When Jinsuke finished his explanation, Toji's face stayed blank, but a quiet relief settled in his chest.
If it was because of their mother… then yeah, he could understand that.
Still, the fact that Jinsuke had forgotten about his own little brother because of it—yeah, that stung.
"She left you a letter," Toji said after a pause. "It's with me. If you wanna read it, come get it."
Jinsuke waved a hand dismissively. "Nah. You keep it. It's probably just a bunch of stuff that doesn't matter anymore."
He had no interest in reopening that wound.
Knowing his mother, it was probably filled with apologies—things she didn't owe anyone. She'd never been the one in the wrong. The world was.
"So, what are you planning to do now?" Toji asked, watching him closely.
"Obviously, I'm gonna—" Jinsuke stopped himself mid-sentence. "...Find a job first. Something low-key."
He'd almost said 'eat for free'. But considering his younger brother already had a wife and kid, he figured it was time to act like a proper older brother. Couldn't exactly keep living off others and calling it a day. Bad example and all that.
"Since you're back, you might as well stay," Toji said. "Work with me. Be a Sorcerer Killer."
It made sense, really. Given their condition, what else could they do? They weren't gonna be exorcising curses anytime soon.
"Pass," Jinsuke said immediately. "Killing's not my thing."
He already had plans—big ones.
The first goal: get stronger. Fast.
The Jujutsu World's future wasn't exactly bright, and right now, he wasn't strong enough to protect the people who mattered to him.
Thinking of his nephew's future, he clenched his jaw. As an uncle, he had to have the kid's back.
Sukuna? That overgrown curse so much as breathed near his family, he'd punt him straight into orbit.
Of course, getting stronger wasn't the only goal. He needed cash too.
There were faster ways to make money than freeloading... probably.
"You should quit the killer gig too," Jinsuke said, slipping into lecture mode. "Go home, take care of your kid. Stop running around like some deadbeat. You've got responsibilities now."
"Since when do you care?" Toji grumbled, standing up. "I'm out. Stop nagging me."
He stalked off, unwilling to listen to another second of Jinsuke's "big brother" act. The guy was still as annoying as ever.
But as he walked away, his lips twitched upward in spite of himself.
After all these years, his brother was back. And that… felt good.
"Make sure to bring your kids by tomorrow," Jinsuke called out behind him.
Toji froze for half a second, his mouth twitching before he wordlessly opened the door and slammed it shut behind him.
"This damn brat…" Jinsuke muttered, shaking his head with a smile.
Meanwhile, chaos erupted at Jujutsu High.
Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto—the school's two prodigies—had disobeyed direct orders and returned the Star Plasma Vessel, Riko Amanai, to the outside world.
Their actions had shaken the Jujutsu World to its core.
If Tengen failed to merge with the Star Plasma Vessel, his body would continue evolving beyond human limits. Once that happened, he could lose his mind entirely—and stand as an enemy of mankind.
A post-evolution Tengen would be closer to a Cursed Spirit than a human.
While the higher-ups scrambled to decide how to punish Gojo and Geto, Tengen himself spoke up.
He didn't blame them. In fact, he told them not to worry.
If Riko Amanai had chosen not to merge, it was fine. He could still maintain control—for now.
"Looks like Tengen-sama's actually a good guy," Geto said, spinning a basketball between his fingers. "Didn't even scold us."
Inside the gym, Gojo and Geto were in the middle of a casual game, sweat glistening on their foreheads.
Shoko Ieiri leaned lazily against the doorframe, a lollipop in her mouth, watching them with mild amusement.
"Well yeah," Gojo said with a grin. "He's Tengen-sama. Kinda hard to imagine him picking on a teenage girl."
Across the court, Masamichi Yaga's temple throbbed. Watching the two of them goof around after causing a world-level crisis made his blood pressure spike.
If Tengen hadn't stepped in to defuse the situation, both of these idiots might've been branded as Curse Users by now.
"Yaga-sensei, you look kinda mad," Gojo called, smirking. "Something happen? Come on, share it with the class—make us feel better."
Yaga's glare could've curdled milk. "You trying to get smacked again, Gojo?"
Gojo immediately shrank back a little. Yeah, he knew exactly why Yaga was pissed. The higher-ups must've chewed him out after the whole Riko fiasco.
"Don't be mad," Gojo said casually. "They can't really do anything to us anyway."
Six Eyes plus the Limitless Cursed Technique—and now the Reverse Cursed Technique. On top of that, he'd awakened the prototype of Hollow Purple.
He was invincible.
And he knew it.
The higher-ups had made some noise, sure, but none of them dared to take action.
"Yeah, yeah, you're the strongest," Yaga muttered, rubbing his temples.
One day, he thought, Gojo would realize—strength alone didn't solve everything.
"By the way," Shoko interrupted, pulling out her lollipop with a pop. "We've identified the assassins who attacked you."
Gojo and Geto stopped mid-game.
"When you two were escorting Riko, I asked Mei Mei to dig around for me," Shoko continued. "Wasn't hard to find. Those guys didn't even bother hiding their tracks."
"Two brothers from the Zenin Clan. Both born without Cursed Energy."
"Older brother—Jinsuke Zenin. Killed dozens of Zenin members eight years ago and vanished overseas. Just came back recently."
"Younger brother—Toji Zenin. Married into the Fushiguro family. Goes by Toji Fushiguro now. Professional Sorcerer Killer."
The gym went dead silent.
"...The Zenin Clan?" Geto said slowly.
"No Cursed Energy?" Gojo tilted his head. "That's possible?"
"Apparently," Shoko said. "And I double-checked. They're both true zeroes."
Gojo rubbed his chin. "Huh. Interesting."
Geto frowned. "Wait, you're telling me someone with no Cursed Energy beat you half to death? That doesn't sound right."
Gojo shrugged. "Believe it. I didn't sense a shred of Cursed Energy from either of them."
He glanced at Shoko. "That thing you mentioned—Jinsuke slaughtering the Zenin Clan eight years ago. What's the story there?"
Shoko's expression barely shifted. "It's the Zenin Clan. He was born without Cursed Energy. You really need me to spell it out?"
"Ah. Got it."
Gojo's smirk returned, his blue eyes glinting with curiosity. "Figures. He did give off that vibe."
That unmistakable air—unshakable confidence, the kind only true monsters had.
Meanwhile, Jinsuke Zenin returned to the old compound he'd lived in before leaving Japan.
It sat just outside the Zenin estate.
"Huh. Still clean."
The place was tidy, dust-free. Someone had been maintaining it.
Either old man Naobito… or his idiot younger brother.
Too tired to think about it, Jinsuke stretched out on the futon and was out cold within seconds.
Tomorrow, he'd meet his nephew. Maybe even figure out what kind of work to take next.
One thing was certain, though—
He wasn't about to go crawling back to the Zenin Clan for money.