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Back to when Tengen summoned Naoya:
Naoya was sitting in a tatami mat room, sipping on some tea.
"Is the tea to your liking?" asked Tengen.
"It is. Thank you," replied Naoya.
The two of them were sitting in one of the many areas enclosed within the barriers set up by Tengen.
"You are Kagenori's grandson, right? How is the brat these days?" asked Tengen.
*Sips*
Naoya placed the cup on the table and looked at the disfigured humanoid being in front of him.
Tengen's body expiration was close, and it seemed like the old-aged body was starting to mutate too.
"Grandpa is being called a brat. Now that's a first. He is doing great. His age is catching up to him, but he is quite active," replied Naoya.
"...Another friend in his old state...Ask him if he is free sometime to give me a visit if he wants," said Tengen, reminiscing a bit.
"Will do, Tengen-sama.... What are you, though? A man or a woman?" asked Naoya, feeling curious.
"...What's with that question? I started as a woman, though during mergers with the [Star Plasma Vessels], I did merge with a man once," said Tengen.
"Hm, so you have experienced both sides. Which side did you prefer more? Being a man or a woman?" asked Naoya.
"...What is with these nonsensical questions?" asked Tengen.
"Just stalling for time, trying to understand the whole mess that is happening with Satoru and the Vessel. Take your time to answer the question," said Naoya and refilled his cup.
Tengen looked at the weird kid in front of her and sighed.
"Most of this mess is being caused by people who are trying to interfere with the fate," said Tengen and moved her cup forward for Naoya to fill it.
"Fate?"
"Fate is something no being in this world can overcome. It is the natural flow of events that every being on this planet experiences. Going against it causes serious reactions from the heavens, in ways that are far worse than what normally would have happened," said Tengen.
"Does that mean Satoru and Suguru being painted as criminals is their fate?" asked Naoya calmly.
"In a weird way, the world has always strung the fates of the Star Plasma Vessel, the Six Eyes sorcerer, and me with a string. Whenever I need to undergo a merger, the other two beings come into existence as well. Star Plasma Vessel exists in every generation, but Six Eyes are a rare trait, yet every time they appear, they are needed. There have been times when outside forces have tried to subdue one or the other or both of them to prevent me from merging, but every time a new vessel or a Six Eyes sorcerer comes to life, as if the world senses that they are needed. That's how strong and responsible Fate is," explained Tengen.
"The Star Plasma Vessel and the Six Eyes sorcerer of this generation have been entangled by fate. They are bound to share their fates," said Tengen.
"But that does not mean that they need to be hunted. Honestly, I find the whole thing to be suspicious. Why did Satoru and Suguru take off with the vessel? Aren't you three connected by fate? Why are there issues happening with the merger?" asked Naoya
Tengen placed her cup on the table and formed a display in front of them.
On the display was the image of a girl in a sailor suit.
"She is the Star Plasma Vessel that was about to merge with me. Her name is Riko Amanai," said Tengen.
Naoya looked at the girl for a while.
"Is she a middle schooler?" asked Naoya.
"...Yes? Why?"
"That explains some things. Satoru has a thing for younger girls....so you are telling me that bastard got himself to be a target of the HQ just because he got hots for some girl. That damn idiot!" complained Naoya.
"Let me interject before you jump to some other conclusion. That is not the case here. See this," said Tengen and showed the other screens to Naoya.
On those screens, there were photos and videos of various events that happened within the corridor.
Once the slide show was over, Tengen stopped the displays and looked towards Naoya.
"I had given clear instructions that if the Star Plasma Vessel is unwilling to undergo the merger, then her feelings will be respected, as that is what fate has intended for us. Maybe it is time for the human Tengen's phase to be over," said Tengen.
"Amanai showed her unwillingness, and as instructed, Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto took her away from here. However, in doing so, the higher-ups of the HQ marked them as targets."
"...Those bastards withheld the crucial part from me," muttered Naoya.
"They are afraid of the uncertainty that comes with me evolving into a higher existence. Though I cannot blame them, it is human nature to be afraid of the unknown. It is for the same reason why we keep the existence of curses a secret from the common people," said Tengen.
"So, what now? How are we going to fix this mess up?" asked Naoya.
"'WE' are not fixing this mess. It is what fate has prescribed for them, and that will be followed," said Tengen.
