eyes.
"So," he said finally, "the Uchiha are watching, not hunting. That means they're afraid—but curious."
Naoki stood beside him, arms folded. "If they grow too curious, they'll send stronger scouts."
"Let them," Akira said. "Each time they come, they bring us knowledge."
Aya entered, a scroll in hand. "We have movement from the Senju as well. Shiori's patrols stopped marking the road after we honored their safe zones. She's testing if we'll break the agreement."
Akira smiled slightly. "Then we'll hold the line. It builds trust."
He looked at the three of them. "Soon, both clans will know our name—not as monsters, but as something they can't ignore."
[Later That Night – The Vault]
Akira stood before the Crimson Mandala.Its glow was stronger now—brighter, alive.
Botan arrived with his writing tools. "The Mandala is changing," he said. "Every time you use your chakra, it reacts. It's as if it's learning."
Akira nodded. "It's growing… like us."
He pricked his finger and let a drop of blood fall into the basin.The glow shifted from red to violet for a moment, and faint shapes moved inside—like veins spreading through the stone.
Naoki entered quietly, holding a sealed vial. "A sample from Rai's last hunt. The Uchiha's chakra remains stable even after death. Their essence resists decay."
Akira took the vial, studying the dark liquid. "Their blood is proud. It refuses to bow even in death. Interesting."
He placed it into the Mandala. The runes flared again—then settled.
Botan's hand trembled slightly. "It's adapting to their bloodline."
Akira watched the patterns until they steadied. "Then the next evolution step is clear."
Naoki looked up. "You mean—?"
"Yes," Akira said calmly. "The Uchiha and Senju have something that balances power and will. We'll need both."
He turned away from the basin. "Send scouts. Quietly. I want live samples—one from each clan. We'll study the difference."
Botan hesitated. "That could start a war."
Akira smiled faintly. "Not if they never know who took them."
[Senju Camp – Same Night]
Shiori's group camped near the river. The moonlight shimmered on the surface, calm and silver.She looked at the trees, uneasy.
Ranka spoke first. "Something wrong, Lady Shiori?"
Shiori didn't answer at first. Her senses felt sharp—too sharp. The forest was too quiet.
Then she saw it.
A shadow moved, silent, between the trees. Not a bird, not a person—something faster.
"Ranka, flare!" she shouted.
The seal flared bright blue. For an instant, they saw it clearly.
A figure with pale skin and glowing red eyes, staring from the darkness.
Then it was gone.
[Kyuketsuki Compound – Morning]
A crimson mist drifted into Naoki's lab. She held up a container to catch it—inside, blood essence pulsed faintly.
Rai stood nearby. "One Senju scout taken. The others escaped."
"Unfortunate," Naoki said, checking the vial. "But this is enough. Pure chakra, high concentration. A good sample."
Akira entered, expression unreadable. "Any names?"
"No," Rai said. "But one was strong."
Akira nodded. "Then we'll remember her strength when we meet again."
He looked at the vial in Naoki's hand.
"This," he said quietly, "is the bridge between clans. Between blood and chakra. Between night and day."
Naoki smiled faintly. "Then this is history."
Akira turned toward the Mandala chamber. "No," he said."This is only the beginning."
The Blood and the Flame
The underground halls were silent. Only the steady thrum of the Crimson Mandala broke the quiet—like the slow heartbeat of a living god.
Naoki, Botan, and Kisho stood behind Akira as he watched the Mandala swirl. The air itself vibrated with power.
The Mandala Explained
The Crimson Mandala wasn't just a relic. It was the core of the Kyuketsuki clan's evolution—a living seal of blood and will, created by countless generations.Every drop of royal blood added to it became part of its memory. Every experiment, every death, every success—it learned.
It worked through resonance.When Akira poured blood essence mixed with chakra into the basin, the Mandala read the pattern of his power, recreated it, and fed it back into the network of bloodlines running through the clan compound.
In simple terms—it taught.When Akira grew stronger, the Mandala distributed traces of his progress to every vampire connected to it.That was why even the lowest-ranked members of the Kyuketsuki were beginning to feel their strength grow.
But it demanded balance.If the Mandala absorbed energy without control, it could awaken what the clan called "the Old Hunger"—the curse that once destroyed their ancestors.
That was the reason Akira set the Three Laws:
Blood commands, but Mind decides.
Chakra bends to Essence when bound at the heart.
Hunger is a tool, never a master.
Those laws were now etched into the Mandala's core.
Naoki spoke softly, "The Mandala has stabilized. It's feeding small fragments of your essence into the rest of the clan. Strength levels have increased around seven percent in the last three nights."
Akira nodded. "Good. Then it's ready for the next test."
He opened a small vial—the blood of the captured Senju scout. The liquid shimmered faintly with chakra that pulsed like a flame.
Akira poured it into the Mandala.
The reaction was instant. Red light filled the room, and a low hum turned into a deep, echoing sound that shook the stone walls.Everyone backed away except Akira. His eyes glowed bright crimson with a faint blue ring circling his pupils.
Akira's Power
As the Mandala pulsed, energy flooded through him.His blood essence merged with the Senju chakra, and the mixture stabilized instead of rejecting him. The room itself trembled.
Akira lifted his hand.
