Kyoto, outskirts, the Zenin clan estate.
As one of the three Great Families of the jujutsu world, the Zenin estate occupied an entire mountainside.
The ancient complex of Japanese architecture looked solemn and oppressive in the night.
At this moment, the silence was shattered by a flurry of frantic footsteps.
Several black sedans pulled up haphazardly at the entrance, and a few men—tattered, bruised, and swollen—tumbled out, leaning on each other for support.
These were Zenin Nobuaki and his group, who had just fled back from the Gokurakukan in Tokyo.
The once-prestigious Grade 1 sorcerers were now reduced to wearing nothing but torn and tattered undergarments.
Their prized blades, charms, and even their outer robes had been stripped clean by that demonic man.
"The shame... This is an absolute disgrace..."
Zenin Nobuaki knelt before the massive wooden gates, his forehead pressed hard against the gravel. Blood trickled down his cheeks, yet he felt no pain.
Compared to his physical injuries, the mental torture of being publicly humiliated by an outsider and sent back like a beaten dog made him want to commit seppuku on the spot.
"How noisy."
A lazy, dismissive voice suddenly drifted from the depths of the corridor.
Accompanied by the crisp clack of wooden sandals against the floor, a young man with blonde-streaked hair and a casual kimono stepped out nonchalantly.
He was handsome, but his narrow eyes held an arrogance and cruelty etched into his very soul.
The legitimate son of the Zenin family and head of the Hei: Zenin Naoya.
"Wailing at the gate like a bunch of beaten dogs in the middle of the night... what a pathetic sight, Nobuaki."
Naoya spared a glance at the kneeling men, his eyes devoid of even a shred of sympathy—only thick disgust.
"What's this? You went to Tokyo and not only failed to bring back the Special Grade cursed object, but you lost your clothes as well? Did you go to an auction or a strip club?"
"Young Master Naoya!!"
Zenin Nobuaki snapped his head up, eyes bloodshot and voice trembling.
"It wasn't because of our incompetence... it's just that man... that fellow named Hayashi En is too bizarre!"
"Hayashi En?"
Naoya frowned, the name sounding familiar.
"Ah, I remember now. The nouveau riche merchant supporting that failure, Maki? What, you're telling me you couldn't even beat a merchant?"
Naoya scoffed and turned to leave, clearly disinterested in the excuses of losers.
"That's not it!!"
Zenin Nobuaki roared. To wash away the stain of his perceived incompetence, he had to reveal the terrifying truth.
"That man... he can use the Ten Shadows Technique!!"
Naoya's footsteps came to an immediate halt.
The surrounding air seemed to freeze in that instant.
A few seconds later, Naoya slowly turned around. The smile had vanished from his face, replaced by a spine-chilling coldness.
"You said... what?"
"Not only that!" Seeing his reaction, Zenin Nobuaki hurried to continue. "He didn't just summon Nue and Great Serpent; he even used an Extension Technique! He fused Nue and Toad! His mastery... it was easily a hundred times greater than Fushiguro Megumi's!"
"He also took my blade, stripped us of our cursed tools, and said..."
"Said what?"
"He said... if you want your dignity or the technique back, then Young Master Naoya should... bring money and come to Tokyo Jujutsu High in person to buy back what was lost!"
*Boom!!!*
A violent surge of cursed energy erupted from Naoya, shattering the nearby paper sliding doors into splinters.
"Ha... Hahahaha!"
Naoya laughed in pure rage, his voice dripping with twisted killing intent.
"Good. Very good."
"A lowly outsider actually dares to steal the Zenin family's most noble technique..."
To Naoya, bloodline and technique were everything.
He looked down on Maki because she had no cursed energy, and he despised Fushiguro Megumi because he viewed him as a bastard child left out in the wild.
And now, an outsider with no blood relation whatsoever had mastered the Ten Shadows and even dared to look down on him?
This was sacrilege.
It was the ultimate provocation to him, the next head of the family.
"Prepare a car."
Naoya straightened his collar, a cruel light flashing in his eyes.
"Since that brat who somehow stole our technique wants to die so badly, I'll pay a visit to Tokyo myself."
"While I'm at it... I'll clean up that failure Maki along with this arrogant merchant who doesn't know his place."
...
Tokyo, Exchange No. 8.
Currently, Hayashi En was in high spirits as he 'fenced' his loot.
"System, recycle everything."
*Clatter.*
High-grade cursed tools were piled like a mountain on the table—including Zenin Nobuaki's Grade 1 katana, along with the charms, cursed daggers, and defensive haori stripped from the other three attendants.
[SYSTEM: Recycling complete.]
[SYSTEM: Gained 68,000 points.]
"What a bunch of fat sheep."
Hayashi En nodded in satisfaction as he watched his point balance recover to 82,000.
This was enough for his next phase of targeted reinforcement.
Hayashi En sat on the sofa, fingers lightly tapping the tabletop as his mind raced.
He had intentionally let Nobuaki go at the Gokurakukan and left behind such provocative words for one purpose: to enrage Zenin Naoya.
That conceited man would never tolerate such an insult. He was bound to come charging in, either alone or with a few elites.
'Naoya's innate technique is Projection Sorcery.'
Hayashi En pulled up the intelligence regarding that technique in his mind.
Dividing one second into twenty-four frames and predetermining a path of movement.
Once he touches an enemy, if they fail to move according to the twenty-four-frame rule, they are forcibly frozen for one second.
It was an extremely powerful first-encounter kill ability.
Although Hayashi En had a Special Grade body and the Ten Shadows, and could win in a head-on clash.
He wanted to resolve it in a more sophisticated manner.
At the same time, it was an opportunity to expand his skill pool.
Hayashi En opened the system shop, scrolled through the skill list, and finally locked onto one.
[SYSTEM: Domain Amplification]
[SYSTEM: Price: 50,000 points]
Domain Amplification.
It was a high-level technique only mastered by Special Grade cursed spirits like Jogo or Hanami.
Its principle involved coating the body's surface in a domain without an imbued technique, like a layer of water.
This domain acted like an empty container; when an opponent's technique touched it, the technique would involuntarily flow in, thus being neutralized and nullified.
A wave of profound insight instantly surged into his mind.
Hayashi En felt his control over cursed energy reach a level of micrometer precision.
With a thought, the cursed energy on his body's surface liquefied, forming a film as thin as a cicada's wing that could swallow any technique.
"This is fascinating. I didn't know cursed energy could flow like this."
Hayashi En felt like he had gotten a new toy, amusing himself endlessly.
...
Night, Tokyo.
Itadori had just finished shopping and was walking back to Jujutsu High while eating some takoyaki he had just bought.
Suddenly, a figure flickered behind him.
"The time for escape is nigh."
Itadori whipped around toward the voice, only to find the area behind him empty.
He scratched his head, feeling a bit confused, but he didn't give it much thought.
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