Kenjaku looked around and suddenly asked, "There are still people in the Zenin Family's basement. Should we kill them all?"
Mahito said indifferently, "And then we completely break with the Jujutsu world, and Satoru Gojo uses everything to find us, putting us at an infinite disadvantage?"
"Mahito, you're still naive," Kenjaku said coldly.
"Do you think Satoru Gojo won't come looking for us if we don't kill those people?"
"Remember what I just told you?"
"The elite forces of the Zenin Family, one of the Big Three Families, were wiped out by you."
"This is an extremely serious matter."
"Satoru Gojo will inevitably use every means to find you and will certainly do his best to kill you."
"Right now, there's no difference between killing the group in the basement and not killing them."
"Killing them would further steel your heart. So, why not do it?"
Mahito slowly turned his head to look at Kenjaku.
"You seem very eager for me to kill those people?"
"I'm just reminding you not to have the heart of a woman," Uraume said seriously.
"Whether you're willing to admit it or not, the fact that you're a Curse is unchanging."
"Since you're a Curse, if you want to increase your power, you must act according to the ways of a Curse."
"Otherwise, you'll only drift further away from power."
What Kenjaku said was true, and Mahito had to admit it.
This was actually why Curse Users detested Satoru Gojo so much.
The ecology of Curse Users and Cursed Spirits was extremely similar.
If they didn't live as they pleased, their Cursed Energy would slowly decrease along with their spirit, even to the point of dissipating.
For a Curse User, killing and harming people is how they increase their power.
Living as they please allows them to increase their Cursed Energy faster, and the same goes for Curses.
However, this was not the only way.
Mahito said indifferently, "I'm very unhappy with you right now, Teacher Kenjaku."
"Are you saying I can ignore the effects of the Binding Vow and attack you?"
"Even if I know the consequences of violating the Binding Vow are severe, as long as I can kill you, at least I'll be happy for now, so it doesn't matter?"
Kenjaku's voice stopped.
Suddenly, an instinctive sense of crisis surged.
Immense pressure silently filled his world, as if he had unconsciously moved from an open field into the deep sea.
The sudden pressure almost made him kneel.
Mahito had become stronger again... terrifyingly strong!
Uraume raised his hands in surrender.
"My apologies, I'm just concerned about the speed at which you're increasing your power because you're about to face Satoru Gojo."
"I wouldn't dare have any thoughts of betrayal."
"As you know, the Binding Vow we made must be observed by both parties."
"Being indecisive and fussy indeed goes against a Curse's instincts and affects the Curse."
"But if it's all for the greater good, I can endure it, and turn that endurance into a deeper layer of Curse."
Mahito suddenly curled his lips into a smile.
"This was a principle the head of the Zenin Family told me. I learned it from him and am preparing to put it into practice."
Kenjaku asked curiously, "What did he do?"
"He allowed his clansmen to be slaughtered by me while he sat in the reception room of the Zenin residence, observing my information through Shikigami."
"I first killed everyone in the Kukuru Unit, then everyone in the Hei Unit."
Mahito recalled the battle just now and said slowly, "I threw the captain of Hei in front of him. That was his son."
"He was grief-stricken yet had a smile on his face."
"He told me that the more excellent a Sorcerer is, the more they can turn that anger and fear into Cursed Energy, unleashing power beyond common sense."
"And he indeed did it."
Uraume hissed and sighed, "No wonder there are traces of Black Flash on Mirokuji Kirigiri's blade; he must have been the one who struck it."
"Truly ruthless, too ruthless. As expected of the head of the Zenin Family."
"To be crazy to this extent, even I have to admire him."
A madman who could make even this thousand-year-old lunatic admire him—Naobito Zenin would surely laugh out loud if he knew in the afterlife, wouldn't he?
Mahito thought aimlessly.
Then, he said, "Kenjaku, can you introduce me to other teachers?"
Kenjaku was stunned. "Why the sudden change of heart?"
"I need deeper training. Just relying on what I have now won't work," Mahito said.
"During this battle, I realized my combat experience is indeed too lacking."
"My attack intentions were predicted several times, which made me feel very passive."
"Additionally, I hope to learn some swordsmanship."
"Although I have the best sword in the world, I don't have the skills I should have to use her."
"Also, I have huge flaws in practical Jujutsu combat."
"I clearly hold so many techniques, but many times I can't combine them well."
"Thinking about it now, I made quite a few mistakes in this battle."
"There are many techniques I didn't even use."
"It's not that I forgot, but in that environment at the time, I didn't have time to use them."
"For example, Uncanny Valley."
"Aside from using it for a surprise attack the first time, I didn't use it at all after that."
"I thought this spatial displacement ability would shine in a melee, but when it came time to use it, I suddenly realized I didn't understand the timing at all."
"Mainly, I couldn't give up actively taking damage to record others' Cursed Energy residue with Interstellar Flight just to use spatial displacement."
"Because Uncanny Valley only gives me an advantage, while Interstellar Flight can directly decide the outcome."
"Another example is 'Storing Luck' and 'Probability Alteration'."
"This combo should be very powerful, but in the heat of battle, I didn't have the time to use it at all. It slows down my combat rhythm too much."
"I need to organize and plan."
As he spoke, Mahito became thoughtful again.
"Perhaps I really need to settle down for a while to perfect my combat system."
"I thought my current combat methods were already very rich, but these rich methods always act independently."
"I haven't made full use of these abilities. Well, it's been too little time."
