Storms often begin as the faintest of breezes.
As time passed, the situation in the Japanese jujutsu world appeared calm on the surface, but a massive undercurrent was already surging in the abyss.
One of the Big Three Families, the Zenin family, was currently shrouded in an oppressive, suffocating atmosphere.
Crash!
An expensive celadon teacup was slammed against the polished floor, shattering into countless sharp fragments.
Naoya Zenin stood in the center of the hall, his originally handsome and feminine face contorted with bulging veins. His eyes were dark and predatory, as if he wanted to devour someone whole.
"Useless! You're all useless!"
He pointed at several high-ranking members of the Kukuru Unit kneeling on the floor, roaring hysterically. His cursed energy surged uncontrollably, causing the surrounding sliding doors to rattle violently.
"You can't even find a five-year-old girl? What are you even good for?! What use does the Zenin family have for a bunch of parasites like you?!"
Ever since a few months ago, when that man named Yoru broke into the Zenin estate alone.
Not only did he injure dozens of elites with pure physical strength, but he also forcibly took away that useless Maki, who had no cursed energy, right in front of everyone.
The entire Zenin family had become a laughingstock in the eyes of the Jujutsu higher-ups!
As a once-in-a-century genius and the heir to the head of the family, Naoya Zenin felt his dignity had been ground into the dirt by that non-sorcerer!
Whenever he closed his eyes, the memory of Yoru's terrifying strike—so fast that even his Projection Sorcery couldn't track it—would surface in his mind.
That bone-deep fear didn't make him back down; instead, it transformed into a warped sense of jealousy and rage!
"Please calm down, Master Naoya..."
A captain of the Kukuru Unit looked up tremblingly. His arm was still in a cast from a single strike by Yoru that had shattered the bone, and it still hadn't fully healed.
Cold sweat poured down his forehead as his voice shook:
"We've mobilized our entire intelligence network and even hired the top assassins from the black market, but Yoru's movements are too elusive."
"Furthermore... word has it that the 'Strongest' of the Gojo family is secretly covering for him. Even Masamichi Yaga treats him as an honored guest of Jujutsu High. We simply don't dare move against him recklessly..."
"Shut up!"
Naoya Zenin suddenly kicked the captain to the floor, stepping on his chest. His eyes gleamed with a distorted madness and murderous intent.
"So what if it's Satoru Gojo? Once I've mastered the ultimate heights of Projection Sorcery, I'll kill that white-haired brat along with him!"
"And that useless girl Maki... once I find her, I'll snap her bones inch by inch. I'll make her learn the price of betraying the Zenin family—and betraying me!"
While internal strife plagued the Big Three Families and the stench of decay grew thicker.
The external situation was becoming even more chilling.
In a secret, lavishly decorated underground palace in Tokyo.
Hundreds of wealthy and influential members of the Star Religious Group, dressed in black robes, knelt fanatically on the cold floor tiles, pressing their hands together and chanting a name as if it belonged to a god.
"Lord Geto! Lord Geto!"
At the far end of the palace on a high platform, Suguru Geto sat casually on his wide leader's throne, wearing ornate monk's robes.
His long hair fell over his shoulders, and his narrow eyes held a distant look of indifference and pity.
At his feet, the young Nanako and Mimiko obediently massaged his legs, their eyes filled with absolute adoration and reliance.
In just a few short months.
Under Suguru Geto's ruthless methods and absolute martial force, the Star Religious Group's power had expanded to a terrifying degree!
"Is this what you call a 'miracle'?"
Geto raised his hand slightly. A slit opened in his palm, and a hideous Grade 2 cursed spirit was instantly compressed into a black Cursed Spirit Orb.
Before his followers, he swallowed the foul-smelling orb without changing his expression.
"A miracle! This is a divine miracle!"
The followers erupted in even more fanatical screams, pushing forward boxes filled with cash, property deeds, and ancient cursed tools.
Geto had not only recruited a large number of rogue curse users but had also exploited the greed and fear of death among wealthy businessmen and politicians, quietly seizing nearly a third of Japan's wealth.
"Those rotten oranges at the top should be having headaches so bad they can't sleep right now."
Geto picked up a glass of crimson wine and swirled it gently, a mocking sneer tugging at the corner of his mouth.
