[Author note:]
Yes, I am alive. As I said before, this has turned a little stale, and so updates have slowed. That's about it.
[Author note over]
Tetsuya stood at the edge of the beach, barefoot, wearing nothing but training pants and the blood iron anklets that had become a permanent part of him.
Fourteen years old now. Taller. Leaner. Muscle definition starting to show through the wiry frame of adolescence.
All in all, he looked like the prime example of a physically gifted child that had been groomed for fighting.
He raised his right hand, fingers closing into a fist, cursed energy condensing.
A single, massive Missile Fist formed next to him, easily the size of a small car, violet light pulsing with barely contained power.
"Maximum: Missile Fist."
He released it.
The projectile screamed across the ocean, trailing violet light like a comet, and detonated a hundred meters out.
"Huh. How funny. could have sworn someone else did something like this. Something about turtle sages and such." Tetsuya mumbled before shaking that thought off.
The explosion was deafening. A tower of water erupted into the sky, the shockwave rippling outward in concentric rings that raised the water sky high, almost like a mini tsunami in a sense.
Tetsuya lowered his hand, letting a deep breath out, cursed energy reserves noticeably depleted, though significantly less than the first few times he ever used this technique.
'Still costs too much. But I suppose it's getting easier and easier to do this.'
as he looked back, the island felt quieter now.
Emptier.
The twins were gone.
Sent to Jujutsu High two months ago. At nine years old. Far earlier than canon. Not only that. Both went to Jujutsu High.
Nobody knew this yet. And even if they did, by this point, Tetsuya was strong enough that at worst, he'd get an earful from the head himself.
Tetsuya exhaled slowly, the memory surfacing.
Flashback: Two Months Ago
The meeting took place in a neutral location. A quiet tea house in Tokyo, away from the Zenin estate, away from prying eyes.
Tetsuya sat across from Satoru Gojo.
The man sitting directly in front of him was tall, slightly scrawny, with white hair catching the light, dark sunglasses hiding the Six Eyes that made him the strongest sorcerer alive currently.
The young adult was leaning back casually, arms crossed, but the familiar smirk that usually accompanied him was not present.
'Can't exactly blame him. As far as I know, the hidden inventory arc happened only two years ago. But what bugs me, is that it didn't happen exactly as canon.'
Beside Tetsuya, Maki and Mai sat quietly, hands folded in their laps, nervous but trying not to show it.
"So." Gojo said, voice light and easy. "You want me to take these two into Jujutsu High right, Tetsuya kun?"
Tetsuya nodded. "Yes, Gojo san."
Gojo's. "And what makes you think the higher ups will agree to this?"
"They're Zenins." Tetsuya said flatly. "Two sorcerers from a major clan. The higher-ups love collecting clan members. Makes them feel important. And besides. You're the strongest, are you not?" Tetsuya paused, taking a sip of his tea.
"As far as I'm concerned, you might as well do anything you want to."
Gojo snorted. "Fair point."
He tilted his head, studying the twins.
"Heavenly Restriction and Construction, huh? Interesting combo."
Maki stiffened slightly. Mai looked down at her hands.
Gojo's smirk softened, just a fraction.
"Don't worry, kids. You'll be fine. Jujutsu High's way better than whatever garbage the Zenin put you through."
"If I actually cared, I'd have probably taken offence to that, Gojo-san."
Satoru turned back to Tetsuya.
"Alright, alright. I'll make it happen. But you owe me one, kid."
"Kid? Sure. Whatever you say, old timer."
Tetsuya stood, the twins walking with him. And as he passed by Satoru Gojo, his hand landed on his shoulder
"Don't get rusty, Gojo san. Else I'll leave you in the dust."
Gojo stared at him for a long moment.
Then that smirk that never seemed to leave the future sensei's face returned, as if invigorated.
"You can try, kid. But you've got a long way to go. After all, I'm the strongest."
There it was.
That canon Gojo style. The cocky confidence, the playful arrogance.
Not the slightly downcast, traumatised version Tetsuya had seen at the start of the meeting.
This was the Gojo Satoru people knew. The one who smiled even when the world was falling apart.
As they left, Tetsuya glanced around the tea house one more time and thought to himself.
'Either Gojo trusts me enough for whatever reason. Or he currently can't use infinity at every waking moment.'
Present
Tetsuya blinked, the memory fading, and he looked at his palm.
He closed his fingers again and started forming another Maximum.
The violet energy coalesced, massive and destructive, and he launched it across the water.
It cut through the water, as if gliding on it, before another deafening explosion occurred.
He watched the water settle, jaw tight.
'At the rate I'm growing... would I even be able to fight Sukuna?'
The question gnawed at him.
Unlike the real top tiers.
Gojo with his Six Eyes and Limitless, Yuki with her immense strength and potentially world ending technique, Bumta with Rika's boundless power, or even the strongest sorcerer of tomorrow's almost constant black flashes, Tetsuya's technique wasn't special.
Missile Fist was strong, fast and Efficient.
But it wasn't broken.
He couldn't exactly land jackpots or summon shadows.
It wasn't a cheat code that broke the rules of jujutsu.
He'd have to grind his way up to those ranks. Find advantages. Stack every possible edge.
Training. Tactics. Cursed tools. Binding vows. Whatever it took.
'I'm not a prodigy like Gojo. But. I got plenty of time to develop.'
The sound of rotors cut through his thoughts.
Tetsuya turned, shielding his eyes against the sun.
A helicopter descended from the sky, heading straight for the helipad on the far side of the island.
His lips curved into a small, excited grin.
'Finally. Took them long enough. I've been dying to try those on!'