(Pov Satoshi)
I hadn't had any problem, not being in the welcoming committee our clan had rolled out even if the reason they kept me back was due to disappointment. I at least didn't have to interact with any of those old weirdos, unlike poor Satoru, but he'd be done soon, and we could go back to doing our own thing.
I would be mistaken, though, as when Satoru returned, there was another boy following him, and despite the hair color being wrong, I could tell right away who this was. Zenin Naoya was arrogant, sexist, and potentially a predator. He represented some of the worst that the clan system created. He would look down on all but two people in the future, Satoru and Toji, due to their overwhelming strength. In fact, he was one of the only ones to recognize Toji as strong even without cursed energy.
For now, though, I would do my best to just ignore him, as awful as he would be; I can't just kill him, that'd almost certainly cause a war.
"Hey, big bro, you're back that was quick," I spoke up, attempting to steer Satoru away from Naoya.
"It was still boring either way, oh, and this is the one from the Zenin clan uncle Toshi mentioned he's Naoya."
'Goddammit, Satoru, we're brothers, take a hint.'
Unfortunately, it seems we have not yet developed the ability to communicate without words that some siblings have, at least not yet.
"Yes, I'm Zenin Naoya, the future head of the Zenin clan, and its future strongest member. Who are you supposed to be?" He said with confidence that would be out of place on most six-year-olds.
"I'm Gojo Satoshi Satoru, my big brother, you've met already, do you wan-" I had been about to try and keep things civil when Naoya interrupted.
"So if he's the Six Eyes, what technique did you get?" Suddenly, things got very quiet despite my own feelings on the topic. Satoru and Uncle Toshino still felt it was a touchy topic. While they may not have seen it as the curse some others did, they still couldn't see the potential in my restriction, and they never seemed to want to talk about it, but now Naoya had just opened up the can of worms.
I knew the only way out of this situation was to power through and be as blunt as possible. "I don't have a technique or any cursed energy." He looked confused for a moment before a new look came across his face, a weird-looking smile.
"You're like Toji, aren't you?" he asked, seeming honestly excited. I knew that in the future, he would admire the strength Toji possessed, being one of the only Zenin to acknowledge him as strong. I had assumed this opinion came about later, but it seems I was wrong. Or was the world changing as a result of my being here?
Still, I couldn't relax, especially because I'm not supposed to know who that is yet, though maybe if I tried, I could help shape Naoya away from his backwards thinking before it takes root, and his thinking I'm like Toji, will make that easier. If not, then it'd be no major loss; he only became an actual threat after he died anyway.
"Who's Toji?" Satoru asked which was good for me, as I wasn't confident, I could keep a straight face while asking that question.
"Toji-San is the coolest guy in the Zenin clan. He's super strong, but he doesn't have any cursed energy either. Everybody else thinks he's weak, but I saw him once, and I could tell he's super tough." Naoya was bragging at this point; it seems he hadn't realized Toji wouldn't be sticking around for much longer if my timeline was correct.
After that, we spent the next few hours just messing around in our secluded area, and I tried my best to convince Naoya that women are people too.
"But why do I have to be nice? They're just inferior to us anyway."
"Because some can be even stronger than you, there's an old story of a young woman who single-handedly destroyed an entire clan for wronging her and her sister."
"Woah really?"
"Yup." I was only partly lying, using a slight retelling of Maki and her destruction of the Zenin clan to try to get through to him.
Though nothing can last, and soon enough, the other clans were leaving, and they seemed rather grumbly, especially Naobito, who was practically running by the time he left. We would later learn that Toji had taken the opportunity to rob the Zenin vault of cursed tools and vanished.
With the event ending, Satoru and I returned to our room to prepare for bed when he asked me a question.
"Hey l was wondering, do you think you'll be really strong like this Toji guy?"
I had to think about it for a moment. I didn't know when I was supposed to get the big boost that comes from fully realizing a Heavenly Restriction. Toji had seemingly been born with it due to having no cursed energy from birth, the same as me, so shouldn't I be the same? I didn't feel abnormally strong, though my senses were good, but other than that, I hadn't felt any different. Then there was Maki, who was born a twin, so despite having basically no cursed energy, her restriction didn't fully activate until her sister Mai died and took both their cursed energy with her.
But I'm not a twin, so is it just a waiting game, or will my strength need to be activated by some outside force?
"I hope so how else am I gonna keep an eye on you, big bro?" I had settled on this somewhat of a non-answer because I didn't know what to say.
"Yeah, right i'm going to be the strongest so I can keep an eye on you."
"Thanks, I love you big bro."
"I love you too."
(Pov Third)
With this final declaration, the two brothers slip into sleep, both of them determined to grow stronger and protect their bond. A bond forged from a deep brotherly affection and love that neither was willing to lose.