Zenin household.
Zenin Naobito, who had yet to recover from the shock of Satoshi's zanpakutō's bankai, was stunned again upon hearing the truth about Yuki's identity as a Star Plasma Vessel and envoy of Tengen.
He never expected that the Tombs of the Star had been involved in the attack on Satoshi.
That mysterious girl turned out to be the current generation's Star Plasma Vessel.
And rumors even suggested she had a special relationship with Gojo Satoshi. This made Naobito's expression grow even darker.
Originally, just with Satoshi's Zanpakutō alone, the Gojo clan had become unmatched in the world of Jujutsu.
Now, if the Gojo clan also forged ties with Tengen, wouldn't that make them even more terrifying?
"What's the girl's name?"
Naobito stared sharply at the intelligence officer in front of him.
"Master Naobito, the girl's name is Tsukumo Yuki."
The intelligence officer lowered his head and answered.
That name made Naobito frown. If it were just a normal sorcerer, perhaps it wouldn't have been a problem.
But Tsukumo…
While the name wasn't particularly renowned in Tokyo, he was well aware of the Tsukumo family's roots in Kyoto.
If the Gojo clan and the Tsukumo family formed an alliance, then Tokyo and Kyoto, the two largest sorcerer strongholds would fall completely under the Gojo clan's control.
Is the Zenin family really going to decline like this?
Naobito furrowed his brow deeply. At this moment, he could no longer see any possibility of the Zenin clan standing on equal footing with the Gojo clan.
He was unwilling to accept this.
As the acting head of the Zenin family, he had decision-making power over the entire clan. He absolutely could not allow the Zenin family to fall into the same decline as the Kamo clan.
If the Zenin family truly crumbled under his leadership, he would go down in history as the one who ruined the clan.
A sharp gleam flashed in Naobito's eyes.
I've been too soft. Since the clan head entrusted me with power, I should've enforced the law with an iron hand.
Thinking about how Ogi always defied him, and Shinsuke, the Zenin family's prodigy who had long since lost his edge, Naobito made up his mind.
If the Zenin family was to rise again, it would have to rely on Toji—the so-called outcast with no cursed energy—whom the entire clan viewed as heretical.
Unknowingly, Toji had already built a close friendship with Satoshi, and even earned the Gojo clan's recognition.
If Toji could return to the Zenin family successfully, then the clan's future wouldn't be completely crushed beneath the Gojo clan's influence.
Naobito had made his decision.
He must bring Toji back to the Zenin clan.
The current Zenin family had become too rigid and corrupt. As its helmsman, he could not allow the ship to sink under his watch.
Even if that meant appointing a controversial figure like Toji as the next head, it was a risk he had to take.
...
The Yagyū household.
Yagyū Yusuke looked at Saemon and Hidetsugu, who had rushed back in a hurry, with a confused expression.
The Yagyū family had limited information sources. Up until now, he still didn't know what had happened to Gojo Satoshi.
He had no idea that Satoshi had completed his Bankai. He didn't know that Satoshi had been attacked. He didn't know that Satoshi had ties to the Tombs of theStar.
"What happened? Why were you in such a rush?"
In response to Yusuke's question, Saemon and Hidetsugu exchanged a bitter smile.
Although the two had taken part in the operation to rescue Satoshi, in truth, aside from Saemon briefly releasing his Zanpakutō, Nejibana, and attacking Kenjaku's barrier, Hidetsugu hadn't even had the chance to fight.
The entire time, they were more like spectators.
They watched Toji's physical strength dominate, witnessed the transformation of Senbonzakura in Satoru's hands, were overwhelmed by Yuki's terrifying Cursed Technique, and saw the vast number of sorcerers assembled by the Gojo clan.
But most importantly, they witnessed Satoshi's Bankai—how he used Sode no Shirayuki's Bankai to force back a Domain user.
"What? A curse user? And she had a Domain?"
Yusuke's expression changed drastically upon hearing this.
"Is Young Master Satoshi alright?"
Yagyū Yusuke asked urgently. He could ignore everything else, but not Satoshi, who was deeply tied to the Yagyū family.
Saemon and Hidetsugu both nodded.
"In the end, Young Master Satoshi used the power of his Zanpakutō's Bankai to repel the attackers."
Hidetsugu explained.
"You mean Satoshi repelled a Domain user himself?"
Even though Yusuke's own power was weak, he understood the Jujutsu world's power structure very clearly.
In this era, the number of sorcerers capable of Domain Expansion could be counted on one hand.
Yet Satoshi had managed to push back a Domain user with just his Bankai?
At first, Yusuke thought it was just a fantasy.
How could something like that be possible?
But Saemon and Hidetsugu had witnessed the whole thing with their own eyes.
"Yes."
Saemon's heart was still pounding with excitement. He placed Nejibana on the table and gently caressed its hilt.
"The power of Bankai is beyond comprehension. And Young Master Satoshi told us that every Zanpakutō has the potential to awaken a Bankai. Whether it can be achieved depends on whether the wielder can make their Zanpakutō submit."
Nejibana had already brought him many surprises. Now, hearing that it still held more hidden potential, Saemon was eager to dig deeper.
If Nejibana could achieve Bankai, could he fight on equal footing with a Domain user?
As a sorcerer with no aptitude for Cursed Energy, all he had were his Zanjutsu and the Zanpakutō in his hand.
If it were before, he wouldn't have stood a chance against a Domain sorcerer. He could only surrender.
But now that he had seen the power of Bankai, he had a new idea.
He wanted to become someone who could stand up to Domain users using just Bankai.
After hearing the full story from the two, Yusuke's expression turned grim.
"You two should keep a low profile for the time being."
"The Yagyū family has drawn a lot of attention this time. The other sorcerer families are bound to be jealous."
"So stay home unless absolutely necessary."
Yusuke didn't want to invite any trouble. He was deeply concerned that the curse user's real target was Satoshi's Zanpakutō.
And if they failed to get what they wanted from Satoshi…
Would they turn to the Yagyū family next?
(To be continued.)
***
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