While Naoto was training in the Tombs of the Star, a different issue was occurring. Since Naoto was kidnapped twice and left unconscious when his cursed energy reserves ran dry, he hadn't messaged Mayumi about his whereabouts and didn't make it home.
Unfortunately for Naoto, Yuji only took the time to notify the authorities.
Even though Naoto had been through many events, the entire situation took only a few hours. This usually wouldn't be too alarming since Naoto was a Jujutsu sorcerer and could protect himself from most threats. Still, with the recent kidnappings, Mayumi immediately started looking for him as soon as he stopped replying to her messages.
Basic law enforcement wouldn't be of use, and Jujutsu society and Jujutsu Headquarters couldn't be trusted, so she went to the only person she could with enough reach and connection to find Naoto.
The woman with black hair and constantly tired eyes was frantically running toward the Zenin Clan compound.
She didn't have a particularly bad relationship with her brother, but they weren't as close as they used to be. Naoki's inaction to deal with the rats still left in the clan put a sour taste in her mouth.
The only real ties she had with the clan were Naoto, Naoki, and her parents, Shoko and Naohiro. When Naoki became clan head and her parents died, she didn't need to stay around, and she left the clan with Naoto.
If she were to raise Naoto, it would be without dealing with the Zenin clan and Jujutsu tradition. Even though she experienced some of that herself, it wasn't nearly as bad as it is today. She had the backing of Naoya and the strongest sorcerer in history, Naohiro.
Tradition and harsh politics? Never knew em. Wanna make enemies of us? Try getting through my Uncle Mahoraga first. Still don't want to back down? Get through my dad.
Power solved all of their issues. When that was gone, the cockroaches hiding beneath the Zenin clan finally came out and attempted to usurp control and return to the old Zenin clan.
It didn't take long for Mayumi to arrive at the clan compound. Being a grade-one sorcerer, she was much faster than regular people, even if it was in Kyoto. Even without running full speed, Mayumi walks surprisingly fast.
Bam
Without even knocking, Mayumi punched the front gate open, sending shards of wood flying. To the confusion of many onlookers, she made a beeline toward the clan head's room. She wasn't here to chat.
As she moved, she noticed a surprising lack of security. Usually, this would trigger a chain reaction that would immediately notify Naoki, but the only people she saw were some of the clan servants. Even the outside training area was empty.
As she made her way to the sliding door, she heard a few words behind her.
"[Great Serpent]."
The next thing Mayumi knew, she was hoisted thirty feet up into the mouth of a massive snake.
In spite of being in the mouth of a massive snake and being hoisted in the air, she showed no fear. In fact, she was smiling as she looked down below. "Hey, Mikoto, it's been a while!"
The voice from before spoke up again. "Couldn't you just have knocked, Auntie!? Dad is in a meeting right now with the rest of the clan!" The voice's owner, Mikoto, is the new inheritor of the Ten Shadows technique.
Unlike the other timeline, she doesn't have the clan breathing down her neck about which Shikigami she can and can't use. Yuka was limited to only using certain shadows, but Mikoto didn't have that issue.
Despite being in the Great Serpent's mouth, it was obvious that it was only meant to restrain. With an audible clink in her head, she casually pushed its mouth open and jumped down, landing in front of Mikoto.
Her smile lasted a few seconds before returning to normal as she explained the situation to Mikoto. Like Mayumi and Naoki, Mikoto was already a grade-one sorcerer and the third strongest member of the new generation of Zenin clan members, behind the two children of Naohiro Zenin.
Mikoto just shook her head. "Please wait until they are finished. We are nearly at war with Jujutsu Headquarters." Her expression turned slightly sad. "If he's truly kidnapped, then he should be alive."
However, Mayumi just blinked. "Damn, that's crazy. Anyway."
With those words, she stormed past Mikoto and, with a loud BAM, kicked open the sliding door, sending it flying into the room.
Mikoto gave a helpless smile. 'She's just like grandpa. When he has his mind set on something, nothing else matters.'
Historically, when there was a problem, Naohiro either punched through it or dodged responsibility. Mayumi had not only left the clan, relieving her of her 'duties', but also took the descendant of Naohiro with her, simply because she didn't like how the clan was being run.
She was sentimental, but also very petty and straightforward with her actions.
As she 'opened' the door, the first words she heard were from her brother. "They don't have the resources, so we should fight back. Mikoto won't be some useless bargaining chip for Jujutsu Headquarters."
With a middle finger raised, she yelled and interrupted the meeting. "Naoki, get up off your ass. You're helpin me find Naoto!"
The loud room quieted down instantly as countless pairs of eyes bore their way into Mayumi. She was well known throughout the clan, so rather than questioning the individual, they had a more pressing question at the interruption.
"You-!"
Ring Ring Ring
One of the elders of the Zenin clan was cut off when Mayumi's watch started ringing. Surprisingly, the room was fairly quiet after the outburst. Most were just baffled that everything was happening so fast. They didn't have time to feel anything other than utter confusion.
Her eyes widened as she pressed the green answer button. "Oh, it's Naoto!" Without any other words, she bolted out of the room, back to the entrance, to which a concerned Naoki and Mikoto followed.
In fact, the moment that Mayumi finished her sentence, the brown-haired Naoki had already gotten up and headed toward her. They might not be a part of the clan anymore, but she and Naoto were more family than any of the other geezers in the clan.
