The air was thick inside the Zen'in estate. Though no one said it openly, everyone felt it. Something had changed. Something that upset the subtle balance between respect, fear, and tradition.
The servants walked more cautiously, their gazes shifting as soon as young Naoya Zen'in entered any room. He was no longer simply an arrogant heir. No. Now he was something more. Something they didn't understand, but instinctively recognized as dangerous.
Perspective: Shigeru, Senior Clan Servant
For decades, he had served the Zen'in clan. He had seen powerful warriors rise and fall, served tea to Naobito, and witnessed the internal disputes between family lines. But that child... that teenager... Naoya... something dark was growing within him.
He had watched him from afar during his return from the last mission. Covered in the remains of a curse, with a smile that didn't belong on a boy his age. It was the smile of someone who had enjoyed inflicting pain far too much.
And then, the rumors.
"Have you heard about the 'time jump'?" the younger assistants whispered in the kitchens.
"They say he can move faster than the human eye."
"No, it's not speed... it's as if time stopped for him."
Shigeru pursed his lips. "That's unnatural," he thought. It wasn't just talent. It was unbridled ambition. One that was beginning to overshadow the others.
Perspective: Riku Zen'in (17 years old), cursed apprentice
Riku had trained hard all his life, trying to stand out in a clan where the weak were discarded like old rags. His cursed technique was still unstable, but he had learned to summon a cursed energy whip, useful on patrol missions.
He, like many other young men, had grown up seeing Naoya as a privileged brat. Arrogant, yes, but limited. Until recently.
What he had witnessed at the training grounds that morning left him trembling.
Naoya showed up unannounced. He was accompanied by three servants, one carrying a special scarecrow infused with cursed energy, used for advanced simulations.
"I'm going to show you what it means to be above time," he said without looking at anyone.
Riku frowned. "What kind of idiocy is that?"
But then he saw it.
Naoya disappeared.
For a second, he thought it was an illusion. Until the scarecrow exploded from within, slicing in multiple directions before he could even react. There was no curse projected. There was no summoning. Only… Naoya appeared just behind the target, with a slight snap of his fingers and a hint of boredom.
"Too slow. It's not even good for practice," he commented, brushing the dust off his shoulders.
Riku gulped. "Where was he? How did he move like that?"
Another young man asked nervously:
"Was that a speed shikigami?"
Naoya turned around, mocking:
"Shikigami? You think I need those crutches? It was my technique. I invented it. I can advance time… 1.5 seconds. Before your eyes blink, you're already dead."
Arrogant laughter. Cold eyes. Riku didn't speak again.
Perspective: Queen, second-year apprentice of the clan
As he watched from the dojo stands, he felt a mixture of admiration and fear. What Naoya had done defied the rules of fighting they knew. It was cheating. But a cheating that worked.
"Do you think that's... domain expansion?" he asked his partner.
"No. He himself said it isn't. It's a separate technique, inspired by something he... 'saw in another life,' according to him."
Reina frowned. Another life?
"He said that out loud."
"No. He whispered it... but I heard it."
Perspective: Naoya Zen'in
From his perspective, everything was clear. He looked at the fearful, bewildered faces and felt an addictive mix of superiority and disdain.
"They're confused. And rightly so."
He had become something more. Every time he used his technique, he felt himself getting a little closer to divinity. It was like looking down on the world. A god among frightened children.
"This power… no other Zen'in possesses. Not idiots like Jinichi, nor clumsy ones like Ranta. Only me."
He recalled the names of those still above him.
Gojo Satoru. Untouchable for now.
Sukuna. Inhuman.
Toji Fushiguro. "He should have been a Zen'in," he thought with respect.
But even they… had limits. Naoya was just getting started.
The elders couldn't stop him. The young couldn't catch him. And the servants… well, they already knew. They looked at him like a storm that can't be avoided.
Ending: Clan Murmurs
"Did you see how he moved?"
"No. I didn't see it. I only heard the final blow."
"They say no one can beat him in speed anymore."
"Do you think he can surpass Gojo?"
"Impossible. But… if anyone can try… it might be him."
And while the young Zen'in began to tear themselves apart between envy, fear, and admiration, Naoya smiled from the top of his small throne. He didn't need their approval. He just needed time.
Time… which he himself could control.