A/N: Don't forget to check out my original novel: Can I Magic Please. It's like really good. đ
ANYWHOOO. ENJOY THE CHAPTER
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The Gojo Clan estate was enormous.
Traditional architecture stretched across the vast property in elegant layers of polished wood, stone pathways, koi ponds, and sprawling gardens.
Servants moved quietly through the halls.
The atmosphere carried an old nobility that felt entirely different from the casual chaos of Jujutsu High.
Oden walked beside Satoru Gojo while staring openly at everything around him.
"...I will still say it once more. Your family is ridiculously rich."
Gojo placed a hand over his chest proudly.
"Thank you."
"That was not praise."
Yuta walked slightly behind them, smiling awkwardly as usual.
Even after spending time around Gojo, he still found the sheer scale of the estate overwhelming.
Gojo led the two through several hallways before finally stopping outside a quiet room.
He slid the door open casually.
Inside, a young boy sat at a low table covered in books and papers.
Black hair.
Sharp eyes.
An expression so emotionally exhausted that it looked unnatural on someone his age.
The boy slowly looked up from his studies.
Silence lingered briefly.
Then Oden spoke.
"...Why does he look so dead inside?"
The room froze.
Megumi heard every word.
Yuta immediately looked horrified.
Gojo burst into laughter.
"PFFTâ"
Megumi's eye twitched.
He slowly stared at Oden with the same exhausted expression.
"...Who is this idiot?"
Oden pointed at him.
"He talks."
"Of course I talk."
Gojo wiped tears from beneath his blindfold.
"This is already going better than I expected."
Megumi sighed deeply.
Then he looked toward Gojo.
"Who are these people?"
Gojo stepped into the room dramatically.
"Excellent question."
He pointed toward Yuta first.
"This is Yuta Okkotsu."
Yuta bowed politely.
"Nice to meet you."
Then Gojo pointed toward Oden.
"And this is Oden."
Oden raised a hand lazily.
"Hello, depressed child."
Megumi visibly looked seconds away from violence.
Gojo continued cheerfully.
"They're both first-year special grades."
Megumi's expression shifted slightly.
That caught his attention.
Even among sorcerers, the title of special grade carried enormous weight.
Gojo grinned.
"And Oden here has a technique similar to the Ten Shadows."
Now Megumi looked genuinely surprised.
His gaze slowly shifted toward Oden again.
Oden waved.
Gojo leaned against the doorway.
"So I thought maybe he could teach you a thing or two."
Megumi frowned slightly.
"...Similar to the Ten Shadows?"
Oden tilted his head.
"I use shikigami too."
That immediately interested Megumi more than he wanted to admit.
Very few sorcerers used techniques remotely similar to his own.
After a moment, Megumi asked quietly,
"How does your technique work?"
Oden sat down across from him without invitation.
"I should ask you first."
Megumi looked mildly annoyed at how naturally Oden acted inside someone else's room.
Still, he answered.
"The Ten Shadows Technique uses shadows as an intermediary."
He formed a hand sign instinctively.
From beneath the floor, shadows rippled slightly.
"My shikigami are summoned through shadow manipulation."
Oden leaned forward with interest.
Megumi continued calmly.
"Each shikigami has to be exorcised through a subjugation ritual."
Yuta blinked.
"A ritual?"
Megumi nodded.
"To get a new shikigami, I have to defeat it myself."
"If I fail, I lose."
Oden frowned.
"...That sounds annoying."
Megumi's eye twitched.
"It's dangerous."
Oden shrugged.
"My technique is different."
Megumi looked toward him.
Oden rested his chin against his palm.
"I don't fight mine."
Megumi blinked.
"...What?"
Oden nodded.
"I complete challenges instead."
Now even Yuta looked interested.
Megumi frowned.
"What kind of challenges?"
Oden began counting on his fingers.
"The Tiger made me identify the real one while it mauled me."
"The Rabbit forced me to catch it with my bare hands."
"The Dragon trapped me inside hurricane winds."
"The Ox burned me alive for five minutes."
Yuta stared.
Megumi stared.
Oden shrugged casually.
"If the shikigami acknowledges me afterward, I can use it."
Megumi immediately spoke.
"That sounds easier."
Oden froze.
Then slowly turned toward him.
"...Excuse me?"
Megumi folded his arms.
"At least your shikigami give you conditions."
He gestured toward himself.
"I just have to fight mine directly."
Oden stared at him in disbelief.
"No."
He pointed firmly at Megumi.
"I would much rather punch them."
Megumi blinked.
Oden looked genuinely offended.
"Do you know how annoying riddles and spiritual life lessons are?"
Yuta quietly tried not to laugh.
Oden continued bitterly,
"The Monkey still hates me."
Megumi looked at him strangely.
"...You talk about your shikigami like people."
"They basically are."
Oden suddenly leaned closer.
"Also."
Megumi narrowed his eyes.
Oden smirked beneath the blindfold.
"I have more shikigami than you."
Megumi's eyebrow twitched.
"...What?"
Oden proudly held up his fingers.
"You have ten."
"I have twelve."
Silence.
Then Oden leaned back smugly.
"So technically my technique is better."