They still had plenty of time to discuss the current situation of the Zenin clan. After all, it was already decided what they were going to do.
While some wanted to hand over Mikoto, she and a majority of the clan voted to fight. It was apparent that Jujutsu Headquarters couldn't handle a war with the Zenin and deal with the Simurians at the same time.
Either they were suicidal, or it was a bluff, and they were going to call them on it.
When the two sorcerers met up with Mayumi at the now destroyed front gate, they heard some of the words exchanged because she had it on speaker.
An apologetic Naoto came from the other end of the transmission. "Sorry, Mom, I'm training at the Tombs of the Star and forgot to message you."
When Naoto finished his bout with Eso, he realized that he hadn't messaged his mom about being kidnapped twice.
The breath she didn't know she was holding in was finally released. "Thank goodness you're alright…wait, you're training where?"
Her confusion was understandable. There wasn't a sorcerer alive who didn't know of the Tombs of the Star. It was practically the headquarters of the headquarters. Not even the higher-ups were allowed there.
It was the house of Yuji Itadori, the current head of all Jujutsu. Although he hadn't been in the public eye for some time now, the fact that the barriers persisted showed he was still very active.
Naoto's claim that he was training in the Tombs was like saying he was training in the king's living chambers, which wasn't too far off.
He scratched the back of his head. "Uh, the Tombs of the Star. Master Itadori is actually with me, too."
Mayumi grabbed her head with her other hand and scowled. "Those bastards! They even drugged my son!"
Growing up with Naohiro as a father, she had met Yuji on more than one occasion, so they were fairly familiar with one another. Unlike others, she called him Yuji instead of Master Itadori.
Another voice came over the transmission. "Yo, he's not on drugs."
Even after many years, Mayumi couldn't forget his voice. Even if she did, Naoto turned on his camera, and a white-haired figure appeared.
Naoki finally spoke up from the side. "What the hell is going on today!?"
-
"And that's pretty much it," Naohiro concluded.
It didn't matter anymore. The world of Jujutsu Kaisen was over, and Naohiro had already completed his journey. What was there left to hold back?
Earth, his previous life, Jujutsu Kaisen, how he got here, everything.
Contrary to his usual antics, Gojo listened intently. Without interrupting a single word, he sat there with little emotion showing on his face. Naohiro even wondered halfway if Gojo had fallen asleep and tuned him out.
Gojo knew that Naohiro called it a 'story', but it was very clearly a real experience. If someone told you that you were a fake person created for the entertainment of teenagers on a different planet, with your largest meme being cut in half, you would probably think they were insane.
"So, that's how it is, huh?" He turned back and kept silent.
…
"Pft, HAHAHAHA! No wonder you told me not to say 'Nah I'd win'! I got chopped in half and lost after saying I'd win! That's hilarious!" He laughed like a maniac as he slammed his fist on the counter, holding his stomach.
Naohiro's eyes twitched. "I would say I'm surprised to see you react like this, but I'm not. That's just the kinda person you are." He gave a slight smile. "Although I'll admit, Gege really hated you."
Gojo turned toward Naohiro. "If you make a character too strong so that they can solve every problem, you've gotta find a way to write them out of the story." He had a hard time holding in a laugh. "It's just how it is sometimes."
Naohiro's smile turned slightly sad. "Aren't you at least a little pissed off? Every problem that we've experienced is just the twisted writing of a one-eyed cat." A sigh escaped his mouth. "Kenjaku and Sukuna are such a pain in the ass when you reincarnate here."
Gojo's eyebrow raised. "Why would I be pissed? This is real to me. You are real to you. This world, our lives, even if it's mere entertainment, I love every damn second of it." With a deep breath to keep him from bursting out laughing again, he spoke. "Besides, even the me from Jujutsu Kaisen wouldn't have regrets or be pissed. I lost and died to someone stronger than me. It's the only way I want to go out."
While Naohiro stayed silent, Gojo continued. "After all, I did what I loved, passed down the torch to my students, and became the strongest in the modern era. What's there to be pissed about? No matter the crap I went through in this timeline and the other one, I think I had a pretty good ride. I guess if I did meet that damn cat, I would probably strangle him, but I'd also do something else." Seeing Naohiro's confused look, Gojo concluded with a genuine smile.
"In this, the other, or in another ten thousand timelines, I'd thank him for giving me such a wonderful life."
Naohiro's eyes widened in surprise before lowering once more. "Although I don't know what happened after Yuta killed Kenjaku, Yuji likely beat Sukuna at the end."
Gojo leaned his head on his hand. "If it's really a shounen, that's how it usually ends. With how well you said I did against him, I would be kinda annoyed if my students didn't finish off that guy." Then, his face contorted. "If I were to do something in the other timeline, it would be to punch Megumi. I had no idea that without you, he would be a 'Mahoraga merchant' who got his body stolen."
Naohiro gave him a helpless smile. "Now do you get why I called him Potential Man?" He sighed again. "Has a nuke at his disposal and decides to use it against a random bum in Shibuya. At least we didn't have to worry about that version of him."
Gojo looked down at his nearly empty bowl of ramen. "Yeah, yeah. Even after everything that has happened, at least I had fun."
The two sorcerers went silent once more, but they both had smiles as they finished their ramen and left the store.
They split up, going their separate ways, with Gojo now understanding the truth about the world.
The truth of this twisted, but beautiful world.