A sphere of condensed blood-chakra formed above his palm—dark red at the core, surrounded by faint golden sparks. He flicked his fingers, and the sphere shot forward silently, melting through solid stone before exploding in a burst of crimson light. The wall disintegrated—no heat, no sound, only dissolution.
Naoki whispered, "Incredible… it didn't explode—it erased the matter."
Akira turned his hand over. His veins glowed faintly beneath his pale skin. "The fusion of Senju vitality and vampire essence—chakra that regenerates itself. This is… perfection."
Then he raised both hands.
Red mist gathered around him, forming into sharp, floating blades made entirely of liquid blood—each one vibrating slightly in the air.
"Blood Art: Scarlet Dominion."
The blades launched in every direction, curving midair and returning to him like hunting beasts. When they struck the walls, the stone didn't crack—it bled.
Naoki and Kisho could barely breathe. His control was perfect; not a single blade missed its return path.
He waved his hand again, and the blades dissolved into mist, reforming into a cloak around his body.
"Blood Art: Veil of the Crimson Moon," Akira said quietly.The mist hardened, forming a moving armor that pulsed with faint energy.
Then, for a moment, the mist flared—his chakra burst outward, and a wave of invisible force knocked every candle in the chamber out.
When the light returned, Akira stood calm, unfazed.
Kisho was the first to speak. "My Lord… your presence alone—it felt like the blood in my veins wanted to kneel."
Akira turned his crimson-blue eyes toward him. "That's what the Mandala does. It connects us. My strength flows through you. Your loyalty feeds it back. A perfect cycle."
Naoki looked at the Mandala again, still glowing faintly. "So it's… a hive."
Akira nodded. "A hive, but with one will. Mine."
Later That Night – The First Test
The alarm came through the Mindwhisper—urgent, sharp.
Akira stood from his throne. "Prepare the Nightguard. I'll handle this one myself."
Naoki looked up in alarm. "My Lord—let the guard intercept first."
"No," Akira said simply. "They need to see what we are."
He vanished.
Southern Border
The forest was quiet except for the rustling of leaves. The Uchiha stood in a loose circle, three with activated Sharingan, one older man at the front.
"Captain, I don't like this," one whispered. "It's too quiet."
The captain—Uchiha Kagen—narrowed his eyes. "Stay sharp. The reports say the killer looks human."
"That's because I am," came a calm voice.
They spun instantly, forming a defense line—but it didn't matter.
Akira stood a few meters away, long white hair swaying lightly, eyes glowing red with faint blue rings. His aura was calm—but suffocating.
Kagen felt his instincts scream. "You—what are you?"
Akira stepped closer. "I am what your clan forgot when it chose the sun."
He raised a hand. "You came to test my people. Allow me to test yours."
One Uchiha charged, forming seals. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The fire roared forward—but before it reached Akira, the flames bent and froze midair, turning crimson. Akira extended his fingers, and the fire dissolved into red mist.
"Your chakra burns too softly," he said.
He vanished—then reappeared in front of the man, one finger on his chest.
"Blood Pulse."
The Uchiha dropped instantly—eyes wide, veins glowing red from within. His chakra burst out of control, consuming him from the inside.
Kagen shouted, "Formation! Fall back!"
But it was too late.Akira flicked his wrist, and the forest darkened. The mist spread, silent and cold. Every sound died out. The Uchiha couldn't hear their own breaths.
Within the mist, their bodies began to weaken. The blood in their veins slowed as if time itself had stopped. Their Sharingan faded one by one.
Only Kagen remained standing, trembling, sword drawn.
Akira appeared before him, unharmed.
"You fought well," he said. "For that, I'll let you live."
Kagen tried to speak, but his voice broke. "Why… why spare me?"
Akira smiled faintly. "So you can tell them what you saw."
He stepped closer. His eyes glowed brighter, and his voice dropped to a whisper that echoed inside Kagen's mind."Tell them the Kyuketsuki have returned."
Then everything went black.
[Later – The Compound]
Kisho knelt before Akira, who sat calmly, eyes closed. "My Lord, the Uchiha retreated. Only one survived."
"Good," Akira said. "That's all I wanted."
Naoki entered with a scroll. "The Mandala reacted again when you fought. The entire compound felt it—everyone's strength surged slightly."
Akira smiled faintly. "The Mandala amplifies my actions. Every battle I win feeds the clan. Every drop of blood I spill becomes ours."
He stood, cloak shimmering faintly with crimson light. "Now they've seen what I am. Let them decide whether to fear us or join us."
Naoki hesitated. "And the Senju?"
Akira looked toward the north. "They'll come next. But not as enemies… not yet."
He turned back to the Mandala. It pulsed once, brighter than ever, as if it could sense his thoughts.
Akira's Known Abilities (Current):
Blood Art: Scarlet Dominion – Creates and controls floating blades of condensed blood essence and chakra. Can cut through almost anything.
Veil of the Crimson Moon – Forms armor made from blood mist, capable of absorbing chakra-based attacks.
Blood Pulse – Directly manipulates a target's bloodstream and chakra flow, causing paralysis or internal destruction.
Mist of Silence – A large-scale field technique that blocks sound, drains stamina, and slows the opponent's blood flow.
Crimson Link – Through the Mandala, Akira can share and amplify strength with all Kyuketsuki connected to him.
The clan now had a god among them—and for the first time in centuries, the name Kyuketsuki was whispered again in the world of men.
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A bit of info dump, because I didnt get what some of the things are.