Dawn was turning the sky a faint red when Naoya Zen'in opened his eyes. As usual, he was awake before the servants dared knock. At fourteen, he was stronger than almost all the adults in the clan. But today… today, he felt something different.
He sat silently in his room, staring up at the ceiling.
Something was bothering him. Something was eating him up inside.
"I'd grown complacent," he thought coldly.
For weeks, he had perfected his new cursed time-skip-inspired technique. He had tested it, perfected it, made it his own. And on his last mission, he had shown the clan what he was capable of. Even the elders were discussing it as a possible weapon to counter Satoru Gojo.
And yet… it wasn't enough.
Not yet.
"I'm fast. I'm lethal. I'm smart. But what if I face someone who forces me to use my domain expansion?"
Naoya sat up slowly, letting the silence reign as the servants hurried to prepare his breakfast in the adjoining room. In his mind, doubt was a sharp knife.
"There are special-level curses that could kill me if I don't use the expansion perfectly. And so far… I've barely scratched the surface. I grew lazy with my domain, believing my new technique would be enough."
He walked to the mirror, staring at his reflection. His eyes were colder than ever. His young face didn't hide the growing ferocity within.
"A mistake like that could kill me. I'm not invincible. There are still monsters like Gojo, Sukuna, Toji… Damn Toji. He didn't even have cursed energy, and yet he humiliated the entire clan."
Naoya clenched his fists.
"And I… I want to surpass them all. But I won't achieve that if I rest on my laurels."
He sat back down, this time cross-legged, and began mentally reviewing the basics of his domain expansion.
"Time Cell Moon Palace…"
He visualized the sealed space, the time prison.
"So far, I've activated it under controlled conditions. But in a real battle, with a special-level opponent, I won't get a second chance."
He bit his lower lip thoughtfully.
"I need to train in real situations. I need to use missions to practice. My time-jump technique is perfect for avoiding damage, for studying patterns, for killing efficiently… but the expansion is the crown jewel. I can't afford for it to fail."
In that moment, he remembered the elders' meeting. He remembered how they argued over him as if he were a weapon or a monster.
And then he remembered Naobito Zen'in's firm voice proposing the test: defeat a special-rank spirit before he turns eighteen.
"I'll be three. That seems like plenty of time... But if I slack off, I'll be dead before I turn fifteen."
Then a new idea crossed his mind.
A more... daring one.
"In a year, I'll enter the jujutsu school... and this time it won't be in Tokyo, as it was in my other life."
His eyes shone with determination.
"I'll go to the Kyoto school. For one reason only."
He stood up with a crooked smile.
"When the competition between the schools comes... I'll face Satoru Gojo."
It wasn't empty arrogance. It was a desire to test his strength. He wasn't looking to defeat him. Not yet.
He just wanted to see how far he still had to go.
"If I don't face him, I won't be able to know where I stand. I need to measure my progress. Even if he defeats me… it will only make me stronger."
A dry laugh escaped his throat.
"No one in the clan knows this. No one understands what I'm planning."
He turned on his heel and left his room. One of the servants hurried to kneel and announce his presence.
Naoya didn't look at him.
"Prepare a mission for me," he ordered without pausing. "One with real curses. No training. I want something risky… something that will force me to use everything."
"W-what rank, young Naoya?"
"Level one… or higher."
"Higher…? At your age?" the servant stammered, stunned.
Naoya paused for a moment and looked over his shoulder.
"Did you doubt me?" "N-no, young Naoya. Right away. I'll fix it."
As the servant disappeared, Naoya started walking again.
"This isn't for them. It's for me. Because if I don't face death… I'll never catch up with Gojo. I'll never surpass Touji. I'll never look Sukuna in the eye without trembling."
And he wasn't one to tremble.
"Next year, I'll enter Kyoto High School. And when the competition comes…"
His smile returned. A cruel smile. Ambitious.
"…I want to see Gojo's face when I prove to him that the future king of sorcerers is here, among the Zen'in… and his name isn't Satoru."