Hi guys, author here!Thanks for reading so far — your comments and stones really keep me going! Let's dive right into the next chapter.
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Dinner was quiet — almost awkwardly so.
Naoya sat across from Naobito, eating silently as the acting clan head downed sake with visible joy. Every now and then, he caught a few glances from the servants — whispers spreading like wildfire about the little heir who had apparently awakened not one, but two techniques.
He wanted to shout that it wasn't exactly "awakened," but more like "accidentally discovered while trying not to die."
But arguing at the Zenin dinner table was about as suicidal as juggling live grenades, so he kept eating.
Once dinner ended, Naoya was about to collapse onto his bed when a familiar shadow appeared outside his window.
"Wake up, runt. Time for some ass-whooping classes."
Hearing the voice, Naoya didn't reply — he immediately closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.
"Hm? Strange. Was the brat too tired after training that he went to sleep?" muttered Toji.
"Well, can't be helped. Let's shit-talk everyone on the kid's behalf," said Toji in a jolly tone.
"Coming, coming!!" Naoya immediately shouted, jumping out of his futon and grabbing his training clothes.
Once changed, Naoya opened the door to see Toji standing there with a toothy grin.
"How do you do, prodigy of the Zenin clan?" asked Toji.
"So you heard," replied Naoya flatly.
"Yup. And if I had to guess, the people who needed to hear it already have. Your old man made sure of that," said Toji as he started walking, Naoya quietly following behind.
"What do you think will happen now, nii-san?" asked Naoya.
"Hmmm. More respect and buttering up are to be expected. The clan might increase your budget too. Harsher training, more responsibility... oh, and some scheming, backstabbing, maybe even an assassination attempt or two — you know, the usual."
Naoya stared blankly. "...I hate this clan."
"Welcome to the club," Toji chuckled. The new prodigy of the Zenin clan saying such words was almost poetic.
"Well then, let's start," said Toji, taking a few steps back.
They were now in a secluded courtyard — a part of the estate rarely visited by servants or clan members. Toji had chosen this area since he lived nearby. Being labeled the "failure" of the clan had its benefits; people tended to avoid him.
"Alright, let's see what the Zenin prodigy can do," Toji said, cracking his neck.
"I never called myself a prodigy!"
"Sure you didn't. But everyone else in the clan is calling you that."
Naoya groaned. He was reminded once again that being called a prodigy only made him a bigger target.
"So what are we doing?" he asked.
"You learned cursed energy control?" asked Toji.
Naoya nodded and raised his hands, showing the faint glow of cursed energy coating them.
"…What are you showing it to me for? I can't see cursed energy," said Toji flatly. He couldn't see cursed energy, but he could sense it — courtesy of his Heavenly Restriction.
"…" Naoya lowered his hands awkwardly, unsure how to respond.
'Little brat's pitying me,' Toji thought with mild amusement. Who the hell called this kid foul-mouthed and rude?
"Did you know cursed energy can enhance physical strength?" asked Toji.
Naoya shook his head.
"Haven't reached that stage yet, huh?"
Naoya nodded.
"Well, that makes things difficult... for you," said Toji with a grin.
"What are you planning...?" Naoya asked, slowly backing away.
"Nothing much. Just some physical conditioning — that's all I can really teach you," said Toji as he picked up a pebble.
"See this pebble?"
Naoya squinted. It was dark, but he could just barely make it out. He nodded.
"I'm going to throw it. You either catch it or dodge it."
Before Naoya could reply, Toji flicked the pebble without warning.
Naoya's eyes widened as a sense of danger spiked through his body. He immediately ducked, hitting the ground just in time to dodge the first shot.
Then another pebble hit his forehead.
"Ow!"
"Lesson one: don't celebrate mid-fight."
"Hey! Take it easy on me! I'll die! I can't reinforce myself with cursed energy yet — not to mention it's night, I can barely see the stones!" complained Naoya.
"Your foes won't stop just because you're tired. They'll attack when you're distracted or weakest. That's how this cursed world works. Either get strong soon... or get killed."
Toji gathered a few more pebbles.
Naoya fell silent. He wanted to complain, but Toji's words hit hard. The Zenin clan was cruel — and Toji was living proof of it.
If someone as strong as Toji could be treated like dirt, what chance did a weak child like him have?
"Ready for round two?" Toji asked, smiling ear to ear.
"You're the worst teacher."
"Yet you're learning," Toji said with a lazy grin.
Hours passed. Naoya practiced sensing his attacks, enhancing movement speed, and even a few attempts at Projection Sorcery's frame-splitting — though each attempt ended with him either tripping, falling, or crashing into something. Toji really liked to smack his head and knock him down whenever he used his technique.
When he finally collapsed onto the ground, chest heaving, Toji stood over him with an amused expression.
"Better," he said. "Still weak, but at least you're not hopeless."
