"It's Kenjaku!" Tengen said thoughtfully. "No wonder... no wonder I haven't been able to locate the Lord of Cursed Spirits' headquarters. We were absolutely certain they were operating on Japanese soil, yet I couldn't track them down no matter what. If it's Kenjaku, he is indeed a barrier master capable of rivaling me."
Tengen couldn't help but sigh. "This is my oversight. I truly never expected that the Lord of Cursed Spirits would manage to subjugate even Kenjaku."
After Satoru Gojo made that phone call and had a thorough, candid exchange with Mahito, he couldn't wait to assemble his strike team. Naturally, by unspoken agreement, they completely excluded Jujutsu Headquarters. In their eyes, the Higher-ups were entirely untrustworthy.
Originally, both Tengen and Gojo believed that simply elevating Gojo's individual strength would be enough. As long as Mahito was dealt with, his underlings were entirely insignificant. However, the ascension ritual fundamentally shifted the paradigm.
Tengen deduced that they needed to gather enough people to pool their strength. This was no longer a stage for solo heroism; it had to be an all-out faction war. Tengen clearly understood exactly what this 'ascension ritual' entailed—it would undeniably engulf all of Japan. Gojo alone could no longer lock down the board.
Right now, every single person present in the room was a powerful Jujutsu Sorcerer hand-picked by Gojo himself. This was his true inner circle, the people he trusted beyond a shadow of a doubt. And their current location was the absolute safest place imaginable: deep inside the Tombs of the Star.
Tengen had reconfigured the Tombs' Sunyata Barrier into a makeshift conference room. Everyone was seated around a long table, with Gojo taking the head seat.
The roster included:
Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerers: Yuki Tsukumo, Yuta Okkotsu.
Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerers: Masamichi Yaga, Aoi Todo, Kento Nanami.
Semi-Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer: Utahime Iori.
School Doctor: Shoko Ieiri.
Students: Rice Shower, Megumi Fushiguro, Maki Zen'in, Yuji Itadori.
And finally:
The Principal of Kyoto Jujutsu High and the leader of the conservative faction: Yoshinobu Gakuganji.
Then, amidst the solemn and somber atmosphere of the meeting, Utahime Iori was the first to snap.
She shot up from her chair, pointed a trembling finger at Yoshinobu Gakuganji, and roared, "Hold on a second, Master Tengen! Can someone please explain why this old fossil is sitting at our table?! Who can guarantee he isn't a spy for the Lord of Cursed Spirits?! Who is vouching for him?!"
Gakuganji, looking so ancient he could barely pry his eyes open, shot a sideways glance at Utahime. In any other setting, if she had dared to scream at him like this, he would have disciplined her immediately. But this was an exclusive meeting of Gojo's inner circle. The mere fact that he was allowed a seat was astonishing enough. He resolved to keep his mouth shut.
Masamichi Yaga raised a hand. "It was me. I nominated Gakuganji to attend."
In the original timeline, Yaga surprisingly placed his trust in this conservative leader. Before his death, Yaga entrusted Gakuganji with the secret to stably producing Cursed Corpses endowed with souls. At the time, Yaga knew his death was inevitable; he didn't want his research to become lost technology, nor did he want it abused. He ultimately gambled everything on Gakuganji.
And Gakuganji didn't betray that trust. He kept the technique hidden right up until Gojo was unsealed. Only after Gojo broke free and ruthlessly slaughtered the Higher-ups did Gakuganji reveal that he possessed the knowledge.
Now, once again, Yaga was placing his faith in Yoshinobu Gakuganji.
"I approved it," Gojo nodded, his expression remarkably neutral. "I also believe Principal Gakuganji is trustworthy."
"Just look at his wrinkles and his bald head!" Utahime shouted. "Are you seriously telling me he hasn't been tempted by the promise of immortality?! You really trust the head of the conservatives this much? I swear on my life, the second this meeting ends, this geezer is going to leak everything we discussed straight to Jujutsu Headquarters!"