Megumi stared at him with complete deadpan silence.
Yuta covered his mouth.
Gojo looked seconds away from collapsing from laughter.
Finally, Megumi spoke.
"...I already don't like you."
Oden grinned immediately.
"Good."
---
The atmosphere inside the chamber was suffocating.
Dark wooden walls surrounded the meeting room.
Candles flickered quietly.
The higher ups of Jujutsu Society sat in silence around the long table, their aged faces illuminated by dim light.
No one spoke for several moments.
The weight of the information before them was simply too heavy.
Finally, one elder broke the silence.
"So it is true."
Another slowly nodded.
"After extensive investigation and examination of historical records..."
He paused briefly.
"...the boy is indeed a user of the Chinese Zodiac Technique."
Several expressions darkened instantly.
One of the elders shut his eyes.
"A technique we believed extinct."
Another spoke grimly.
"The same technique that once belonged to the Uzumaki Clan."
Silence lingered.
The air itself seemed colder.
One elderly woman slowly exhaled.
"The technique said to rival the Limitless and Six Eyes."
Another continued quietly.
"And the Ten Shadows."
Even among the higher ups, those names carried weight.
Fear.
History.
Disaster.
The strongest techniques in jujutsu history were not merely abilities.
They were calamities wearing human form.
One elder clenched his cane tightly.
"At first, we merely wished to eliminate another unstable special grade."
His voice sharpened.
"Special grades threaten not only curses."
His gaze swept across the table.
"They threaten the balance of Jujutsu Society itself."
Several elders nodded in agreement.
Special grades existed outside normal authority.
Outside control.
Satoru Gojo alone had already shifted the structure of the modern era simply by being born.
Now another monster had appeared.
And this one possessed a technique drenched in historical bloodshed.
One of the elders spoke quietly.
"The records concerning the last Chinese Zodiac user are incomplete."
"But what remains is enough."
His fingers tapped the table once.
"The Gojo Clan."
"The Zenin Clan."
"And the Uzumaki Clan."
"The war between them nearly destroyed Jujutsu Society entirely."
The room fell silent again.
One elder finally asked the question lingering in everyone's mind.
"What do we do?"
Another answered immediately.
"We cannot act directly."
"Gojo Satoru is protecting him."
"And after the failed assassination attempt, he is now fully aware."
A long pause followed.
Then the eldest among them slowly opened his eyes.
"The Kyoto Sister School Exchange Event."
Several heads lifted slightly.
The old man continued calmly.
"Accidents occur during training exercises."
"Particularly between students."
Understanding spread instantly throughout the room.
One elder frowned slightly.
"You intend to involve the Kyoto students?"
"We merely require results."
The old man's expression remained emotionless.
"If Oden Uzumaki dies during the exchange event..."
"...then it will be regrettable."
No one spoke against it.
No one objected.
Because every person present understood the truth.
They were afraid.
Afraid of what Oden could become.
Afraid of history repeating itself.
---
Far away from Tokyo
At Kyoto Jujutsu High
The atmosphere could not have been more different.
The training hall buzzed with conversation.
First years and second years gathered together for one of the few times since the school term began.
Kasumi Miwa sat nervously beside Mai Zenin, trying not to look overwhelmed.
Across the room, Aoi Todo stretched casually while speaking loudly about his ideal woman.
Momo Nishimiya floated nearby on her broom.
Kokichi Muta observed quietly through Mechamaru.
Noritoshi Kamo stood calmly near the back wall.
Miwa looked toward Todo with sparkling admiration.
"...He's even bigger in person."
Mai looked unimpressed.
"He's an idiot."
Miwa immediately shook her head.
"No way."
"He's one of Kyoto's strongest students."
Todo overheard that instantly.
He pointed dramatically toward Miwa.
"You."
Miwa jumped.
Todo grinned.
"What kind of woman is your type?"
Miwa froze completely.
"...Huh?"
Mai groaned loudly.
"Please stop talking."
Before Todo could continue, the doors slid open.
Utahime Iori entered excitedly carrying several folders.
"Everyone!"
She smiled brightly.
"Thank you for gathering here today."
The students gradually settled.
Utahime clasped her hands together happily.
"As you all know, the Sister School Exchange Event is approaching."
She gestured proudly toward them.
"And all of you will represent Team Kyoto."
Miwa sat up straighter immediately.
Todo grinned.
Momo smirked confidently.
Utahime continued enthusiastically.
"I expect all of you to work together and show Tokyo exactly why Kyoto is superior this year."
Then she stepped aside slightly.
"Before that, however..."
Her expression became more formal.
"Principal Gakuganji would like to say a few words."
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
The students straightened.
From the rear entrance, Yoshinobu Gakuganji slowly walked onto the stage with his guitar resting against his shoulder.
The elderly principal surveyed the room quietly.
Silence fell.
Then he spoke.
"I have a special directive for this exchange event."
The students listened attentively.
Gakuganji's expression did not change.
"You are to kill Oden Uzumaki."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Miwa's eyes widened.
Momo froze.
Mai blinked in disbelief.
Even Todo stopped smiling.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
The sheer weight of the statement crushed the room into stunned stillness.
---
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