The Zenin Clan traced its origins back to Taira no Masakado.
According to legend, Taira no Masakado had a son named Taira no Masakuni, who was said to be the true identity of Abe no Seimei.
Abe no Seimei's connection to Shikigami was well known. Considering that, it was not surprising that the Zenin Clan's inherited Ten Shadows Technique carried traces of his influence.
As for the Kamo Clan, its origins were connected to another famous figure, Emperor Sutoku.
In his later years, Emperor Sutoku was exiled by Emperor Go-Shirakawa. Hoping to prove his sincerity, he copied five Buddhist sutras using his own blood and offered them to the imperial court.
Unfortunately, Emperor Go-Shirakawa believed the blood-written sutras were curses and refused to accept them.
The rejection drove Emperor Sutoku into a rage.
He bit through his own tongue and used the blood to write a curse upon the returned sutras, vowing to become a great demon king who would bring chaos to the world. He even dedicated the five Mahayana sutras to the evil path.
From that day forward, he refused to eat or rest. Eventually, he died in a state of fury, his appearance said to resemble that of a yaksha.
According to legend, even after his body was placed inside a sealed coffin, blood continued to seep out for a long time.
That blood was said to be the origin of the Kamo Clan's signature technique, Blood Manipulation, which used blood itself as the medium.
The history of the Three Great Sorcerer Families was closely tied to ancient legends, and their inherited techniques were no exception.
Akira had no reason to doubt Satoru Gojo's judgment. After all, when it came to Jujutsu, there were very few people in the world more qualified to give an opinion than him.
However, Akira did not feel discouraged by what he had heard.
His expression remained calm, as though he had already considered the problem.
"It's fine. There are still ways to deal with it."
Megumi Fushiguro looked at him.
"For example, we can take advantage of the terrain and use tools. If a Shikigami is too difficult to fight directly, we can prepare a cage strong enough to trap it and attack it from outside."
Akira raised a finger and continued.
"Modern machinery is another option. Excavators, road rollers, anything that can be used to channel Cursed Energy is worth considering. Even if the opponent were something like Cthulhu, I'd find a way to load it onto a ship and take it away."
Megumi's expression became rather strange.
A road roller?
And what did Cthulhu have to do with any of this?
Still, after thinking about it carefully, he had to admit that Akira's methods were not entirely unreasonable.
If something worked, there was no reason to reject it simply because it was unconventional.
"Of course, those are only external aids," Akira added. "You can borrow their strength, but you can't depend on them forever."
His expression grew a little more serious.
"The most important part of any technique is the person using it. Even if the subjugation ritual places restrictions on your Shikigami, those restrictions don't apply to you."
Akira looked directly at Megumi.
"Now, do you understand why I've been making you practice close combat, the use of cursed tools, and coordination with your Shikigami?"
Megumi froze.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then his pupils suddenly contracted as he realized what Akira was trying to tell him.
"The user shouldn't be restricted by the technique," Megumi said slowly. "The technique is supposed to be controlled by the user."
"Bingo!"
Akira snapped his fingers.
"That's exactly it. You have the Ten Shadows Technique, but that doesn't mean all you can do is summon Shikigami and let them fight for you."
"You have your own body, your own weapons, and your own judgment. Even without your Shikigami, you should still be able to fight."
"Don't let the Ten Shadows Technique limit how you think. Remember what I told you before. Techniques are dead, but people are alive."
Megumi lowered his head slightly, thinking over those words.
He had always regarded the Ten Shadows Technique as the foundation of his strength. Whenever he encountered a problem, his first thought was usually which Shikigami he should summon.
But what if he could not summon one?
What if his opponent already knew how to deal with his Shikigami?
What if the answer was something he could accomplish with his own hands?
The more he thought about it, the more he understood how narrow his previous approach had been.
Meanwhile, Akira quietly glanced toward Satoru Gojo.
The man standing nearby was the best example of what he had just explained.
Limitless was already an almost perfect inherited technique, yet Satoru Gojo had continued developing it through his own understanding.
He had never been satisfied with simply using what his ancestors had passed down.
That was how he had gone from being the strongest to pursuing a level where nobody could defeat him.
Unfortunately, although Satoru Gojo understood this principle himself, he had never properly explained it to the people around him.
Considering his personality, he probably had not even realized how important that lesson was.
After all, this was one of the biggest differences between geniuses and ordinary people.
A genius could understand something through instinct alone. What seemed obvious to them might take an ordinary person years of trial and error to figure out.
