Chapter 21: The Child Who Disrupts Stability

December 24th.

Tokyo, Shinjuku.

The setting sun was obscured by a black barrier.

Thousands of curse spirits slowly emerged from the other side of the barrier, descending upon the sky and the earth.

"Watch out for public facilities, and if you find any civilians still inside, get them out of the barrier immediately!"

Yaga's voice echoed as he shouted orders to the sorcerers from Jujutsu High. [T/N: Night Moth is Yaga]

It had been half a day, and Suguru Geto, who loved to show off, was still nowhere to be seen, making Gojo Satoru suspicious. As he pondered, an unexpected figure appeared behind him.

"Well, well, isn't this a surprise. It's Zen'in Naobito, the former head of the Zen'in family. What brings you here?"

Naobito's face stiffened, his hand clutching his wine gourd. This brat was as annoying as ever.

Not bothering with pleasantries, Naobito got straight to the point. "It's time to return Toji's son to us."

"He's of Zen'in blood, and Toji took ten billion yen from us when he left."

Naobito stroked his silver mustache, his tone serious. "Had it not been for your reckless interference, we would've taken him back long ago."

"Tch, what a pain," Gojo muttered, frowning.

Fushiguro Megumi—Toji's son, whom Toji entrusted to Gojo before his death.

When Gojo first met him, Megumi had been an elementary school student.

Now, in just a few months, Megumi would be graduating middle school and joining Jujutsu High.

A few years ago, Gojo had already contacted Naobito, offering ten billion yen to buy Megumi's custody...

But the offer was rejected.

From the start, Gojo had no rightful claim over Megumi. Still, he hadn't expected the Zen'in family to come knocking at such a time.

"Old man, name your price. How much do I need to pay for you to leave that kid alone?"

Gojo raised an eyebrow, his tone casual. "Megumi's my student now. The last place he should be is in that cursed family of yours."

"Besides, didn't your family already have someone who awakened the Ten Shadows Technique? One's enough. Don't be too greedy."

Hearing the warning hidden in Gojo's words, Naobito's voice grew colder.

"Brat, this isn't something you can settle by throwing a tantrum."

"For the sake of stability in the jujutsu world, and for that boy's life, it's best if you hand him over."

"Stability in the jujutsu world?"

"Hah?"

Gojo let out a mocking laugh. "What, are you threatening me, old man?"

"It's not a threat," Naobito replied seriously. "It's the reality of what happens when you act selfishly."

"I'm surprised that Toji's son also awakened the Ten Shadows Technique, but that's not why he must return to the Zen'in family. A mere Ten Shadows user cannot compare to our current head."

"I don't value that boy too much. The only reason I'm insisting is..."

"It's an order from our head."

Him...

Gojo's thoughts drifted to that fake smile of Zen'in Mirai, and he curled his lip in disdain.

This arrogant old man hadn't even met Megumi and was already dismissing his potential as a sorcerer.

Just as Gojo was about to speak, his attention was drawn upward, toward the distant sky.

"Really loves to show off, doesn't he?"

"—Crackle!"

Thunder roared, exploding in the sky.

Wings spread wide enough to cover an entire skyscraper, and lightning crackled, tearing through the night sky with a blinding radiance.

Just as Gojo had said.

Mirai, standing atop the head of his shikigami, Nue, immediately became the center of attention as he arrived on the scene.

...

Wearing a white beret and a white short-sleeved shirt, Miguel, a foreign sorcerer with skin as dark as an African's, stood at the edge of the barrier.

After confirming that both Gojo and Mirai had arrived, Miguel stepped out of the barrier for a moment.

In less than a second, he sent a pre-written message and then re-entered the battlefield.

"So that's Zen'in Mirai and Gojo Satoru, the ones Suguru warned me to be wary of..."

Miguel tightened his grip on his special-grade cursed tool, the Black Rope, and began stretching his neck in preparation for battle.

"Just like Suguru... always drawn to the spotlight, huh..."

Gojo muttered softly, watching as Mirai perched on the edge of a rooftop.

"Brat, think carefully about Toji's son," Naobito urged, his tone more serious now that Mirai had appeared.

"The head didn't say what would happen if you refused to hand over the boy..."

"But I'm sure—absolutely sure."

Naobito's voice grew more agitated as he continued.

"The head will go after the Gojo family, after that boy, and—most seriously—he will come for you. Even Jujutsu High won't be safe."

"He won't hesitate to sacrifice all of the Zen'in sorcerers if necessary."

After more than ten years of observing Mirai, Naobito had no doubt that if Gojo refused, things would escalate exactly in that direction.

His urgency stemmed from the desire to prevent the Zen'in family from being dragged into Mirai's madness over something so trivial.

But to disobey Mirai's orders...

There'd be no need for a conflict with the Gojo family—Mirai would slaughter the Zen'in clan himself.

Through the special blindfold that filtered his vision, Gojo could clearly see Naobito's tense expression, his slightly stiff body, and even the brief fluctuation of his cursed energy...

Everything his Six Eyes relayed confirmed that Naobito wasn't exaggerating.

"Troublesome."

Gojo wasn't afraid that Mirai might come after him.

But if this situation caused the Zen'in family to go berserk, it really would destabilize the jujutsu world.

It was the same reason Gojo held back from dismantling the school's higher-ups despite his dislike for them.

Megumi's issue was far more complicated than dealing with these thousands of curse spirits right now.

And the worst part was... Gojo knew he didn't have the upper hand here.

"Gojo-sensei."

Jujutsu High's assistant supervisor, Ijichi, came running over, panting.

"About Okkotsu, the student you asked me to investigate..."

...

Meanwhile, inside one of Jujutsu High's classrooms.

Maki, Okkotsu, and White Zetsu.

As White Zetsu rambled on about advanced pickup techniques, Maki looked exasperated, while Okkotsu's face flushed red.

Suddenly, the descending darkness from above caught both of their attention.

"A barrier?"

"White Zetsu, stay here. Okkotsu and I will go check it out."

Maki's expression was serious as she grabbed her spear and rushed out.

"Wait for me, Maki-senpai!"

Okkotsu, face still red, hurried after her.

"So it's finally here..."

White Zetsu crossed his legs on the desk, gazing out the window.

He'd already picked the perfect spot to watch the battle unfold yesterday.

"Just as Mirai said."

Watching Maki's retreating figure, White Zetsu smirked.

"Better start feeling sorry for her... three... two... one."

...

Within the barrier, in Shinjuku.

Mirai gazed coldly down at the ongoing battle between sorcerers and curse spirits below.

Beside him, the Kamui space opened, continuously absorbing the cursed energy that overflowed within the barrier.

This was what Mirai called his "buffet."

On this battlefield, encased in the barrier, whether it was the death of curse spirits or sorcerers...

All of it would serve as nourishment to further evolve the Mangekyō Sharingan and the Gedo Statue.

Glancing at Gojo, who was currently engaged by Miguel, and Meimei, who was fiercely fighting curse spirits not far off, Mirai grinned.

"It's about time. One more bite and I'll be out of here."

Ten minutes had passed since Gojo had sent Panda and Toge Inumaki away.

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