Gakuganji finally lost his patience. "Watch your tone, Utahime!" he growled deeply. "It is precisely *because* I lead the conservative faction that I would never collude with Curses. I am the one who despises Cursed Spirits the most, and the faction I lead shares that sentiment! If we're talking about suspicion, that little girl who had her gender personally swapped by the Lord of Cursed Spirits is far more suspicious than I am!"
Rice Shower jumped in her seat, her face draining of color. She had no idea if Gakuganji was a spy for Mahito's side, but *she* definitely was!
Shoko Ieiri casually raised her hand. "Ah, I'm the one who proposed bringing little Rice Shower to this meeting. She's been extremely well-behaved. I'll vouch for her."
Utahime shot Shoko a look but didn't miss a beat, turning her fury back on Gakuganji. "Ever since her gender was altered, Rice Shower has been operating directly under Satoru's nose. She hasn't made a single attempt to contact the Curses. Her entire life is heavily monitored; she's just an unfortunate victim Mahito used to test his Idle Transfiguration. You, on the other hand, are a completely different story!"
"Whether she's innocent or not is irrelevant," Gakuganji replied coldly. "As long as there is even a fraction of a risk, the source must be eradicated. Since her body has already been modified to serve as a vessel for the Lord of Cursed Spirits, the best course of action is to execute her *before* she inevitably loses control of her flesh at a critical moment."
The moment those chilling words dropped, the entire atmosphere of the secret meeting warped. The hyper-rational, cold-blooded logic made everyone in the room physically uncomfortable.
But Utahime didn't flinch. She locked eyes with Gakuganji, her glare practically lethal.
"Then you should commit seppuku!" she spat. "I barely made it out of the Cursed Spirits' headquarters alive. And guess where I accessed their base from? Right in the Upper District of Kyoto! The Lord of Cursed Spirits specifically assigned an intelligent Curse with spatial manipulation to open a gate there. They even casually patrol the streets of Kyoto, treating it like their own damn backyard."
"Right under your nose!"
Gakuganji had no rebuttal for that. After Utahime's return, the intelligence regarding the Lord of Cursed Spirits had become an open secret. Even if they had wanted to suppress it, they couldn't. The revelation that the legendary Lord of Cursed Spirits had fought Satoru Gojo to a standstill was too massive a shock to the system. Every Sorcerer in the know was rabidly hunting for information, and Utahime's intel had spread like wildfire.
That was exactly how Kinji Hakari had received that anonymous tip-off.
Kyoto was the absolute stronghold of the conservative faction. Gakuganji was their reigning leader. Yet, the Lord of Cursed Spirits had brazenly opened a spatial gate right in his territory, openly marching his forces through the streets, and Gakuganji hadn't received a single scrap of intelligence about it.
Forget Utahime—even Gakuganji himself found it utterly incomprehensible.
He couldn't blame Utahime for exploding at him. It was a catastrophic failure of duty on his part. He had no defense.
"It was my failure," Gakuganji admitted, his voice tight. "As soon as I received the intel, I personally went to investigate that spatial gate. Unfortunately, the Lord of Cursed Spirits had already dismantled it."
"Of course they dismantled it!" Utahime snarled viciously. "Because if you kept investigating, who knows *who* else you might have tracked down!"
That accusation crossed a line. Gakuganji's eyes instinctively snapped open, his thick white eyebrows flying up. The normally squinting, ancient man suddenly glared with the wrath of a furious Buddha, accompanied by a violent, momentary burst of Cursed Energy that washed over the room.
But Utahime was entirely unfazed. She fiercely glared right back, refusing to yield a single inch.
*Clap.*
Tengen gently clapped her hands together once.
"That's enough, Utahime," Tengen said softly. "The fact that Yoshinobu Gakuganji is sitting here means he has already passed Satoru Gojo's most rigorous scrutiny. You should know perfectly well that if Satoru truly sets his mind to investigating someone, their every secret and intention will be laid bare. Right now, you are merely venting your emotions. Nothing more."
Utahime took two, then three deep breaths, before slowly sinking back into her chair. "I'm going to keep my eyes glued to you, Principal Gakuganji."
"My conscience is entirely clear," Gakuganji stated with heavy dignity.
"I hope so," Utahime replied coldly.
