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A month had passed since Naoya spoke with Megumi and his family regarding his high school path.
In the end, Megumi decided to enrol in Jujutsu High.
Currently, at the Tokyo Zenin estate, it was around midnight, and the upper hierarchy of the clan was gathered for a meeting.
As things were about to wrap up for the day, Naobito looked around at the members present.
"Any other agenda items we have left?"
The members looked at each other, but none of them raised their hands.
However, once it seemed like the meeting was over, Naoya raised his hand.
Every pair of eyes shifted towards him.
"Since everyone's done, I would like to bring light to a minor matter."
None of them said anything and waited for him to speak.
Naobito gave the go-ahead to his son. Even though he didn't know what the matter his son wanted to discuss was and felt a bit worried.
"News will spread once the rumours begin circulating, so I believe I should brief everyone beforehand. I will be backing a jujutsu sorcerer who will be joining Jujutsu High this year."
Everyone's eyes narrowed. Who was this sorcerer that caught Naoya's eyes, and why the hell is it important to discuss about a kid he took an interest in with the rest of the clan.
"The Kid's name is Megumi, and he has inherited the [Ten Shadows] Technique."
All eyes in the room widened in shock.
An uneasy silence filled the room at the revelation. [Ten Shadows] was the prized possession of the Zenin clan and was a matter of utmost importance.
Which bastard dared to recklessly spread his seed around and cause such a thing to happen?
"It should go without saying, but [Ten Shadows] is the prized technique of our clan. The boy will not formally join the clan, but he will be treated as an affiliated guest. We cannot allow outside powers to covet him."
Naoya knew that if he just let the Zenin hounds be, they would dig deep into Megumi to cause as much mess with him as possible.
Putting the matter as a subject of the Clan's prosperity, however, shifted the angle.
The Zenins might be many awful things, but when it came to protecting the clan's pride and interests, they were fiercely united.
They knew very well that the Jujutsu world was not kind, and there were many bastards who were willing to bring about their downfall or lower their position.
If the clan's greatest inherited technique ended up in enemy hands, it would become a humiliation for generations.
'It's good that he found the boy before other bastards got their hands on him...but-'
All of them had the same thought, and they looked at Naoya.
Chojuro was the one to ask the question that all of them had.
"Why not let the kid formally join the clan?"
Jinichi smirked.
"Scared that he might steal the spotlight from you?"
Naoya looked at Jinichi and decided to answer him first.
"Yeah, I am so scared of a boy that I am deciding to be his backer instead of dealing with him right now. Jinichi-san, just think of it. Do you actually think that just because he has [Ten Shadows] he will be able to outshine me?"
Naoya asked.
Jinichi's face turned into a frown.
The rest of the members who heard Naoya's words thought that it was a prideful claim.
Still, none of them could retort to that claim.
Naoya Zenin was an anomaly in the long history of the Zenin clan.
The clan possessed records of past [Ten Shadows] users, yet Naoya's version of the technique far surpassed anything documented before.
Not to mention—
He also possessed the techniques of the previous two clan heads, and his versions had already exceeded theirs as well.
Even if this new[Ten Shadows] user popped up out of nowhere, they couldn't confidently say that he will have as much impact as Naoya Zenin.
Jinichi snorted.
"So why is the brat not joining the clan?"
"Well, his father was exiled from the clan. I believe that you can understand that he does not exactly have the best image of the Zenin clan."
This new information made the whole story even spicier. An exiled Zenin produced a [Ten Shadows] user. Was this a plot of a manga or something?
Naobito frowned.
An exiled Zenin.
A kid old enough to start high school.
By all calculations, there was only one member like that.
"Toji."
As the name escaped Naobito's lips, the entire clan tensed up.
A subconscious fear struck them, and they immediately looked at Naoya for confirmation.
Naoya gave a nod.
That confirmed it.
The Zenin Clan's black sheep had fathered a child carrying the clan's most coveted technique.
What kind of ridiculous irony was this?
Were they really in a manga plot?
"Considering the respect Toji nii-san received from the clan and the respect he has for the clan in return, it shouldn't surprise anyone that his son has no interest in formally joining us."
Naoya's words made sense now. The people in the room knew well how Toji was treated when he was a member of the clan.