Naoya's eyes twitched. "I'll take that as a compliment… barely."
Toji chuckled, stretching his arms. "Rest up, kid. You'll need it tomorrow."
"Why?"
"The clan's hosting a banquet. Big names coming. And I've got a feeling you'll be the main attraction."
Naoya groaned. "Oh, great. Can't wait to embarrass myself in front of the entire clan again."
"Please do. I will really enjoy the chaos." said Toji.
"Will you be attending?" asked Naoya hopefully.
"I will get the invitation. Though, most probably, I won't attend." said Toji remembering the sneering looks of the 'clowns' of Zenin clan.
"Please attend. I don't know anyone there. Father too will probably be busy dealing with the big shots." Naoya pleaded. He wanted to have an insurance that he won't get attacked out of nowhere and who would be better than the macho hunk in front of him.
"No thanks. I don't have a habit to babysit." said Toji rejecting Naoya.
"Besides, you should interact with the clansmen more. It would be better for your future if you don't interact with me in front of clansmen, especially at a place like tomorrow's banquet." said Toji.
"But, you are nicer than the people from the clan."
"That's a low bar to pass. Still, you should learn how to talk to new people and get them on your side and be on their good side. As things stand you will probably be the clan heir and one day will take charge of the clan." said Toji.
"Eh? I'll have to do that!!! I don't want to. It's too depressing to work with the clansmen everyday." said Naoya complaining. He had seen how clan meetings go and to do that on a daily basis because he suddenly got important. There was no way he was gonna do that.
Toji looked at the kid with a faint smirk. An actual prodigy of the clan so hell bent on not being the clan heir because the clan looked so depressing. Now that was comedy if he had ever seen one.
'Just shows how much of a hell hole this place really is.' thought Toji but soon shook his head.
"Still you will have to bear the burden of being born in this shitty clan." said Toji in a calm voice.
Naoya looked at Toji not thiking that the man could say something that deep.
"And if not for the clan, you should still know how to talk to others. It helps in getting cute girls." said Toji with a smirk.
"My life's at stake here, and you're talking about girls?!" Naoya deadpanned.
"Trust me, brat. You'll thank me later when you're motorboating some girl." said Toji.
"What is motor boating?" asked Naoya in confusion.
"What's motorboating?" Naoya asked innocently.
Toji froze, staring at him, then facepalmed. Right. Four years old.
"Well… imagine there's a girl with a nice pair of—" Toji began, giving Naoya a "lesson" that he would never forget.
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While Naoya trained, the Zenin estate was far from peaceful.
In a dimly lit hall, several clan elders gathered, their voices low but sharp.
"So it's true? The boy displayed both Projection Sorcery and traces of the Ten Shadows?"
"That's absurd. Two techniques can't coexist in one body. It must be a fluke."
"Fluke or not, the servants saw it — and Naobito hasn't denied it."
Tension filled the room. Some looked uneasy, others calculating.
"Such a child could shift the balance among the clans," one elder murmured. "If he truly masters both, even the Gojo clan won't be able to maintain their position."
"And if he doesn't?" another sneered. "He'll become a threat to our own order. You've seen how Naoya behaves — arrogant and impulsive."
Before the discussion could escalate, the door slid open.
Naobito Zenin entered, his presence instantly silencing the room. His gaze swept across the gathered elders — calm yet heavy with authority.
"I see you've all heard the news. How touching that you're so worried about my son," he said coolly.
No one dared reply.
"We cannot ignore this, Naobito. Two techniques in one person — it's absurd! No one in the clan's history has shown this before," Ogi Zenin said sharply.
Across from him, Chojuro Zenin crossed his arms. "And if it's true? Would you rather suppress talent out of fear?"
"This isn't fear," Ogi snapped. "It's about control. The boy is unstable. Undisciplined. If left unchecked, he could bring disaster upon the clan!"
"Disaster?" Chojuro shot back. "It's been generations since a Ten Shadows user appeared. It's our chance to rise above the other clans, and you call it a disaster? Tell me, Ogi — are you wishing for the clan's downfall?"
Ogi's eyes blazed. "Watch your tongue, Chojuro. Don't forget your place."
"Enough," Naobito interrupted. "You all speak as if the child's existence is a curse. He's my son — and the future of this clan. I'll handle his training personally."
One elder hesitated. "And if he loses control? If the cursed energy consumes him?"
Naobito's lips curved into a cold smile. "Then I'll be the one to end him."
The room went silent. Even the cicadas outside seemed to stop.
The message was clear — no one would interfere.
As Naobito left, Ogi leaned toward Chojuro. "You'll see soon enough. That child will either destroy us... or give me the chance to take control when Naobito falls."
Chojuro's eyes narrowed. "You've always been a vulture."
"And you've always been naive," Ogi replied, standing up. "Pray that boy doesn't prove me right."
He left, seething, while the faint echoes of his footsteps vanished into the night.