Tengen swept her gaze across the room. Although no one else was openly bickering, the underlying unease was palpable. Having a suspected spy infiltrate a top-secret meeting was a severe blow to morale. But Gakuganji's inclusion wasn't solely due to Yaga's recommendation; Tengen herself wanted him here.
Because his position was far too valuable!
The conservative faction held a staggering amount of influence in the Jujutsu world, and their sheer numbers far eclipsed Gojo's reformist camp—assuming, of course, you discounted the three Special Grade Sorcerers on Gojo's side.
In the original timeline, there was a scene shortly after Gojo was sealed where Masamichi Yaga was ambushed on a dark road by Sorcerers led by Gakuganji. They demanded the mass-production method for autonomous Cursed Corpses like Panda. Yaga refused and was effortlessly executed.
After the battle, Gakuganji didn't have a single scratch on him!
Part of that was due to Gakuganji's own formidable strength, but it was also a testament to the seamless coordination of the conservative forces backing him. That was how they made it look so easy.
And that was only the tip of the conservative iceberg.
Facing the overwhelming threat of the Lord of Cursed Spirits, bringing the conservatives into the fold would be like adding wings to a tiger. Even if they were only used as cannon fodder to stall the enemy's heavy hitters for a few precious seconds, for the real Sorcerers in this room preparing for war, those seconds were more than enough.
Trading lives for enemy intelligence was the conservatives' bread and butter anyway. It was the exact same logic the Zen'in clan used when throwing the Kukuru Unit and the Hei into the meat grinder to gauge Mahito's strength before Naobito Zen'in stepped in for the final blow. Mahito had mocked Naobito for his cruelty, entirely unaware that this was standard operating procedure for the old guard. They didn't even consider it cruel.
Tengen had prioritized rational utility over emotional comfort in backing Yaga's nomination. She assumed the others would understand. Moreover, Gojo had already thoroughly vetted Gakuganji, which should have guaranteed everyone's approval. Yet, she hadn't expected this level of pushback...
Tengen sighed internally. It seemed the old ways truly couldn't keep pace with the new era. She had been divorced from modern politics for far too long; issuing absolute decrees like a feudal lord simply didn't work anymore.
Back in the old days, if a faction leader made a decision, what subordinate would dare question it? Did they have a death wish? The leader would be entirely justified in executing them on the spot!
But now, even with Gojo personally giving the okay, he couldn't stop the unrest among his own subordinates. The paradigm shift was massive, and Tengen struggled to adapt to it.
Tengen glanced at Gojo. Gojo let out a dramatic sigh and finally stood up.
"I'll spell it out for you," said the man who carried absolutely zero aura of a secret society leader, his tone casual and flippant. "Whether Principal Gakuganji is a spy or not is entirely irrelevant. He is the leader of the conservative faction. He can bypass Jujutsu Headquarters and command the vast majority of conservative Sorcerers. During Mahito's ascension ritual, we are going to need that military power. And I can personally guarantee that Principal Gakuganji won't betray us. Unlike the old days where we could bicker and compromise, this is now a war for the survival of our species. He wouldn't dare pull any stunts."
A visceral jolt of mortal terror gripped Gakuganji's heart in an instant, making his pulse stutter. He let out a low grunt but offered no rebuttal.
Gojo turned his piercing gaze to Utahime. "Are you satisfied now?"
Utahime furrowed her brow and gave a stiff nod. "If this is your will."
In other words, Utahime still didn't trust Gakuganji, but she trusted Satoru Gojo. Since Gojo was willing to bet on him, she would follow suit.
That blind, absolute devotion made Gojo's heart sink slightly. He was acutely aware that this group was forming a formidable new power structure centered entirely around his personal charisma—a faction that would undoubtedly eclipse Jujutsu Headquarters. And he was its undisputed king.
He had to take responsibility for every single one of them!
Because of that, he couldn't afford to let Gakuganji slip through his fingers.
"According to Utahime's intel," Gojo began, his voice steadying, "she encountered five newborn, highly intelligent Cursed Spirits at the enemy's main camp. Every single one of them possesses strength rivaling a Grade 1 Sorcerer, and they are still experiencing explosive growth."