Most of the people present were honestly more surprised that Toji was still alive and hadn't returned for revenge.
"Past relationships cannot be mended, but we cannot let a [Ten Shadows] user be taken in by some other bugs who want to see our clan's downfall. I have made a deal with Nii-san that in exchange for letting his kid get the advantages and resources from the clan, he will not be joining forces with someone else and target the clan or the clansmen."
All of them felt a bit offended by that.
The arrangement almost sounded as if Toji were looking down on them.
Still, the prospect of their clan's technique being taken in by others made them not voice out their complaints.
"Why entertain the bastard at all?" Ogi suddenly interjected. "Why not eliminate his spawn instead?"
All eyes turned to him.
"...No offence, Uncle, but I have absolutely no interest in dealing with that mess."
Naoya looked at him as if he were witnessing the birth of the world's dumbest idea.
"If Toji comes knocking on our door because someone killed his son, I sincerely hope you'll be capable of taking responsibility for the clan afterwards. Whatever opinions we may have regarding our clan's ideologies, let's not forget that most of us wouldn't even notice him entering the estate before our heads hit the floor."
Ogi looked at Naoya, who was looking back at him as if looking at the world's biggest idiot.
"Also, why need to go with all that hassle of killing the kid. Who mind you can pull out [Mahoraga] as his last-ditch effort, and then follow that with dealing with nii-san? If we simply keep the kid as our guest, we get another strong sorcerer in our ranks."
Naoya spoke as if it were the most obvious conclusion possible.
And honestly—
It was.
Toji might be the stain on the clan's name because he doesn't even have CE, but the man does have Zenin blood. His kid was a Zenin too. If he didn't want to join the clan, then keeping him as the clan's guest or affiliated sorcerer was still fine. A talented Zenin in the ranks was always a plus for the clan.
Ogi looked displeased after having his suggestion crushed so casually, but even he couldn't deny Naoya's logic carried far more weight.
"Anyone against it?"
Naoya asked.
The members exchanged looks.
But nobody objected.
Naoya smiled in satisfaction.
Complicated matters became much easier when framed in the most practical manner possible.
The Zenins were now handled, and the Fushiguros won't have to worry much about them.
Naoya couldn't suppress the entire jujutsu world, but if Megumi carried both his backing and the Zenin Clan's support, far fewer people would dare target him.
After that, no one had any more agendas, and the meeting came to an end.
-----
A few days later, Megumi came to the clan along with Naoya to introduce himself to the others...and demonstrate that he indeed possesses the [Ten Shadows].
Once that was confirmed, Megumi Fushiguro was admitted as the guest/ affiliated sorcerer of the clan and a binding vow was placed on both him and the clansmen.
The vow consisted of topics like:
1) Neither party may intentionally harm the other.
2) Matters regarding clan security and confidential information must not be disclosed.
3) No physical or mental harm may be inflicted upon Megumi's family unless in self-defence. (The Toji security){A/N: As if anyone here could actually stop Toji in self-defence.}
4) The clan will provide Megumi Fushiguro with resources, opportunities, and support for his growth as a sorcerer.
5) In return, Megumi Fushiguro must assist the clan when formally requested.
6) Megumi Fushiguro cannot join factions hostile to the Zenin Clan unless the clan violates the agreement first.
7) Megumi Fushiguro will not receive a salary.{A/N: We are a family. We pay you in experience}
There were other points mentioned in the vow, but these were the major ones.
Once the vow was set up, most of the members dispersed and went back to their duties.
Only the members of Hei stayed behind.
All of them eyed Megumi from top to bottom.
Megumi turned to Naoya, wondering if things were all right, but Naoya just gestured for him to remain calm.
The clan wouldn't harm their newly acquired asset.
"He really does have a resemblance to that bastard."
Jinichi muttered and snorted. The kid in front of them had the same fair and handsome look as his hateful brother.
"Well, since you are new, let me introduce you to everyone here."
Naoya stepped up.
"We are the members of the Hei, the strongest squad in the Zenin clan."
Naoya flattered the members first to make them a bit easier.
"You already know me. I am Naoya Zenin, Hei rank 1."
"This is my father, Naobito Zenin, Hei rank 2".
"The weird old man is Chojuro Zenin, Hei rank 3."
Chojuro immediately looked at Naoya.