"...You are seriously not telling me that you are not going to fix all this sh*t that is happening because of her not being willing to merge and 'you' asking Satoru and Suguru to save her in case this situation were to arise," asked Naoya in a slightly colder tone.
"...I do not interfere with the matters of humans; I only observe the situations. It is not my place to interfere in matters of humans. As for you blaming me for asking the two of them to save Riko Amanai. I did ask them, but it was entirely their decision to go in that direction. They clearly knew the risks of what the two were jumping into."
"They will, of course, have done that. The two of them are kind people, and you are exploiting that?"
"I am exploiting no one. I am respecting the status quo of the jujutsu wor-"
"I can and will f*ck up the status quo of the jujutsu world if you don't stop spouting that nonsense. I am giving you a fair warning. I am a Zenin, and I don't feel an ounce of guilt in hitting kids, women, or elders. I will do that," said Naoya.
"Your threats don't scare me, Naoya Zenin. Go out there and destroy the HQ for all I care. If that is their fate, then so be it."
"Oh my, you think me saying f*cking up the status quo means the higher ups. No, Tengen-sama, it means you. I mean, if there is no Tengen-sama to merge with then-"
Before Naoya could say anything further, the space around him warped and the barrier immediately.
Seeing that he was transported to an entirely different location, Naoya simply stood up and shrugged.
"You think you are safe just because of your barriers?" asked Naoya out loud.
But no response came.
"Well, nothing more fun than breaking someone's confidence in their abilities."
Naoya's shadows stretched everywhere, covering the entire corridor's floor in shadows.
Tengen, who was in a completely different location, isolated by her barrier, looked at the scene of Naoya coating the entire entrance in shadows and scoffed.
"Ten Shadows cannot deal with my barriers. Let's send him aw- wait, this technique doesn't tell me-" muttered Tengen in slight horror.
The shadows around the corridor started to get darker and thicker.
"Naoya Zenin, don't do that!"
"Too Late!" yelled Naoya.
[CTR: Umbral Dissolution]
The ground turned into a sea of shadows, and just like water, waves of shadows erupted out and stuck onto the barriers all around the room.
As the shadows got a hold of the barrier, they started to devour it, and after a while, the barrier itself was dissolved into the shadows, and the entire section upheld by the barrier was destroyed.
"Stop it. I will cooperate! Stop that Kagenori brat's technique!" yelled Tengen and appeared behind Naoya, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Huh? Persuaded so easily....Tengen-sama, are you a coward?" asked Naoya with mock shock.
"Kid, you were just about to destroy the entire barrier system and everything that is supported by it. I would have been caught up in that."
"...Damn, I am scary."
"Of course you are!" complained Tengen.
"Haha, anyway, let's get to saving Satoru and the rest. Hey, don't pout, you look even uglier that way."
"..."
A few veins popped up on Tengen's forehead, and for some reason, the image of the unruly Kagenori came to her head.
'...Fate really is a shitty thing...' thought Tengen and sighed. The only Zenins she ever got entangled with are of the unruly kind.
Naoya placed his hand on Tengen's shoulder and looked at her with a 'smile'.
She could sense that the brat was planning something annoying.
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Back to Present:
Naoya was now back in the Tatami mat room where he was chilling with Tengen earlier, only this time they had more company.
After Naoya and Tengen explained the scenario to the group, they were quite shocked.
Naoya's actions really caught them by surprise, and now he was telling them that the whole capturing and bringing back the vessel was just an act.
"You could have given a heads-up at least," complained Satoru, now free from the shadowy restraints and the [Inverted Spear of Heaven].
"Hey, I apologised in advance. If I had told any of you, the act would not have seemed believable," said Naoya.
"Still"
"Just be glad that things went as we planned them to go. You should thank Tengen-sama, too. I only provided the basic structure of the plan; the real nasty stuff of it was hers. She is a nasty gal,"
"Speak respectfully to your elders," said Tengen and sipped on her tea.
"And you. How dare you not trust me? You really are some friend doubting me. Satoru, you are being demoted in the priority list," said Naoya.
"Huh? NO! Don't demote me! I am sorry for doubting you after you stabbed me, restrained me, and brought me back to Jujutsu High while making it seem like you are handing Amanai to them."
"...That's it. Two places drop on the list."
"Nooooooooo!!!!" yelled Satoru dramatically.
While the two Special Grades were doing pointless stuff, Riko looked towards Tengen, feeling a bit apologetic. She, after all, refused to merge at the very end.