The more high-profile he became, and the more he displayed his hatred and cruelty toward non-sorcerers.
The higher-ups would view him as a thorn in their side, focusing all their energy and defenses on him and even sending assassins.
And this was exactly what he wanted!
"Satoru, Yoru."
Geto drained his glass in one gulp, his gaze deep as he looked toward Jujutsu High.
"Don't waste the time I'm buying for you in the shadows."
"When that venomous snake hiding in the gutter finally reveals its fangs, it will be time for the three of us to join forces and flip the chessboard entirely!"
Meanwhile.
In a dark, foul-smelling abandoned sewer miles away from the Star Religious Group's headquarters.
A man with a strange stitched scar across his forehead—currently wearing the face of some unknown politician—stood silently in the shadows.
Kenjaku!
This monster, who had lived for over a thousand years and orchestrated countless conspiracies, was now watching the Star Religious Group with a gaze full of greed and caution.
Several corpses with their brains sucked dry lay at his feet.
"What a perfect body..."
Kenjaku stuck out his long tongue and licked his dry lips, his voice carrying a nauseating fervor.
"Suguru Geto, your Cursed Spirit Manipulation is a supreme gift tailored specifically for my thousand-year plan!"
"Once I have your body, I can consume Master Tengen, start the Culling Game, and create the most beautiful chaos in this world!"
However, Kenjaku did not act immediately.
He had lived too long, long enough to possess a level of patience and caution far beyond that of ordinary men.
"That Gojo brat is troublesome, but if I use that... the Prison Realm, there's still a way to deal with him."
Kenjaku's brow furrowed slightly, his eyes becoming darker and more solemn than ever before.
"What truly makes me uneasy is that variable called Yoru!"
Recalling all the intelligence gathered on Yoru, Kenjaku felt his heart skip a beat.
No cursed energy, yet able to easily slay Special Grade cursed spirits.
His moves were unheard of; even a sorcerer who had lived for a millennium couldn't see any logic behind them!
That power system called 'Breathing Styles' completely transcended the rules of jujutsu!
Even worse, the man seemed to possess foresight, with every move cutting precisely into the most painful parts of his thousand-year plan!
"I can't wait any longer."
A look of extreme malice flashed in Kenjaku's eyes, causing the sewer walls to crack under the pressure of his killing intent.
"I must launch the plan before that Yoru fellow fully matures!"
"I will turn all of Japan into a grave from which he cannot recover!"
Meanwhile.
In Yoru's dormitory at Tokyo Jujutsu High.
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
Yoru clutched his chest tightly, half-kneeling on the tatami in agony as large beads of sweat rolled down his pale face like rain.
This bout of heart pain was more intense and lasting than any before!
It wasn't just physical pain; he felt the space around him producing a strange rejection and distortion.
It felt as if the entire world was rejecting him, an 'outsider' who didn't belong to this era!
[WARNING! WARNING!]
[THE HOST HAS FORCIBLY ALTERED THE DESTINY OF CORE CHARACTERS. THE WORLDLINE REJECTION REACTION HAS EXCEEDED THE ABSOLUTE CRITICAL POINT!]
[MANDATORY REPATRIATION COUNTDOWN INITIATED!]
The cold, piercing alarm in his mind echoed like a death knell, shaking his very soul.
"Is it finally time..."
Yoru grit his teeth, enduring the agonizing pain that felt like his soul was being torn apart. He slowly raised his head to look at the deep night sky outside.
He could clearly feel that his time in this era had entered its final countdown.
Jujutsu High remained the cradle for the next generation of sorcerers, and Satoru Gojo had evolved into the true 'Strongest'.
Suguru Geto was gathering strength in the shadows, while Megumi Fushiguro and Maki were growing strong.
All the foundations he needed to lay were finished.
A ultimate confrontation involving all of Japan, spanning past and future, and drawing in the fates of everyone, was quietly brewing!
However, Yoru could feel that the time remaining for him was very short.
"Kenjaku... Sukuna..."
Yoru slowly drew Shiranui from his waist. In his deep dark-red eyes, a fire burned bright enough to incinerate everything!
"We'll meet again... in the future!"
As the countdown neared zero, what kind of world-shattering bloodbath would greet him when he opened his eyes again?