"What do you mean by weird, Naoya-sama and who's old? I am still a dandy middle-aged man,"
The rest of the members looked at the wrinkled "Middle-aged" man and snorted.
"Going ahead, is Ogi Zenin, Hei rank 4."
"Then there is Jinichi Zenin, Hei rank 5. He is Toji nii-san's big brother. He would technically be your uncle as well."
"Hmph. You look just like that hateful bastard. I hope you at least have more potential than him."
"Now now, no calling names here. That is bad manners." Naoya chided.
Jinichi glared at Naoya, but decided to stop.
Megumi didn't get angry at Jinichi's comment. Naoya, Toji, Maki, and Mai had already told him about the 'kind and harmonious' Zenin clan. He was not going to respond to some half-assed provocation here.
Naoya continued introducing the Hei members one by one to Megumi.
Once finished, Megumi gave a polite bow to them.
"I am Megumi Fushiguro. I look forward to working hard and learning from all of you."
"Good. At least his attitude is better than Toji's," said Ogi.
"All's good, but what is his sorcerer rank?" asked Naobito.
"Semi-Grade 1. Though not official, just my personal opinion."
Naoya replied.
"Hmm...acceptable."
The Hei were elite members of the Zenin clan. They had attained their own Grade-1 status earlier or around Megumi's age.
Naoya's assessment wasn't wrong.
Megumi, though trained by Naoya and Toji, lacked the experience to work as a sorcerer. He might be strong, but handling curses needed more than just being strong.
Just like that, Megumi Fushiguro's first meeting with the Zenin clan came to an end.
-----
A few months have passed by since then.
Megumi Fushiguro was officially graded by the Jujutsu Division and was given a Grade 2 initially, just like Maki and Mai had when they joined.
On that note, both the twins were now Semi-Grade 1 sorcerers.
Megumi was also assigned his school branch.
He will be joining the Tokyo Jujutsu High and will be under Satoru Gojo.
Speaking of Satoru Gojo, Naoya was having the weird urge to snap the idiot's spine.
"What do you mean, you caught a kid who has Ryomen Sukuna inside of him? Is this shit pok*mon to you?"
Naoya spoke to Satoru on the phone, who told him the whole story so nonchalantly as if he was telling him that he just bought cereal from the convenience store.
"I mean, if we go by that logic, then I caught a legendary," Satrou replied.
"That's not the point, you bitch! You just told me that Ryomen Sukuna—the King of Curses, the Heian Era monster who terrorised the country—is currently living inside some random teenager who ate his finger! And to top it all off, he even gained consciousness inside the boy and can take over?!"
"Yup."
Satoru replied in a single breath.
Naoya wanted to tear this unserious bastard apart.
"Don't worry, the boy, oh, his name is Yuji Itadori, he is a nice kid. Ah, derailed there, like I was saying, the boy is capable of keeping Sukuna contained within him and is in total control of his body. I tested it."
"I don't care if you tested it. For all we know, Sukuna could just be pretending to cooperate while waiting for the perfect chance to screw all of us over!"
Naoya was serious.
"Relax. You worry too much. It's not like anything bad will happen, like Ryomen Sukuna gets a hold of his body and causes disasters like destroying a city or something."
"Do you not hear yourself?"
"Chillax, dude. I can handle the Heian era pedo. What's he gonna do? Snap me in half? Please. He wouldn't even touch me."
"..."
Naoya didn't know what to say. The whole situation really seemed to be a disaster waiting to happen.
-----
In another part of the country,
Suguru Geto was having a nice breakfast with Kureha Toujo at a local diner.
"My people got news on some new information. This might be important and could cause trouble for our plan."
"Kureha, do you not know that speaking while eating is bad manners?"
Geto chided Kureha.
"Be serious. Here."
Kurehea passed the folder to Geto.
Geto sighed and picked up the folder.
As he flipped it open, his eyes widened a bit.
'Yuji...' thought Geto, or more accurately, Kenjaku.
'Things are starting to fall into place,' thought Kenjaku.
He read through the page and then flipped it over.
'Megumi Fushiguro....[Ten Shadows]....Zenin's affiliation....Naoya Zenin backs him'
A smirk formed on his lips.
"This game may become far more interesting than I expected."