Chapter 109: The Kamo Family Is Targeted by Kumaen

At the center of the battlefield, as Toji halted, Satoshi slowly steadied his breathing.

When Satoshi came back to his senses and noticed the stunned gazes around him.

Opening the system panel, he confirmed it. His proficiency in Hakuda had reached the maximum, and a new function had been unlocked.

[ Ding! Congratulations to the Host for achieving 100% proficiency in 'Hakuda' and successfully unlocking 'Hohō' (Shunpo) proficiency. ]

That mysterious state he had entered just now, was the sensation of breaking through the shackles of stagnation.

Had it happened a second later, he might not have been able to dodge Toji's attack and land that punch.

However, now that he had reached this level of physical mastery, many things had become instinctive.

The system's enhancements were always top-quality.

With Hakuda mastered, his next focus should be Hohō.

Shunpo represented speed and agility.

And in that regard, Satoshi was at a loss, who could he learn from?

Without a mentor or enough experience packs, his Shunpo proficiency might remain stuck for a long time.

Just then, the sound of applause broke the silence.

Only now did Satoshi and the other spectators realize that the clan head and Gojo Kumaen had been standing there, watching, for some time.

"Satoshi, the Gojo Clan will fully support you! That high-quality fire-type Cursed Tool, leave it to me."

The old man's first words brought a pleasant surprise to Satoshi.

—

Inside the forging house, the clan head ran his fingers over the remnants of a failed Ryūjin Jakka forging attempt, his wrinkled face full of astonishment.

Beside him, Kumaen held another fragment, his expression mirroring the same shock.

Even as failures, these broken Zanpakutō prototypes exuded an incredible presence.

If Satoshi truly succeeded in forging Ryūjin Jakka, just how terrifying would the final product be?

"So, Satoshi… will a Grade 1 fire-type Cursed Tool suffice?" the old man asked gravely.

Satoshi hesitated before nodding.

"A Grade 1 Cursed Tool meets the bare minimum, but if it were a Special Grade Cursed Tool, the success rate would be significantly higher."

"Ryūjin Jakka far surpasses ordinary Zanpakutō in strength. As a fire-type Zanpakutō, it requires intense reinforcement during its creation."

"If the Cursed Tool isn't strong enough, it'll likely end up destroyed, just like these two inferior Cursed Tools before it."

Satoshi sighed inwardly. He hadn't expected Ryūjin Jakka to have such extreme material requirements. This completely overturned his previous understanding of Cursed Tool crafting.

"A blade like fire..."

The clan head murmured the words, his eyes flickering with deep thought. Even though he hadn't seen Ryūjin Jakka firsthand, the name alone made him feel the scorching heat emanating from it.

Kumaen, standing to the side, silently noted Satoshi's request—a fire-type Cursed Tool, an exceedingly rare one at that.

Finding one would not be easy.

"I have a Grade 1 Cursed Tool in mind. But if it's a Special Grade you need…"

He hesitated, unable to give a definitive answer.

"I've seen a Special Grade Cursed Tool before. It's fire-type."

Kumaen's sudden statement instantly drew everyone's attention. Even Satoshi turned his gaze to him.

No one had expected him to possess such critical information.

So, are you offering to trade with me?

The thought crossed Satoshi's mind.

If he could exchange a Zanpakutō for this Special Grade Cursed Tool… well, that seemed like a fair deal.

After all, it was for Ryūjin Jakka.

Satoshi prepared to negotiate his terms, but what surprised him was that Kumaen had no intention of making a deal.

Once he realized how crucial this Cursed Tool was to Satoshi, Kumaen didn't hesitate at all.

"That Cursed Tool belongs to the Kamo Clan. It's their ancestral Cursed Tool and has been enshrined in their family for generations."

"Fire and red blood are the same color, which gives it great symbolic value in the Kamo Clan. As far as I know, this Cursed Tool is currently in the possession of Kamo Shin, the clan's Cursed Tool master."

After sharing this information, Kumaen fell silent again.

He had given them a crucial lead, but acquiring the Cursed Tool was another matter entirely.

It all depended on what the Gojo Clan and Satoshi were willing to offer in return.

In Kumaen's opinion, if this Special Grade fire-type Cursed Tool could help Satoshi forge Ryūjin Jakka, then this trade would be absolutely worth it.

After all, if Ryūjin Jakka was even half as powerful as Satoshi claimed, it would be an unimaginable asset.

However, the problem was… this was a Kamo Clan heirloom.

Negotiating for it would be extremely difficult.

Unless they could find some leverage over the Kamo Clan…

Unless they could dredge up something related to the scandal of the criminal Jujutsu sorcerer, Kamo Noritoshi, from 150 years ago…

Otherwise, obtaining this Cursed Tool would be nearly impossible.

As he thought about this, Kumaen suddenly recalled a certain matter regarding the Kamo Clan's involvement with Cursed Objects. The clan head had mentioned it to him before.

He subconsciously looked up.

The old man was looking back at him.

Clearly, they had both reached the same conclusion.

At this moment, the Kamo Clan had officially become the target of two scheming masterminds from the Gojo family.

—

"But President Kamo Shin doesn't seem to care about Satoshi. I applied for Satoshi to join the Jujutsu Blacksmith Association before, but he still hasn't approved it."

Takuya muttered, feeling that this information wasn't particularly useful.

Although Kamo Shin had merely delayed the approval, Takuya could sense his reluctance.

To him, trying to acquire the Kamo Clan's Special Grade Cursed Tool was no different than a pipe dream.

However, what he didn't expect was that both the clan head and Kumaen would immediately put down the remnants of Ryūjin Jakka and leave without hesitation.

"We will handle this Cursed Tool."

Kumaen's parting words left everyone stunned.

Toji, however, smirked at their determination.

"The Gojo Clan isn't that weak yet."

Toji rested his hand on the hilt of Katen Kyōkotsu, his lips curling in amusement.

At the very least, they were leagues ahead of the cesspool that was the Zenin Clan.

Satoru didn't entirely agree with Toji's statement, but he didn't argue.

In his view, even though Kumaen had always opposed Satoshi, he was undeniably skilled in political maneuvering.

If there were no outside interference, Kumaen would use every possible means to tip the scales in his favor.

Since Kumaen had already declared his intent, he would undoubtedly find a way to obtain that Cursed Tool.

Satoshi, who was at the center of all this, remained indifferent.

He had also noticed the shift in Kumaen's attitude, but he didn't concern himself with his motivations.

As long as Kumaen helped him, he didn't care about the man's personal agenda.

If the clan head and Kumaen told him to wait, then he would simply wait.

"In the meantime, I should check on Yorozuya's progress."

(To be continued.)