Ordinary people had to learn, make mistakes, correct themselves, and slowly put everything together.
Akira understood that difference very well.
In that regard, he was rather fortunate that the System he possessed was a Pokémon Trainer System.
He had started with an egg and raised his Pokémon from nothing. Every stage of their growth required observation, practice, and careful adjustments.
Because of that, he had developed the habit of examining things that others might simply take for granted.
It was also what allowed him to work as an assistant teacher at Tokyo Jujutsu High.
He could take things that talented people understood naturally and explain them in ways that others could actually follow.
And every time he helped someone understand something new, he felt that his efforts had been worthwhile.
From that day forward, Megumi Fushiguro was no longer simply the delinquent Megumi Fushiguro.
He had finally begun to accept his position as a junior student of Tokyo Jujutsu High.
"I understand."
Megumi straightened his back and looked at Akira seriously.
"Please guide me from now on, Senior Akira. And the other seniors too."
He paused before continuing.
"I'll do my best to master all the shadow techniques. And when that day comes..."
He looked toward Maki Zenin.
Maki immediately understood what he meant.
"Oh?"
A grin appeared on her face as she raised one hand and curled her finger toward him.
"Bring it on. I'll be waiting."
"Count me in too!"
Panda raised a paw, clearly unwilling to be left out.
"Salmon!"
Toge Inumaki gave his usual response, showing that he agreed as well.
Looking at the three of them, Megumi's serious expression finally softened a little.
Akira watched the exchange with a faint smile.
This was good.
Although Jujutsu Kaisen was often treated as a story about passionate young people fighting together, anyone familiar with its events knew just how dark the story could become.
Death, serious injuries, and tragedies were practically everyday occurrences.
Many of the characters had never been given enough time to grow before they were forced into situations far beyond their abilities.
But things were different now.
With Akira helping them train and correcting their weaknesses early, their future development should be much better than it had been in the original story.
Of course, that also brought up another question.
If Megumi Fushiguro continued growing stronger, would Yuji Itadori still end up swallowing Sukuna's finger?
Would the event that started everything still happen?
Akira could not say for certain.
But after thinking about it, he felt that changing that particular event might not be a bad thing.
Someone as kind as Yuji Itadori deserved to live an ordinary life under the sunlight.
There was no reason for a good kid like him to get dragged into the darkness of the Jujutsu world if it could be avoided.
As for the villains...
Well, Akira was in no hurry.
He could take his time dealing with them one by one.
There were still plenty of things he needed to prepare, and getting stronger was never something that could be accomplished overnight.
Besides, he had never liked the darker direction of Jujutsu Kaisen in the first place.
If he had a choice, he would much rather see these boys and girls laughing, fighting, and enjoying their youth.
They could still face dangerous enemies and experience hardships. Those things were unavoidable for Jujutsu Sorcerers.
But at the very least, they should have a chance to grow strong enough to protect themselves and the people they cared about.
"We all need to become stronger," Akira murmured. "And when we do, we should use that strength to do something for this world."
His voice was quiet, and he had not intended for anyone else to hear it.
Unfortunately, Satoru Gojo was standing close enough.
The white-haired teacher looked at Akira for a moment before suddenly speaking.
"You really are better suited to being a teacher than I am."
Akira turned toward him.
"Hm?"
"I'm serious."
Satoru Gojo shrugged.
"I can teach people how to fight, but when it comes to explaining things and helping students figure out their own strengths, you're much better at it."
It was a rare admission from someone as confident as Satoru Gojo.
"After this, I'll be counting on you," he continued. "The first years, Megumi, all of them."
"Oh, and there might be another transfer student arriving in a couple of days."
Satoru Gojo raised a finger as though he had only just remembered something.
"If you need anything for their training, just let me know. Equipment, money, whatever. I'll see what I can do."
"For now, I don't need anything."
Akira shook his head.
"I've already received my payment."
And he was not lying.
There were the emotional rewards.
The sincere respect he had earned from the boys and girls was one of them. His mother's peaceful daily life and the relaxed smile she wore these days were another.
Those things were already enough to make him satisfied.
As for the material rewards, he had no complaints either.
His salary and royalties were certainly useful, but compared to what he had received from the System, they were almost secondary.
Because just now, a new notification had appeared in front of him.
[Detection of Trainer meme complete.]
[Meme collection and conversion in progress.]
[New Trainer template added: Green.]