"What's worse is that we have zero concrete data on these five. At best, we know the eldest sister is a master swordswoman, a Curse with black wings specializes in wind manipulation, another can effortlessly open spatial gates, and the final two—who look like twins—do not specialize in swordplay."
"Furthermore, every single Curse User in Japan has vanished without a trace. Where are they? They can only be in Mahito's hands. I don't want any of you to die. I'm sure you catch my drift."
Aoi Todo's brow deeply furrowed. "Are you suggesting we sit back and reap the rewards while we watch the conservative faction march to their deaths gathering intel for us?!"
"Aoi," Yuki Tsukumo interjected, looking at her student. "Those five newborns aren't the ones we're going to be fighting."
Todo blinked in surprise.
Gojo stated flatly, "The ones handling the five newborns will be Maki, Megumi, Rice Shower, and Yuji."
The four students called out immediately straightened their postures.
Now it was Todo's turn to look utterly incredulous. "Are you screwing with me?!"
Maki Zen'in shot Todo a lethal glare. "You don't think we can handle it?"
"Itadori is decent. Fushiguro is barely passable in my eyes. Rice Shower might be a coward, but she's got unga bunga brute strength and a toxic Cursed Technique, so she's fine. But you? You are miles out of your depth," Todo sneered. "Or perhaps you'd like to test your face against my fist again?"
Unlike the original timeline, where the Kyoto Goodwill Event was brutally interrupted by Mahito's forces and allied Curse Users—nearly resulting in Hanami's death—this timeline's event had gone remarkably smoothly. While Todo had still forged his brotherhood with Yuji, he remained arrogant and dismissive toward everyone else.
Maki clenched her fists tightly. But before she could snap back, Tengen's serene voice cut through the tension.
"I am the one who requested Maki Zen'in's presence here... I have a method to permanently sever the connection between the Zen'in twins, allowing Maki to awaken as a new generation's Heavenly Tyrant."
The room fell dead silent. Everyone was stunned—even Gojo.
"You can pull something like that off?" Gojo asked, genuinely impressed.
Tengen gave Gojo a dismissive side-eye. "How do you think those Six Eyes of yours came to be?"
The Six Eyes were the manifestation of the divine aspect Tengen had discarded. If Tengen could discard a divine trait and mandate its reincarnation exclusively within the Gojo bloodline, then completely unraveling the mechanics of Heavenly Restriction was child's play. She simply hadn't had a reason to do it before. Now that it was necessary, she could alter it at will.
In the original story, Maki only awakened as a true Heavenly Tyrant at the cost of her twin sister Mai's life. But with Tengen stepping in, no sacrifices were needed. Severing the mystical, intertwined fate of twins was far simpler than casting away a piece of godhood.
Tengen, who had died an incredibly anticlimactic death in the original timeline, was finally showcasing her true, terrifying capabilities.
Whether it was occult knowledge, Barrier Techniques, or Jujutsu manipulation, aside from frontline brawling, she was virtually omnipotent. This was exactly why Kenjaku had prioritized assassinating her above all else. Aside from the Culling Game and his ancient rivalry, Tengen herself was a massive, existential threat. As long as she drew breath, Kenjaku's hands would forever be tied.
Gojo paused, then shot her a massive thumbs-up, loudly praising her, "As expected of Master Tengen, guardian of the Jujutsu world for a thousand years! You're incredible!"
Gojo understood the sheer, overwhelming lethality of a Heavenly Tyrant better than anyone. If their side could instantly manufacture one—even if she was a 'budget version' compared to Toji Fushiguro—it would be a colossal tactical advantage! It was no exaggeration to say it was the equivalent of recruiting a genuine Special Grade Sorcerer!
Tengen ignored Gojo's clowning and turned back to Todo. "Does this put your mind at ease?"
Todo nodded thoughtfully. "No wonder we need the conservative cannon fodder. Yeah, with this, we should have enough firepower."
Gakuganji desperately wanted to scream that his faction was *not* cannon fodder! But as he scanned the heavy hitters sitting around the table, the words caught in his throat.
