Location: Underground Chamber of the Sorcery Commission, Mount Kurama – High-Level Meeting
The atmosphere was stifled by a tension that no one dared break with unnecessary words. Neither the cursed blue torches on the walls nor the ancestral ceremonial decorations could alleviate the weight of what was being discussed in that room.
Barely 48 hours had passed since Naoya Zen'in defeated—and decapitated—a Class 1 Upper Spirit, single-handedly, at the age of 14. The news, like a cursed spark, had spread through all levels of Japanese sorcery.
At the large circular table, thirteen authority figures were present. Not all were elders. Some were designated heirs. Others, special-grade sorcerers. And a few, members unaffiliated with any clan, but with voices recognized for their strategic contributions to the jujutsu balance of the country.
One of them, a blind man with an expressionless face, was the first to break the silence:
"Are we going to ignore what this means?" His tone was flat, but each word fell like a stone on the floor. "That boy crossed a line. He's no longer in the same league as other students. And he did it before even entering a formal jujutsu school."
"Technically, he's enrolled for the next year of the Kyoto School," the Ino Clan representative said gently. "They accepted him without proof. The Zen'in Clan simply submitted their name... and no one questioned it."
A murmur ran around the table.
"Kyoto? Wasn't it meant to be Tokyo?" asked the old Kamo Clan representative.
"Last-minute change. Rumor has it he wants to stay away from Gojo Satoru... but not out of fear. On the contrary: he wants to face him in the next school competition. With all his might."
A silence even deeper than the previous one filled the chamber.
Then Kogetsu Jōin, one of the three unaffiliated exorcists, respected even by large clans, spoke:
"An expansion of domain at that age. A fight against a spirit with almost special regeneration. And yet, he won. Wounded, yes, but he won. This isn't just talent. It's obsession... And a dangerous will."
"Are you saying we should intervene?" a Goha Clan elder asked coldly. "Are you going to suggest the same thing you did decades ago with Toji Fushiguro? Eliminate an unpredictable element before it grows too large?"
"Toji was an outcast without cursed energy," Kogetsu retorted. "This child is a prodigy with a powerful clan behind him. You can't simply erase a Zen'in."
"Then we must keep an eye on him," a young sorcerer, sent by the Shiranami clan, a smaller but influential one in the northern regions, intervened. Establish a secret observation unit. If he shows signs of… straying… we'll know what to do.
"What if he doesn't stray?" asked the only elderly woman in the circle, a representative of the Suguru Clan, officially dissolved but still alive behind the scenes. "What if he's simply the next great pillar of sorcery?"
"Then it's still a problem," someone in the background said. "Because no pillar should emerge outside the control of this table."
Everyone knew, even if no one said it openly: Gojo Satoru's existence was already an imbalance they could barely tolerate. Another like him… even if he were a Zen'in, would be the collapse of the clan system.
"And what will happen if Naoya awakens a reverse curse technique?" someone said quietly. "If he survives his brutal style, his injuries. If he starts to heal like Gojo does…"
"He can't. He's too young for that," someone tried to retort.
"What if he isn't?" "Kogetsu asked with a bitter smile. What if he hasn't even begun to take himself seriously?"
Another figure, a silent envoy from the hidden Ishigami temple, raised his hand leisurely:
"He's already doing it. I have unofficial reports that he's requested access to the sealed archives of reverse techniques. And not from his clan. From an independent source. He's trying to learn on his own."
Silence fell again.
The representative of the Tokyo School, who until then hadn't spoken, adjusted his glasses and spoke:
"The difference between genius and threat... is will. And with Naoya, the one thing we can't see yet... is his true goal."
"What if his goal is to surpass Gojo?"
"Then we have a ticking clock. And when the hour strikes... we won't be ready."
Outside the compound, in the rain...
A silhouette watched from afar. Not a spy. Not an enemy.
It was Kinji Hakari, listening from a distance with the help of one of his techniques. Not on anyone's orders, but by instinct.
"So they're already considering him a threat..." he muttered, lighting a cigarette. "You're moving fast, brat. I guess I'll have to catch up."