The Jujutsu higher-ups.
Inside a dimly lit room, a group of shadowy figures was deep in discussion.
"That brat Gojo's technique has already awakened. It won't be long before he becomes the strongest sorcerer of this era."
An old, wavering voice echoed faintly, giving its opinion.
Gojo's power was undeniable, but precisely because of that, balance had been broken—more and stronger curses had begun to emerge.
What's more, Gojo's image among the higher-ups was hardly favorable. He was arrogant, unruly, and outright insubordinate.
Certainly not someone who would behave himself, which gave the higher-ups quite the headache.
"Master Tengen is too kind. If it were me, I'd have already shown those two brats what happens when they defy orders."
At these words, the others turned their calm gazes toward the speaker, as if to say, "And you don't realize how laughable you sound?"
"Ahem… Am I wrong, though?"
The old man's face flushed red, but he stubbornly insisted he had a point.
"Enough. Let's end the topic of Satoru Gojo here."
What had already happened was pointless to dwell on.
"Zenin's black sheep has returned, and Naobito has even pushed him into Jujutsu High as a teacher. What do you all make of this?"
"Oh? That tyrant?"
Clearly, the higher-ups were well aware of what had transpired within the Zenin clan years ago.
"No cursed energy, yet strength on par with a Grade 1 sorcerer. A real freak of nature."
"He's going to be a teacher at Jujutsu High? Surely you're joking."
"Still, the Zenin clan deserves some face. Just treat him as another useless mouth to feed. After all, Jujutsu High shelters plenty of freeloaders already."
Yuki was one of those freeloaders. What was one more? At least this way, they owed the Zenin clan a favor that might be useful later.
"..."
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, a year was gone. That summer flew by as Jinsuke spent nearly every day in training, occasionally checking in on his nephew and niece.
As for Jujutsu High itself — he never once went. His salary came on time every month, so why bother showing up?
Of course, over the year, he also revealed to Toji the proper way to unlock the power of Heavenly Restriction.
"So this is why, even with the same Heavenly Restriction, you're stronger than me?" Drenched in sweat, Toji felt a faint warmth stir within his body, his expression one of disbelief.
His physical strength, his resistance to cursed energy, his superhuman perception — these were all innate. He had never once considered that he might need to train them.
In contrast, most of his efforts had gone into refining technique: the art of killing, the mastery of weapons, and so on.
"It's not over yet. Use your will to sense it. Guide it here—into the left hemisphere, right at this point." Jinsuke reminded Toji, warning him not to waste the hard-earned refinement of his blood and qi.
Following Jinsuke's guidance, Toji completed his first true session of training. As he felt this unique power — something only possible with Heavenly Restriction — it was as though a new world had opened before him.
So Heavenly Restriction was not just a limitation — it had its own power, one not weaker than cursed energy!
"You figured this out on your own?" Toji asked, eyes fixed on Jinsuke.
"Of course!" Jinsuke accepted full credit without hesitation. After all, wasn't his golden finger his own? Saying he figured it out himself wasn't exactly a lie.
"Focus on training. Don't waste time brooding over revenge against the Jujutsu world. If you have time for grudges, use it to grow stronger." Sneers and scorn meant nothing. In the end, strength was the only truth that mattered.
"Who said I'm plotting revenge? I've stopped caring about that long ago." Toji retorted with annoyance.
Now, with two kids to look after and the daily grind of earning money, he hardly had time to nurse old grudges.Perhaps under Jinnsuke's influence, Toji had simply stopped caring about a lot of things.
Pride? The words of others? None of it mattered compared to the strength he already held. No cursed energy? So what? His brother didn't have it either — it wasn't as though he was alone.
Riiiiing…
Just then, Jinsuke's phone went off.
"Hello?"
"Moshi moshi~ recognize my voice?" On the other end was Yuki's playful tone.
"Oh, it's you. Did you bring the money?"
"Hey! That hurts, you know. Is that really the only thing between us?"
"Oh, so you've got the interest for the year ready, then?"
"..."
"Anyway… Tokyo Jujutsu High. I'll be waiting." And with a sharp click, she hung up, clearly fuming.
Jinsuke couldn't care less.
"When you've filled your first node, I'll show you the next step."
He left Toji with further instructions. Training in the Eight Gates was delicate work; a single mistake could lead to severe backlash.
Whether Toji could reach that level was uncertain, but Jinsuke knew one thing — the further you went, the harder it became.
He himself had trained relentlessly for a year, yet still hadn't fully opened the Fourth Gate. It was several times more difficult here than it had been with chakra.
"You're going to Jujutsu High?" Toji asked, noting every detail of Jinsuke's advice, though his curiosity got the better of him.
It wasn't as though he meant to eavesdrop, but with his heightened perception, it was unavoidable. He couldn't exactly plug his ears.
"I am a specially appointed martial arts instructor at Jujutsu High. Isn't it only natural I show up?"
"Hah?" Toji's face froze in disbelief.
"You? A Jujutsu High teacher?"
"What's wrong with that?" Jinsuke gave himself a quick tidy-up, slipping into the black Jujutsu High-issued T-shirt. His explosive muscles nearly tore the fabric apart, leaving no doubt he looked every bit the part of a martial arts instructor.
"Later." He still needed to collect his money. If he showed up too late, Yuki might just run off.
That summer, Gojo and Geto successfully rose to the rank of Special-Grade Sorcerers. Gojo was hailed as the "Strongest of the Era".
From then on, the two no longer worked missions side by side.
Inside Jujutsu High, Geto collapsed onto a bench, dark circles heavy under his eyes.
The whole summer, he had done nothing but exorcise curses, day after day, swallowing them endlessly. Like some kind of machine, tirelessly protecting ordinary people.
But… were those people truly worth protecting? Remembering the ignorant, ugly sides of humanity he had seen over the year, he began to question why he was a sorcerer at all.
Why did he have to protect them? The taste of curses was truly revolting…
"Yu, do you really think you can keep being a sorcerer?" Geto suddenly asked, turning to his junior, who radiated optimism like the sun itself.
"Hmm…" Yu Haibara considered for a moment before breaking into a smile.
"I don't think I've ever really thought about it. But as long as I do what I can, I feel satisfied and happy."
"I see…" That simple answer quieted the storm in Geto's mind, if only for a moment.