Even the weakest among them, Utahime, possessed 'Solo Forbidden Area,' an ability that could massively buff everyone's stats across the board. Everyone else possessed Grade 1 strength at a bare minimum, with several boasting potential that rivaled true Special Grades. Not to mention, every single modern Special Grade Sorcerer was currently sitting in this room. Compared to them, the conservative forces really *were* just a mob of cannon fodder.
"Besides, like I said earlier, Mahito has a massive army of Curse Users at his beck and call," Gojo grinned. "I doubt you want to waste your energy swatting away small fry, right, Todo?"
"I suppose it can't be helped," Todo sighed, looking like a melancholic poet.
*This insolent brat!* Gakuganji's brow twitched violently.
"Since we are in agreement, let's return to the main issue," Tengen said, her tone dead serious. "Kenjaku is a Sorcerer from my era, and one of the exceedingly few who has obtained a method for true immortality. I won't list out his atrocities here. Since he is currently serving under the Lord of Cursed Spirits, I doubt he's having a pleasant time anyway. I will only point out one critical fact: when it comes to Barrier Techniques, he is my absolute equal."
The gravity of that statement sent shockwaves through the room. Even Gojo looked taken aback.
"Wait, so you're saying... if you leave the Tombs of the Star, he'll definitely be able to hijack the core Japanese barriers? Even with Yuta Okkotsu guarding them?" Yuki Tsukumo demanded. "But Kenjaku doesn't have an immortality technique, right?!"
Yuta Okkotsu looked incredibly awkward, wanting to shrink into his chair.
"In the past, he couldn't. But if he has the assistance of the Six Eyes—which rival Satoru Gojo's—I imagine seizing control of the Japanese barriers would be child's play for him," Tengen stated frankly. "As for an immortality technique... Idle Transfiguration serves as an infinitely superior substitute."
Gojo hadn't bothered to hide the fact that Mahito had acquired the Six Eyes. He couldn't hide it even if he wanted to. When the final battle broke out, Mahito would inevitably reveal them. If Gojo didn't mentally prepare his allies now, the shock could trigger a catastrophic collapse in morale on the battlefield. It was better to rip the band-aid off now.
The mechanics behind Idle Transfiguration had also been declassified. During their duel, Mahito had openly broadcasted his technique's rules.
"I can mobilize every Barrier Sorcerer in Japan," Gakuganji stated with mechanical precision. "They will comply."
"Even if you gathered every single Barrier Sorcerer in the country—excluding myself—to assist Yuta Okkotsu, it would be useless," Tengen utterly rejected the idea. "Barrier Techniques are universal Jujutsu. Unlike deeply personalized Innate Techniques, barriers require vast reservoirs of knowledge and experience. The knowledge can be taught, but when it comes to experience, I am the only one capable of withstanding Kenjaku's corrosion of the Japanese barriers while he is backed by the Six Eyes."
Gakuganji opened his mouth, desperately wanting to berate Gojo for ever agreeing to a scheduled deathmatch with the Lord of Cursed Spirits. But as he looked at the sheer caliber of people in the room, he swallowed his pride and remained silent.
Gojo didn't try to deflect the blame. He spoke with rare sincerity. "This is on me. I never imagined the Lord of Cursed Spirits possessed the ability to completely replicate a technique just by coming into contact with a Sorcerer. The activation conditions for his version of Limitless are even more lenient than Yuta's. Such a thing has never been recorded in the entire history of Jujutsu. It was my catastrophic miscalculation that led us to this point."
It was incredibly rare for Gojo to admit fault, but the scale of this disaster left him no choice.
No one understood the apocalyptic synergy of the Six Eyes and the Limitless better than Gojo himself. The fact that Mahito had acquired both meant that moving forward, they weren't just fighting the Lord of Cursed Spirits—they were fighting a *Satoru Gojo* version of the Lord of Cursed Spirits!
The sheer despair of that reality was suffocating.
"This is a strategy meeting, not a post-mortem! Keep your self-flagellation for the debriefing!" Yuki snapped impatiently. "Every single person in a position of power here has failed in their duty. Tengen's passivity, Gakuganji's negligence, Gojo's arrogance. Hell, even me! When I went to fight Mahito, I never dreamed my Cursed Technique would end up becoming fertilizer for his evolution. I could never have predicted that Mahito would be able to fight Satoru to a standstill even *before* stealing the Six Eyes and Limitless!"
