Soon, a week later, on the weekend.
The day of Gojo Satoru's banquet.
At this moment, the Gojo Family estate could no longer be simply described as lively.
It was a grand spectacle of drums beating, firecrackers exploding, clan flags waving, and crowds of people.
Hazome Sosuke arrived at the Gojo Family estate in a special car Gojo Shino had ordered to pick him up.
The Gojo Family parking lot was already filled with vehicles.
Stepping out of the car, Hazome Sosuke looked at the luxurious cars all around him, worth a fortune, and couldn't help but sigh, "As expected of the Gojo Family, one of the Big Three Families; the prestige is top-notch!"
Then, led by the welcoming doorman.
Hazome Sosuke officially entered the Gojo Family estate.
At this moment, the courtyard of the Gojo Family was already filled with prominent figures from the Jujutsu World.
They gathered in groups of three or five, chatting and laughing, seemingly harmonious on the surface.
In reality, they were subtly competing while conversing.
Those with children were mostly introducing their juniors, boasting about what excellent cursed techniques they had awakened, or that they had just passed a certain level of Jujutsu Sorcerer examination, implicitly expressing their children's excellence and outstanding cursed technique talent.
Or some sizable Jujutsu families were banding together, introducing their own juniors to each other in conversation, and discussing matters of matchmaking them.
Jujutsu Sorcerer banquets, while appearing mysterious and high-class, were actually no different from ordinary gatherings.
After all, human relations and social interactions are always the same old song and dance.
Hazome Sosuke, like an unheeded observer, took everything in.
Just then, a call reached his ears.
"Hazome, you're here."
Looking in the direction of the voice, Masamichi Yaga waved enthusiastically.
Hazome Sosuke bowed slightly and said, "Masamichi Yaga-sensei."
Although their ages weren't far apart, they were still teacher and student, and in such a grand setting, basic etiquette had to be observed.
Conversely, Yaga waved his hand and said, "No need to be so formal. At Jujutsu High , we are teacher and student, but outside of jujutsu high, we are friends."
Time passed bit by bit.
Before long, the guests, who had been gathered in small groups, chatting and laughing animatedly, seemed to have their attention drawn by the arrival of a certain important figure.
Hazome Sosuke looked over as well.
An elder with white streaks in his hair and a drooping mustache stepped through the main entrance into the Gojo Family residence.
Seeing this, Masamichi Yaga introduced him to Hazome Sosuke in a low voice, "This is the Kamo Family Head I mentioned to you before, one of the Big Three Families of the Jujutsu World, alongside the Gojo Family…"
Hazome nodded, feigning surprise.
Of course he knew who the newcomer was.
Zen'in Naobito, the current Zen'in Family Head, possessed the unique Jujutsu "Projection Sorcery" that could divide time, an existence at the pinnacle of Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerers, below a Grade Special Sorcerer.
He was the fastest Jujutsu Sorcerer after Gojo Satoru, his strength was undeniable, and he was only one Domain Expansion away from being a Grade Special Sorcerer.
With his appearance, the guests in the courtyard immediately enthusiastically went to greet him.
Zen'in Naobito also responded to them perfunctorily with a fake smile.
After all, as one of the Big Three Families, the Zen'in Family, though a Jujutsu clan that had existed for over a thousand years, was also the most feudal, rigid, and inflexible family, always believing that family members who had not awakened Cursed Energy were the absolute worst of the useless.
It was precisely this backlash of ideology that led to the Zen'in Family, which could have continued its glory by producing many Heavenly Restriction users in the future, paying the tragic price of near extinction.
After dealing with the noisy insects around him.
Zen'in Naobito's gaze swept across the spacious courtyard, then settled on Masamichi Yaga and Hazome Sosuke beside him.
"Yaga, long time no see. Time truly flies; you're already a Jujutsu High school instructor."
Although the Zen'in Family was generally feudal and disdained interacting with outsiders, Zen'in Naobito was the most enlightened among the many generations of family heads.
He was also one of the few characters in the entire Zen'in Family who would later earn a good reputation among the audience.
"Long time no see, Zen'in Senior. It's truly good to see you as healthy as ever," Masamichi Yaga bowed respectfully in the manner of a junior.
Zen'in Naobito waved his hand, smiling, "Haha, Yaga, your stiff demeanor truly hasn't changed a bit."
