Chapter 39: Is This the Rumored Zanpakutō? (BONUS)

Kotetsu scratched his head awkwardly under the curious gazes of his fellow disciples.

Even though Master Shunichi favored him, he had only seen him a handful of times over the past month.

However, one thing he was certain of, when he met Shunichi yesterday, he had still been wielding Cicada's Cry.

But today, Cicada's Cry was nowhere to be seen in the forge.

This immediately reminded him of the rumors circulating about Young Master Satoshi, the so-called "Cursed Tool Destroyer" of the month.

It also reminded him of when he saw Master Shunichi testing a new sword in the forge.

And of the moment Master Shunichi had handed over his weapon to Satoshi before leaving.

Putting the pieces together, Kotetsu could guess what had happened to Cicada's Cry. More importantly, he suspected that the weapon in Shunichi's hand had been forged by none other than Young Master Satoshi!

This must be the weapon that had been discussed so often in the clan recently.

A Zanpakutō.

As soon as Kotetsu shared his thoughts, the other disciples of the Gojo Kyokushin-ryu fell silent.

Due to Kumaen's influence and Shunichi's previous alignment with the Twin Curse Faction, most of the disciples leaned toward the Twin Curse Faction.

Now, hearing that Satoshi, whom the elders had always opposed had possibly forged a second Zanpakutō, they were shaken and began reconsidering their own positions.

Those who had not fully sided with the Twin Curse Faction started to feel that Satoshi, as a wielder of the Six Eyes and Gojo Satoru's younger brother, should not have been treated as an outcast within the family.

They practiced swordsmanship and held great respect for swordsmiths.

And even though Satoshi was only six years old, forging two Zanpakutō was an achievement worthy of admiration in the world of blacksmithing.

Meanwhile, those with a firmer stance against Satoshi looked troubled.

They had never believed he could forge a second Zanpakutō. After all, they had heard nothing but failure coming from the forge over the past month.

How could he fail yesterday and succeed today?

Besides, based on Kotetsu's account, wasn't it possible that Shunichi had simply been using Cicada's Cry? If Satoshi hadn't known about today's match, wouldn't that mean Shunichi might have ended up like Yagyū Saemon losing due to a broken weapon?

That didn't make sense.

And in truth, before today, Satoshi had not known that Shunichi was participating in a kendo match. He wouldn't have taken such a risk lightly.

But, unfortunately, he hadn't known.

Even Shunichi, the one participating hadn't known about it beforehand.

Because of this, Suzumushi had unexpectedly made its debut.

"Whether it's a Zanpakutō or not is still uncertain. We shouldn't jump to conclusions. I remain skeptical," Gojo Genichi finally spoke, putting an end to the discussion.

He was the senior disciple of the Gojo Kyokushin-ryu and also the grandson of Kumaen.

Regardless of his personal feelings toward Satoshi or his beliefs about Shunichi's weapon, at this moment, he needed to stand with his grandfather.

Satoshi was the foundation of the Twin Curse Faction.

Without him, Kumaen wouldn't have gained such influence.

Without him, the Gojo Kyokushin-ryu wouldn't have been able to grow so rapidly with the clan's backing.

It was a paradox.

The Twin Curse Faction despised Gojo Satoshi, yet they couldn't survive without him…

…

Saemon's face darkened at Shunichi's suggestion. He said nothing.

He didn't want the match to end like this, but reality had left him with no choice.

He had no weapon left. What else could he do but concede?

Snorting coldly, Saemon turned on his heel and left the Gojo Kyokushin-ryu dojo without another word.

Seeing this, the Yagyū Shinkage-ryu disciples quickly stood up and followed.

As a witness, Yusuke nodded slightly toward Gojo Kumaen and Gojo Satoru as a gesture of apology.

"Saemon was a bit rude today. I hope Master Kumaen and Master Satoru won't take offense," Yagyū Yusuke said.

"He has a short temper. After today's events, he lost control of his emotions. He still needs to work on his discipline."

As Yusuke spoke, Kumaen stood up to return the courtesy.

With Saemon's departure, Shunichi was the undisputed winner of the duel.

And as the victor, Kumaen naturally adopted the attitude of a gracious host.

"Shunichi and Saemon both have fiery tempers. It's no surprise that etiquette slipped their minds! Master Yusuke, thank you for coming all this way. Please forgive us if our hospitality was lacking."

Kumaen showed no concern over Saemon's outburst.

Even though Shunichi had his disagreements with the Twin Curse Faction, the Gojo Kyokushin-ryu was still under his faction's control.

Shunichi had defeated Saemon.

The match itself may have been unconventional, but that didn't diminish the reputation of the Gojo Kyokushin-ryu within the kendo world.

In the world of jujutsu, the Gojo Clan was an undisputed giant, far surpassing the Yagyū family.

But in the realm of kendo, the Yagyū family still held great prestige.

To suppress them in both jujutsu and kendo was a significant achievement in Kumaen's eyes.

The head of the Gojo Clan had been unwell, relying on Reverse Cursed Technique to prolong his life. Eventually, the clan's affairs would fall to the elders.

Satoru was the undisputed successor, but he was still too young to handle the clan's administrative matters.

Which meant that someone else would have to take charge until he came of age.

And perhaps, that person could be me, Kumaen thought.

This victory was a major boost for the Curse Faction's influence within the clan.

Originally, the Twin Curse Faction had already been a dominant force within the Gojo Clan. Now, with their kendo prowess overwhelming the Yagyū Clan, the other elders had even less of a chance to compete for power.

However, Shunichi's weapon had become a thorn in Kumaen's side.

Had this mysterious blade been forged by Takuya?

Or had it been forged by Satoshi?

Kumaen frowned, uncertainty creeping into his thoughts.

***

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