A few days later.
"The Kamo Family..."
Zenin Naobito stared at the report in his hand, momentarily stunned.
He had not expected that after the fall of the Zenin Family, the Kamo Family would follow the same path.
And both had been destroyed from within.
Naobito exhaled slowly. The Zenin Family's downfall had weighed on him, but seeing the Kamo Family repeat the same mistake brought a strange sense of relief.
As long as I am not the only one suffering, it feels a little easier to bear.
"If only the Gojo Family also..." He coughed lightly. "Forget it. With those two around, the Gojo Family will not fall so easily."
He leaned back.
"My Zenin Family still has four and a half members left. The Kamo Family, on the other hand, has its survivors locked in prison."
He lifted his teacup and took a sip.
"Sss... haa..."
"The tea tastes especially sweet today."
...
It was a turbulent time.
Not only within the jujutsu world, but in ordinary society as well. A shocking incident had shaken all of Japan.
Emperor Naruhito, Crown Prince Fumihito, and several members of the imperial family had been attacked and killed by unknown assailants.
The existence of jujutsu remained hidden from the public, but certain government agencies maintained close ties with the Big Three Families and the higher-ups. They understood what might be behind such an incident.
Soon after, an urgent request was sent to the jujutsu world for investigation.
Given the scale and strange nature of the attack, the higher-ups dispatched two special grade sorcerers.
Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto.
"Kenjaku."
The two returned with a clear conclusion.
"Idle Transfiguration, the technique used by that cursed spirit Mahito."
"So Kenjaku and his group were behind the attack."
Geto lowered his gaze, thinking. "Why target the imperial family? To create panic?"
Satoru frowned slightly. "It feels like he is setting something up. Let's ask Bro, he should know."
...
"I don't know."
"Eh?"
Gojo Shion spread his hands, expression casual.
"Do you think I am some kind of omniscient being? That I can predict everything Kenjaku does?"
In the past, he had an advantage.
Now, things had already diverged too far.
More importantly, he had something else to focus on.
Mastering Hollow Technique, Zenith.
Satoru and Geto had already reached that level.
If he fell behind now, that would be embarrassing.
More importantly, he needed it for what was coming.
A proper fight against Sukuna.
Knock, knock, knock.
A sharp alarm suddenly echoed through Jujutsu High.
At the entrance, Kenjaku appeared openly, smiling as five special grade sorcerers surrounded him in an instant.
Shion narrowed his eyes. "Just a clone."
Kenjaku chuckled. "Of course. Otherwise, I would be walking into my own death."
Yuki Tsukumo crossed her arms. "Then why are you here?"
"To declare war."
"War? The agreed date for the final battle is in two days."
Kenjaku tilted his head slightly. "That is your battle, Gojo Shion, against Sukuna. This is mine."
He pointed at Satoru Gojo, then at Suguru Geto, Yuki Tsukumo, and Yuta Okkotsu.
"In two days, in Ginza, I will face all four of you at once."
Silence.
Then Satoru let out an exaggerated laugh.
"Kenjaku, did you finally lose your mind? I could handle you alone."
Kenjaku smiled. "Regardless, that is how it will be."
His voice remained calm.
"I will take hostages. If any of you fail to appear, they will die."
Bang.
Yuki's fist shattered the clone instantly.
"This is clearly a diversion," Yuta said, frowning.
"But if we ignore it, the hostages die."
Satoru shrugged. "It does not matter. If we go together, it will take less than a minute to rescue them."
He glanced at Shion. "Especially with him around."
Shion fell silent, thinking.
Satoru was right.
With four special grades, rescue would be immediate.
And with Satoru's teleportation, moving between battlefields would take almost no time.
So why did Kenjaku seem so confident?
Shion narrowed his eyes slightly.
There had to be something else.
If the four special grades were drawn to Ginza, and Shion fought Sukuna...
Then the real target became obvious.
Tengen.
Shion looked up.
"So that is your plan."
If Kenjaku could stall them even briefly, it would be enough.
"Then I need someone reliable to guard Tengen."
A name surfaced immediately.
Toji Fushiguro.
Just then, another figure appeared at the entrance.
"Hey, you people at Jujutsu High. I am declaring war as well."
Jogo stood there, flames flickering from his head.
The five glanced at him, then turned back to their discussion.
Jogo froze.
"...What is this reaction?"
His voice rose with irritation.
"I said I am declaring war!"
Satoru waved a hand. "Kenjaku already did. You are late."
"You cannot even beat us anyway."
Jogo's eye twitched.
"That has nothing to do with it!"
Flames flared higher as he let out a cold laugh.
"I am a cursed spirit born from humanity's fear of the earth. I control fire."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Mount Fuji has been restless lately."
"One of the largest active volcanoes in the world."
"It could erupt at any moment."
"Imagine how many people would die."
This time, everyone looked at him.
Jogo placed his hands on his hips, satisfied.
"Now you are listening."
Satoru sighed. "I would love to entertain you, but I have plans."
He glanced sideways.
"My brother is dealing with Sukuna. These four are busy with Kenjaku."
He smirked faintly.
"So who exactly are you planning to fight?"
Jogo gritted his teeth.
"...Toji Fushiguro."
"In two days, at Mount Fuji. Have him come."
His body melted into magma and disappeared.
Shion exhaled slowly.
"That confirms it."
Drawing Toji away as well.
Kenjaku's intentions were obvious now.
Shion scratched his head.
"Looks like I will need to move Tengen ahead of time."
"And find a proper bodyguard."
Someone dependable.
Someone strong enough to stand against a special grade.