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CHAPTER START---
---Inumaki Clan Compound…
Beneath the pale moonlight, two figures leap between the traditional Shinto rooftops of the Inumaki Clan Compound.
Draped in dark blue clothes with their faces covered, they each carry a tanto at their back while avoiding any Cursed Energy use.
This compound is similar in design to that of the Zen'In, but is protected on all sides by forlorn hills, creating a natural protective wall before anyone could even reach the invisible Barrier around it.
Within the forest are tall guard towers, which usually host men and women positioned at the top. But tonight, only corpses occupy them.
Arriving at the main armory, the pair of intruders land on the roof before leaping down to the courtyard, stopping and listening for a moment to ensure they haven't been caught.
Then quickly turn to open the heavy iron door.
One of the men takes out a pair of lock picks and crouches at the door, deftly working on the lock while his friend stands guard.
'What the hell is going on?!' the man standing guard wonders. He tries to turn his head, to move his lips, to make even the slightest twitch.
But for hours, he's been a prisoner within his own body, and his friend is much the same.
'Picking a lock?' his friend wonders while moving the tools. 'This is so stupid! This is a Jujutsu Clan base. They have Alarm Talismans! Whoever is behind this is going to get us—'
The lock pops open, instantly triggering a surge of Cursed Energy through the compound.
'They're going to get us killed!' he mentally screams while rushing into the armory.
He rushes through the armory, taking out his flashlight while moving past rows upon rows of Cursed Tools.
Until he eventually makes it to a wall of Talismans at the far end. Each Talisman is hung on a rope between two posts protruding from the wall, and the man instantly understands.
'What the hell do they want with this crap?' he wonders while his body pockets all the Talismans. 'Do they really believe this crap is anything useful?'
He shoves the four Talismans in his pockets and rushes back to the exit.
By the time he gets back to the exit and rushes out the door, his friend is nothing more than a corpse on the cold stone floor.
A squad of Inumaki Clan members stands around him with blades and spears ready, while a handful of their clansmen are scattered about the courtyard.
He sees his friends tanto in one of the corpses, and pieces of others scattered about.
Then, in a cruel act, his captor grants him control of his eyes.
Just enough for him to look up and see the hate in the gaze of every Inumaki Clan member.
He tries his best to speak, and for that, he instantly loses control of his body, drawing his tanto and taking a fighting stance.
'No, please, no!' he rushes forward, and two clan members charge with spears.
He sidesteps one attack while thrusting toward the other, and for a split second, he notices both men freeze before they can pivot and counter him.
'They're affecting the guards too!' he thinks while thrusting his blade through a man's forehead.
Without withdrawing his blade, he pivots and swings down diagonally, slashing through the man's skull and lower jaw while twisting to slice off the second man's arm.
The second spearman regains enough control to scream before the intruder decapitates him, all before the others could reach him.
He slashes at them with reckless abandon, and one man sacrifices his palm to catch the blade and disarm him, head-butting him hard enough to make him stumble backward.
Without his tanto, he looks up to see the men taking a different stance, boxing him in without charging or attacking him.
"Toge, do it," one of the men says, and the intruder feels a small surge of Cursed Energy to his left.
He glances in that direction to see a young child with white hair and sleepy eyes looking at him.
He instantly recognizes the strange markings at the side of the boy's mouth, and internally, he cheers.
'He's a Cursed Speech user. They're going to capture me!' his body rushes forward to grab the boy, but he knows it was a useless attempt. 'When they capture me, I'll make a Binding Vow and tell them the truth!'
"Freeze," the boy commands, and the man's body locks in place, mid-step.
The boy coughs up a few drops of blood as the men tackle the intruder before the command stops working.
They press the spears against him, embedding the heads into the stone ground at angles to lock him in place before searching him.
He sees them take the Talismans and look just as confused as he was about them.
'Exactly. A few powerful Shikigami Talismans aren't worth all this trouble, not when Lord Geto—' his brain instantly ruptures from a surge of concentrated Cursed Energy exploding within it, causing his eyes to pop out of his head and burst.
"What the hell?" One of the Clan Members checks his body, finding no pulse. Then the man rips off the head wrap. "Damn it. I didn't think that boy was this stupid."
"This one too," he looks over at the other intruder, who is already being inspected by members of his squad. "They're both known allies of Suguru Geto…"
Within moments the entire compound is being searched, and the armory is being inspected, all while two people observe from one of the guard towers around the perimeter.
Kenjaku stands at the top with a pair of binoculars, enjoying the chaos below with a smile on her face.
While beside her, a woman with dark black hair on the left side of her head and the other half bald does the same.
"You know what, I forgive you," the woman says. "Incarnating me before the Culling Game is annoying, but at least I get to enjoy the luxuries of this world and cause chaos for a while."
"Yes well, your Cursed Technique is perfect for this. No better way to frame someone than to have their allies act as puppets on strings."
"Where to next?"
"Nowhere. This should be enough chaos for now. You should go enjoy the modern world for a while, but remember the rules I gave you. Don't do anything that can alert Satoru Gojo of your presence."
"Tch, are you saying I can't control him?"
"I'm saying it's not worth the risk to find out, but also, yes."
The woman lowers her binoculars to glare at Kenjaku. "If I can control him, then he can weaken Sukuna for me to control that monster too."
"You can't even control me. Know your limits."
The woman grumbles and goes back to enjoying the show. "I've been waiting hundreds of years for this. It had better be worth it."
"It will be. But you should know, the plan has changed quite a bit."
"Better, or worse?"
Kenjaku smiles. "My new friend has made it far better, but first, we'll have to make this world far, far worse…"
---Meanwhile, at a hotel in Germany…
"Seriously?" Mei Mei asks as she rolls over in bed, seeing Taiyo sitting up against the backboard and studying his journal.
"What? Barriers are complicated."
She reaches over, allowing the covers of their hotel bed to fall away and reveal her naked form as she clicks off the lamp beside him.
Taiyo rolls his eyes and clicks it back on. "I don't have night vision."
"But you do have the audacity to insult me."
"How am I insulting you?"
"I gave you my best, and you don't have the decency to go to sleep immediately. You have no idea of how to treat a refined lady like myself?"
Taiyo laughs. "Refined? I've heard you snore."
"Fine," Mei Mei turns her back to him and pulls the covers over herself. "If you want to be this way, we can have separate rooms when we're in Iceland."
"Wait a minute, let's not be dramatic now."
"I'm never dramatic."
Taiyo bites his tongue, not wanting to annoy her anymore tonight. "Right…"
He makes a noticeable effort to update his notes rapidly after today's training session and sets his book aside, clicking off the light before getting under the covers and draping an arm around her.
Mei Mei resists for all of two seconds before turning around and laying her head across his chest, coiling her limbs around him and enjoying his natural warmth.
"What's the big deal about this trip, anyway?" He asks while gently rubbing her back.
"I've always wanted to go to the natural hot springs there. Besides, we can't properly celebrate your birthday in Japan."
"A little trip after my tournament is always nice."
Mei Mei pushes off his chest, lifting her head and giving him a passionate kiss before returning to her comfortable resting spot. "And I have an incredible surprise for you."
"Is it what I think it is?"
"That too. But it's something Jujutsu-related. An opportunity very few get, you'll love it."
Mei Mei feels his body grow warmer for a moment before he relaxes.
"I can already tell I'm going to love it…"
END CHAPTER---
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