Gojo was sat on a chair; his hand gripped the armrest so hard that a sharp cracking sound came from beneath his fingers…
Kkkk…
On Gojo's left sat an old man, perfectly calm — Yoshinobu Gakuganji, principal of Kyoto Jujutsu High and one of the jujutsu higher-ups.
And next to Gakuganji sat another elderly man, white-haired, dressed in a casual kimono. He lounged in his seat as if settling in to watch his favourite TV show, yet his face was rough and weathered. His middle-length hair was tied in a loose bun, giving him the look of a retired samurai — though far more relaxed.
Behind them, seated on another row of chairs, Utahime Iori stared forward with a deep frown. Beside her, an old man drank lazily from a gourd. This was Naobito Zenin — also, secretly, one of the higher-ups.
Near the balcony stood another elderly man with a hunched back: Shino, one of the elders of the Kamo Clan. Behind him stood a girl with short black hair, wearing a skirt and jacket. She tugged playfully at Shino's sleeve.
"Grandpa, don't go too close to the balcony. What if you fall down…?"
Shino waved her off.
"Ah, don't worry, child. I'm strong enough to survive even if I do fall."
The girl puffed her cheeks, folding her arms in an exaggerated pout.
Gojo gritted his teeth, his jaw tight as he eyed the old man next to him.
Ugh… Everyone is here… from the Zenin to the damn Kamo… These guys won't show up even when a special-grade curse is running around, but now they appear? Obviously to see Ren. What a pain…
Gojo's cold stare lingered on Naomichi for a moment—just long enough for the old man to smirk.
"Stop staring at me. You might start feeling your limits if you do."
Gojo didn't bother replying. Instead, he spat on the floor and leaned back in his chair.
Naobito burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! The young bark spitting at the old one — oh, this is rich! Naomichi! It's been a while since I saw you. Last I heard, you were bedridden. What happened?"
The samurai-looking elder — Naomichi — turned around with an amused tone.
"Ah, what can I say? The younger generation has no manners. And yes, I was in bed reading, but the world got interesting again — so I woke up. Simple as that. What about you, Shino? It's been a long time."
Shino blinked between Naobito and Naomichi. He said nothing for a moment, until the girl tugged his sleeve again and whispered loudly:
"Grandpa! That old guy with the funny moustache is Naobito Zenin, head of the Zenin family! And that samurai-looking one is Gojo Naomichi — Elder of the Gojo Clan!"
Shino nodded slowly.
"It's been a while. My apologies — my memory is terrible these days. Ha!"
Gakuganji's voice cut through the room.
"Do you know who I am?"
The young girl blinked at him before straightening up.
"Yes! You're the principal of Kyoto Jujutsu High! Hello, sir!"
Naobito and Naomichi exchanged a look — then burst out laughing again.
The armrest of Gojo's chair snapped completely, breaking off in his hand…
What is this, a damn tea party? They're acting like all of this is normal… Old foxes… so annoying. They even set up cameras everywhere. I know what that old trash is trying to pull… Changing the Kyoto Goodwill Event's location at the last minute — from the forest to the lakeside. Perfect spot for normal humans to sneak in. And all my preparations? All the curtains? Left useless in that forest…
Gojo's hands trembled slightly. Even as the strongest, he felt powerless — boxed in by politics, and all of it infuriated him.
Then a calm voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"The event will start soon. Both teams are ready. But Ren Sato hasn't come yet."
Masamichi Yaga, principal of Tokyo Jujutsu High, walked into the room and looked out from the balcony.
Gojo grinned.
Yeah, Ren was beaten half to death training or whatever, right?. Knowing him, he won't show up. All these dusty fossils came here to see Ren—but what if he just doesn't come? Hahaha…
He started laughing out loud, leaning toward Yaga with a smug smile. Around the room, every elder's face tightened with faint irritation — even Shino's granddaughter frowned.
Utahime finally asked, "Do you know something, Gojo? Why are you laughing?"
Gojo stopped, turned to her, and shook his head.
"No, nothing. The view's just perfect. And since every student except Ren is already here, we should start the event. No reason to wait for one student."
He looked back out the balcony, enjoying the full, clear view of the lakeside arena.
Naomichi spoke sharply, "No. We must wait. How can we start without every student present? Kyoto would have one more fighter—it would be unfair to Tokyo."
Gojo frowned.
Since when do you care about fairness?
Before the bickering could begin, Yaga spoke calmly:
"Let's start the event. If Ren arrives later, he can jump in. He never officially confirmed he'd be here anyway."
His steady tone silenced the room. Gakuganji shot him a sharp, displeased glare.
Yaga ignored it, picked up the mic, and spoke clearly:
"Today's Kyoto Goodwill Event… starts NOW! All students — GO!"
Gojo grinned and thought, "I have allies too now, old man." It's different from before, way different…" Gojo's hand moved; he flexed his hand behind his back…
CRACK…
KKKKKkkk….
Suddenly the visible cameras around the small mansion everyone was in broke apart… and were crushed and destroyed…
"There are way too many bugs around, no? I should have brought insect repellent." Gojo spoke in an amused tone as he leaned back on the chair…