These were Mahito's true thoughts.
Although he seemed to always have a huge advantage in the battle against the Zenin Family, it was because he held Idle Transfiguration, which allowed for infinite revival.
It just so happened that no one in the Zenin Family had a way to directly attack the Soul, so he could fight without fear, no matter how much he courted death.
But what if he encountered an attack that could strike his Soul in the future?
Not to mention anything else, there are two people in the protagonist group who can attack the Soul: Yuji Itadori and Nobara Kugisaki.
Moreover, in the original work, when Mahito fought Kokichi, Kokichi also found a general way to crack Idle Transfiguration.
Not to mention, any excellent Jujutsu Sorcerer has a passive ability to protect their Soul.
His Idle Transfiguration will only become more restricted in future battlefields.
For instance, in this battle against the Zenin, apart from using Idle Transfiguration for regeneration, he hardly used it on anyone else.
Was it because he didn't want to?
No, it was because everyone knew he had the ability to change Souls just by touching them, and everyone was very careful to guard against this move.
Moreover, even if he could actually make contact, Idle Transfiguration would be completely unnecessary; a single punch would kill the person outright, rendering Idle Transfiguration useless.
Idle Transfiguration was by no means an invincible ability, and Mahito truly understood this point during this battle.
Thus, Mahito continued, "I hope to receive guidance from a master of the New Shadow Style."
"Of course, I will pay the price."
"I wonder if the people of the 'New Shadow Style' are interested in immortality?"
"I can exchange 'immortality' for the 'Kyoden' of the New Shadow Style."
In swordsmanship, "Kyoden" refers to a certificate proving that a student has mastered all the techniques of that school and passed tests in all aspects.
The next level is "Menkyo Kaiden," but Menkyo Kaiden is not just about learning; it's a qualification certificate.
Mahito had no interest in the license; what he wanted to learn were all the techniques of the New Shadow Style, and the Kyoden was enough.
Incidentally, although the "New Shadow Style" uses swords as its means, it is actually a combination of swordsmanship and Cursed Techniques.
Any Sorcerer can learn it; it's a universal Cursed Technique.
In the original work, Yuki Tsukumo, Aoi Todo, and Ui Ui were not sword users, yet they still mastered the Simple Domain of the New Shadow Style.
Even if one doesn't use a sword, learning the New Shadow Style has no drawbacks.
Kenjaku asked curiously, "You already possess Tsukumogami Manipulation."
"As long as you continue to train in Tsukumogami Manipulation, you can still stand at the pinnacle of Close-Quarters Combat without learning these techniques."
"What is driving you to decide to cultivate these techniques?"
"I have a premonition... my growth is about to hit a bottleneck," said Mahito.
"If there were still time, I would, of course, prefer to continue researching Idle Transfiguration."
"For other things, understanding them as knowledge reserves would suffice. That might be the normal path of my growth."
At this point, Mahito said self-deprecatingly, "Unfortunately, the world won't give me enough time... and neither will you, right?"
Kenjaku avoided Mahito's direct gaze and shrugged his shoulders.
"Well, it just so happens I know the founder of the 'New Shadow Style'."
"It will take some time to find him, but I can guarantee within a week."
"I can't guarantee your request will be fully realized because that guy also has a strange temper."
"However, I can introduce him to you, provided you guarantee the safety of both parties."
Mahito remembered; it seemed there was indeed such a scene before the original work concluded.
The head of the New Shadow Style sustained himself by absorbing the lifespan of his disciples, waiting for the moment when the New Shadow Style would reign supreme.
Mahito sighed sincerely, "I thought my 'immortality' was precious, but if you really go looking, it seems immortality has never been severed in the Jujutsu world."
"Tengen, you, the founder of the New Shadow Style... I really don't know if there are others. If there were, I wouldn't be surprised either."
Kenjaku could not agree with this point.
He said seriously, "Mahito, don't belittle yourself."
"The world of Curses indeed has various forms of immortality."
"Whether it's me, Tengen, or the founder of the New Shadow Style, our immortality is all about extending life as long as certain conditions are met."
"But each and every one of our forms of immortality comes with enormous restrictions and costs, without exception."
"Yet your 'immortality' is the genuine 'as long as heaven and earth endure' kind."
"As long as the Cursed Energy of this world continues to cycle, your 'immortality' can persist indefinitely."
"This is the most flawless immortality since the birth of the Jujutsu world."
"Any Jujutsu Sorcerer who pursues this path cannot help but be interested in your immortality."
"Hearing you say that puts me at ease," said Mahito.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Teacher Kenjaku."
"The more you grow, the more reassured I am, because it means you will become a trump card to kill Satoru Gojo."
Kenjaku smiled.
"I will do my utmost to run around for you, all for the sake of—overturning the modern Jujutsu world and fulfilling our long-cherished wish."
The focus is on your long-cherished wish, right?
Mahito once again confirmed that he must never let his guard down against Kenjaku, this thousand-year-old Curse User.
The moment the contract is fulfilled will likely be the moment of their split.
Mahito also revealed a smile. "Then I'll leave everything to Teacher Kenjaku."
"Leave it to me, Mahito."
Uraume opened the door, and Mahito walked in.
But Kenjaku did not leave immediately.
He glanced at the bald man lying on the ground and smiled.
"Hmm... I remember you're also a Barrier Master, right?"
"Perhaps you still have some use. I can't let you die here."
He finally said, opening another Spatial Gate and throwing the bald man inside.