"That bastard Ogi keeps dumping more work on me. I swear, it never ends." Mukari groaned, glancing at the black-haired man walking beside him.
The man looked plain, forgettable, even; the only thing worth noticing were the stitches running across his forehead.
"Keep going," the man said, sticking his tongue out with a grin. "I already told you, I won't say a word."
Mukari nodded slowly, then his eyes shifted.
"…Though, it's a little strange, don't you think?"
"What is?"
"Why would the higher-ups send a nobody like you?"
The man's grin didn't falter, but his eyes sharpened.
'So, he figured it out.'
Mukari let out a dry chuckle. "My technique's a bit special. It lets me see the World."
The man's head tilted. "I still have the host's cursed energy. So whatever you're 'seeing'… it isn't something that surface-level."
"No, it isn't." Mukari's voice dropped. "I see souls, and yours doesn't belong to that body." He stopped walking.
"The thing stuffed inside that vessel is far too large for it, like forcing an ocean into a glass."
His gaze locked onto the stitched forehead.
"Your technique must be working overtime just to stabilize it. Otherwise, that body would've torn itself apart by now. Am I wrong?"
The man said nothing for a moment, then he nodded; no point in pretending anymore.
"Are we there yet?" he asked, glancing around. "The place you've been leading me to this whole time?"
Mukari smiled. "We've been standing in it since I started talking."
A heavy stillness settled between them.
Mukari sighed heavily, almost regretfully.
"You know… if I'd been anyone else, you would've walked right through us; no one would've suspected a thing, not even for a second."
"Shame I ran into you, then," the man said lightly.
"Yeah." Mukari straightened up. "It really is."
The man chuckled, his brow raised.
"You think seeing the World makes you safe?"
Mukari's eyes narrowed.
The man turned to him fully, without the playfulness, just a blank expression.
"Let me correct that assumption."
"The World won't save you from me."
The sky buckled, gravity crashed down like the hand of a god, around them trees folded like paper and stone turned to dust.
****
The Zenin clan banquet was in full swing; servants moved between tables, elders argued over sake, and kids chased each other through the corridors.
Yami leaned back in his seat and stared up at the ceiling.
"What is this, a wedding?"
A soft laugh came from his left; he turned his head and found a kid standing there. The kid had green hai and a small frame, with both hands pressed over his mouth like he was trying really hard not to crack up.
Yami raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? and who's this little guy?"
He reached over and pinched the kid's cheek playfully.
The kid's face went red, he smacked Yami's hand away, shot him a look, and bolted.
Yami watched him disappear..
'Who was that?'
A servant appeared beside him with a bow.
"Yami-sama."
"The guests will be arriving shortly, you're expected to greet them personally."
Yami exhaled.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."
***
Yami stood at the entrance of the banquet hall, greeting every guest that walked through. Behind him, two divine dogs sat on either side serving no real purpose other than decoration.
One by one, the clan heads arrived.
Naobito came first, he glanced at Yami, gave a short nod, and walked in without a word.
Then came Denji Gojo current head of the Gojo clan, his gaze landed on Yami, then drifted behind him to the divine dogs, his eyes narrowed slightly.
'So it was true.'
A quiet sigh left his lips.
'These filthy Zenins are always in the way. Can't they all just drop dead?'
Yami bowed, denji nodded and moved on.
Next was Nakari Kamo, head of the Kamo clan. A broad man, the kind who looked like he chewed iron instead of lifting it, he passed through without stopping.
Once the last clan head entered, Naobito circled back. He leaned in close to Yami's ear.
"Delegators from the higher-ups are on their way, treat them properly."
Yami sighed and he didn't even try to hide it.
'What a pain.'
He nodded anyway.
Five minutes passed.
The gates opened again.
Two men walked in, the first was a bald man with claw-shaped scars running down his forehead, Zack Muyami, a semi-grade 1 sorcerer, formerly attached to Jujutsu HQ's main branch.
The second was his escort. Mukari Zenin, grade 2, flowing hair, clean features, the kind of face people would call handsome without thinking twice about it.
Yami opened his mouth to greet them, then he saw Mukari's forehead.
It had stitches, his body went cold, his thoughts stopped completely.
Mukari smiled at him.
"It's good to be home."
***
'Don't look. Don't breathe. Don't you dare do anything.'
'Don't. Don't. Don't.'
Yami's breath hitched.
'Shit, he saw me.'
Mukari's gaze settled on him, it was amused like a cat watching a mouse twitch.
"Hmm? What's wrong, Yami-sama?"
He paused for a moment and then said gently.
"Did you see something you weren't supposed to?"
Yami's brain fired in an instant., he clicked his tongue and waved Mukari closer. "Get over here."
Mukari raised a brow but leaned down.
Yami cupped a hand near his ear, the gesture of a whisper but his voice was loud so everyone could hear it.
"That bald guy behind you, he's from the higher-ups?"
Mukari straightened up and chuckled.
'Ah, so that's what startled him with a face like Zack's, who could blame him?'
Yami scratched the back of his neck, looking anywhere but at Zack, selling the bit.
'Good. Everyone's looking at the bald one now.'
His expression stayed casual, bored, even.
'Can't look at Zack, so everyone believes that's what shook me, one wrong glance and Kenjaku will know.'
He watched from the corner of his vision as Mukari led Zack up the stairs toward the clan heads' floor.
His jaw tightened.
'If Kenjaku is here, standing in my house, wearing a Zenin's face then I'm already on borrowed time.'
His fists clenched at his sides.
'Training at this pace won't cut it anymore, not even close.'
A voice broke through the noise behind him.
"Did your brother seriously not show up?"
"Wel, It's his choice, isn't it?"
Yami turned.
A girl with short white hair tied in a messy knot, she had a face that looked like she'd never been in a rush a day in her life but it was her eyes, a bright, piercing blue that really made you stop.
Satori Gojo.
[A/N: Yeah, Blud was supposed to die first, but I changed it. this time I will stick to the original script.