As he spoke, his peripheral vision caught sight of a young Gojo Family servant holding a tray with red wine, so he quickly grabbed a bottle, poured himself a glass, and gulped it down, sighing in satisfaction.
"Khaha! As expected of the Gojo Family. Wine of such quality is rare on the market. It's just a pity that this foreign stuff isn't strong enough; an old man like me can't drink it."
After speaking, Zen'in Naobito casually placed the wine glass back on the tray, took out the sake gourd tucked at his waist, and shook it, showing it to Masamichi Yaga, saying, "Local sake is still more to this old man's liking."
Putting down the sake gourd, he remembered Hazome Sosuke, who had been neglected at the side.
Anyone invited by the Gojo Family and acquainted with Masamichi Yaga was worth getting to know.
Thus, Zen'in Naobito laughed heartily, "My apologies, I was so engrossed in drinking. Yaga, this is…"
"Zen'in Senior, this is Hazome Sosuke, a Jujutsu Sorcerer who awakened two months ago and enrolled in Gojo Tech. His strength is already comparable to a Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer. In a practical training session a week ago, Shino-kun also gave his future path as a Jujutsu Sorcerer a very high evaluation."
Listening to Masamichi Yaga's introduction, and the almost unconcealed praise and uplift in his words, Zen'in Naobito, who had originally been indifferent to Gojo Tech Freshmen, now regarded Hazome Sosuke with a hint more seriousness.
"So this is your prized student." After speaking, Zen'in Naobito patted Hazome Sosuke's shoulder and joked, "Hazome-kun, Yaga is a good teacher. You must learn his strengths well, but please don't emulate his boring, rigid, and inflexible personality. When you achieve success in your studies and become a powerful Jujutsu Sorcerer, don't forget this old man, haha."
Hazome Sosuke, flattered, quickly said, "Zen'in Senior, you exaggerate. A junior like me wouldn't dare."
Zen'in Naobito's disrespectful behavior also made Masamichi Yaga quite speechless.
He was about to speak to stop him but was interrupted by the sudden commotion that arose from the crowd.
It turned out that the head of the last of the Big Three Families, the Kamo Family Head, had arrived.
Unlike Zen'in Naobito, the Kamo Family Head didn't even bother to feign politeness towards the other guests who came forward to flatter him, choosing to ignore them directly.
Although both were traditional and feudal families among the Big Three Families, the Kamo Family and the Zen'in Family had a clear difference.
The Zen'in Family was merely feudal, while the Kamo Family was outright reclusive. Apart from banquets hosted by one of the Big Three Families, it was difficult to see them on other occasions.
All of this was because the Kamo Family had produced a notorious Kamo Noritoshi a hundred years ago, the biggest stain on the Big Three Families, the worst Jujutsu Sorcerer in history who created evil Grade Special Cursed Objects like the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings.
Zen'in Family Head… long time no see, you're still so full of vigor."
"You're the same. The last time we met, I think it was when I became Family Head and you came to congratulate me. After so many years, I thought you had already died," Zen'in Naobito teased.
"However you put it, I'm younger than you. If anyone's going to die first, it'll be you."
Their undisguised verbal sparring also reflected the constant rivalry among the Big Three Families.
However, with the birth of Gojo Satoru, the child with Six Eyes.
This tacit balance of a three-way standoff, which had lasted for centuries, was completely broken.
After Zen'in Naobito and the Kamo Family Head exchanged a few verbal jabs, a hint of loneliness simultaneously appeared on both their faces, and they could no longer argue.
Now, Zen'in Naobito could only place his hopes on heaven, that his family would soon give birth to a child who awakened the Ten Shadows Technique. Only then could they continue to contend with the Gojo Family.
After all, everyone knew that the Zen'in Family Head who awakened the Ten Shadows Technique centuries ago and the Gojo Family Head who possessed the Six Eyes died together.
As for the Kamo Family Head, he couldn't even dream of such hope, because their family's hereditary "Crimson Blood Manipulation" was inherently inferior to the ancestral techniques of the Zen'in Family and the Gojo Family.
This was also the fundamental reason why their Kamo Family had always remained firmly in the third position among the Big Three Families.
Now he only hoped that no child awakening the Ten Shadows Technique would be born in the Zen'in Family. This way, even if they remained firmly in third place, the gap between them and the Zen'in Family wouldn't widen too much.