"Don't feel responsible, Riko Amanai. It is just how fate is," said Tengen, feeling Riko's gaze.
"A-Ah. Um....sorry, and thank you."
"No need to thank me.....thank those kids who decided to fight against all odds to help you. That Zenin brat, especially, was about to threaten the barriers all across Japan during the process," said Tengen.
As she said that, Gojo and Geto looked at her and blinked in surprise before they turned towards Naoya.
Naoya, noticing the gazes on him, gave a victory sign.
"...What was the whole speech about not using brute force everywhere?" asked Geto.
"Not everywhere...just where brute force could work. In my defence, I didn't know that the barriers were so interconnected," said Naoya.
"Umm...I apologise for speaking out of turn here....but what will happen to Riko-sama?" asked Kuroi.
"Ah, I will explain that," said Naoya and looked towards Riko.
"So in short, she will die."
"Huh?"
"What?"
"I still die!!!!"
The atmosphere suddenly turns chaotic.
"Yes, she will die. Turns out there is a limit to how many times Tengen-sama can merge with others, and during this merger, it failed, and during that, Riko Amanai unfortunately died. RIP," said Naoya.
"RIP Amanai, it was nice knowing you," said Satoru and gave a reassuring pat on Riko's shoulder.
"You will be missed," said Suguru and patted the other's shoulder.
"Oi! Why am I the only one who dies!?!? This is unfair!!!!" complained Riko.
"Calm down, that is the story that we will be spreading around, on records, and in actuality, you will still be alive," said Tengen.
"It is simply to paint the target off you. On that note, you will be staying with Tengen-sama for six months, after which you can go back to your normal life," said Naoya.
"Huh?"
"You will be alive on records but dead in rumours in the Jujutsu society. We need time so that the image of Riko Amanai disappears from their minds. Six months is long enough for people to forget about a random dead person," explained Tengen.
"After you join the school, we will provide them with some reasons for your absence, and after you join there, we will be tweaking your identity a bit, some minor changes, so that even if someone tries to dig up a bit, it won't affect you. Don't worry, the Zenin and Gojo clan are quite capable of that much tweaking into the records."
"Yeah, leave that part to us," said Satoru and gave a thumbs up.
"Wait a minute! That's too much information," said Riko.
"Such a dumb brat," said Satoru.
"You should study more Amanai," said Naoya.
"She might not have that many brain cells if she cannot even grasp that much. She might be like a monkey," said Suguru.
"You three!!!! I will end you!!!" yelled Riko.
Hearing that, the three sorcerers started laughing at her, making Riko even more pissed at them.
.
.
.
After that, they chatted a bit more, and soon it was time for everyone else, aside from Riko and Tengen, to leave.
"Well, then, Amanai. See you in six months," said Satoru.
"Take care," said Suguru.
"Sorry for all the trouble, Tengen-sama. I really apologise if I was out of line today," said Naoya.
"At least you are aware of your actions....it's alright, even if fate has changed my path, maybe I am not that disconnected with the previous path. Helping Riko Amanai might have been our fate," said Tengen.
"I will take care of the house while you are gone, Riko-sama. Please take care of yourself and be respectful to Tengen-sama," said Kuroi.
"I know that Kuroi. Don't treat me like a kid!"
Kuroi and Riko chuckled and hugged each other, saying their farewells to each other.
"Zenin," called Riko, making Naoya look at her.
She suddenly ran up to him and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you."
Hearing the heartfelt gratitude, Naoya smiled and hugged her back.
A moment later, Gojo and Geto joined the hug too.
"Huh? Why are you two here? Get away. Shoo Shoo," said Riko.
"Huh? We want our thanks too!"
"We helped you longer than Naoya did, and this is how you treat us? Such bad manners!"
"You two annoyed me more than him!!! And I also thank you two enough! Now get away!"
Gojo and Geto looked at each other before they smirked at each other and squished Riko even harder.
"Ahh!!! Kuroi save me!!"
"Fufu, Riko-sama is enjoying herself with her friends."
"From what angle does it look like I am enjoying this?!" complained Riko, but her complaints were left unheard.
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Do help in boosting the rank. Thank you.
Also, one question for you all, do you guys want another Goodwill event, or should we jump straight to the future timeline? I am thinking of JJK zero time when Maki and Mai will join Jujutsu High. Do let me know what you guys prefer.