Akira stared at the notification.
Green?
He thought about the familiar spiky-haired rival from Pokémon, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
No wonder that guy was practically the second male lead.
Just look at that hairstyle.
And now even his Trainer template had appeared in the System?
Seriously, what was a cheating player supposed to look like if not this?
Akira quietly accepted the notification.
Whatever else could be said, this was another useful reward.
He would have plenty of time to study it later.
...
Another ordinary morning arrived at Tokyo Jujutsu High.
And as usual, an ordinary morning meant training.
After training came sparring, and after sparring came the equally familiar sight of Gardevoir cleaning up the situation.
There was really no helping it.
The students were all young, energetic, and far too competitive for their own good.
Once a close-combat match started getting intense, it rarely remained a simple exchange of techniques.
Someone would get carried away.
Someone else would refuse to back down.
Then, before anyone knew it, a training session would turn into a fight that threatened to destroy the surrounding area.
At times like that, Gardevoir had to step in.
With a simple use of her Psychic Power, she could separate the troublemakers and hold them in place until they finally calmed down.
It was a very effective method.
Unfortunately, there was one little fellow who enjoyed these situations more than anyone else.
Pancham.
The little troublemaker was practically born to cause chaos.
Whenever the others started fighting, it would become so excited that it could barely stay still.
If nobody kept an eye on it, Akira suspected it would eventually start tearing tiles off the roof.
And the worst part was that Pancham had become increasingly clever.
It had already figured out how to deal with Akira whenever he became angry.
The moment Akira glared at it, the little fellow would immediately abandon whatever trouble it was causing and dive straight into his arms.
Then it would cling to him as though it had never done anything wrong.
Akira looked down at the small Pokémon currently hiding against his chest.
"..."
Pancham looked back at him innocently.
Its expression practically said that it had no idea what he was talking about.
Akira's fingers twitched.
He really wanted to give the little brat a good spanking.
Or at the very least, flick its forehead a few times.
But with Pancham already clinging to him like that, he found himself unable to do it.
This little thing had actually learned how to take advantage of his soft spot.
What was the world coming to?
Out of sight, out of mind.
Akira decided to stop thinking about the matter before his blood pressure rose any further.
Instead, he looked toward the others and casually changed the subject.
"The transfer student is supposed to arrive today, right?"
"Probably."
Panda nodded.
"I heard something about him recently. Apparently, he stuffed four of his classmates into lockers."
Akira raised an eyebrow.
That sounded familiar.
"Did he kill them?" Maki Zenin asked without hesitation.
Panda shook his head.
"No. I think they were just badly injured."
"Oh."
Maki immediately lost interest.
Then, after thinking for a moment, she added, "Well, if he's too arrogant when he gets here, we'll just teach him a lesson."
Her tone was so natural that nobody would have guessed she was talking about beating up a student who had not even enrolled yet.
"Bonito Flakes."
Toge Inumaki shook his head in disagreement.
Clearly, he did not approve of Maki's idea.
Compared to a delinquent like Maki Zenin, Toge really was much kinder.
"Don't do that, little Maki."
Akira spoke gently while stroking Pancham's head.
"I've met that child before. He's a good kid."
"A good kid?"
Maki turned toward him with a suspicious expression.
Then she looked at herself.
After that, she glanced at Panda and Toge.
For some reason, she felt that Akira's standards for what counted as a good kid were becoming less and less reliable.
After all, he considered all of them good kids too.
But what kind of good kids spent their afternoons practicing how to attack an opponent's weak points?
What kind of good kids discussed the most efficient ways to kill enemies during training?
And what kind of good kids considered a sparring match successful only after someone ended up needing medical treatment?
Maki thought about it carefully.
At Tokyo Jujutsu High, aside from Gardevoir, who was always gentle and well-behaved, only Toge Inumaki could barely qualify as a good kid.
As for the rest of them...
Forget it.
The less said about that, the better.
Maki looked back at Akira.
Was this guy really qualified to judge whether someone was good or bad?
Akira seemed completely unaware of her doubts.
Or perhaps he simply did not care.
"Well, whether he's good or bad, we'll find out when he arrives."
He stood up from the ground, still holding Pancham in his arms.
"Anyway, just to be safe, there's something I need to ask."
Akira turned toward his mother.
"Mom, you're not the one going to pick him up today, right?"
"No."
Akemi Aki shook her head.
"Gojo-sensei has always been responsible for handling new student enrollment."