"When I fought Satoru, he kicked me around like a literal soccer ball! Yet Mahito used *my* technique to fight him evenly. Who could have seen that coming?!"
"Everyone, we need to bury our mistakes right now and lock our sights entirely on Mahito's ascension ritual. That is the only thing that matters!"
Yuki's words struck a chord. Mahito's evolution had been terrifyingly smooth, entirely facilitated by the systemic arrogance and internal rot of the Jujutsu world. If Tengen, the Jujutsu Headquarters, or Gojo had bothered to crush him with absolute prejudice in the beginning, Mahito would never have grown into this apocalyptic threat.
And now that they were finally united, Mahito was completely out of control.
Mahito, the Lord of Cursed Spirits, had officially leaped over the dragon's gate.
Gojo glanced at Tengen. Tengen took a step back, silently returning control of the meeting to him. Gojo had never felt such a crushing sense of responsibility. Before this, he had always been the undisputed strongest under the heavens. Even if he made a mistake, he could just punch his way out of it. He had never feared a challenge; they were nothing more than light warm-ups to cure his boredom.
Until right now.
One wrong step, and everything ends!
Gojo understood this reality down to his marrow.
"I'll be blunt," Gojo said, his tone dead serious. "Everyone sitting at this table is someone I, Satoru Gojo, personally recognize. Every single one of you possesses the power to drastically alter the battlefield during Mahito's ascension. You have my absolute, unconditional trust. In the coming war against Mahito, we only have each other to rely on... As for Jujutsu Headquarters, as of this exact second, they no longer exist to me."
The underlying threat was crystal clear: if the Higher-ups dared to get in his way, he would execute them as enemies without a second thought.
Nanami, who had been brooding in silence this entire time, finally couldn't hold back. He stood up. "Are you certain about this?"
"Do you honestly believe Jujutsu Headquarters can still be trusted?" Gojo asked coldly.
Nanami froze, then slowly sank back into his chair.
"The enemy is the Lord of Cursed Spirits, wielding the dual powers of immortality and resurrection. And despite being born a Curse, he doesn't act like one in the slightest," Gojo said evenly. "He actively seeks out cooperation with human society. He's willing to share the secret to immortality. And while he hasn't explicitly advertised his resurrection ability, I guarantee that if the conditions are right, he'd offer that up as a bargaining chip too. Honestly, if he weren't a Cursed Spirit, the second he rallied his forces, even Tengen would be forced to bow to him."
Tengen remained silent, confirming that Gojo wasn't exaggerating in the slightest.
"Even though he hasn't shed his identity as a Cursed Spirit, plenty of people in Jujutsu Headquarters have already defected to his side," Gojo continued icily. "I have zero doubt that if we fail, the Higher-ups will immediately crown Mahito as their new king. The Jujutsu world will instantly be absorbed into his empire, the global paradigm of human society will be violently rewritten, and this planet will welcome its new master."
This wasn't hyperbole. It was a terrifyingly logical conclusion.
The Lord of Cursed Spirits wasn't a mindless butcher. On the contrary, he meticulously maintained a persona of absolute benevolence and virtue. Aside from his cursed biology, he had almost no political vulnerabilities. And whatever stigma his biology carried was easily washed away by his pristine reputation—and his incredibly massive, lethal fists.
Gojo wasn't fear-mongering. Everyone in the room knew it was the truth.
"We cannot fail," Gojo declared with absolute finality.
"I am ordering every single one of you to maximize your strength starting from this exact second! I am ordering you to push forward with Special Grade as your baseline target! I expect every single one of you to distract and neutralize at least a portion of Mahito's vanguard... Do not drag me down!"
Gojo's voice boomed. "From this moment on, whoever dares to stand in our way, I will execute them! I don't care if they are a politician, a Prime Minister, or a high-ranking executive in Jujutsu Headquarters! We have exactly one objective—"
Gojo swept his gaze across the room, etching the faces of his allies into his mind.
With crushing, solemn gravity, he punctuated every single word:
"Save. Humanity."