He woke to the scent of incense and the murmur of the wind in a pace he did not recognize
the last thing he remembered was the cold sting of the mortal blade ..... a red slash of across his neck, wielded not by an enemy, but by his own hand. he had made the choice, the right one, sever the ties of immortality to end the cycle let lord kuro walk free from the burdens he carry
and now....
mow he was here
Stone beneath his back. Cherry blossoms drifting from the trees above. A torii gate looming against the morning sun. The shrine was quiet, but not abandoned.
Wolf sat up slowly, the pain in his neck gone but the weight of his blade still present at his side. The Mortal Blade rested in its sheath, unchanged, unyielding. That alone confirmed one thing:
This was no illusion.
His eyes scanned the shrine grounds. The architecture was foreign—not Ashina, nor Senpou. Worn wood, aged stone lanterns, fluttering of ofuda charms in the breeze. And fox statues. Dozens of them.
A presence approached.
He turned his head without rising. Silent. Alert.
She came into view like a wisp of flame—golden hair flowing, nine white tails flickering behind her. A woman in a resplendent kimono, serene but unmistakably powerful. Her eyes, amber like a fading dusk, studied him with amusement .
"You do not belong here," she said calmly
Wolf did not answer.
"I am Yasaka. This is sacred ground. You carry something… unnatural."
He remained silent, one hand resting on the scabbard of his blade.
"Speak, stranger," she continued, though her voice never rose. "What are you?"
"…A shinobi."
"Not from this world."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"You knew."
"I sensed it the moment you arrived. Your presence bends the balance. Like a ripple in still water."
Wolf rose to his feet slowly. His posture straight, ready—but not yet threatening.
"I was not sent here," he said. "I woke here."
"And yet your blade stinks of death. Not of men—but of souls."
He drew it partway. The Mortal Blade's red edge shimmered briefly before he sheathed it again.
"I do not seek conflict," he said.
"Good," Yasaka replied, folding her arms. "Then let us be clear. You may stay under this roof. But if you threaten my people… if you raise that blade without cause…"
Her power flared like sunlight through clouds. It was not raw destruction—but divine authority.
"…I will end you myself."
Wolf gave a short nod.
"A fair warning."
A silence stretched between them. Neither blinked.
Then Yasaka turned, her tails swaying behind her.
"There is a room for you behind the shrine. You may rest. But know this: something stirred when you arrived. The balance has shifted. I will find out why."
Wolf did not answer. He simply stood alone beneath the blooming cherry trees, one hand resting on the Mortal Blade.
Death had followed him to this world.
And the land already knew it.