Chapter 95: Changes (BONUS)

"Shoko! You said Satoshi-kun is also going to help you forge a Zanpakutō?"

Inamichi suppressed his excitement and asked in a low voice.

"Yeah, that's right."

"But he might need some time to gather the materials for it."

"It probably won't be that fast, right?"

Shoko replied casually, continuing to eat her snacks without much concern.

Inamichi recalled what Shoko had mentioned earlier, Satoshi needed Cursed Tools as materials to forge a Zanpakutō. Without hesitation, he spoke up:

"What kind of materials does he need? I can help Satoshi-kun find them!"

Upon hearing this news, Inamichi was even more eager than Shoko.

"Huh? I don't know. I didn't ask."

Shoko didn't even look up, her attention still fixated on the snacks in front of her.

A trace of regret appeared on Inamichi's face. Although Satoshi was just a child, he was still a man.

And men—they tend to forget things.

Perhaps Satoshi had only mentioned it casually to Shoko, without any real intention of following through.

If it had been anything else, Inamichi wouldn't have been too concerned.

But this was a Zanpakutō!

There were only four in existence right now. While there might be more in the future, they were still extremely rare artifacts.

Since Satoshi had made the promise, he had to ensure it became a reality.

"Ahem."

Inamichi cleared his throat and said seriously:

"Shoko, since Satoshi-kun said he would help you forge a Zanpakutō, we can't just leave everything to him, right?"

"As for the materials, our family will provide them. When you visit the Gojo estate later, make sure to bring it up with Satoshi-kun. I'll help you gather the necessary Cursed Tools."

A flicker of doubt crossed Shoko's young face, but she nodded anyway.

She was far more mature than her peers, yet she still didn't fully grasp the complexities of adult reasoning—or the ulterior motives of men.

She simply took it as her father looking out for her.

"Alright, sounds good! I'll ask Satoshi about it later. It's true that finding the right materials won't be easy. Even Toji had to provide his own materials to forge Katen Kyōkotsu."

With that, Shoko lost all interest in the conversation, returning her full attention to the snacks in front of her.

---

Okkotsu Family

Ever since meeting Satoshi, Okkotsu Yuto had been keeping a close eye on the affairs of the three major sorcerer families.

Originally, he hadn't cared much about the Gojo clan. He had only visited them by chance, since they happened to be in the same city.

He never expected to meet such an interesting relative.

Gojo Satoshi—the person who changed his mind.

Before, Yuto had wanted nothing more than to live as an ordinary person. He never had much fondness for the life of a jujutsu sorcerer.

However, after witnessing Satoshi's battle with Zenin Toji and seeing the power of the Zanpakutō, he realized something.

His bloodline should not be allowed to fade away.

Yuto was well aware of his own strength.

Within the sorcery world, he was far from weak.

The only reason he hadn't made a name for himself was that he had always kept a low profile, exorcising Cursed Spirits only when necessary, never officially joining the Jujutsu Sorcerer Association.

But now that things had changed, he had to start integrating into the world of jujutsu.

The Gojo clan, the Kamo clan, and the Zenin clan—these were names he couldn't avoid.

"Zenin Toji did something like that, and yet the Zenin family hasn't expelled him?"

"It seems Toji's strength is truly extraordinary. When he fought Satoshi before, he wasn't even using his full power."

"But now Toji already has a Zanpakutō… and from what I've heard, it's linked to the Zenin family's Shadow Technique."

"This is getting interesting. What decision will the Zenin clan make now?"

"To be honest, traveling has been a little dull lately… How about stopping by Tokyo to have some fun with Satoshi and Satoru?"

"After all, we're distant relatives—it wouldn't be too strange for us to interact, right?"

Yuto chuckled to himself, already convincing himself that this detour to Tokyo was completely justified.

Of course… he would never admit that his true goal was to learn more about Gojo Satoshi's Zanpakutō.

---

Zenin Clan Estate

The moment the Zenin family's scandal was exposed, Zenin Ogi's expression darkened.

Meanwhile, Naobito could only sigh helplessly.

There were only a handful of people who had witnessed what happened with Toji, and neither Ogi nor Naobito would have leaked such a thing.

That left only two possible suspects.

After his defeat, Zenin Ogi had been in seclusion, struggling to recover from the overwhelming loss against Toji. He was still adjusting to the reality of his defeat.

That meant there was only one real suspect left.

Zenin Jinichi.

Naobito was displeased with Jinichi's actions, but he also understood his motives.

Jinichi had hoped to pressure the family by leaking this information to the outside world.

He wanted people to acknowledge that Zenin Toji had defeated two high-ranking Zenin elders—emphasizing Toji's strength to boost his own standing within the clan.

However, Jinichi had made a critical miscalculation.

The sorcery world wasn't focusing on Toji's battle against the elders.

Instead, they were obsessed with the power of his Zanpakutō, Katen Kyōkotsu, and its strange connection to shadow techniques.

Very few people even noticed that Satoshi had defeated Zenin Shinsuke again.

And for those who did pay attention, their focus was more on the mysterious third ability of Satoshi's Sode no Shirayuki.

Jinichi had miscalculated.

If he had revealed information strategically, leaking only the news about Gojo Satoshi vs. Zenin Shinsuke, it would have been a much greater blow to Shinsuke's reputation.

Now?

Shinsuke had faded into irrelevance.

The entire sorcery world had already forgotten about him.

And in truth, Jinichi himself was in the same situation.

When people mentioned Zenin Shinsuke, at the very least, they still acknowledged him as a former genius of the Zenin clan, someone who had lost to Gojo Satoshi twice.

But Jinichi?

To outsiders, he was just another nameless Zenin clan member.

Even his connection to Toji was barely known.

Jinichi's ambitions had backfired.

At a time when the Zenin clan desperately needed to restore their prestige, he had squandered it for his own selfish goals.

His path to becoming clan leader was now completely blocked.

Even Ogi had given up on competing.

As Naobito observed Jinichi's smug expression, he silently shook his head.

However, to be fair, Jinichi's actions had proven one thing, Toji's power was undeniable.

Now, the Zenin family's most urgent goal was to bring Toji back into the clan.

Whether it was to study his Zanpakutō or analyze his inhuman physique, the first step was getting Toji to return.

Jinichi's next—and final—task was clear.

He had to bring Toji home.

(To be continued.)

***

Bonus for 1000 PS next bonus at 1200 PS.

For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on patreon to read 50+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/Blownleaves.

Giving away 1-month free Patreon to 3 random members tomorrow. DÎscőrd link: https://discord.gg/UN2j5Cmq